Betty Donovan high school graduation, St. Columbkille's
Description:
'This is my mother's high school graduation photo. Betty was the first born to Elizabeth 'Bess' Theresa Murphy and Charles Stephen Donovan. Her siblings were Alfred Michael (1920 to 1911) and Marilyn Carol Ellison (1925 to 2003). In 1920 whe3n her father was still involved in the family business--The Boston Stevedore Company--the family reloated to Mt. Vernon, New York. They soon moved back to the Boston area settling on Electric Avenue in Somerville. The family moved to Brighton in the late 1920s living at 202 Market Stret during the Great Depression and then to 21 Bentley Street in the early 1940s. Betty met Matt Flaherty after graduating from college. They had five children--Patricia C. (myself), Richard C., Stephen M., Colette M., and Matthew J., Jr. Betty graduated from St. Columbkille's High School in 1937 and from Salem State College in 1942 with a degree in Business Education. Betty subsequently earned two Masters degrees (Northeastern University and Cambridge College) and a Ph.D. in Applied Sociology from Boston University. Betty was an educator--she loved every minute of her working life. She spent 28 years at Brookline High School where she was responsible for initiating the Saturday Morning School to help students who were having difficulty graduate from high school. Betty was part of the adjunct faculty at Boston State College and Quincy College. Betty stayed in touch with her St. Columbkille's classmates attending reunions on a regular basis throughout her life. I once asked her who went to these reunions--by then she was probably in her early 70s. She replied, 'People who are looking good and doing well.' Betty Donovan Flaherty was a wonderful role model and I am proud to be her daughter. Location: Off Market Street.'
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