Getting to Know our Neighbors: Nancy and Bill Crowley

Continuing our series "Getting to Know Our Neighbors," we want to introduce you to Nancy Crowley and her husband Bill. They became owners of their Esplanade condo in 2010. It wasn’t a straight-line-move though. In 2008, Bill and Nancy decided to move into Cambridge from their three-story Victorian home in Newton where they had lived and raised their children for 35 years.  Their journey began when they rented a condo in a building on Third Street, known as 3rdSquare, waiting for their condo that was also on Third Street to be finished. Without warning, the owner “locked the doors and we, and others in the same situation, couldn’t go in!” Subsequently the Crowley’s and other Harvard and MIT faculty members sued the owner/developer, Sam Zell, and his REIT that owned the property. Some eventually moved in to 303 Third Street; others received their deposit back and/or were awarded their deposit by the court; and eventually that building is nearly all rental units.

Nancy and Bill decided to stay in the area and looked for another condo “within a mile radius of MGH where Bill worked.” In 2009, “we found our present unit in the Esplanade that we bought, renovated, and moved into 2010.” It was a long journey but worth it and they love it here. Fortunately, the medical care provided at MGH was a godsend when last June Nancy needed emergency surgery for a “raging infection and had to have her colon removed.” She continues to deal with the effects of that and is hoping that she and Bill can eventually live a normal life soon. Nancy credits Bill for her progress and being a wonderful support during all of this. “We have gone through this together.”

Bill, who is from Connecticut, met Nancy from Boston when she was a nursing school student at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and Bill was a Tufts medical student. They married in December 1968. Bill began his internship in 1969 and completed his residency at MGH.  In the middle of his residency during the Vietnam War, Bill was drafted into the Navy and he and the family spent two years in Newport RI. Nancy notes that “we made some very good friends while we were there; in fact, we still get together with them.” Their first two children were born 10½ months apart (“our Irish twins”) during their time in Boston and in 1976 Regan, their daughter, was born. Sadly, she was “severely disabled—never able to walk or talk or eat by mouth.” The family took care of her at home for seven years until it became clear that that was not the best for her or the family. “The biggest decision of our lives was to place her in a caring nursing home nearby where we could visit her regularly.” She died in 2003 at the age of 27, weighing only 42 pounds. “The whole family, especially Regan’s brothers, learned so much from her--- being sensitive to those with disabilities, caring for and understanding those with special needs.”

The Crowley’s three sons are Bill, Sean, and Colin. Bill, an Executive Vice Present of a local technology company, TechTarget, is married to Mindy, a child psychologist. They have three children: Carter 18, Maggie 15 and Caiden 13; Sean, a Vice President of Product Marketing for Right Networks, is married to Michelle, a landscape architect and they have two children: Maeve 19 and Fin 18. The youngest, Colin, is a Business Analyst for the Directors Guild of America and his wife Emily, a Creative Director, is currently a Supervising Producer for Warner Brothers Discovery. They have two children: Will 7 and Miles 3. Bill and Sean live just blocks away from each other and the Newton home they grew up in for 35 years. Colin lives in Los Angeles. And Nancy notes that the siblings “are close” and the families get together as often as they can.

When Bill finished his residency and two years in the Navy, he returned to the MGH and soon thereafter founded the Reproductive Endocrine Unit and started a 54-year research career there. In 1996, he was named the Director of Clinical Research at the MGH where he emphasized the importance of translating advances in basic research into patient care. Nancy was also proud that Bill championed women physicians. He was named Mentor of the Year by Women in Endocrinology, the first time this group bestowed this award on a male. Over 60% of his postdoctoral trainees were women, the majority of whom are now Professors around the world including here at Harvard. A major accomplishment was Bill’s discovery of the first treatment for precocious puberty in very young children—developing a drug to shut off early puberty. This discovery also directly led to its use in the treatment of men with prostate cancer and women with breast cancer and during in vitro fertilization. Bill will retire this June. His original retirement celebration had been scheduled in June 2022 but had to be postponed due to Nancy’s emergency surgery just five days before. It is now scheduled for later in the spring and will be Zoom event.

Nancy practiced private-duty nursing for a few years after their marriage and, then, went back to school to get her Bachelor’s Degree at Boston College. She did one year part time and then two years full-time and, during that process, Nancy did her fieldwork at the Dimock Community Health Center, became interested in public health, and got involved in the legislative process. She was a founder of the Mass. Nursing Association Political Action Committee. “It was the mid-70s and there was one health care bill after another coming before the legislature.” It was during this time that Regan was born and required full-time care so Nancy stepped away from her plan to get her Master’s Degree in Public Health. While caring for Regan, she became involved with the Newton League of Women Voters. She started volunteering with its health-care committee and, eventually, became the President of the LWV in Newton. During that time, she moderated Mayoral Debates and continued her work for advocacy at the local level.

Nancy observed that she met many wonderful, smart women at the LWV. “They now would be senators, CEO’s, real stars today.  It was the waning end of women doing volunteer work. Now that nearly 60% of the women work full time, the LWV and other volunteer organizations must ‘do less better.’”  And, she notes, that, although the LWV had been successfully running political debates for years, the Democratic and Republican Committees stepped in during the 1980’s and took them over. But the LWV is still involved with debates locally and defines itself as “a political grassroots network and membership organization that believes the freedom to vote is a nonpartisan issue.  As a women-led organization, we encourage everyone to take part in our democracy.”

Nancy, in 1990, was diagnosed with liposarcoma, a cancer that at that time had a 100% mortality rate. After a year of treatment of radiation, surgery, and experimental chemotherapy, Nancy became among its first survivors and the 1990’s were filled with “recovering, spending time with Regan and Colin who was only 10 at that time-- so life was busy!” (She added that their oldest and youngest sons were 10 years apart!) Life was also filled with joy as they spent many wonderful times together at their Cape Cod house they purchased in 1983.  The previous owners had lived in it for 60-plus years and it did need some updating that the Crowley’s took on. As Nancy said, “It was like the domino theory; we fixed the roof and, then, we needed new windows, then painting, etc.” It has been a labor of love and the family enjoys it very much. Bill and Nancy spent their “Covid years” there and hope, now that Nancy is recovering, to spend the summer there.

Through all this, Nancy and Bill attribute their strength to working together and communicating; relying on family and friends; being able to ask for help when they need it; spending time together; and, above all, having a sense of humor.

In addition to their time at the Cape, Nancy and Bill love exploring the Esplanade neighborhood. Before Covid, they enjoyed going to the Kendall Square theater, Multicultural Art Center, and the growing number of restaurants. They had subscriptions tickets to ART and the Red Sox (which they’ve had since the 90’s and have given to their sons). They “love to walk” and hope to get back to it -- enjoying the River walk, North Point, Charlestown. And, although they love living here at the Esplanade, they were both surprised at the lack of community when they moved in. “We had expected community involvement here; several of our friends who moved to other condos have described many of the activities that their condos organized and we had expected that here… thank goodness for the ECG, the ListServ, the Newsletter, the book clubs, and the get-togethers. It’s helped build community.” Before Covid, Nancy had organized the Esplanade Arts Group that had sponsored an outing to a performance at the Multicultural Arts Center with dinner at Desfina before. They both would like to get more involved and get to know more people. And, now that Nancy is recovering and Bill is almost retired, they will make that effort! So, when you see Bill and Nancy walking inside or out, say “Hi.”

--Jane Hilburt-Davis