Father Dennis Bombardier '64 A Simple Gesture Makes a Huge Difference
Father Dennis Bombardier '64 had wonderful memories of his time on the
Hilltop, living in "the Streets" of the Admin Building (now known as Alumni
Hall) and bonding with the Benedictine monks and with several other young
men who were interested in the priesthood. He remembered that Admiral
Chester Nimitz (whose daughter was a Dominican nun) was their graduation
speaker, and that his mother shouted out loud with pride when his name was
announced "cum laude" during the commencement exercises.
Father Dennis was born and raised in North Adams, Massachusetts, and was an
Eagle Scout. After Saint Anselm, he took his Theological studies at the
University of Louvain in Belgium, and was ordained a priest in 1968 in the
Springfield diocese. He served more than 40 years as a pastor and chaplain
in that diocese, retiring to his home in Greenfield, where he died in 2018.
He was a generous and loyal donor to Saint Anselm College, and had set up a
scholarship fund in memory of his beloved parents, Valmore and Edna (Fish)
Bombardier. At his death, he made a bequest of nearly all of his estate to
that fund, which will now generate over $30,000 annually, in perpetuity, to
support student scholarships. He would smile to think of the many, many
deserving students who will be able to attend Saint Anselm because of his
gratitude and devotion to his school and love for his parents.