Former student recounts alleged abuse by Holyoke Catholic High School teacher
Holyoke’s Fran O’Connell, seen here in a Holyoke Catholic High School basketball photo from the 1975-76 school year. SUBMITTED PHOTO
A 1976 clipping from the Holyoke Transcript-Telegram shows high school sports star Fran O’Connell. CONTRIBUTED
Published: 6/9/2021 7:33:06 AM
HOLYOKE As a freshman at Holyoke Catholic High School in 1974, three-sport athlete Fran O’Connell was already a big name on campus. In a city zealous about its sports, O’Connell had already been promoted to the varsity football and basketball teams. Holyokers recognized him wherever he went.
But O’Connell, now 62, said that it was his new theology teacher, Robert Ellis Hosmer Jr., who showered him with the most attention: buying him gifts, tutoring him, taking him to fancy dinners and teaching him how to be sophisticated. That attention, however, came with a price as Hosmer grew more physical and began isolating the th
Smith College: Faculty member accused of sexual abuse should have been investigated
The Grecourt Gates of Smith College on Elm Street in Northampton. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO/KEVIN GUTTING
Published: 6/3/2021 9:45:31 AM
NORTHAMPTON Smith College knew for two decades that a faculty member had been accused of sexually abusing a minor, but chose not to act on those allegations, allowing him to teach at the college until recently.
On Wednesday morning, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield released an expanded list of former employees who had been “credibly accused” of sexually abusing minors. The list included the name of Robert Ellis Hosmer Jr., a Smith lecturer from 1989 until 2016 who previously worked at Holyoke Catholic High School from 1968 to 1979.