n the fall of 1971, Joe Murphy delivered
his son, Michael J. Murphy ’75, to
Xaverian with explicit instructions: “Keep
my son on a good path, whatever means
necessary.” He felt 14-year-old Michael was in
need of some strong discipline and faith-based
instruction, and he knew Xaverian was where he
could find them. Looking back on it now, Mike
admits, “I was capable of making bad decisions.”
He says it with a boisterous chuckle, self-
awareness laced with the levity that only comes
in hindsight.
Joe thought sending him to Xaverian would
change Michael’s ways; instead, he continued
to find himself in trouble. His saving grace was
that the dean of students at the time was also the
golf coach, Mr. Joseph Cote. Mike was a golfer
all four years and captain in his senior year.
However, it was only in his sophomore year that
his troublemaking caught up with him. Brother
Richard Cook, C.F.X. and Brother Mel Coyne,
C.F.X. pulled him aside for a very convincing
heart-to-heart. They didn’t mince words—make
better decisions, or else.
Now almost five decades
later, Mike is a member of
the Francis Xavier Society,
Xaverian’s most generous
and consistent donors. He
serves on the Head of School
Leadership Council, and he recently became a
legacy donor with a planned gift to the Brother
Marcellus Society. He says it all began with that
talk from the Brothers. “It immediately changed
my life,” he explains. Blessed with a strong sense
of self-preservation, young Michael quickly
made changes to improve his behavior. “That one
moment defined four years of Xaverian for me. I
made new friends, and I am still extremely close
to them. I always look back on it and I know
it altered the path I was going to be on. I owe
them.”
It’s this sense of gratitude and responsibility
that compelled Mike to become a donor. He
made his first gift in 1987, steadily giving
throughout the years and increasing the amount
over time as he developed in his career. After
graduating from Xaverian, Mike went to Boston
College. He graduated with a job at Ford Motor
Company and began a 40+ year career in the car
industry. After working on the business side for
the manufacturers, in 1993 he was offered the
opportunity to buy Viti Mercedes in Tiverton,
Rhode Island. He made the leap to being co-
owner of a dealership and he and his partner
expanded the business together for more than 25
years. Never risk averse, Mike sold his portion of
the business to his partner in 2017 and branched
One Hawk’s Legacy
Michael J. Murphy ’75
When somebody
departs the Earth,
they want to leave
something behind.
Everyone has their
own Xaverian story;
I couldn’t be more
thankful for mine.
out with various investments including
partial ownership of restaurants such as Cru
in Nantucket, Nautilus Pier 4 in Boston, and
Eastern Standard, which will soon make its
highly-anticipated return to Kenmore Square.
He and his wife, Mary Sullivan Murphy, now
split their time between Boston and New
Seabury, as Mary recently retired from Bain
Capital after 20 years.
Last year, Mike returned to Xaverian for a
tour with Dr. Christopher
Vasta ’00, Chief
Administrator for School
Advancement. It was on that
tour that he met Dr. Robert
Thorp, Xaverian’s Fine Arts
Department Chairperson. Dr.
Thorp’s energy and enthusiasm
for the arts is contagious, and
Mike certainly caught it. He
went home and wrote a check
to Xaverian to benefit the fine
and performing arts through the school’s annual
fund. With a high-stress career, Mike says
attending the theater and concerts (especially
the Allman Brothers!) has always been his
escape. To that end, he and Mary are supporters
of the Boch Center in Boston. After meeting Dr.
Thorp and hearing about Xaverian’s programs,
Mike knew he wanted to extend their support to
Xaverian in a greater way.
Fifty years after first entering the halls of
Xaverian, as he says, “making poor decisions
with no clear path forward,” Mike is happy to
use his legacy to benefit his alma mater. He
and Mary have formally joined the Brother
Marcellus Society by generously committing
a portion of their estate to Xaverian as a
planned gift. Of their decision, Mike says,
“When somebody departs the Earth, they
want to leave something behind. Everyone has
their own Xaverian story; I couldn’t be more
thankful for mine.”
If you would like to establish your
legacy at Xaverian, please contact
Dr. Christopher Vasta ’00 at 781-801-1604
or cvasta@xbhs.com.
Mary Sullivan Murphy and
Mike Murphy ’75
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