Cahill Strikes Meaningful Chord with Scholarship

By Joyce O’Connor Davidson

The Cahills
During his years as a student at Holy Cross, George F. Cahill ’49, remembers riding the train back to school after time home in Newton, Mass., with classmate John E. Brooks ’49. On occasion they would share a taxi from the Worcester train station back to Mount Saint James, where they lived on the same floor. During those days, Cahill was the class president.

"As a returning veteran of World War II," Cahill recalls, "John Brooks was a serious student and a most esteemed member of the Class."

Brooks, who went on to become a Jesuit priest and president of Holy Cross from 1970-1994, says: "People had a great deal of respect for George. He had the ability to draw all people in. He was a very well respected member of the community here."

The friendship that was established during those years between Fr. Brooks and Cahill continued to grow. Cahill became a Boston lawyer and married his wife, Connie. They had four children - Greg ’81, Mark, Pamela and Christopher. Connie and George attended Fr. Brooks’ first public Mass, which was celebrated in June of 1959 at St. Joseph’s Church in Needham, Mass. The Cahills and Fr. Brooks remained friends throughout the years and shared a love of all things Holy Cross. George has been an active participant in many alumni activities, including serving as class chair and, eventually, president of the General Alumni Association (GAA).

One of the things the Cahills enjoyed together was music. For more than 25 years they held tickets to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and every summer they headed west on the Massachusetts Turnpike to Lenox to attend concerts at Tanglewood. One of the most memorable BSO performances they attended together was The Passion According to St. Mark, composed by Holy Cross Associate Professor of Music Osvaldo Golijov. Cahill called the February 2001 performance "absolutely overwhelming"; critics called The Passion, "the first great symphony of the 21st century." Golijov lectured a group of Holy Cross alumni just prior to that performance as part of the Donelan Faculty Lecture Series, and the evening brought together all the things George Cahill loved most: being with Connie, taking in a stunning performance and enjoying the company of Holy Cross friends.

When Connie became very ill with cancer in 2002, Fr. Brooks notes, she suffered without complaint, which was her way. During the Christmas season of that year, Fr. Brooks and Fr. Francis Miller, S.J., ’46, went to visit the Cahills, to bless Connie and to celebrate the Eucharist for her at the Cahill home in Weston. Connie died in January 2003; Fr. Brooks celebrated the funeral Mass and delivered the homily at St. Ignatius Church in Chestnut Hill, the parish church where George had worshipped as a youth.

On the occasion of his 55th reunion in June of 2004, George decided he wanted to make a significant contribution to Holy Cross, so he went to see Fr. Brooks.

"Now that we’re both ‘semi-retired,’" says George, "there is more time for conversation, and it’s kind of nice."

They talked and came up with the notion that part of the gift would benefit the music department, to honor Connie and to address the needs of a department about which Fr. Brooks cares deeply. This was accomplished with the establishment of "The Constance and George Cahill Music Scholarship." The scholarship, which will be awarded by the music department, will provide needed financial aid to talented students majoring in music.

Cahill also decided to memorialize several classmates and friends. He has established 15 Holy Cross class fund endowments in their names. Those men will be listed as donors to the College in perpetuity.

While Connie played piano, George and his friend, Fr. Brooks, laugh about their lack of musical talents. Fr. Brooks explains that his interest in music comes from his understanding of the history of Jesuit education, not from an ability to play an instrument. Not only were the Jesuits dedicated in their teaching of the classics and philosophy, he explains, but they also had a strong interest in music, art and theatre.

As president of the College, Fr. Brooks thought Holy Cross should have strong programs in these areas, and he worked to nurture them. This music scholarship - part of the Brooks Music Center - was created to honor a beloved wife and devoted friend, and is, according to George, "a fitting remembrance of Connie, perpetuating her name at Holy Cross, which she loved, and paying tribute to many years of friendship with Father Brooks - and our shared love of music - all to benefit Holy Cross."