A bronze statue honoring the late Boston businessman and philanthropist Jack Connors was unveiled on June 9 outside 200 Clarendon Street, placing a permanent tribute to one of the city’s most influential civic figures at the base of the tower where he worked for decades.
Connors, who died in July 2024 at age 82 of cancer, was a co-founder of the advertising firm Hill Holliday and later led the Connors Family Office from the former John Hancock Tower. Over a career that spanned business, politics, health care, education, and philanthropy, he became widely known as one of Boston’s most effective behind-the-scenes powerbrokers.
The statue depicts Connors seated on a bench, his arm extended in a welcoming pose. Supporters said the design reflects his reputation as a connector and mentor who was known for bringing people together to address civic problems.
Joe Nolan, CEO of Eversource Energy and a longtime friend of Connors, was the driving force behind the memorial. Nolan privately commissioned the statue and helped raise $2 million for the project. Bryan Koop, an executive with BXP, the landlord of the property, helped make the privately owned courtyard along Clarendon Street available, and BXP donated the space.
Pablo Eduardo, the Gloucester-based sculptor, created the bronze image statue.
Connors’s impact was felt across many of Boston’s major institutions, but one of his most visible legacies was Camp Harbor View, the free summer program he founded in 2007 on Long Island in Boston Harbor. The program has served thousands of Boston’s young people and their families, combining summer activities with year-round leadership development, family support, and college and career guidance.
At the time of his death, city leaders, business executives, clergy, educators, and nonprofit leaders credited Connors with using his influence to raise money and attention for causes that reached well beyond downtown boardrooms. His philanthropy supported hospitals, Catholic schools, youth programs, neighborhood organizations, and civic initiatives throughout the region.
–REPORTER STAFF
