Statue being planned to memorialize Jack Connors at the base of former Hancock Tower
'Joe's not waiting five years, that's clear,' said Sharon McNally, chief executive of Camp Harbor View, the charity Connors started and championed. 'It's a great solution.'
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On Saturday, at the annual Beach Ball to raise money for Camp Harbor View, Mayor Michelle Wu announced her support for the memorial. (Also that night, event planner Bryan Rafanelli, former mayor Marty Walsh, and Rev. John Unni of St. Cecilia 'squeezed every penny out of the room' to raise $1 million in camp donations from attendees, McNally said.)
Nolan said he'll still apply to the Boston Art Commission for approval, even though the memorial will go on private land owned by tower landlord BXP. It helps, he said, that the mayor is throwing her support behind the project.
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'Boston thrives because of people like Jack, who build careers and lives dedicated to solving problems and doing good,' Wu said in a statement. 'I am delighted to partner with the Connors family and Joe Nolan to dedicate a permanent memorial to Jack in his beloved Back Bay, a lasting tribute to his life and legacy of service.'
Nolan first became friends with Connors while working at Hill Holliday in the 1980s, before Nolan left to join what was then Boston Edison (now Eversource). They were a constant presence in each other's lives ever since; for one long stretch, they regularly attended mass together at Boston College.
Nolan got to work almost immediately on the statue idea after Connors died on July 23 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 82.
He consulted with members of Connors' family. Eventually, they agreed on a concept: The bronze statue of Connors would sit on a bench, with one arm outstretched, as if in a friendly conversation.
'No matter who you were, when he was talking to you, you were the most important person in the world to him,' Nolan said.
Sculptor Pablo Eduardo has been tapped to make the statue; among other projects, Eduardo designed the Kendall Square
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While BXP (also known as Boston Properties) will donate the space, Nolan says he plans to raise $2 million to cover the project costs. Any surplus funds will go to Camp Harbor View.
'It won't be hard to raise,' Nolan said. 'Everyone wants to do something for Jack.'
This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston's business scene.
Jon Chesto can be reached at
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a day ago
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Statue being planned to memorialize Jack Connors at the base of former Hancock Tower
'Joe's not waiting five years, that's clear,' said Sharon McNally, chief executive of Camp Harbor View, the charity Connors started and championed. 'It's a great solution.' Advertisement On Saturday, at the annual Beach Ball to raise money for Camp Harbor View, Mayor Michelle Wu announced her support for the memorial. (Also that night, event planner Bryan Rafanelli, former mayor Marty Walsh, and Rev. John Unni of St. Cecilia 'squeezed every penny out of the room' to raise $1 million in camp donations from attendees, McNally said.) Nolan said he'll still apply to the Boston Art Commission for approval, even though the memorial will go on private land owned by tower landlord BXP. It helps, he said, that the mayor is throwing her support behind the project. Advertisement 'Boston thrives because of people like Jack, who build careers and lives dedicated to solving problems and doing good,' Wu said in a statement. 'I am delighted to partner with the Connors family and Joe Nolan to dedicate a permanent memorial to Jack in his beloved Back Bay, a lasting tribute to his life and legacy of service.' Nolan first became friends with Connors while working at Hill Holliday in the 1980s, before Nolan left to join what was then Boston Edison (now Eversource). They were a constant presence in each other's lives ever since; for one long stretch, they regularly attended mass together at Boston College. Nolan got to work almost immediately on the statue idea after Connors died on July 23 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 82. He consulted with members of Connors' family. Eventually, they agreed on a concept: The bronze statue of Connors would sit on a bench, with one arm outstretched, as if in a friendly conversation. 'No matter who you were, when he was talking to you, you were the most important person in the world to him,' Nolan said. Sculptor Pablo Eduardo has been tapped to make the statue; among other projects, Eduardo designed the Kendall Square Advertisement While BXP (also known as Boston Properties) will donate the space, Nolan says he plans to raise $2 million to cover the project costs. Any surplus funds will go to Camp Harbor View. 'It won't be hard to raise,' Nolan said. 'Everyone wants to do something for Jack.' This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston's business scene. Jon Chesto can be reached at
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