Edward J. Ludwig ’73 and Yachira M. Torres ’10 come from different eras of Holy Cross history. To give just one example, the College was still all-male when Ed arrived on Mount St. James. Yachira, on the other hand, would be hard-pressed to imagine a Holy Cross without the presence and participation of women. However different their experience of the College might be, these two Crusaders are both deeply passionate about education — and in total agreement regarding the need to create opportunities for the marginalized and the underserved.
Ed is the former chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Becton, Dickinson and Company, a medical technology company. A Certified Public Accountant, Ed received his master of business administration degree from Columbia University. A former Trustee of the College, Ed is a member of the President’s Council Benefactors Circle. Ed and his wife, Kathleen, live in Manhattan. They created the Joseph H. Maguire ’58 Endowed Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarship assistance to first-generation college students from Worcester who are accepted to Holy Cross.
Yachira was born in Puerto Rico, and moved to Worcester at the age of four. “I came to Holy Cross from a low-income, non-English speaking family. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college. I worked hard in high school so that I could attend a place like Holy Cross. That was my dream. In my senior year, I was elated to learn that I’d been accepted — and then crestfallen when I realized I could not afford to attend.” Yachira says that her “prayers were answered” when she received the Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Scholarship. Since her graduation from Holy Cross in 2010, Yachira has donated to the College every year. She is an 8th grade lead teacher at Nativity School of Worcester.
In the Jesuit tradition, Holy Cross is committed to educating every student who qualifies, regardless of his or her ability to afford tuition. “The College’s commitment to financial aid is a top priority,” says Tracy Barlok, vice president for Advancement. “We are so grateful to individuals like Ed Ludwig, who share our values and vision regarding the transformational importance of higher education.”
Recently, Ed and Yachira sat down to discuss the impact Holy Cross has had on their lives, and their shared passion for education and philanthropy.
YACHIRA: It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Ed. When I first heard about your interest in scholarships, I thought, “Great minds think alike!”
ED: Well, it appears Holy Cross minds certainly do. Would you tell me more about your background, Yachira? Because it sounds like you were very much the kind of individual we had in mind when my wife and I began thinking about how best to invest in the College.
YACHIRA: Sure. I moved to Worcester from Puerto Rico when I was four years old. And Worcester quickly became my home, my community. My mother was my rock. A single, working mother, she impressed on me from the beginning the value of education, hard work, and responsibility to others. I grew up in the inner city, in the Plumley Village housing project. I was a public school kid. I went to North High, and I just worked as hard as I could, hoping that one day I’d have the opportunity for a first-rate education at a great college.
ED: Your mother sounds like an amazing woman.
YACHIRA: She certainly is. She wanted more for me. English was not her first language and she’d had no opportunity for higher education. But she wanted it for me. She never stopped encouraging me, helping me. She realized what it means to be educated and the importance of having a quality education. And not only what it means for you, as an individual, but what it means in terms of uplifting your own family through education. This was a value that she had instilled in me very early on. Go to school, do well. Be successful, but also enjoy what you’re learning. My mom believed in me. You know, no one does it alone.
ED: That’s exactly correct. And important to remember. I was also fortunate to have an amazing family and hear similar messages. My mom and dad were from the Bronx. When I was two years-old, they moved the family to a little town in New Jersey. I was the oldest of five kids. My dad was an operating engineer in the city. He ran cranes and such on construction projects. Hard work. My mother worked at home, took care of us. I went to a public grammar school, but we had our eyes on the Catholic high school. And my parents just instilled that ethic in me. If you work hard and study hard and do your best, you’ll get there. Every time we ever drove past the high school, we’d hear the same thing: You study hard and you get to go to a good school. That was the mantra in our house.
YACHIRA: How did you end up at Holy Cross?
ED: It’s funny. I went to Holy Cross almost completely by accident. Basically, the guidance counselor at Bergen Catholic and I went through a series of schools. I was accepted at both Holy Cross and Boston College. I chose Holy Cross. And the first time I ever saw the campus was on the day I arrived. I went in blind. So what a relief when I saw how beautiful Mount St. James was. It was everything you could ask for. And then, as often happens with the Holy Cross experience, I met my mentor. And he changed my whole life.
YACHIRA: That’s amazing. Who was that?
ED: That was Dean Joe Maguire ’58. Joe was a professor of educational psychology. He lived in Mulledy Hall with us. He was something of a parent figure for us — an older brother or an uncle. As well as a bit of a father-confessor. He was my class dean. And he was amazing. You know, we talk about how Holy Cross makes you a man or a woman for others. Well, Joe was a man for others. He was an inspiration. His door was always open. If you needed him, he was there. And he was wise. And kind. We became good friends. He got to know my parents, my siblings, and, eventually, my wife, Kathy. He used to spend New Year’s Eve with us! One of those classic Holy Cross people who take a genuine and selfless interest in what happens to you. In helping you shape your life in the best way possible.
