Drinan, Robert Frederick, 1920-2007

Robert Frederick Drinan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 15, 1920, to James John and Ann Mary (Flanagan) Drinan. He graduated from Hyde Park High School in 1938 and entered Boston College the same year. He earned his B.A. from Boston College in 1942, later that year entering the Society of Jesus, though he was not ordained until 1953. In the intervening years, Drinan pursued a legal education and earned a M.A. from Boston College in 1947 as well as two law degrees from Georgetown University Law Center, a LL.B in 1949 and a LL.M in 1950. He completed his Jesuit education in 1954 when he received a doctorate of sacred theology from the Gregorian University in Rome.

In 1955, Drinan began his professional academic career with a return to Boston College. He joined the faculty of the Boston College Law School, where he also served as the Associate Dean. He became the Dean a year later, a position he held until 1969. During his tenure at the law school, Drinan increased the size of the faculty and brought in top-quality scholars, transforming the law school into a top-rated institution. He was outspoken on social justice issues confronting Boston in the 1960s and called for the desegregation of Boston public schools. From 1969 to 1970, Drinan served as the Vice-President and Provost of Boston College.

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