300 loyalists set to honor Bulger

Resigned UMass president shows that he still has clout

He was hounded out of office by a governor troubled by his ties to his gangster brother. He was called greedy for collecting a severance package that approached $1 million. But William Bulger, never one to go quietly, still commands clout in Boston and among many in the university community.

In an unusual display of loyalty, 300 people will pay tribute to the resigned president of the University of Massachusetts at a black-tie dinner next month celebrating his years of public service, university officials said yesterday.

Organized by the private, nonprofit UMass Foundation and timed to occur not long after Bulger's 70th birthday, the March 12 party will be paid for by friends of the former president and will include the announcement of more than $500,000 in new gifts to UMass.

Among the organizers are trustees' chairwoman Grace K. Fey, president of the UMass Foundation; Jack Welch, retired General Electric chairman; and Jack Smith, retired chairman of General Motors. Former governor William F. Weld will be master of ceremonies.

The gala will be held seven months after Bulger resigned from the presidency under pressure from Governor Mitt Romney, the culmination of months of questions about his loyalty to his brother, James "Whitey" Bulger, a fugitive wanted for 19 murders.

A South Boston native who served as president of the state Senate for a record-setting 17 years before taking charge of UMass in 1996, the younger Bulger never lost the loyalty of most university trustees. His August resignation surprised many observers, while his $960,000 severance package angered Romney all over again.

"The idea came from some of the donors, who wanted to do something special for [Bulger], because they felt he'd done such a good job during his tenure," Fey said in an interview yesterday.

Invitations will be mailed next week, and there are sure to be some disappointments. It was "very hard" to whittle down the guest list to 300, Fey said.

She said gifts in Bulger's honor from the hosts of the party could reach $1 million and will be used for scholarships.

The UMass Foundation, in charge of the university's private fund-raising and the management of its endowment, is located at 1 Beacon St., with the president's office. Bulger formerly led the foundation. Its website credits the former president with placing new emphasis on private fund-raising, which grew under his watch from $35 million to $100 million.

A spokeswoman for Romney declined to comment yesterday on the tribute. Fey said she does not expect any objection from the governor, despite his history with Bulger.

"I think all that's behind us now," she said. "We're moving along, and the governor has been wonderful."

After Bulger resigned, Romney dropped his plan to eliminate the university's top office, another source of friction between the two men, and came out in support of a strong leader for the five-campus system.

He even offered to help court candidates for the job.

Bulger, who turned 70 on Feb. 2, has kept a low profile since his Sept. 1 departure.

The Bulger celebration is to be held at the Boston Public Library, where Bulger has long been a member of the board of trustees, Fey said. Other members of the host committee include UMass Medical School donors Jack and Shelley Blais and Eugene Isenberg, a UMass graduate, Nabors Industries chairman, and presidential search committee member.