YACHIRA: So that’s why you endowed a scholarship in his name.
ED: Exactly. During the last fundraising campaign, Kathy and I made a gift to create the Joseph H. Maguire ’58 Endowed Scholarship Fund, for first-generation college attendees. It seemed quite fitting to us. Joe was also a first-generation college student. It seemed to us a great way to honor Joe and all he had done for me. And for so many other students. In fact, I’d like to use this opportunity to encourage anyone who was blessed to know Joe to consider contributing to the Maguire Scholarship Fund in his memory.
YACHIRA: I would have been a candidate for the Maguire Scholarship if it had existed in my day.
ED: But you were able to find funding to attend the College.
YACHIRA: Yes. I still think it’s an amazing story. I worked so hard with my eyes on the prize — the prize being Holy Cross, one of the best schools in the country. And then, in my senior year, I was accepted. My mother and I were just thrilled. I can’t even convey how happy we were. But almost immediately after that happiness, we realized I couldn’t afford to go. We went from thrilled to devastated. And that’s when something extraordinary happened. I don’t think anything happens by accident. You know, you were speaking of Joe Maguire taking an interest in your future. In my experience, that is the essence of Holy Cross. The people in admissions and in financial aid and the Jesuits all took an interest in me and my future. And I received the Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Scholarship. Our prayers were answered. I’ve always felt it was so appropriate that the scholarship was named after this amazing Jesuit who represented my own interests and values.
ED: I love your story, Yachira. My thoughts regarding scholarships is both that they are absolutely crucial to our mission. And that it is not simply about writing a check. It’s about giving of yourself, your time, your knowledge, to assist others.
Supporting education is, as you said, about changing lives, changing futures. That’s our principal area of philanthropy at Holy Cross. My wife and I feel that a scholarship is what we call a “cycle-buster.” My wife and I were both beneficiaries of first-rate educations, which gave us a great and meaningful life. You said earlier, “No one does it alone.” I had my parents and teachers and, of course, Joe Maguire counseling me. So for me, giving back means helping to create a foundation where individuals can have this opportunity to become educated and productive and, because of this, eventually also give back to the community. And I know that’s your feeling as well. Not only are you a regular contributor to the College, but you chose a career in education and to work at a Nativity School.
YACHIRA: I believe this is where I was supposed to end up. I actually feel as if, because of having had that scholarship, I have a responsibility to carry out the legacy of Fr. Arrupe. One of the things that scholarship did for me was to enable me to go abroad junior year and study in Spain. While I was in Spain, I kind of lived out his motto of falling in love and staying in love and having that love decide everything. In my case, I fell in love with 10 middle school boys whom I tutored on the island of Mallorca. It grew into a love that became a passion. I knew that I wanted to work in education. I had not taken a single education class before that point.
When I came back my senior year, I took as many education courses as I could before I graduated. And that was because I had met these children. I met Fr. Fagan during the second semester of my senior year and he asked me to visit Worcester Nativity School with him. When I walked in, I knew this was exactly where I was supposed to be, not only working for the Nativity school, but doing the extended work of the Jesuits. To continue to fight the good fight in terms of education with a particularly challenging population. Low-income, inner city boys need all of the love and attention and support that they can get from people who are going to be great role models for them, and who will instill in them the values that my mother instilled in me about education.
ED: That is wonderful, Yachira. Another great Holy Cross story. So much of it is about helping students to discover their own potential. To discover what is possible with support and hard work and an expansive vision.
YACHIRA: We have a graduate support program at Nativity. We help the boys apply and enroll at different high schools. And then we track them through high school and through college as well. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that two of my first students are now students at Holy Cross.
ED: That’s extraordinary. That’s such a perfect example of living the mission. The benefits of this are so abundant for both giver and receiver. We’ve been so fortunate in what we’ve come to experience through our focus on education and scholarships. We’ve gotten to know these amazing students who send us notes and include us in their lives. We exchange birthday cards. We go to the graduations. It’s so enriching and satisfying.
YACHIRA: I teach my 8th graders here to focus on what we call the “Three Ts” — which is Time, Talent, and Treasure. Now, you might not have all three. But when you are showing support for someone else, you’re giving one of them at any given time. You’re sharing your gifts, no matter how little you have. It could be the gift of a conversation. It could be the gift of your presence during a difficult time. And that’s what I try to instill in the kids as well. So, eventually, when they do get the Treasure part going, they’ll be moved to invest in the community, to provide opportunities, to support those most in need.
ED: I’m inspired by your story, Yachira. And I’m excited by it. This is such a fine example of what Holy Cross does so well and so often. You know, we talk about transforming the world. And this is how it’s done. By transforming the individual. It has been wonderful talking with you.
YACHIRA: It’s been great talking with you, Ed. You know, we went to Holy Cross at different times and, inevitably, we had different experiences. But it seems clear we took away the same message and the same vision.
ED: Agreed!