IN MEMORIAM: John Dougherty

John Dougherty, a carpenter and contractor who worked on the Harvard COOP, died on Oct. 16 at Heritage Manor Nursing Home in Lowell, Mass. He was 75.

Dougherty, who was known as Jack, was the clerk of works for the construction of the Harvard COOP between the years 1963-1966, working on what is known as the Palmer Street building.

Dougherty’s son, Craig, said his father enjoyed working around Harvard.

“He loved working in that area, because he was a very studious person....Nothing would make him prouder than to be associated with Harvard in any way,” said the younger Dougherty. “This guy didn’t just read books, he devoured them.”

Moreover, working near Harvard had special significance for him because Dougherty moved up through the ranks of the construction world on his own, according to his daughter, Nancy Prentice. He also studied the elements of construction on his own.

“He loved being where he said some of the brightest people were going to school,” Prentice said.

The position of clerk of works at the Harvard COOP was a stepping stone for Dougherty toward his appointment as a project manager for the MBTA, said Prentice.

“It was really his feet in the door...for his working in the city,” she said.

All of Dougherty’s five children reiterate his love for and deep knowledge of Boston.

“He could look at the city of Boston at its present state, could rip it down to its former state, tell you what used to be there, and then rebuild it and tell you who built the present city,” said Craig Dougherty.

To them, Dougherty will be remembered for even more than his connection to the city of Boston.

“You couldn’t keep him down. He’d pop back up,” said his daughter, Karen Currier. “We used to say he was like the cat that had nine lives.”

He went into a brief coma seven years ago, she recalled, and “the moment he woke up, he said, ‘My name is Jack Dougherty and I’d like a big, tall Coke.’”

In fact, Dougherty was still living in the house he had built in Tewksbury, MA, two weeks before he died.

“He was a character who was a great storyteller. His work was a big part of his life, but he loved coming home to Tewksbury and being a father,” said Currier.

In addition to Craig, Nancy, and Karen, Dougherty leaves behind two daughters, Anne Monahan and Jean Campbell; and 13 grandchildren.