The author and his benefactors. Photograph: Lee Pellegrini

For the past two years, i have worn the clothes of a man whom I never met. The clothes aren’t strictly my size, but they fit. From purple cashmere sweaters to hand-tailored Italian three-piece suits, my meager graduate student’s closet bursts with vestiges of the classic wardrobe of the late William F. Norton ’57.

Sixty years ago, Bill Norton likely walked down Commonwealth Avenue too, and enjoyed the way the sun shined on Gasson Tower. The three to four days a week when I sport Bill’s clothes I am conscious of this. Norton was a student of economics and a hard worker, who fulfilled his duty to the National Guard and went on to become one of Rhode Island’s leading lawyers. Deeply committed to Catholicism, he probably attended weekday Mass in St. Mary’s Chapel while an undergraduate more than a half century ago. In a way, it was a weekday Mass that introduced me to Bill.

Two years ago, as I was deciding which graduate school to attend, I would often find myself praying about the decision at daily Mass in Providence, Rhode Island. Two elderly twin sisters often sat behind me. Now, if you sit in front of the same two people in church for any length of time, you’re bound to get sized up. Apart from being judged on my singing ability and whether or not I put my feet on the kneeler, I had been literally sized up by these women, who’d agreed that I would probably fit into their deceased brother’s clothes, which had seen the inside of a closet for the past 10 years.

One evening, after exchanging the sign of peace, I was asked by Catherine Norton to meet her and her sister Claire in the parking lot by their car trunk after Mass. Such an invitation might sound like the beginning of a scary story told round the campfire, but I too had done some sizing up and determined these venerable twins to be kind and good. And I was curious to see what they might have waiting for me in the trunk of a car, on a dark night.

It was the first suit of many, and thus began my relationship with Bill Norton and his clothes. As a relatively skinny fellow, with long arms and short legs, I’ve learned that most clothes do not sit well on me, and I have to special-order some items. But after running back into the chapel bathroom to change, I was excited to see that my compatibility with Bill Norton was nearly exact.

Over the next few months, the generosity of the Norton sisters continued. They would periodically invite me to their car trunk after Mass and there would be a new round of apparel to try on and subsequently model for them in the parking lot. When I told them of my intention to go to Boston College for graduate school, the next trunk load contained a vintage BC sweatsuit with an Eagles hat from the 1960s. From suits to sweats, William Norton’s clothes have again made an appearance at Boston College, shielding yet another pale Irishman from the sun.

Matthew Weber earned his master’s degree in higher education administration from Boston College in May 2008. He remains at the Heights on a fellowship from the Lynch School to continue his research on admissions.