The Friary
Chuck Borkoski ’71 and his Friar-themed fan cave
By Vicki-Ann Downing ’21G
The Friary is the name Chuck Borkoski ’71, ’23Hon. gave the Friar-themed entertainment space on the lower level of his home in Chatham, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod.
The space reflects his love of Providence College, especially its athletic programs, the value he places on hospitality, and the knowledge he gleaned from nearly 50 years in the alcoholic beverage industry. Since the Friary opened in 2014, countless friends and guests, including PC alumni and parents, have enjoyed the fully stocked bar with two beer taps, a pool table, and home theatre. College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80 blessed the space during a visit in 2019.
“The Friary reflects a lifelong love for Providence College and a genuine joy in bringing people together,” said Bob Ferreira ’83, former assistant vice president for alumni relations and now assistant vice president for special projects in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. “Every visitor feels the Friar pride, tradition, and welcome that define the Borkoskis.”
The black and white tile floor, gleaming bar, gray walls, and white shelves and molding were selected in a labor of love by Borkoski’s wife, Leslie, and daughter, Jenna Borkoski ’12. Leslie Borkoski’s familiarity with Friartown pre-dates her marriage to Chuck. Her father, Joseph Baggott ’27, was a Friar, too.
“The house was under construction when we bought it in 2013,” Borkoski said. “When Leslie saw the walk-out basement overlooking the pond, she said it would be a great place for a bar.”
It took a couple of years to complete the look. Chuck and Jenna spent hours selecting photographs, posters, and memorabilia spanning decades of PC history and deciding where to display them. Once friends saw the space, they contributed items as gifts. Most feature Friar basketball, but a custom diorama from the 2015 NCAA men’s ice hockey championship holds a team photo, the Borkoskis’ game tickets, and a piece of the net caught by Jenna during the postgame celebration. Souvenirs from reunions and other PC gatherings are also on display.
Guests notice an unusual wall lamp consisting of a white globe with the number 21 stenciled in black. Jenna customized to commemorate the sign that hung in the 21 Club, the student bar co-managed by Borkoski and Joe Bonaccorso ’71. The first student drinking spot on campus, it opened in March 1970 in a former faculty dining room in Alumni Hall. Open from 6 p.m. to midnight, it gave students a place to meet professors and administrators in a congenial atmosphere over beer or wine. It was a precursor to the Rathskeller and the present-day McPhail’s.
Borkoski’s history is intertwined with college history. A glass display case holds the basketball he dribbled for 212 miles, from Alumni Hall in Providence to Madison Square Garden in New York City, from March 15-20, 1971. Borkoski, Bonaccorso, and 10 friends hatched the idea in the 21 Club the night the Friars defeated Saint Bonaventure to qualify for the National Invitational Tournament. They arrived at the Garden just before the start of the Friars game against the University of Louisville, and thanks to a connection by Vin Cuddy, PC’s sports information director, received an introduction, dribbled onto the floor, and did a layup line.
“There were about 17,000 people in the Garden and my recollection is we did get a standing ovation,” Borkoski said.
Borkoski saw PC for the first time when he arrived as a first-year student, taking the ferry to Connecticut from his home in Water Mill, New York, a village in the Hamptons on Long Island. The college proved to be a good fit. He became a class officer, Student Congress representative, Friars Club member, and resident assistant in McVinney Hall, responsible for students on several floors, including basketball players Jim Larrañaga ’71 and Marvin Barnes ’74.
As a senior, Borkoski was the campus representative for Falstaff Brewing Company, manufacturer of Narragansett beer. After graduation, he drove the ’Gansett Brew Bus around New England to promote aluminum can recycling and other initiatives before being promoted to field representative in the sales and marketing department. It was the start of his 46-year “career in beer.” In 1979, he accepted a position at McLaughlin & Moran, an Anheuser-Busch wholesale distributor based in Providence. He retired from the company in 2016 as vice president of marketing and portfolio development.
It’s difficult to identify a more dedicated and steadfast Friar. Borkoski has been a season ticket holder for men’s basketball since the Providence Civic Center opened in 1972.He has donated to the college every year since graduation and has chaired every class reunion, beginning with his first in 1976 and continuing with his 55th, to be held June 2026. He has served on the Providence President’s Council and the Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees. Chuck and Leslie also served on the PC Parent’s Council from 2008-2012.
When Jenna was an undergraduate, the Borkoskis hosted welcome receptions for incoming students and their parents each summer at their Cape home. They established the Chuck ’71 and Leslie Borkoski ’12P Scholarship Fund for students with financial need and chaired A Night in Black and White, the college’s fundraising celebration in Boston. Borkoski was chair of the PC Annual Fund, now The Fund for Providence College, and more recently, he assisted Jeremy Duffy ’93, owner of Isle Brewers Guild, with the Friars Forever beer project to benefit The Fund for Providence College.
Former president of the National Alumni Association and the Providence (Mal Brown) Alumni Club, Borkoski received the NAA’s Distinguished Service Award and the Providence club’s Mal Brown Award, recognizing those who exemplify love for and loyalty to the college. At commencement in 2023, the college bestowed upon him its highest honor, an honorary doctor of commercial science degree.
“It’s been my good fortune to have a great relationship with PC,” Borkoski said. “The Friary is a way for me to show my affinity to the college and an outlet to display some things I’ve collected over the years. Providence has had a profound effect on my life.”
