“We lived in a part of town that was nicer than the neighborhoods that Catholics were supposed to live in,博士回忆道。. 保罗J. O ' reilly of his childhood as the second of eight children in battle-torn Belfast, 北爱尔兰, 20世纪70年代. “我妈妈, 卡梅尔, 想给我们更好的生活, but people went out of their way to show us we were unwelcome there.”
The O ' reillys often found graffiti on their walls, and they grew accustomed to the sound of shattering glass as rocks — and once, a package designed to look like a bomb — crashed through their windows. They moved to a safer part of town after two of Paul’s uncles, 都是成功的商人, 都是被枪杀的, 他们的餐馆被炸弹炸毁了.
不幸的是，情况并没有好转. “One of my brothers was abducted, and my sister was viciously attacked,” Dr. O ' reilly解释说. Concerned that her children would be drawn into a life of vengeance, 卡梅尔, 现在她和丈夫分居了, applied for and received refugee status for her family in Canada.
16岁的时候, Paul began a new life in North America — one step closer to 托马斯。 Aquinas College, 作为一名学生，他的第一名是什么, 然后作为导师, and most recently as the vice president for advancement.
从加拿大到加利福尼亚
平安夜, just seven months after the family emigrated to Canada, 卡梅尔 was tragically killed in an automobile accident, orphaning Paul and his seven brothers and sisters. 英勇地, 他们的叔叔艾德和婶婶多萝西, 已经是四个孩子的父母了, 同意收养那八个被击垮的孩子. “那是他们最关心的问题, 就像现在一样, 我们所有人都是一个充满爱的家庭吗, 在天主教信仰下长大,博士说。. O ' reilly. 为了支付账单, the newly expanded family undertook a succession of business opportunities, 首先开一家甜甜圈店, 然后成为伐木工人.
It was during this time that Paul developed an entrepreneurial spirit. “I was convinced I was going to make a name for myself in business,他说, having been accepted into the University of British Columbia’s business program. His newly adopted mother, however, urged him to meet with a beloved family priest before enrolling. 在法文. Nielson’s recommendation, Paul agreed to pay a visit to 托马斯。 Aquinas College in the spring of 1980.
“刚到学校半天, 我爱上了这个地方,他回忆道, drawn by “the intellectual rigor of the classroom, 学生们的活力, and just how careful and considerate the tutors were.在他为期六天的访问中, 他完成了一份申请, 收到美国大学录取通知书, and formally declared his plans to enroll that fall.
大学生活
在他还是学生的时候, Paul discovered that his avocation was not for business, 但是对于哲学来说. “My experience at the College helped me see the wisdom in the Catholic intellectual tradition,他说. “It made me appreciate the fullness of the intellectual life as it is found in the Church.” The College also helped bring him to his vocation as the husband of classmate Peggy (Steichen ’84).
毕业后一年内, the O ' reillys were married and living in Quebec, where Paul pursued graduate studies in philosophy at the Université Laval. He then taught for two years at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., before returning to 托马斯。 Aquinas College as a member of the teaching faculty in 1989.
“那是令人愉快的，”他说. “I started to get to know tutors professionally. It was kind of humbling to be in their presence as a colleague, to see from the inside their dedication to the program and their devotion to the Church and the students. I was also impressed by the students that came, 他们对精神生活的热爱, 还有他们对我这个新手家教的好意.”
新角色
Indeed, it was his own devotion to his students for 22 years that gave Dr. O ' reilly a moment’s pause when, in 2011, President Michael F .. 麦克莱恩 asked him to become the College’s vice president for development (now advancement). “Stepping away from the classroom has its difficulties,他承认道。, 尽管, 符合大学的政策, 他仍然每学期教一节课. Yet leading the effort to make the College’s education affordable for the 70 percent of students who receive financial aid has its own rewards. “It is a real joy coming to know the College’s benefactors,” he observes. “他们让我们在这里所做的一切成为可能. They are so inspiring in their dedication to the good of the College and their desire to help.”
在这个角色中，博士. O ' reilly draws strength and support from his wife, Peggy, and their 12 children. Recognizing how the College has touched their lives has only increased his desire to give back to his alma mater. “It is because I see the good of the College — what it has done in my life and in the life of my wife, 我的孩子们, and all of the alumni — that I agreed to take on this position,他说. “I am willing to do anything I can do to help the mission of the College.”