Tom Maher '84 Fosters Jesuit High School/College Connection

By Mark J. Cadigan

Tom Maher '84 is a firm believer in the value of a Jesuit education. As concrete proof of that, he's set up The Jeanne R. Maher Scholarship Fund, which assists students from Xavier High School in Manhattan who want to attend Holy Cross. The fund, named after his late mother, represents a minimum commitment of $100,000 on Maher's part and is the second-largest gift to Holy Cross by an alumnus who graduated less than 20 years prior.

"The important thing for me," Maher says, "was to build a bridge between the Jesuit college I attended and the Jesuit high school I attended, because it was such a formative and important eight years, both at Xavier and Holy Cross, and I wanted to provide other students with similar opportunities."

Maher, 39, is a principal and chief financial officer (CFO) at Eastern Development, LLC of Woburn, Mass., a real estate development firm specializing in retail and office projects throughout New England. He credits his alma mater, where he majored in history, with getting him ready for life after college. "Holy Cross taught me to think critically," he says. "It provided a great education and an essential road map within a strong Catholic and Jesuit background. I worked very hard at Holy Cross and it allowed me to be well-prepared as I ventured out into the business world."

He worked in real estate finance for Citibank and BayBank before becoming CFO of Atlantic Retail Properties, which grew into Eastern Development.

Maher and his sister, Mary Jane (Maher) Higgins '88, an elementary school teacher, were raised in New York by their parents, Jeanne, a school secretary, and Bill Maher, who retired after working for Citibank for 39 years. "One of the great memories I have of my mother was her graduating from college in her mid-40s," Tom recalls. "She never had the opportunity to go to college early in her life, but it was a great lesson in perseverance and the value of education."

Holy Cross Provost Frank Vellaccio notes, "Tom Maher's generosity to Holy Cross in his mother's name honors her memory and will provide deserving students from Xavier a chance to attain a Holy Cross education. Tom's great generosity is also noteworthy given that he graduated in 1984."

"While this is in honor of my mother," Maher points out, "my father deserves equal mention. He showed me how to be a good father and husband, dedicated to my mother in her last days and constantly kindling hope."

Maher and his wife, Nancy (Kendall), live in Andover, Mass., with their children, Peter and Colleen. Rev. Michael F. Ford, S.J., a Holy Cross chaplain, and Rev. Michael G. Boughton, S.J., a former Holy Cross chaplain, concelebrated the couple's wedding in 1989.

Other members of the Holy Cross community who Maher says had an impact on him include William Green, retired history professor, Rev. Paul F. Harman, S.J., former executive vice-president of the College, and Rev. Robert E. Manning, S.J., former chaplain.

"I've made wonderful friendships at Holy Cross Æ Jesuits, alumni/ae, and classmates," Maher says. "Their values, especially their commitment to 'do the right thing,' are extraordinary."

His parents' examples started shaping his morals as a child, Maher says. "I think my parents instilled at an early age that you should give what you can, when you can," he explains. "They were always very conscious of what they had and they shared what they had with a lot of different people. At an early age, I remember my mother taking children from the Lower East Side who lived in apartment buildings that didn't have playgrounds to our apartment complex, which did have playgrounds, and got them to enjoy some of the things that we had. Simple things like that had a profound impact on me and I just saw more and more examples of that as time went on."

Maher, who has also donated money in memory of his mother to Epiphany, his elementary school, and Xavier, his high school, says he thinks that the $175 million goal of the Lift High the Cross fund raising campaign is feasible. "There's a strong commitment among alumni/ae to give to Holy Cross and I think that's increased under the direction of Father (Michael C.) McFarland (S.J., college president) and others," he says. "I think most importantly, there's a tremendous commitment to the great things that are accomplished at Holy Cross."