On August 18, 2024, the Belmont Hill community lost a cherished man and friend, Mr. William (Bill) Dowd Mahoney, after a brief but hard-fought battle with cancer. Remembered by his colleagues as an incredibly kind, funny, and passionate man, Mr. Mahoney was also a communications pioneer and a master of the written word. In honor of his legacy, The Panel has decided to dedicate this issue, Issue 3, Volume 73, to him.
Born in Lexington MA, Mr. Mahoney received his bachelor’s degree in English from Boston College and an M.Ed in educational management, subsequently joining Babson College in 1993 as a senior strategic writer and an admissions officer. In 2000, he became the associate director of marketing communications for Harvard Business School, a position he held until he arrived at Belmont Hill in 2006.
To his colleagues, Mr. Mahoney was known for constantly being a pillar of support and empathy. As highlighted by Mrs. Taylor, the Assistant Director of Communications who worked closely with him in the Communications Office, “Bill was a kind and thoughtful manager, always attentive to both people and details. I always enjoyed our conversations; he was just as eager to learn about what mattered to us—whether it was women’s sports, the latest milestones with my two-year-old, or whatever was new in our lives.” Throughout his time at Belmont Hill, Mr. Mahoney frequently shared his lifelong love of sports with our community. A die-hard sports fan (especially of the Red Sox and BC Eagles), Mr. Mahoney often enjoyed talking smack with rival sports teams like the Yankees with faculty colleagues like Mr. Martellini during lunch periods. He was also an ardent supporter of Belmont Hill athletics, constantly cheering on the sidelines of whatever Belmont Hill game was taking place. He established a tradition of taking Dining Hall staff member, Richie Brown, to Red Sox games, highlighting his passion for sharing Boston and Belmont Hill sports with others. He would often take the job of filming games to put on screens around campus, volunteering to run tables at the Graves Kelsey Wrestling Tournament, and engaging the people around him with his sense of humor and infectious laughter. A tireless fan of Belmont Hill’s arts and sports programs, Mr. Mahoney could always be found on the sidelines – talking with athletes, fans, parents, and alumni. Head coach of Varsity Cross Country Mr. Trautz became good friends with Mr. Mahoney and describes him as “an ardent supporter an ardent supporter of our sports teams, and was a champion of the arts, having never missed a play or recital…He was never too busy to lend a helping hand, generous and loyal, quick with a smile, and always the first to ask you how your family was doing or how your weekend went.”
During his 18 years as the school’s first Director of Communications, Mr. Mahoney expanded the channels for sharing information about the school with the wider public. Director of Communications Mrs. Hirsch noted that “Mr. Mahoney was an exceptional writer, and he took incredible pride in writing all kinds of content for our1` website and Belmont Hill bulletins.” In recent years, he interviewed, wrote, and edited an updated website, while posting daily content on multiple social media channels. Mr. Mahoney was also responsible for spearheading the Belmont Hill Bulletin sent out to families and alumni seasonally. In the lead-up to the school’s centennial, Mr. Mahoney masterminded the Century of Character book; Head of School Mr. Schneider noted the wide array of platforms through which Mr. Mahoney spread the school’s good news, noting his commitment “to capturing the spirit of this school in new ways; he loved Belmont Hill.”
On Saturday, August 24, Mr. Mahoney’s family, friends, and colleagues gathered at St. John the Evangelist Church in Cambridge to honor and remember his life. Mr. Mahoney is survived by his beloved daughter, Gillian, his life companion, Mrs. Diana MacDonald, and Gillian’s mother, Ms. Elvira Venturina. He is also survived by his siblings, Pat and John, his nieces, Erin, Emily, Emma, and Allison, his cousins, and his godmother. At the service, Gillian delivered a beautiful eulogy, highlighting her dad’s love of the written word and their shared love of Harry Potter. She included the Albus Dumbledore quote, “It is our choices, Harry, that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities,” as a call to those in attendance to celebrate her father’s life through their own actions and choices each day. According to senior Tommy Folan ’25 who attended the service with his family, “The eulogy [Gillian] delivered was incredibly powerful and were words that hit close to home. She mentioned a lot of things that I could relate to on a personal level and talked about how important it is to maintain healthy and happy relationships with your parents. Her powerful eulogy reminded me that nothing is ever permanent in life, and to embrace what you have right now with love and gratitude.” Along with Tommy, other members of the school community also attended including Head of School, Greg Schneider, former Head of School, Dr. Melvoin, and over forty current and former faculty/staff members. Following the service, attendees returned to Belmont Hill and continued to share their memories of Mr. Mahoney and spend time together in the Wadsworth Room.
In short, Mr. Mahoney represented all the most important qualities of an exemplary member of the Belmont Hill community, constantly demonstrating the core aspects of being an excellent leader, colleague, father, and friend. As Mr. Schneider highlighted, “Ultimately his legacy involves words that we cherish at Belmont Hill like character, effort, and caring. In a world where more and more professionals incessantly angle for recognition and new opportunities, just a personal sense of a job well done seemed to be enough for [Mr. Mahoney].” Mr. Mahoney was truly a one-of-a-kind figure who, often operating behind the scenes, nevertheless deeply impacted the people around him. Perhaps Mr. Trautz, his good friend, summed him best: “At Belmont Hill, we often talk about how we model character – Bill Mahoney epitomized a man of good character.”
