Connections 2024: Centennial Issue

CONNECTIONS

Nazareth University extends its deep appreciation to Ed Leva ’91, president and founder of Wellington Steele and a member of the Nazareth University board of trustees, for his family’s unwavering commitment to and belief in Nazareth University.

Nazareth has always been a special place for our family because both my mother and I had the opportunity to attend, and my father was an avid supporter. I am very fortunate to have received such a strong education at Naz and also be a part of its lacrosse family. Watching the university grow over the years has been very rewarding for me. After my mother’s passing, I was moved to honor her and our family by sponsoring such a momentous occasion in the university’s history. I’m sure both my parents will be celebrating with us from above! It’s been my honor to serve on the board of trustees for nearly seven years and help guide Naz with energy and innovation into the future.

Nazareth University Centennial Celebration activities are made possible by the generous support of presenting sponsor Wellington Steele & Associates and the Leva Family.

Production

Editor

Chris Farnum

Creative Director

T.C. Pellett ’98

Contributors

Jonathan Everitt

Justin Shaw

Caroline Tolbert

Erich Van Dussen

Photographer

Brian Steblen

Designer

Andrew Soucier

Printer

Reflex Offset

Director, Alumni & Constituent Engagement

Kalyn Burgess ’13

Vice

Danielle Bucci

Vice President,

Darrell Bell

A TIME OF EMERGING CHANGEMAKERS IN 1924 IN 1924

NAZARETH COLLEGE IS FOUNDED

WOMEN HAVE HAD THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR FOUR YEARS

CALVIN COOLIDGE IS THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO DO A RADIO BROADCAST FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

THE INDIAN CITIZENSHIP ACT IS PASSED

FIRST WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES OPEN IN CHAMONIX, FRANCE

JAMES BALDWIN, SHIRLEY CHISOLM, AND JIMMY CARTER ARE BORN

GEORGE GERSHWIN’S “RHAPSODY IN BLUE” PREMIERES

MAHATMA GANDHI IS RELEASED FROM YERWADA PRISON IN PUNE, BRITISH INDIA

ASTRONOMER EDWIN HUBBLE FORMALLY ANNOUNCES EXISTENCE OF OTHER GALAXIES

CHANGEMAKERS

From the Archives: 1942: Nazareth relocates to farmland at 4245 East Avenue, building three Collegiate Gothic buildings: Smyth Hall, St. John Fisher Hall (later renamed Medaille), and a gym-cafeteria-auditorium building that later was expanded to become the Shults Center.

READ MORE AS OUR TIMELINE UNFOLDS ON PAGES 18–28

Top of Mind from the President Dear alumni and friends of Nazareth University,

Bao Dam ’93 (studio art) collaborated with area youth to design and paint outdoor murals to combat graffiti.

Welcome to a very special edition . You’re receiving this beautifully crafted publication amid Nazareth’s two-year Centennial Celebration. Anniversaries are, of course, often defined as celebrations of our past, and Nazareth’s rich history is wonderfully reflected upon, recorded, and revered in the pages that follow. And the past, as we all know, is but a prelude to the future.

The past matters. Immensely. Ten decades of preparing students for their life’s work, producing changemaker leaders who’ve positively impacted society, and creating connections to a beloved campus and community are no small feats. You’ve each played a huge role in Nazareth’s history — and this university is partly defined by the legacy of its inspiring past.

Nazareth is far more than nostalgia. Nazareth is also now. Nazareth is next year. Nazareth is the next century. Nazareth isn’t living in the past. We’re embracing our contemporary relevance, and building toward future success.

Nazareth’s second century — as well as the students, faculty, and staff who will walk our campus — will seem as futuristic and unfamiliar to us as today’s Nazareth would appear to

the Sisters of Saint Joseph when they boldly established a college in 1924. Change is inevitable. And, as is an enduring commitment of Nazareth, we choose to work for progress.

We must, and will, build this future together. The past that’s honored in this issue is the foundation. Embrace it and cherish it. It’s a wonderful history. And remember that Nazareth has thrived for 100 years because of your passions, talents, big ideas, and hard work. Where this amazing university goes from here will require all of that and more.

I know we're up to the task, and I’m honored to collaborate with you as we both celebrate our centennial and boldly take the first steps toward creating the success that will someday be celebrated at our bicentennial.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Paul, Ph.D. President Nazareth University

of evolution a century

Founded in 1924 by pioneering Sisters of Saint Joseph, Nazareth College initially provided women — an underserved population — with access to quality higher education despite the presence of traditional gender roles and anti-Catholic biases.

Guided by a commitment to service and justice, the institution’s founding ethos laid the groundwork for a curriculum steeped in liberal arts principles, thereby shaping generations of changemakers. Across the decades, Nazareth’s faculty and staff have collaborated with the community, responded to the needs of the time, created success against all odds, championed ethical values, and prepared graduates to benefit society through their life’s work.

As Nazareth navigated the evolving higher education landscape, it added master’s and doctoral programs, integrated male students, celebrated national athletics championships, and established innovative, in-demand degree programs such as physical therapy; clinical laboratory sciences; sports, entertainment, and arts management; and programs related to ethical use of technology.

Today, as Nazareth University, the institution stands at the forefront of education, innovation, and action and is recognized for its dedication to student success and community engagement. With state-of-the-art facilities like the York Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute, Glazer Music Performance Center, Peckham Hall, and Golisano Training Center, Nazareth continues to enrich the lives of its students and of the broader Rochester community. As Nazareth celebrates its centennial, it honors a century of excellence while reaffirming its commitment to shaping future leaders and driving positive change in the world.

Throughout its history, Nazareth has remained a cherished haven for friendship, the open exchange of ideas, diversity, professional camaraderie, and academic rigor.

