Eleanor Donovan Leonard ’55 Donates Portraits to Emmanuel College

Two paintings by renowned liturgical artist and former Emmanuel College faculty member Mary Agnes Reardon have found a new home at the College thanks to a generous donation from Eleanor Donovan Leonard '55.

The portraits, depicting Leonard’s late brother, Francis X. Donovan, between the ages of 10 and 12, join Emmanuel’s collection of Reardon’s work, which is known for its depth and spiritual resonance.

The donation has had a profound impact on the Leonard family. “We are so glad that the Mary Agnes Reardon paintings of mom’s brother will have a good home, a place that I believe they were meant to be all along—mom’s alma mater,” said Elizabeth Hendriks, Leonard’s daughter. “Francis, in fact, encouraged my mom to attend Emmanuel instead of other options available to women in the 1950s. Mom was a trailblazer, having had a career in what we would now call a STEM field.”

Eleanor Leonard with Mary Reardon portraits of her brother — Back row, left to right: Ann Marie Isleib, Eleanor Leonard's daughter; John Healey, Jr., Emmanuel Archivist; and Elizabeth Hendriks, Eleanor Leonard's daughter. Front row: Eleanor Leonard

Leonard, born in Boston on November 30, 1933, graduated from Emmanuel with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. Upon graduation, she worked as a research assistant in applied mathematics at MIT from 1955 to 1958, then as an applied mathematician at Brown University from 1959 until she retired in 1960 to raise her children.

Enduring Connection to the College

Her love for Emmanuel College has never waned. She has remained in close contact with many of her classmates, attending reunions—including her 50th in 2005 and 60th in 2015—and maintaining lifelong friendships. One of her friends wrote to her, “Friendships are the golden threads woven in the tapestry of our lives,” a sentiment that perfectly captures Leonard’s connection to the College.

The subject of the portraits, Francis Xavier Donovan (1928–2008), lived a life of service. After graduating from Boston College with a degree in social work in 1950, Donovan served in the U.S. Marines during the Korean War, earning an honorable discharge in 1960. He then dedicated his life to social work in Massachusetts, retiring in 2004.

A Long Career as a Renowned Artist

Reardon (1912–2002) was a celebrated Catholic liturgical artist, muralist, and illustrator. Born in Quincy, Mass., she attended Radcliffe College and the Yale School of Fine Arts, earning degrees in painting. Reardon was known for her large-scale murals that grace religious institutions, including the Guadalupe Chapel in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and St. Louis Cathedral in Missouri. She was also an illustrator of children's books and created portraits of notable figures, including her brother, Justice Paul C. Reardon of the Massachusetts Supreme Court. Reardon won the President’s Medal at the Second International Exposition of Sacred Art in Italy in 1966.

Her connection to Emmanuel College began in the 1950s when she joined the faculty as a Professor of Art. In 1999, the College awarded her an honorary doctorate, recognizing her lifelong contribution to art and education. After her passing in 2002, Reardon’s niece, Martha Bewick, generously donated part of her private papers and artwork to Emmanuel, ensuring that her legacy would be preserved for future generations. This extensive collection includes photographs, sketches, and original artwork and provides a unique window into her career and personal life.

"These two portraits remind us that Mary Reardon was aligned with the modern artists of her time. Particularly in the later portrait of Francis [right image, above], we are drawn to the dynamic energy created by the fluid, undulating lines of the sweater that are repeated in the background behind him," said Cynthia Fowler, Professor of Art at Emmanuel and an authority on Reardon. "There is a pensive hesitation in Francis’s expression that demonstrates Reardon’s ability to capture the mood of her subject, a different mood than that seen in the more casual and relaxed portrait of Francis that came earlier [image left, above]. The portraits painted by other American modernists such as Marsden Hartley come to mind in the way Reardon abandons attention to extraneous detail to focus more directly on the interiority of her subject. I can only imagine that these portraits were labors of love for Reardon who would have treasured the opportunity to study and appreciate this young boy as he moved toward his adult years."

Fowler wrote Mary Reardon: Catholic Art in the Twentieth Century, a compilation of student essays based on research that students completed using archival material from the College's Reardon collection.

“The addition of these works to Emmanuel College's collection not only enhances our archive but also deepens our understanding of Reardon's artistic range and her ability to immortalize personal history through her unique lens," said John Healey, Jr., Emmanuel College Archivist.

The donation of the portraits celebrates both Leonard’s deep ties to Emmanuel and the enduring impact of Reardon’s artistry.