A Message from the Neenan Society Co-Chairs
As co-chairs of the William B. Neenan, S.J., Society, we sincerely thank you for your support of Boston College, this and every year. Your commitment makes you a leader within our BC community, and we are so grateful to have you as a member of the Neenan Society. We are so proud to lead this special group of BC’s most loyal supporters and are continuously inspired by the generosity of members like you.
Danielle V. Auriemma ’10, Kathy Day ’96, Brent McDonald ’01
What is the Neenan Society?
Named after one of BC's most beloved administrators, the William B. Neenan, S.J., Society recognizes the University's most loyal donors.
When you make a gift for two or more consecutive years, you are welcomed as a member of the Neenan Society. You can also immediately join by starting a recurring monthly gift of any size to BC.
As a token of gratitude, members have access to exclusive digital content from Team Neenan, giveaway opportunities, and updates on the impact of your support. The steadfast support of this community of donors sustains and expands opportunities for Eagles to learn and thrive at BC, and advances faculty research that directly addresses society’s most urgent issues.
As an essential member of the BC community, Father Neenan was well-known and loved for greeting everyone at the Heights with a "hello, friend" and a fist-bump.
As academic vice president and dean of faculties from 1987-1998, Fr. Neenan helped guide Boston College to its place among the nation’s premier universities. He became vice president and special assistant to University President William P. Leahy, S.J., in 1998, a position he held for 16 years before he passed away in 2014 at the age of 85.
Well known among students, faculty, and alumni for the genuine friendship he extended to those he met—often in the form of a spontaneous handshake and introduction (“Hello friend, I’m Fr. Neenan”) delivered in a dining hall, on a campus shuttle bus, or while walking through the Quad.
A self-described "immigrant" from Sioux City, Fr. Neenan was quick to acknowledge his fondness for his adopted home on the Heights. "I came with the intention of spending just a year here, and I ended up falling in love with Boston College," he said. He attended countless reunions and alumni club gatherings, spoke at myriad student forums, served as chair of several administrative search committees, and officiated hundreds of alumni weddings. He received the Founder’s Medal from Boston College Law School in 1996, and an honorary degree from Boston College for his distinguished service to the University in 2008—the same year he celebrated his 60th anniversary as a Jesuit.
His annual release of the "Dean's List of Recommended Reading," a lineup of his favorite novels, biographies, histories, and other books, became a hallmark of campus life, with the University receiving some 10,000 requests a year for the list.
In 2004, a gift from Margaret A. and Thomas A. Vanderslice '53, Hon. '03, established the William B. Neenan, S.J., Millennium Chair in Economics. Upon the announcement of the chair, Tom Vanderslice called Fr. Neenan "the soul of the University."
Fr. Neenan became the namesake for another University initiative in 2009, with the creation of the William B. Neenan, S.J., Society, which recognizes alumni who make annual gifts in consecutive years. Over the last decade, the Neenan Society has grown to a strong community with nearly 31,000 members this past year.
Father Neenan was a beloved Boston College Jesuit, administrator, and friend to all. For more than three decades, he issued what became a much-loved BC tradition: his "Dean’s List" of recommended readings. The BC Library maintains a cumulative list of books that were suggested by Father Neenan between 1982–2013:
The Neenan Society is pleased to present you with beautiful images of the Boston College campus that can be downloaded as wallpapers for your desktop, laptop, iPad, or smart phone. New wallpapers will be posted by the first Saturday of each month.
Download this month's wallpaper by clicking on the appropriate link below—and take a little bit of BC with you wherever you go!
To install using your iPhone: select a size to open photo in your iPhone's browser, press and hold the screen, select 'Save Image', and select 'Use as Wallpaper' from your iPhone's Photo Collection.