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Beyond Cash
By Allison Chisolm
Most gifts to Holy Cross arrive as paper—generally in the form of checks. But several recent donors have given gifts that share their passions with the College in steel, aluminum, watercolor, vinyl and felt.
Steel Dreams
This past fall, Gerald Good '54 donated two 12-passenger vans to Holy Cross. Retired owner of Good Brothers Ford in Randolph, Mass., he spoke with classmate and former athletic director, Ron Perry, who mentioned how much the College could use a passenger van. Good's son, Jerry, who runs the business now and whose daughter, Laura, is a first-year student, agreed. Two silver Ford Club Wagon XLTs came up for auction, and Good's son purchased them for Holy Cross. "It's very unusual to have Club Wagons come through auctions," Good notes. "It was good timing all the way around."
One van transports temporarily disabled students around campus, freeing up public safety personnel (and vehicles) who previously shouldered that responsibility, according to vice president of student affairs and dean of students, Jacqueline D. Peterson. This van service also creates a new job opportunity for student drivers, who complete a special training course with Lt. Thomas Foley before getting behind the wheel.
The second van serves academic purposes. "This gift enables students to experience cultural events and link them to what they're learning in the classroom," notes associate dean, Mary Morton. "We couldn't be more grateful for this resource that makes good teaching easier."
Consider the van's maiden voyage. In early December, Associate Professor Nancy E. Andrews took 11 classical mythology students to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to search for interpretations of myths. Students surprised Andrews, finding them in architectural details of the building itself, in statuary and on the ceilings. "I was delighted at their perceptive observations and their obvious desire to share their discoveries with classmates," comments Andrews.
Biology Professor Robert Bertin looks forward to using the van to transport his lake laboratory class to Lake Quinsigamond next fall. Equipped with a trailer hitch, the van can tow a flat-bottomed boat so the class may conduct depth profiles. The class will also travel to Rhode Island to examine Jamestown's rocky shore and inter-tidal zones. "I measure my success in lab by how many days we spend outside," says Bertin.
Artistic Expressions
Memories inspire certain gifts. James Stroud '80 donated 12 painted aluminum panels in his "Linear Strategies" series, titled "Phoenix Rising," in memory of Irene Cole. A staff member known for her creativity and historical knowledge of the College, she worked for more than a quarter century as assistant to several senior administrators and in the visual arts department, where she knew Stroud. His work is in a sunny area near the religious studies department in Smith Hall.
The late Professor John Paul Reardon, co-founder of the department of fine arts with Father Mears in 1954, wanted students, staff and faculty to enjoy original art in their workplaces. In 1991, he contributed 228 of his own watercolors and drawings, which brighten offices across campus. Upon his death last spring, the College received several more paintings. Outside Cantor Art Gallery Director Roger D. Hankins' office are six works representing Reardon's artistic range.
Vinyl History
When William E. Hennessey, M.D., '55 was a student at Holy Cross, he started building a record collection reflecting his love of opera and other orchestral music. In 1990, he entrusted more than 8,000 vinyl LPs, 45s and 78s to the College and added more later. The Hennessey Collection includes several private recordings unavailable elsewhere, as well as lesser-known works, such as Fromental Halévy's La Juive and Karl Goldmark's Die Königin von Saba. Particularly strong in Italian opera, the Hennessey Collection also contains many recordings of French and German opera and recital recordings. Dinand Library patrons enjoy this cultural resource, especially voice students directed to listen to a specific singer's approach. Some compare translations of an opera's libretto or study one work in several languages.
Educational Artifacts
Upon his retirement last spring after 25 years of teaching, Associate Professor George N. Kostich gave his eclectic Russian artifact collection to the modern languages and literatures department for educational use. Considered a "please touch" collection, the items help students understand Russian culture and feature Kostich's notes. The model of St. Basil Cathedral reminds students that Ivan the Terrible blinded the cathedral's Italian architect, "so he could never create a more beautiful building." A plate comes from a Moscow restaurant visited by Chekov, Turgenev and Stanislavsky. A pair of felt boots (valenki) resists cold "down to -60 degrees Celsius."
"These tangible gifts reflect people's desire to share their personal passions with today's students, faculty and staff," says Carolyn Flynn '97, director of planned giving. Alumni interested in donating items in keeping with the mission of the College are encouraged to contact her at (508) 793-2482.
Allison Chisolm is a freelance writer from Worcester.