Fontbonne Honors Alumnae for Marathon Bombing Response

One of the guiding tents of Fontbonne Academy is to "serve the dear neighbor," a principle, exemplified on April 15, 2013 by scores of first responders at the Boston Marathon bombings, including 2004 Fontbonne alumnae and Boston Police Patrolman Christine Carr.

For her service, Carr was given the "Dear Neighbor" award at a ceremony on Thursday, June 13.

Carr is a 2009 graduate of UMass Boston who completed police academy in 2011. She then joined the Boston Police Department and is now a patrolman in the South End.

Before becoming a police officer, Carr and her twin sister Andrea, now an x-ray technician at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, attended Fontbonne. Carr was a member of the school first state championship hockey team.

On Marathon Monday 2013, Carr was near the Lenox Hotel at Exeter and Boylston streets when the fist bomb exploded. She immediately moved toward the site of the explosion. A short time later, the second pressure cooker bomb detonated, just 50 feet behind her.

"It was complete chaos," Carr recalled. "We just did the best we could aiding the victims."

Carr was part of a rapid response. The first bomb went off at 2:50 p.m. on that sunny Monday afternoon. Carr said the last victim was transported to a hospital by 3:20 p.m.

The aftermath of the attacks was difficult on experienced veterans and relatively new officers like Carr. Through debriefings, like the one Carr attended the night of the attack, things have slowly returned to normal.

"I think the bonds have grown a lot stronger," said Carr of the department, adding she doesn't regret the experience of being on Boylston Street that day.

Carr was commended and congratulated by Patricia Cerasuolo, assistant head of school for student affairs and Head of School Mary Ellen Barnes. 

She was given a plaque that reads, "Fontbonne Academy proudly congratulate Christine Carr, Class of 2004, for her quick and compassionate response in helping "the dear neighbor" at the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013."

Carr was given a chance to address the students, family and faculty in attendance on Thursday. She credited her alma mater for instilling courage and grace in her long before she was called into action.

"I was called a hero by many, but in my eyes, I was just doing what Fontbonne has always taught me, and that is to help others who are in need," Carr said.