Nearly the entire city is visible from the Boston College Club, located on the 36th floor of the America building in the middle of the financial district. This was the site of the first annual Father Drinan Award Dinner, hosted on Friday by the College Democrats of BC. The award celebrates those who have maintained "a lifelong history of working for the goals of the Democratic Party, especially with a focus on social justice," said John Wheatley, president of the College Democrats and A&S '08. This is what both Rev. Robert Drinan, S.J., and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, the first recipient of the award, lived for, Wheatley said.
Drinan graduated from BC in 1942 before he went on to enter the Society of Jesus. Drinan also acted as the dean of Boston College Law School from 1956 to 1970, until he was elected to the House of Representatives, becoming the first Catholic priest to serve in Congress. In 1980, Pope John Paul II called for all Catholic priests to relinquish their posts as elected officials, and Drinan abided. After his time in the legislature, Drinan maintained a relatively active public life while teaching at the Georgetown University Law School.
John Wheatley first learned of Drinan during his sophomore year when the priest spoke at the University. While the College Democrats had been hoping to start an annual alumni dinner for many years, the club decided to combine this with an award commemorating Drinan after his death in January 2007. While the evening was intended to honor Kerry, the night's speeches and guests, many of whom attended BC Law during Drinan's tenure as dean, really memorialized Fr. Drinan and his myriad accomplishments.
Kerry and Drinan were good friends, and the two worked together in many capacities. Kerry managed Drinan's 1970 campaign for the House of Representatives, and Drinan convinced Kerry to attend BC Law School, where he graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1976. Throughout all the years Kerry knew Bob, as he called Drinan, he was continually impressed by Drinan's ability to maintain "dignity and honor with the interest of the American people."
