William James McGarry

William James McGarry (March 14, 1894 – September 23, 1941) was an American Catholic priest, Jesuit, and theologian who was the president of Boston College from 1937 to 1939. Born in Massachusetts, he received his Doctorate of Sacred Theology from Woodstock College and his Licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute. In 1930, McGarry became a professor of theology and various languages at Weston College, ultimately becoming its prefect of studies in 1934.

In 1937, McGarry became the president of Boston College. During his tenure, he founded the School of Management. After only two years, he was selected to become first editor-in-chief of the newly established journal Theological Studies, before dying suddenly in 1941.

Early life McGarry was born on March 14, 1894, in Hamilton, Massachusetts. His father was an employee of the Myopia Hunt Club, and his family was relatively wealthy. McGarry attended Hamilton grammar school, On August 14, 1911, he entered the Society of Jesus, proceeding to the novitiate of St. Andrew-on-Hudson in New York.

Jesuit formation McGarry then went to Woodstock College in Maryland in 1915 for his philosophical studies, where he remained until 1918. He then returned to New York, teaching at Fordham University for four years, during his regency period of Jesuit formation. In his fourth year, McGarry taught astronomy, French, and mathematics, as well as a philosophy class for pre-medical students, at the university.

From 1922 to 1926, McGarry returned to Woodstock College for his theological studies, where he received a Doctorate of Sacred Theology. the day before McGarry left, the provincial superior of the Jesuits' newly established New England province instead assigned McGarry to teach Scripture and Hebrew at Weston College in Massachusetts. In 1928, he enrolled at the Pontifical Biblical Institute. a position he held until 1937. In 1935, McGarry was appointed a professor of dogmatic theology. He also began teaching Hebrew and Biblical Greek,

Boston College McGarry oversaw completion of the stackroom for Bapst Library.

On July 1, 1937, McGarry was appointed to succeed Louis J. Gallagher as the president of Boston College. While he initially attempting to maintain a full undergraduate and graduate teaching load in addition to his presidency, this proved untenable after one semester, as his health began to deteriorate. He also reorganized the administration of the college's Intown Division, which was a two-year, accelerated, pre-law program for preparation to enroll in the Law School. In 1938, Boston College changed its admission requirements, allowing students to substitute an approved secondary school certification for the college's entrance examination. In February 1938, For this, McGarry is considered the business school's founder. In 1937, Francis X. Talbot, the president of America Press informed McGarry of his desire to establish a Jesuit theology journal in the United States, and that he wanted McGarry to be its first editor-in-chief. In July 1938, McGarry presided over a conference held at Inisfada, The conference unanimously decided to select McGarry to become the editor-in-chief of the new publication, Theological Studies. The provincial superior, James H. Dolan, permitted McGarry's appointment even though he had been president of Boston College for only two years, an unusual occurrence. He was also succeeded by Murphy as pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola Church.

Death In 1940, McGarry's heart condition began to worsen. Between February and July 1941, he collapsed, losing consciousness, in public on three separate occasions. On September 23, 1941, while traveling from Campion House to the Sisters of the Cenacle's convent in Ronkonkoma to lead a retreat, he collapsed inside the 59th Street–Columbus Circle subway station. A surgeon arrived and pronounced him dead, and a priest arrived and administered him extreme unction. McGarry's funeral was held in Bapst Library, and he was buried at Weston College. John Courtney Murray succeeded him as editor-in-chief of Theological Studies.

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