A special dedication ceremony was held May 2 to celebrate the Privitera family’s gift to Boston College Law School of the St. Thomas More sculpture that now graces the entranceway to the Newton campus’ central courtyard.
The commissioning of the statue by Bolivian-born sculptor Pablo Eduardo, who lives in Gloucester, is the most recent example of the Privitera family’s commitment to the Law School, which already benefits from the Francis D. Privitera ’56 Law Scholarship and the Philip Joseph Privitera ’95 Commencement Award. The statue bears a plaque in memory of Frank Privitera’s wife, Jean, who passed away in 2009, and includes the names of his children, Francis D. Privitera Jr. ’95, Philip Privitera ’95, and Jeannine Privitera.
Following a Mass at Trinity Chapel at which he was celebrant, Boston College President William P. Leahy, SJ, addressed the gathering of some 100 friends, family, and members of the BC Law community. For decades to come, he said, “we will look at this statue and think about living our lives with integrity and commitment to a better world.”
Dean Vincent Rougeau called the Priviteras a multigenerational Law School family who for more than half a century have been pillars of the BC Law community and beyond. “So many people have been touched by the Priviteras through their legal work and philanthropy,” he said.
On behalf of the family, Philip Privitera spoke of the statue as a dream come true. “For over six years my father, Frank Privitera, and I worked to make what was a mere idea to beautify the campus into a reality and what will now be a permanent part of the Boston College Law School landscape,” he said. But it is also more than that, he added. “It is a gift to all of you, and it is a gift to each and everyone of us, everywhere, who ever stayed true to their conscience.”
Caption: Philip Privitera ’95, at lectern, with Francis D. Privitera ’56, Jeannine Privitera , and Francis D. Privitera Jr. ’95. Photograph by Christopher Soldt, MTS, BC
To view a video of the statue’s installation, go to bc.edu/lawmagvideos.