Dufault Family

By Troy Watkins, printed in the spring 2004 issue of Assumption Magazine

“Close encounters of the Assumption kind” is the phrase that President Tom Plough uses to capture the unique sense of family that connects the Assumption community. The genuine, caring nature of the faculty and staff is responsible for much of this campus-wide feeling, which fosters that comfortable “home-away-from-home” feeling for so many students.

But that’s just a part of the story. Scores of families have sent several members of their kin, some through three generations, to experience these “close encounters.” Talk of Assumption College family legacies begins with the Dufaults. With few exceptions, a member of this prominent family has been either attending or working for the College since 1915.

The pioneer of the family, Francis X. Dufault Sr. ’19 from Athol, MA, arrived on campus in 1915. He attended the College for two years, then transferred, due to economic reasons, and commuted to Boston College from his Brockton home. After graduating from BC, he went to Tufts Medical School and became a physician in Athol. One of his nephews, Antonio AP’19, ’22, is an alumnus.

In 1921, a second nephew of Francis arrived, and became one of the most influential alumni in the 100-year history of the College. Fr. Wilfrid Dufault, A.A. AP’25, ’29, held positions as professor, president, chancellor or trustee of the College since 1934 and provincial superior and superior general of the Assumptionist order over many years. Fr. Wilfrid was a voting member of Vatican II in his role as superior general. Last fall, he was named an honorary trustee and chancellor emeritus. “Wilfrid’s presence here for so many years helped make the Dufault name so recognizable at Assumption,” said his nephew Francis “Frank” Dufault Jr., M.D. AP’45, ’48.

A cousin of Fr. Wilfrid, Fr. Andrew Dufault ’34, became a professor, a priest, and a member of the Missionaries of Africa. Another cousin, Leo ’33 also attended the College.

In a sense, Assumption became part of the Dufault family, and vice versa. “Our family was notorious for reunions,” John Dufault,Ph.D.AP’47,’51 explained. “We’d always run into Wilfrid, Tony, and Andrew and were exposed to Assumption through the many stories they would tell about the College.” For the Dufaults, attending Assumption seemed “natural” to them.

In 1941, Frank was the first of four brothers to attend. All four would later graduate from Assumption Prep and the College. Frank became a prominent local physician. Much has changed at the College since his years at Assumption.

“When I started at the Prep School, Assumption was oriented toward preparing French-speaking priests to administer to the Franco-American population in New England,” Frank said. “1941 was the first year that they allowed non-French speaking students to attend. There were only six non-French speaking students in that class. Prior to that everything at Assumption was taught in French. My brothers and I were not bilingual, but that was part of the reason why we came to Assumption—to receive a bilingual education.”

John was the first layperson to be hired as a staff member at Assumption. He was the first director of Admissions in 1955 and later served as College registrar, then as a professor of Psychology until 1970.

John recalls his close relationships with friends and faculty. “Many faculty members were good athletes and would join us when we played pick-up baseball games,” he said. “And if the faculty member taught us in a language class, he would not speak English to us, he would yell instructions to us in French during the game to train us to be fluent.”

Claude Dufault AP’48, ’52, another one of the siblings, served as the Prep School’s director of development in the 1960s. He was later president of the College’s Alumni Association and received the College’s Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1993. His brother Charles, Ph.D., AP’59, ’63 is an international businessman and currently lives in Switzerland.

David ’61, a cousin of the brothers, became a navigator for Trans World Airlines. Another cousin of the brothers was Pauline LePain. Her son, Marc LePain ’65, became a theology professor at Assumption in 1971, and still teaches here. Marc’s wife, Patricia ’00, is a former member of the College’s administrative staff. Three of their four children, Maria ’00, Julie ’01, and Joseph ’03 are also alumni.

By the late ’70s, the third generation of Dufaults arrived. Frank’s daughter Suzanne ’79 and son Francis “Chip” III ’80, along with Chip’s wife Gail Holland-Dufault ’81 are alumni. John’s wife Lucille G’81 earned her M.Ed. from the College during the same year their son, Matthew ’81, graduated. Suzanne works for Hasbro, while Chip is an executive chef at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA. Gail teaches in the Worcester School System. Chip and Gail were married in Assumption’s Chapel of the Holy Spirit during Christmas break of Gail’s senior year.

Matthew, who now works for a mortgage company, recalled, “Assumption provided an environment of independence that allowed you to grow and mature; how to act, what was and wasn’t acceptable behavior. You were allowed to stumble as you learned and then were supported as you tried to move forward. All of this took place in a relatively safe, controlled environment. The interesting part of this is that you continued to learn from both of these experiences long after you left Assumption. I continue to use these skills and lessons every day.”

Through the years, the Dufault family has proudly supported the College. This dedication had a profound effect on Marjorie Mudgett, another cousin of the four brothers. Several years ago, in her will, Marjorie made a generous bequest to the College in honor of her cousins. With the guidance of the Dufault brothers and Fr. Wilfrid, and on-going contributions, the Dufault Family Scholarship was endowed in 1997. It is presented annually to a student entering his or her senior year who meets certain criteria, including demonstrated need and a competency in the music and theatre arts. This, in part, honors their mother, Lina Dufault, an accomplished teacher and devotee of these arts.

Although the topic of Assumption legacies may begin with the Dufaults, it has not ended yet. A fourth generation may be coming to Assumption soon. “As an alumnus, I would love for my grandchildren to attend Assumption, but ultimately, they have to make the choice that is right for them,” said Frank. Collectively, the Dufaults have certainly benefited greatly from their Assumption education and experience. At Assumption, we believe that the Dufault family has played a key role in making the College what it is today.

Last updated 12/17/07