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By Kathleen S. Carr ’96
“Do the Right Thing”
Ambassador Harry K. Thomas ’78 named executive secretary of the United States State Department
When I caught up with Ambassador Thomas, he was in the midst of his first week on the job as executive secretary of the U.S. State Department. Despite that, he found the time for a Holy Cross interview.
“My office has the best views in Washington,” he says. “I don’t get a minute to look out the window, but now that I’m talking to you, I’m looking and it’s nice.” That might have been his first and last chance to enjoy the view.
Thomas is responsible for all communication to and from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He is also responsible for all of the secretary’s travels, records and correspondence.
The ambassador’s staff, which works three shifts a day, is on 24-hour call. Mornings begin at 7:45 a.m. with a briefing from the operation center’s crisis management office. Recent topics have included: Iraq, Afghanistan, Niger, reports from U.S. embassies around the world and the pending travel plans of the secretary. The days end around 10 p.m., once the final Blackberry messages have been received.
I ask him how his Holy Cross education has influenced his career.
“My Jesuit education taught me to work hard and do the right thing,” he says. “And my classics professor, Dr. Nagy, taught me to look for the deeper meaning. In foreign policy, you learn to look deeper, not to judge quickly, because that judgment could cost people their lives.”
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“You Mock Me”
Kevin Kerwin ’92 and Kate O’Neil ’92 team up to write and direct film spoof.
Kevin Kerwin ’92 and Kate O’Neil ’92 were English majors at Holy Cross. After graduation, Kevin pursued a master of fine arts degree at Columbia ’s school of film, and the couple now run Norman Shandy Productions, a production company specializing in advertising and “mockumentaries.” Their first mock endeavor, Filmic Achievement, was screened last spring to rave reviews. The story is about a film class’s pursuit of a $10,000 award and a mentorship with a renowned producer. Their second project, which is in preproduction and has yet to be named, was dubbed Pine Time by a Boston columnist. The film chronicles Kevin’s experiences on the Holy Cross basketball team’s bench.
Off-Campus: How did you get your start playing basketball?
Kerwin: I come from a basketball family—my dad and uncles played. I was on a good team in high school—Holy Cross recruited me, and I liked the vibe when I visited. And, at the time, to get a full scholarship to a school of Holy Cross ’ caliber was a good deal. The academics were a big part of it for me.
O-C: What’s next?
Kerwin: My agent is trying to sell my next script, Shoot Me in the Head. It’s a satire about student activists refusing to sell out.
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“40 Million Readers … And Counting”
Amy Wilkins ’84 named publisher of Better Homes and Gardens
O-C: What’s a typical day like for you?
Wilkins: There’s nothing typical about my day, which is what I like about it, too. I get in early; my Treo is attached to me. It sits on my bedside table. I try not to drive with it. My days are very fast-paced and packed with strategy meetings.
O-C: What’s the culture/atmosphere like at Better Homes and Gardens?
Wilkins: I actually have the opportunity to create some of that. There’s a great culture at Meredith Publishing—lots of good people who work hard. At Better Homes, I have an opportunity to really set the mood. It’s good and it’s going to be even better.
O-C: What do you like to do in your free time?
Wilkins: Downtime is all about my family—Olivia, my daughter, and my husband.
O-C: What’s your favorite Holy Cross memory?
Wilkins: My friends. There are seven of us who still get together. I lived in Wheeler, where the guys would play jai alai against the doors. I heard a lot of Springsteen that year.
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“Hawaii Is Overrated”
Stranded at sea after a jet-ski mishap, third-year student Patrick Hannon survived a wild ride.
O-C: Patrick, I know you denied an interview with The Early Show, so I appreciate your accepting a request from Holy Cross Magazine. What happened?
Hannon: While on vacation in Hawaii with my brother and my two cousins, we decided to rent jet-skis. Fifteen minutes into the half-hour rental, I throttled up to 40 mph, and wiped out on a wave. Because of the waves, the jet-ski got away from me—but I was on the far edge of the group, and no one saw me wipe out. After an hour, I was truly worried. They weren’t finding me. They sent out a crew and found the jet-ski—without me on it—at 7 p.m. That’s when they called the Coast Guard.
O-C: Were you worried about—how should I say—ocean wildlife?
Hannon: Around dusk, I saw a fin. It was about 15 feet away. I thought, OK, I have a couple of options. I can stay still, punch it or swim away, which you’re not supposed to do. I swam away. A bunch of beaches were closed that day due to shark attacks, but I was blissfully unaware of this.
O-C: How did you finally get back to land?
Hannon: I saw a plane directly overhead. After four loops, a guy came down on a harness, yelling instructions to me. I couldn’t hear a thing, but I put both hands around him and dropped my life jacket. I didn’t realize how weak I was until I was in the helicopter. We went to the hospital and my temperature was down around 95—and I was dehydrated.
O-C: Have you been back in the ocean since your incident?
Hannon: No, maybe next year. This year’s going to be water free.
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“Don’t Try To Recreate This Garden at Home”
Jim Donahue ’86: Head Horticulturist, Newport Preservation Society
I once kept a bonsai tree alive for six weeks, so I felt qualified to talk to Jim Donahue ’86, head horticulturist at the Preservation Society of Newport County in Rhode Island. He is charged with rebuilding the “Green Animals” topiary gardens, using photos and notes from more than 50 years ago. In addition to his renovation work, he also gives tours and educates the public. Jim is responsible for the 7.5 acres of gardens that were started in 1860. The area includes 80 topiaries complete with lions, giraffes, camels and unicorns, oh my. The gardens, which sit on a country estate with a Victorian home, are a mix of topiary and fruit. Jim is charged with revitalizing the fruit trees.
After just a few minutes on the line with Jim, I realize that my bonsai experience is outmatched. So I ask him if he has any advice for the recreational gardener—those of us who feel inspired each spring to plant a little basil or attempt to install those sprinkler systems that go off at 3 a.m.
“Keep it simple,” Donahue says, “Don’t overestimate the time you have. This place has been maintained everyday for hundreds of years—which represents thousands of hours. Create a focal point and start small.”
See, like I said, bonsai.
Kathleen S. Carr ’96 is a freelance writer based in Melrose, Mass. She can be reached via e-mail at kath.carr@gmail.com.
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