BY CIAN HAMELL-KELLEHER
In its 75 years as an institution, Stonehill College has opened the door, and held it, for numerous successful alumni in many fields and none of them have forgotten where it all began.
Whether they work in politics, entertainment, or right back at 320 Washington St, Meghan Kilcoyne ’10, Neal O’Doherty ‘09, Andrew Lahey ’05, and Doug McIntyre ’79 all remember their time at Stonehill College fondly.
“Memories are a little hazy – as were most things in the 60s and 70s,” said McIntyre, who has spent his time after Stonehill as a novelist, columnist, TV and screenwriter, and radio host. “However, I will never forget the friends and classmates I thoroughly enjoyed, loved, and still love after 45 years and counting.”
That was the common theme among these four alumni – lifelong friendships.
Lahey, currently the director of career development at Stonehill, connected with his friends in his freshman year.
A group of guys living in the same hallway befriend a group of girls living in a different hallway. The two groups grow close and live in the same buildings for all four years at school. A tale as old as time, only Lahey’s doesn’t end there.
“All of us have stayed friends ever since and have Thanksgiving together every year,” Lahey said. “Through marriages and starting families, our Thanksgiving celebrations have grown to over 50 people. It’s a special connection that I do not take for granted.”
Through the haze of nearly 50 years, or the gathering of 50 friends, the connections made at Stonehill College forever stick in the minds of its alumni, but their paths to the school may not always be so similar.
Kilcoyne, the Massachusetts State Representative of the 12th Worcester District and the first woman to ever hold the seat, was drawn to the school’s academics when she first visited the campus.
“I was amazed,” Kilcoyne said. “I left that day envisioning what it might be like if I attended, already thinking about possible classes I could enroll in.”
One of those possible classes, Women’s US History, opened Kilcoyne’s eyes to the inequalities women have faced and continue to face in this country, and influenced her career path.
“I started noticing that women far too often are underrepresented in Legislature across the country,” Kilcoyne said. “I began to consider the possibility of being a part of the solution by running for office myself. That dream became a reality.”
O’Doherty, an associate producer on the TV series Yellowjackets, was drawn to Stonehill from factors outside of the classroom.
“I was recruited to play football,” O’Doherty said. “I had never heard of Stonehill before that, but once I stepped foot on campus, I knew that it was the right place for me.”
O’Doherty credited his time as a student-athlete for instilling a sense of teamwork and accountability in him, something he knows has allowed him to succeed as person and in his career.
Lahey’s family drew him to Stonehill, after attending his sister’s commencement ceremony, where he said he saw the school in a new light.
“It felt like home,” said Lahey. “I think it was the energy of the students and faculty, and seeing how genuinely happy the faculty were for their students.”
From there, Lahey didn’t look back, applying early decision, and becoming a tour guide for admission and orientation leader once he arrived, wanting to spread the same energy that had drawn him to the school.
While Kilcoyne, O’Doherty, and Lahey knew the school was right for them when they visited, not all Stonehill College origin stories start on its campus.
“I wish I had a high-minded answer,” McIntyre said. “What put Stonehill on the map for me was a very attractive blonde woman who showed up in my high school library to pitch an upstart Liberal Arts college.”
McIntyre wished he could cite academic excellence or cultural enrichment – both things he raved about in his time at the school – for having drawn him to Stonehill, but he had to be honest.
“Truthfully, hormones drew me to Stonehill.”
But, regardless of how they got there, and because of the countless memories they made while they were there, these four Stonehill College alumni, along with many others, are proud more than anything, to be an element of the school’s 75-year history
“Together with my classmates,” McIntyre said. “I played a tiny part in creating the legacy of this wonderful institution. I hope I live to see the 100th.”