The late author Tom Clancy often referenced Boston College in his best-selling military thrillers. His fictional hero Jack Ryan, who debuted in The Hunt for Red October, was a graduate of Boston College. Clancy, himself a product of Jesuit education, was believed to have modeled Jack Ryan after a real-life high school friend who went on to attend Boston College. Read more. Listen to this appreciation of Clancy and his legacy on WBUR. Rest in peace, Tom Clancy. (At left, Tom Clancy signs books at Boston College in 1989.)