Boston College has announced two gifts totaling $27 million from alumnus Patrick F. Cadigan, former president and CEO of the Electronic Engineering Company of California, in support of its new alumni center and a new cultural facility for Boston College High School.

Cadigan pledged $15 million to BC toward construction of a new building for the college's advancement office and network of 162,000 alumni. In recognition of the gift, the building will be named the Cadigan Alumni Center. Cadigan also pledged $12 million to BC High School, the largest gift in the school's history, to support development of Cadigan Hall, which will serve as a center for the fine and performing arts and recreational activities.

The son of Irish immigrants, Cadigan worked part-time in his father's bar to pay his way through school and credits his success to the discipline and moral training of his Jesuit teachers. His investments in Southern California have made him the largest private real estate holder in Orange County.

"My parents were not able to obtain a formal education, so I felt a very personal responsibility to give back to those wonderful schools that educated and shaped me," said Cadigan. "It is an honor for me to support these schools and to thank them for all that they have done for me."