Malden Catholic High School has received a $1 million gift from a prominent alumnus and his wife, boosting the fortunes of a $15 million fund-raising campaign for the all-boys private school.
Robert (in photo) and Kristine Higgins of Cambridge made the donation to the Essential Malden Catholic Campaign, which is raising money to build a new library and science labs and make structural improvements to the school on Crystal Street.
Robert Higgins, a 1964 graduate, is a founder of Highland Capital Partners, a venture capital firm in Cambridge. He also teaches at Harvard Business School.
“Malden Catholic has a pretty special mission,” Higgins, 66, said in an interview. “It always has been a school that educated immigrants, Irish and Italian in my time there, and now waves of newer immigrants, [such as Asian and Latino]. But it can’t fulfill that mission without private support.”
Higgins graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Business School. He named his venture capital firm for Highland Avenue in Malden, where Malden Catholic was located when he attended.
The Xaverian Brothers, the religious order that runs the 81-year-old high school, also inspired his donation, he said.
“They were the majority of the faculty when I was there,” said Higgins, who grew up in Melrose. “They created an amazing learning environment. They are men who have devoted their entire lives to education.”
The school has raised $12.3 million toward its goal of modernizing. A $5 million gift, the largest in school history, was made by Joe O’Donnell, a 1962 graduate, who is owner of Boston Concessions.
Higgins is one of five donors who have pledged $1 million gifts to the campaign, headmaster Edward C. Tyrrell said.
“The campaign is going very well, thanks to the generosity of so many of our loyal alumni like Bob Higgins,” Tyrrell said in an interview.
He said the names of other million-dollar donors will be disclosed later. Four are graduates and one is a son of a former custodian at the school, he said.
“Each has made a significant contribution, and we want to make sure we’re able to announce each in the proper way,” he said.
Malden Catholic has an enrollment of 570 boys, including 23 foreign students. While the student body represents 41 communities, most hail from Malden, Medford, and Melrose, Tyrrell said.
“Our student body is diverse, and we have a lot of children of alumni who attend here,” he said. “We very much think of ourselves as a large family.”
Tyrrell said he now hopes the school’s estimated 7,500 alumni follow the lead of major donors and contribute to the campaign.
“We need support at every level, from our alumni and friends, to make this a reality,” he said.
With money already raised, the school has replaced the heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems, and it has rewired the building to better accommodate the use of laptops and iPads and other technology, Tyrrell said. In the summer, construction will begin on a new glass-fronted library.
“It’s going to be a very inviting space,” Tyrrell said. “I believe it will become the academic heart of our school.”
Kathy McCabe can be reached at katherine.mccabe@globe.
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