Tom Boland - Class of 1986

March, 2005

Tom Boland, class of 1986, says that while at Regina Jr. he was noted for acting up a little but by the time he started at Cabrini he was ready to focus on his school work.  One also has to entertain the thought that his then girl friend, Janice Reid, now his wife may have played a part in his settling down.  Janice was the girl who lived down the road, Allen’s Road; they were high school sweet hearts who have been married for the past twelve years.

Tom liked all his teachers at Cabrini, but he gives credit to a few of them for paths he followed after high school. His interest in Newfoundland culture and heritage was sparked by Collin Penny’s repertory of stories.  At Regina Tom was into wrestling and karate, but the wrestling fell to the way side at Cabrini as Brian Doody fostered his love of acting, theater and folk music. In 1984, the Cabrini Drama Club, of which Tom was a member, won the Corner Brook High School drama festival with their play, “The Cop and the Anthem”. Tom remembers developing a love of science in Grade 9 while taking classes from Jose Dalisay. Wayne Spencer’s ability to make Science interesting was a further catalyst for Tom to obtain a degree in Biology and Microbiology from Memorial University.

With his Biology degree in hand Tom went to work for Department of Fisheries and Oceans for a few years.  Tom was not settled to rest at having just a degree, he needed something else. The call of the computer world beckoned him off to school again, this time to become an Information Technology Specialist.  Tom put that IT certificate to use as he went back to Memorial University, this time not as a student but as a member of the support staff.  He is currently employed in the Computer Science department of MUN as a Systems Administrator.

For the past three years Tom has been in a St. John’s band named Dungarvan.  With his love for music and heritage cultivated during the Cabrini years, the band is the right fit.  Dungarvan celebrates Newfoundland with folk songs and Irish influenced music. Tom sings lead and harmony vocals, plays guitar and bodhràn. The band has recently recorded a CD, “The Old Dungarvan Oak”.                  

Tom is on the staff of the Cabrini Crier and credits the web site for getting him back in contact with some of the people with whom he attended Cabrini. People like Martha Collier, Gordon Morrisey, Rhonda Jones, Fabian O’Brien, Allison Taylor and Donna Sheppard. To all of them and to all Cabrini alumni, Tom sends this greeting, “Slàinte slain, good health!” Mind you it’s usually accompanied by the hoisting of a beverage. So the next time you hoist a brew remember Tom’s greeting and pass it along, sure you’ll get some strange looks, but that’s fine as we Cabrini alumni are a hardy lot who enjoy life and fun.