FALL 2025
Nest Egg
I n 2021, John Kozarich ’71 transferred the title of his home, which he shares with his wife, Marcia, in Rancho Sante Fe, California, to Boston College. But he hasn’t called a moving service or updated his address just yet. Instead, a creative arrangement with the University allows him and his wife to live there for a while. In short, this is a gift that provides him with a significant tax deduction now and guarantees long-term support for BC. It also gives him peace of mind.
“It’s a win-win,” says Kozarich. “Eventually, I can just shut the door and say, ‘I’m done.’ BC takes care of the rest.”
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It’s a win-win—eventually, I can just shut the door and say, ‘I’m done.’ BC takes care of the rest.”
His decision is rooted in gratitude for the place that literally gave him a college education for free, something he never could have imagined. Kozarich was the first in his family to graduate from high school. Thanks to scholarships, he attended a local Jesuit high school—followed by a full ride to BC.
After graduating from Boston College summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Kozarich—who is internationally known for his work on enzyme mechanisms and on the chemistry of DNA-cleaving antitumor drugs—continued to climb to new heights. He earned degrees at MIT and Harvard, taught at Yale University’s School of Medicine, and held positions that tapped into his experience and interests in science, medicine, and business.
His 47-year career includes serving as vice president of research at Alkermes, a global biopharmaceutical company developing innovative medicines in the field of neuroscience; vice president of biochemistry at Merck Research Laboratories; and chair and president of ActivX Biosciences Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. Since 2003, Kozarich has served on the board, and currently is the chair, of Ligand Pharmaceuticals, which enables scientific advancement through support of the clinical development of high-value medicines. He currently holds an adjunct professorship in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin. In 2007, BC presented Kozarich with an Alumni Achievement Award for his excellence in both professional and academic disciplines.
Gifting his home to BC also helps him avoid complicated estate hassles and the tax issues involved in leaving the state permanently for his other residence in Texas, he says. “This is the kind of arrangement that makes sense if you have multiple properties or no heirs,” he adds. “Plus, the house has gone up in value since the gift was made.”
This latest gift is one of the many ways Kozarich has given back to the University over the years. Since 2004, Kozarich has supported BC’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF), which provides fellowships for chemistry majors to work in BC research labs.
For Kozarich, his long-time support comes back to the life-changing education he received at the Heights. “I’ve always felt I owed BC a great deal,” he says. “This is my way of paying it forward.”
More from this edition
Real Estate Gifts to Boston College
Whether it’s a home, vacation property, farmland, or commercial building, your gift can make a lasting impact on BC students, faculty, and programs you care about.
Thinking Like a Lawyer, Caring Like an Eagle
Law alum Tom Flaherty, JD’75 gives back to the place that shaped his mind, body, and spirit.
Solid Foundation
Whether it was your off-campus apartment junior year with friends or a one-story fixer-upper a decade or more later, you never forget your first place, no matter what condition it was in when you signed the paperwork. The excitement around getting the keys. Figuring out how to set up your belongings. Feeling too energized to sleep that first night, because all you can think is, “This is mine!”
