Lowell Celebrates Building Manager

For more than two decades, James M. Coveney merged his personal style with the spirit of the Lowell House community. On Friday, when the House celebrated the retirement of its longtime building manager, the masters presented Coveney with a gift to commemorate his presence.

The gift from House Masters Diana L. Eck and Dorothy A. Austin was a black leather motorcycle jacket embroidered with the Lowell insignia. Coveney, an avid motorcyclist, donned the jacket over a Harley-Davidson shirt as the party came to a close.

The present was emblematic of the personal flair noted by Coveney’s colleagues.

“He brought a certain style to the House,” Eck said. She added that Coveney’s retirement “is like saying goodbye to a member of the family.”

Coveney retired after taking a leave of absence from his job last winter. He came to Harvard in 1980, he said, and was promoted to building manager of Lowell House in 1984.

“My time here has been terrific. I don’t want to leave, but my health doesn’t permit me to stay and be fair to everybody,” Coveney said. “There’s a hole in my heart because Lowell House isn’t a part of my life the way it was.”

Throughout his time at Harvard, Coveney was responsible for overseeing the maintenance of the House and monitoring safety.

Eck also spoke of Coveney’s involvement in House renovation projects, including the two-time expansion of the basement Lowell Grille.

In his absence, Coveney’s responsibilities were assumed by Interim Building Manager Karen Haley, whose last day on the job was Friday. In an e-mail to the Lowell community last Monday, Haley said she was leaving the House “with a heavy heart.” The new building manager, Bob Sammonds, will take over today, according to an e-mail to the House from Eck.

As Lowell undergoes this transition in management, Coveney’s family members are also nostalgic.

“It’s just really strange. We were in elementary school since he started here,” said Coveney’s daughter, Renee L. Holmes, who attended Friday’s event. “It’s hard to imagine him not coming in every day.”