It was Nov. 28, 1942. Thomas and Catherine O’Neil had just gone to the Boston College vs. Holy Cross football game and were at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub for dinner and dancing.

The O’Neils shared a meal with Thomas’s younger sister, Isabelle, and her date, William O’Connor, and were ready to head home. Isabelle O’Neil went to use the restroom, while the others paid the bill and got the coats.