The General Alumni Association has announced this year’s recipients of the In Hoc Signo Award. Gerald M. Earls ’40, Richard F. Gibbons ’60 and Michael H. Shanahan ’78 have been selected to receive the Association’s highest honor, presented for service, dedication and devotion to the College.

Gerald M. Earls ’40 has been a tireless supporter of Holy Cross for the last 60 years. He has been a class agent for the past 20 years. A member of the President’s Council, he has also been a faithful member of the Holy Cross Club of Worcester. He has served on the board of directors and on the finance committee of Catholic Charities and has held leadership positions with the Worcester County Food Bank, the Worcester County Emergency Food and Shelter and the Southbridge School Committee.
Earls is the retired treasurer of the American Optical Corp. He and his wife, Constance, reside in Southbridge, Mass. They are the parents of six children: Barbara, James ’71, John, Monica ’77, Richard ’78 and Garrett.

Richard F. Gibbons ’60 has served alternately as president and treasurer of the Holy Cross Club of Washington, D.C., for more than 20 years. He has also served several terms as a member of the General Alumni Association’s board of directors. Following his graduation from Holy Cross, Gibbons served five years in the Navy, then joined the accounting firm of Touche, Ross. After receiving an MBA from the University of Maryland, he taught at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. He has been a member of that university’s board of trustees since 1971, and served as president or treasurer of the board at various times over the last six years.
Gibbons maintains an accounting and financial-planning practice in Tysons Corner, Va. He resides in Oakton, Va., with his wife, Jane. They are the parents of four children, including Joseph ’86 and Richard ’84.

Michael H. Shanahan ’78 has dedicated his time and energy to serving both his alma mater and his community over the last 20 years. While a student at Holy Cross, he was co-chairman of the Student Government Association. He has been the co-chairman of the Class of 1978 since 1983, and has served as treasurer of the General Alumni Association, where he also served on the finance, executive and nominating committees. Shanahan is a member of the President’s Council and received the Crusader of the Year Award in 1992 and the Haberlin Award in 1994. Within his community, Shanahan has served as treasurer and in various other capacities for St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, the Greater Lynn Community Fund and the Marblehead Youth Soccer Association.
A managing partner of Egan-Managed Capital, a Boston venture capital firm, Shanahan and his wife, Mary, are the parents of four children: Ted, Mike, Elizabeth and Clare.