Winter 2025 ISSUE

Eagles off Broadway

Theater is a tough business. Its grinding financial pressures incentivize producers to play it safe with shows based on hit movies or pop songs. But away from the lights of Times Square, these three Boston College alumni are taking risks and earning applause with innovative original works.

“Don’t Give Me the Babe in the Woods Routine”

As a crusading federal prosecutor, Edward McDonald ’68 sent some of the country’s most notorious mafia leaders to prison. But what he’ll always be known for is playing himself in the classic Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas.

Campus Curiosities

A look at some of the wildly random historical treasures of the University Archives and Special Collections.

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Calling an Audible

How data scientist (and certified football fanatic) Cynthia Frelund ’05 walked away from a budding business career, survived cancer, built a proprietary statistical model, and landed her dream job crunching numbers on the NFL Network.

Serving in a Time of Crisis

As war raged in the Middle East, Jesuit priest Daniel Corrou CSTM’17 worked to deliver shelter, solace, and hope.

Colleen Foley ’83 and Patrick Dunphy ’73

Two Eagles run Milwaukee Legal Aid, a nonprofit providing the city’s low-income clients with vital legal representation.

Punch Lines

Rising comedy star Joyelle Nicole Johnson ’03 shares a few favorite laughs.

Back in Fashion

Style expert Clinton Kelly ’91 returns to TV.

From Connection to Crisis

Professor Ana M. Martínez-Alemán, an expert on college students and social media, discusses her timely research on mental health in the digital age.

Diego Vicentini ’16

To fight or to flee? In Simón, the bold filmmaker explores the agonizing struggle of Venezuelan asylum seekers—and comes up with a global Netflix hit.

Beach Boss

Greg Rogers ’88 left the daily grind behind to build a destination surf resort.

Pop Fiction Women

Kate Schumacher ’98 and Carinn Jade ’98 analyze complicated female characters from popular media in their weekly podcast.

Eagle Eyes on the Media

Jim Dunford ’85 is president and CEO of American Public Television and Kevin Allocca ’06 is global director of culture and trends at YouTube. Here’s how these old- and new-school media leaders view their work.

Mapping Black History at Boston College

Professor Rhonda Frederick’s online walking tour showcases important contributions of Black students and faculty to the BC community.

Character Builder

In a new collection, Marisa Labozzetta ’71 once again demonstrates her mastery of the short story.

The Cabernet Club

A novel toast to women aging vibrantly.

Campus Digest: Winter 2025

News and happenings from around Boston College.

Spider-Man Supports Campus School Kids

Actor Tom Holland paid a visit to The Heights back in November for a special reason.

Legal Action

Law School alum John Simon has won more than $1 billion in wrongful death verdicts over the past two years.

Alicia H. Munnell

The founding director of Boston College's Center for Retirement Research, and one of the most influential voices on retirement policy, reflects on nearly three decades at BC.

Game Changer

Lou Montgomery ’41 was the first Black student-athlete in Boston College history.