His Love for Holy Cross is Evergreen

All Crusaders have a memory of their first Holy Cross experience. For David A. Lynch, M.D., ’69, that memory was formed on Nov. 9, 1957, at the age of 10, when his father, Charles “Chuck” Lynch, M.D., ’37, took Dave and his brother to a football game in Syracuse, N.Y.

“Dad was quite proud of his association with the college,” says Dave. “And one day he took my brother and me to Archbold Stadium to see Holy Cross defeat Syracuse 20-19 in a thrilling game. At the alumni reception following the game, Dad introduced us to famed head coach, Dr. Eddie Anderson, who was gracious and talked with us for a little while. As a kid growing up in Central New York, I was a Syracuse fan; but from that day forward, the Crusaders were my team. So, it was a natural choice for me to apply to Holy Cross.”

Clearly, meeting Anderson and watching the team’s thrilling victory made an impression on the young Dave, and he soon set his sights on a Holy Cross education. When the day finally arrived to move to Worcester, Dave felt at home from the moment he set foot on Mount St. James. A political science major with a pre-med concentration, he treasured both the academic rigor, and the deep sense of community he found on The Hill.  

“I remember one day soon after I arrived on campus,” Dave recalls, “I ran into Fr. Hart, who made a point of getting to know the new students. After asking my name and where I was from, he rubbed his chin and asked, ‘You wouldn’t be Charlie Lynch’s boy, would you?’ When I graduated four years later, I was able to get a picture with Fr. Hart and my family standing by St. Joseph Chapel. His personal interest and his genuine concern for each student he met exemplifies to me all of the best things about Holy Cross.”

Fr. Hart’s interest, compassion and support had a lifelong impact on Dave.

“I’ve always felt that Fr. Hart showed me what it meant to be ‘men and women for and with others,’” says Dave. “That’s one of the reasons why I’ve decided to give back to the college.”

Motivated by his strong belief in the Holy Cross mission and an interest in expanding the student population geographically — as well as a desire to help families with the cost of access to a first-rate education — Dave has created an endowed scholarship to benefit a student with financial need from Washington State.

“I hope that having a scholarship for deserving student applicants in the Northwest U.S. stimulates interest,” says Dave. “And I hope it sends the message that they are welcome at Holy Cross and that the college wants them.”

“Holy Cross is family,” he continues — and he means it both figuratively and literally. “I’m part of a multi-generational Crusader family. My father paved the way for me. My brother, Charles “Charlie” Lynch, graduated in ’70 — in fact, he was also influenced by that early game against Syracuse, as he went on to play football for the Crusaders as a running back. My daughter, Catherine “Catie” Lynch, graduated in ’04. And my nephew, Samuel Woody, is a current student from the class of 2026.”

To honor the three generations of Lynches at Holy Cross, he has named his gift “The Lynch Family Classes of ’37,’69,’70 and ’04 Scholarship.”

“I have a vivid memory from my senior year,” recalls Dave. “I served as the chair of ‘Coed Week,’ which was a test run for the possibility of the college one day going coed, and I advocated for the admission of women. At the time, I couldn’t have imagined that I’d have four daughters — and that one of them would go on to attend Holy Cross.”

Today, Dave’s goal is to help any deserving student from Washington State pursue a Holy Cross education.

“I was able to attend Holy Cross at a time when the cost for a family was much less of a burden than it is today,” he says. “I have always appreciated the strong tradition of alumni philanthropy that sets Holy Cross apart from many other institutions. I’m well aware that a large percentage of our student body could not attend if it were not for alumni support. My giving is a way of honoring my good fortune, and participating with my fellow alums in support.”

In addition to creating the scholarship fund, Dave has named the College as a beneficiary of his IRA, so that one day its proceeds will be left to the Lynch Family Scholarship.

After graduating from Holy Cross, Dave attended SUNY Upstate Medical School in Syracuse before completing a University of Washington training program for Family Medicine in Spokane — after which he established a family medicine practice in Bellingham, WA. Dave and his wife, Nancy “Tisch” Lynch, are the parents of four grown daughters.

“I’ve had a rewarding life,” says Dave. “And Holy Cross has been a great gift in that life. The college gave me a solid platform for going out into the world. It provided me with an excellent foundation for my subsequent education and career. Just as importantly, it has given me lifelong friendships and the shared values of caring for others and working for a better world.” 

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