In 1959, instead of heading to the Jersey Shore for their usual summer vacation, Wayne Positan and his family traveled to Boston, where his father had been discharged from military service during World War II. Positan, then 11, was fascinated by the city’s cobblestone streets and historic monuments, and he credits the “serendipitous vacation” as the start of his enduring bond with Boston, and eventually, with BU.

Since he enrolled in 1966, Positan (CAS’70) has seen a transformation at the University. Now, he is looking forward to being part of BU’s continued growth. The Boston Uni­versity Alumni Council (BUAC), which conveys alumni interests and con­cerns to the University, has elected Positan to a two-year term as president. He succeeds longtime BU advocate and volunteer Mary Buletza (Questrom’80), who has been a member of the BUAC since 2005 and this year completed her two-year term as president.

As a freshman, Positan lived in Myles Standish Hall, around the corner from Charlesgate Hall, where his high school sweetheart (later his wife), Susan Lukacs Positan (CAS’70), lived. He joined the Phi Sigma Delta fraternity and eventually was its president. He and Susan explored the city together, and ventured to Cape Cod, the North Shore, and other spots around Massachusetts. “We had a great time all four years,” says Positan, who earned a degree in government.

Positan went on to attend law school at New York University and embarked on a career in labor and employment law and litiga­tion. He has been cited in several publications, including Best Lawyers in America, and has served as president of the New Jersey State Bar Association. He has been managing director of the law firm Lum, Drasco & Positan, LLC, in Roseland, N.J., for 25 years.

He and Susan visit Boston once or twice a year. A fan of the hockey program, Positan has been a Friend of BU Hockey—supporting the team financially and from the stands—for many years. In 2009, he received a College of Arts & Sciences Collegium of Distinguished Alumni Award, and in 2010 became a member of the Alumni Council.

“Becoming president of the Boston University Alumni Council is really a pinnacle of our involvement, as far as I’m concerned,” Positan says. “Susan and I both feel very strongly about our involvement with BU, our commitment to the University, and our devotion to being part of the continued growth and progress that has made us all so proud.”

BU has become part of the family. Wayne’s sister Karen Positan (COM’76) is a graduate, and the Positans’ daughter Brooke (COM’02) toured all the colleges in Boston before choosing BU.

Positan marvels at the many changes on and around campus since he arrived nearly 50 years ago, from the renovation of Kenmore Square to the opening of Agganis Arena in 2005.

He has watched the school climb in national college and university rankings and applauds President Robert A. Brown for leading the University’s $1 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign.

One project he is looking forward to particularly is the transformation of the Castle on Bay State Road into an alumni center where all Terriers can gather when they return to campus.

“Being part of something that gave you such a great start in life,” Positan says, “then seeing it grow and flourish as you move on in life, is truly special.”

Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

The BU Alumni Council

Anyone who graduated with a degree from BU is automatically a member of the Boston University Alumni Association (BUAA), whose mission is to keep alums connected to one another and to their alma mater. The BUAA is led by the BU Alumni Council (BUAC), which is made up of approximately 40 volunteers who are leaders in their professions and communities, and at the University. As president of the BUAC, Wayne Positan (CAS’70) represents the interests of BU’s 17 schools and colleges.