Each year, the past, present, and future of BC Law coalesce for an elegant evening at the Scholarship Dinner. Alumni, faculty, and friends of the school join with students whose law school educations are made possible through endowed scholarships and generous current-use gifts for financial aid. Yesteryears at BC Law are remembered, today’s students are celebrated, and the impact these men and women will make in the future is imagined.
As he welcomed guests, Dean Vincent Rougeau spoke of the “sense of purpose and dedication” expressed by those who support financial aid. Many BC Law donors find that creating an endowed scholarship fund celebrates their own memories and experiences as a student, while extending the opportunity of a high quality legal education to a new generation. Every scholarship donor has a unique perspective.
Speaker Jeffrey Sabin ’77 fondly remembered his own formative experience at BC Law, which inspires him to extend that opportunity to today’s students. As he shared his memories, he stressed that the BC Law community—supportive, collaborative, challenging, and fun—enhanced his law school years and remains a powerful influence today.
Ropes & Gray partner Mark Nuccio ’83, parent of three Eagles and relative of many more, established the Mary and Vincent Nuccio BC Law Scholarship Fund in his parents’ names. Vincent Nuccio helped to build BC’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development, where he is professor emeritus. Mark Nuccio sees his scholarship as a legacy that reflects his own commitment to BC Law as well as his family’s deep involvement with Boston College.
The Scholarship Dinner is a special point of connection for Carmen Ortiz, former US Attorney for Massachusetts, to her late husband, Michael Morisi, BC class of ’79. Morisi’s law partner, Andrew Oatway ’92 created the Michael V. Morisi Endowed Scholarship Fund in partnership with Morisi’s family to support a student who, like Morisi, is driven to fight for others and has “great tenacity, loyalty, and zeal.” The scholarship honors Michael Morisi’s memory and keeps his passion for justice alive.
Marcia Leander and Harry Hadiaris, parents of Lauren Hadiaris ’18, saw their daughter had a stellar experience at BC Law, and celebrated her graduation by making a gift to support financial aid. They took advantage of Leander’s employer match program to further amplify the impact of their own generosity. Father and daughter attended the Scholarship Dinner for their first time, weaving their own tighter bond with the school.
As guests mingled, they shared personal stories of what draws them to BC Law. They spoke of memories, recent and past, that shape them. And many students, like the Eugene and Mary Carey Scholar John Marley ’21, who shared remarks during the event, expressed hope of paying it forward.
Thanks to the dedication of the BC Law community—the alumni, parents, faculty, and friends whose generous support educates lawyers with a commitment to social justice and service—generations now and to come will make their own compelling memories of BC Law. And they’ll carry its mission forward in ways we can only imagine.
Photograph above: Michael Fee, Robert Bloom, and Jeffrey Sabin share a moment of camaraderie commonplace at BC Law gatherings, especially those intended to make access to education possible for coming generations.
What are your powerful memories of BC Law? Share them with us; contact Jessica Cashdan at 617-552-3536 or jessica.cashdan@bc.edu.
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