精东影业

A funeral Mass was celebrated on August 18 at St. Gregory鈥檚 Church in Dorchester for M. George Roper, a retired carpenter for Boston College whose work over four decades at the Heights often reflected, and expressed, his deep and abiding Christian faith. He was 88.

A native of Ballyshannon in the northwest of Ireland, Mr. Roper joined the carpentry staff in 1960 and practiced his artistry with wood throughout the University in a variety of settings. He fashioned large crosses used at Masses on O鈥橬eill Plaza and at Conte Forum; made a desk set for University President William P. Leahy, S.J., and a commemorative plaque presented to University Chancellor J. Donald Monan, S.J., upon his retirement as president; built podiums used at Commencement as well as the stand used to hold honorary degrees; and more than once was called to repair the ceremonial University mace. He also constructed elaborate stage sets for plays performed on Bapst Lawn and at the old McHugh Forum on the occasion of the University Centennial in 1963.

鈥淲ood is a beautiful thing,鈥� he said, reflecting on his vocation in a 1999 interview with Boston College Chronicle. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that lives.鈥�

One of his most heartfelt endeavors came from the heart, rather than a work order. In 1998, while taking part in a project to replace the original floor in St. Mary鈥檚 Chapel鈥攂uilt in 1917鈥攈e saved a five-foot section of the old oaken floorboard between the sacristy and altar. From it, he carved a handsome crucifix that now hangs prominently in the chapel foyer.

鈥淎 lot of old Jesuits walked on this,鈥� Mr. Roper said of the oak floor. 鈥淗undreds, maybe thousands.鈥�

He added a personal touch to the crucifix: the inscription 鈥淚NRI,鈥� an abbreviation of the Latin for 鈥淛esus of Nazareth, King of the Jews鈥濃�攐ne of the earliest carvings he did, as a boy of 10.

鈥淚t was a piece of sycamore, a piece of firewood I whittled with a knife,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淚 carried it for years.鈥�

聽Mr. Roper started out as a carpenter while in Ballyshannon, where he attended trade school and worked as a cabinetmaker before moving to the United States in 1956. His first encounter with 精东影业 was not work-related, however: He came to campus for Irish ceili dances held regularly in Campion Hall.

Whether at 精东影业 or at home, Mr. Roper never stopped being a carpenter. In his spare time, he carved wooden miniatures, such as scale models of chairs or horse-drawn carts. But crucifixes were his specialty, and he often made them as gifts: He fashioned one for his cousin, a former sign painter at a chocolate plant in Dorchester Mill, using wood from a demolished building at the site; for his son Sean, a park ranger, Mr. Roper carved a crucifix from a Wyoming lodgepole pine.

鈥淚t gives you a good feeling when you make one of them,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I see a nice piece of wood with a beautiful grain, I say, 鈥楾hat would make a marvelous crucifix.鈥欌��

Mr. Roper learned another skill that proved to be literally life-saving. During the late 1980s, he enrolled in a University-sponsored cardiopulmonary resuscitation course. One night, while at a social event, a friend of his suffered a cardiac arrest, but Mr. Roper was able to help restore his vital signs and stabilize his conditions until an ambulance arrived.

鈥淚鈥檝e always felt if there was something you could do to help another person, you should do it,鈥� he told Boston College Biweekly. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 realize l鈥檇 ever use the skills, but you never know when you鈥檒l find yourself in that situation.鈥�

As part of its Ignatian Year celebration in 1991, the University honored Mr. Roper and 10 other 精东影业 faculty, staff, students, and alumni as Companions of Justice, whose conduct and contributions 鈥渂oth exemplify and enrich our cherished Ignatian legacy,鈥� said Fr. Monan at the award event. In addition to his 鈥渆xpert craftsmanship,鈥� Mr. Roper was recognized as a man whose 鈥淐hristian ideals and deep belief in justice shine in his life and work, a close companion of Jesus who walks in the footsteps of the Carpenter of Nazareth.鈥�

Mr. Roper is survived by his children, Ann, George, Sean, and Michael鈥攁ll of whom graduated from Boston College鈥攁nd nine grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Barbara, to whom he was married for almost 55 years; donations may be made in her memory to the Alzheimer鈥檚 Association, 4780 Pleasant Street, Watertown, Mass. 02472.