Regis College - Mount Regis Yearbook (Weston, MA)

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is College 235 Wellesley Street, Weston, Massachusetts 02193, (617) 893-1820 Office of the President My dear Regis Class of 1986: Your College is proud to be a part of your movement “from fragmentation to integration to unification.” I am gratified that the unique intellectual and aesthetic heritage of Regis, grounded in centuries of the intellectual and spiritual heritage of the Church, has been an influence in bringing you to your own renaissance. The signs of a renaissance in your lives, and at Regis, are all around us: signs of dynamism, of reaching, of new currents of thought breaking through old systems of thinking. The words of the renaissance scholar Siciliano describe his world, but they describe one familiar to you as well: a world marked by research and creativity, by stimulating discussion, by healthy criticism, by a frenzy for the new and the better, by a mania for discovery and by a great capacity for synthesis. You are in a challenging time which calls for a new kind of intellectual, the technologically sophisticated thinker with a social conscience. You have been touched by our Regis heritage, her tradition, her scholarly approach to this challenge. You have experienced some of the passion for excellence that is the focus behind any liberal arts education. Now you must keep the fire of that great passion alive - you must not be faint of heart as you move beyond Regis; you must have the courage to stay with a possible creation when others have given up. You must have an obsession for pursuing both detail and a dream and know the exhausting balance of combining high purpose and intense pragmatism. To succeed at all, you must have a deep personal commitment to your goals. You cannot be uninvolved if you are to bring your special heritage and gifts to a needy world. Regis has been a place of commitment for you. You have learned how good ideas and innovations must be driven into existence by intense involvement and courageous patience. Regis was founded on a dream, and has been sustained by dreamers - but ones who knew how to bring a dream to reality. I urge you to hold on to your ideals, your views, your dreams, and to call on all you have learned at Regis, to bring ideals, vision, and a dream to reality. You are daughters of a loving Alma Mater who will always be here for you. You are now forever a part of Regis history, heritage, tradition - and new dreams! Sincerely yours. Sister Therese Higgins, C.S.J. President President’s Message 5

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father Knapp “I will instruct you and train you in the way you shall go; I will counsel you with My eye on you. ” (Psalm 32 : 8 ) These words, taken from the Bible, most appropriately depict you. Father Knapp, our resident chaplain. In the fall of 1982, you were welcomed to Regis along with the Class of 1986. At this time, we were feeling very much alone, a little bit homesick and in need of a friend. You, Father, became that friend. Your inspiration and guidance proved to be most comforting during this time of fragmentation, and over the course of four years, you have aided in transforming our doubts into faith. However, Father, you have done more than instruct the Regis community. Your enthusiasm for life and for each of us makes you a successful counselor and devoted friend. Your eagerness to interact with students and to integrate our spiritual and moral growth has contributed to our becoming unified and complete individuals. Each year, the candlelight Liturgy during final exams is a relaxing, peaceful addition to our spiritual life at Regis. The wisdom, confidence and guidance which abound in you. Father, are shared with each member of the Regis community. Your warm greetings and humorous lines have touched our minds as well as our hearts. Your moral counseling and example have stimulated a growth in each of us which has been carefully nurtured and will only continue to flourish. Throughout our stay at Regis, that familiar aroma of tobacco was always followed by a friendly smile, kind word, and warm touch. Whether celebrating Mass, joining in campus events, or just strolling around campus, you have been identifiable, approachable and reassuring. It is in you. Father, that we have found more than a spiritual leader. We have discovered a friend. Although our time spent together is only a small chapter in a seemingly endless story, the impact you have made on our lives is forever implanted in our memories. You have given us. Father, the courage and strength we will need to meet the many challenges we will face, dreams we will pursue, and horizons we will seek. We thank you for your leadership, guidance, friendship and blessing; an infinite debt, one we hope to repay, but one which we thankfully owe. Therefore, it is with much respect, gratitude, and love that we, the Class of 1986, dedicate this book to you. 4 Dedication

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It was early Spring 1982; the young girl hurriedly searched through the stack of envelopes she had pulled from the mailbox. As she turned the key and let herself into the kitchen, her eyes fell on the return address made distinct by a small tower. Dropping the rest of the mail on the table, she concentrated on the one small envelope which pronounced her name in bold black. She tried to remember the warning she had been given; did a thick envelope mean acceptance, and a thin rejection, or was it the other way around? She breathed deeply, opened the envelope and silently read. Carefully placing the letter on the table she breathed a quivering sigh of relief. Acceptance: the word spoke volumes. Gazing out the window she mused; how appropriate that her first step on the uncertain path of her future be taken in Spring. Jus t as Winter’s icy breath seems to have frozen the earth forever. Spring’s warm smile coaxes life anew. This was her Spring: one of many in life’s recurring year. She thought how cruel it all seemed. After four years of struggle, she had constructed a foundation of academic and social security only to be thrown back into the depths of insecurity. The comforting sigh of relief gradually gave way to a torrent of doubt. Did she really want to go to college? Was it merely a cornerstone to which she clung in fear of the unknown? Or had she struck a spark in high school which she sincerely wanted to stir to flame? Doubt and fear sizzled from the pavement as her summer disappeared in a haze. Her apprehension was only intensified by September’s chill. She attempted to warm herself with the knowledge that she had been accepted; that’s what the letter had said. So many smiling faces and helpful hands, even after orientation, there was always a friendly hello, but the letter had said acceptance. She had felt acceptance at home in the security of friends and family; separated from them she felt fragmented. Where she had once stood as part of a group, she was now only apart. All around her were others equally unsure: she could see it in their eyes. So, tightly wrapped in the coat of her own beliefs and expectations, she huddled in with this crowd of strangers, feeling alone yet glad for their sheltering warmth. As some of the faces took on names, her fear and loneliness began to subside. Helping one another struggle with advisors over pre-registration, limited enrollment, and requirements, the crowd drew in, realizing that together their insecure whispers could be heard as one voice. Their individual goals seemed to spring from a common base. The lunch table discussions and after hours debates strengthened the voice growing among them. Dreams were exposed and fears dispelled, and the young girl found that among these strangers, even without the supports of the familiar, she was heard. While the doubts did return at times, she learned to answer them, and she realized that something was growing within her. In May of 1983, Spring’s warm smile again shone on her face and, waving goodbye, she turned away confidently, for she had found her voice. O Right photo. Kim Livingstone 6 Fragmentation