The St. Ignatius Award is the highest honor bestowed on a graduate of BC High, acknowledging those who have exemplified the ideals of our school through high moral character and selfless service to the community. Sixty-seven alumni have received the award.

The criteria for the award includes: 

• high moral character
• selfless service without expectation of material reward or public recognition
• a lifetime pursuit or a significant act or service, to the civic or religious community which demonstrates that the individual lives by his convictions, adhering to the principles of honesty, justice, compassion and the preservation of human dignity
• nominee must have living classmates

View a photo gallery of St. Ignatius Award recipients

On April 14, 2010, three distinguished alumni received the 2010 Saint Ignatius Award:

John L. Mahoney, PhD '45 repaid his Jesuit education from BC High by teaching generations of students seeking a Jesuit education at Boston College. The Thomas F. Rattigan Professor Emeritus in English Literature at BC, Mahoney's career stretched for nearly five decades from 1955 until his retirement in 2002, after which, he was honored with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Boston College. Retirement for Mahoney, however, only meant a slight reduction in the number of classes he taught at BC, while he continued in his work as a writer and editor of several scholarly works. As much a man for others as he is a man of letters, Mahoney is active in his local Sacred Heart Parish in Lexington, MA, where he has served as the co-chair of the Parish Council and as a member of the Religious Education Commission.

Francis P. Furey '52 has lived the Jesuit ideal of being a man for others throughout - dedicating his life to bettering the lives of everyone he meets. Starting after graduation from Boston College, he began his career as a teacher, counselor, and a coach – a career that stretched over decades through positions at places as varied as Purdue University, Boston College, and the United States Military Academy. He has worked as a guidance counselor at several local high schools before moving to a career in personnel at Polaroid and Digital. Drawn to the school setting, he returned to his first career as an educator, where he served others as a teacher in Arlington and Malden High Schools. All the while, Frank continued his life's work of being a teacher, a mentor, a counselor, and a friend to all those who needed his assistance and guidance.

Norman T. Swain '55 has dedicated years of his time, talents, and generosity to serving his alma mater and all of the people in it. Operating "behind the scenes" for decades, Swain has been a part of the fabric of BC High for more than 40 years. During his career at BC High, he served as teacher, coach, department chair, academic vice principal, and principal while spending his out-of-class time helping students who needed extra help, refereeing intramural games, and serving as a mentor to generations of students. In retirement, he is still active in the school, returning to help assemble the complicated array of class schedules each semester. A model of selfless service, he has also dedicated his time to volunteering for many charitable efforts, most notably the former Hunter Golf Tournament and the Hunter Basketball Tournament, which support students in need of financial support at BC High.

• What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award?  
• What is an example of the nominee’s pursuit of “doing all things for the Greater Glory of God” and how has this person shown a “commitment to serve God and His people” through actions? 
• What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?  

Please respond by December 15, 2010. Re-nominations are welcome.

E-mail to alumni@bchigh.edu or mail to:
St. Ignatius Award Committee
c/o BC High Advancement Office
150 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, Massachusetts 02125