IS RECORDED BY EDUCATION THROUGH ACTION.

EDUCATION THROUGH ACTION. NAZARETH’S HISTORY

Change through the years makers

For a century now, have been making substantial contributions to their communities through many routes. Through mentoring. Through teaching. Leadership and advocacy. Science and art. They’ve built careers, become volunteers, and blossomed into philanthropists. And along the way, whatever their chosen path, they’ve become changemakers as they’ve lived by Nazareth’s values. Here are some examples — among so many — of alumni impact.

Allocco is an inductee in the Rochester Music Hall of Fame and an 11-time Emmy-winning composer for the CBS television network and Sony Television, including programs like The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless, both seen in 98 countries. Allocco says it was at Nazareth that he found his musical identity after receiving a bachelor’s of business administration in accounting at another school. Allocco was a member of Nazareth’s board of trustees for 15 years and will compose and conduct a piece that premieres at Naz Weekend 2024, celebrating Nazareth’s centennial.

Alicia Borrachero ’90

Borrachero is a Spanish actress who experienced an epiphany one night while performing on stage to an audience that included victims of terrorism. While co-starring in the play Land of Fire with husband Ben Temple ’91, she was told the audience included parents who had lost children in the 2004 Madrid train bombings. Talking with them afterward was an important moment for her. Borrachero says it’s important to have the opportunity to have roles that move beyond her character’s identity to a place that investigates the nature of forgiveness and understanding.

Dale Mason Cochran ’71, Ph.D.

Mason Cochran supports Nazareth students through programs such as the Civil Rights Journey trip, as well as helping fund the creation of the Johnnie L. Cochran

Jr. Brain Tumor Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. The Center is in memory of her late husband — and in support of Keith L. Black, M.D., neurosurgeon, research scientist, and chairman of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai, who was Johnnie Cochran’s close friend and neurosurgeon.

Nina Priya David ’74

Founder of Creative Clinics/Creative Yoga Therapy and the creator of The Better Breathing, Speaking, and Swallowing Program, Priya David combines the arts, communication, and wellness to serve clients in medical, educational, arts, and spiritual settings. Her work has served a range of people: communities suffering from black lung in Kentucky; therapeutic communities in Harlem and the Bronx; and HIV/AIDS and oncology patients at Beth Israel Medical Center.

Rosalyn DellaPietra ’58, ’66G Each year, DellaPietra designates Nazareth as the beneficiary of her IRA charitable rollover. “Giving back has been one way to acknowledge my appreciation for those years at Nazareth and to help today’s students enjoy the same high-quality experience,” says DellaPietra, who worked as a school counselor for the Rochester City School District from 1971 to 1996.

Goodwell Nzou ’15 was a chemistry major from Zimbabwe who also played marimba with the award‑winning band Liyana.

Deb Dooley ’75, Ph.D.

As dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Nazareth, Dooley worked with faculty across disciplines to develop new academic programs such as B.F.A.s in art and musical theatre, a master’s in higher education student affairs administration, and B.A.s in community youth development and legal studies, B.S.s in dance, toxicology, medical technology, and biomedical sciences. “These programs seamlessly integrated study in the liberal arts with professional education and practice. Working with many creative faculty for student success was the greatest joy of my time as dean.”

Stephanie (Kawzenuk) Epstein ’11

After graduating with her bachelor’s in music therapy and music education from Naz and her master’s in music therapy from the University of Miami, Epstein established the music therapy program at Holtz Children’s Hospital in Miami, FL in 2014. She serves as the vice-chair of the Ukulele Kids Club, a non-profit organization that has directly supported the healthcare of over 15,000 medically fragile children and teens around the world through music, music therapy, and the ukulele. In May 2023, the club hosted a UKC-Broadway Cabaret in New York City, working closely alongside Michael Park ’90 and Laurie Nowak Park ’91. Epstein is also the founder and owner of Harmonic Health Music Therapy, a pediatric music therapy practice serving the South Florida area. She has presented and won awards at numerous music therapy and medical conferences and was recognized as a 2023 Healthcare Hero by the Miami Chamber of Commerce. Epstein has been featured extensively in local, regional, and national media, including “NBC Nightly News,” U.S. News & World Report, and Ready Set Productions’ “Modern Heroes.” In 2022, she was featured as an expert panelist for the Sound Health Network and Renée Fleming’s Music and Mind, a lecture series exploring the power of music as it relates to health and the brain.

While a computer science student at Nazareth, Evans juggled her studies with working nights as a custodian at Eastman Kodak Co. Nazareth, however, became much more than just her academic foundation; Evans credits her time there as one of the most formative years in her life. “I wasn’t a number at Nazareth. The professors knew me and took an interest in me.” Nearly 30 years later, Evans returned to Nazareth as the 2015 commencement speaker, a testament to the lasting impact of her experience. By then, Evans had built a distinguished career with senior executive positions at Microsoft, Bank of America, HP, and Mercer. Today, she serves as chief digital & technology officer at Disney Experiences.

Margaret Frisch ’56, Ph.D.

After receiving a B.S. in chemistry, magna cum laude, from Nazareth, she obtained a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she was only the 22nd woman out of 1,000 to receive this degree. She then accepted a postdoctoral position at Queen’s University, Belfast, Ireland. In 1968 she joined IBM Research, where she developed instrumentation to measure the thermodynamic properties of materials important for computer components. This research required

extensive lab automation and computer programming. Because of these skills, she was asked to undertake an ambitious project to determine if the electron neutrino, a candidate for “dark matter” in the universe, has a mass. After a decade-long effort, a mass was not detectable at the limit of signal to noise.

Vicki Hartman ’20, ’21G

As an occupational therapist working in acute rehabilitation, she identified a gap in care for patients, especially those with a spinal cord injury, to support their sexual health. She championed a significant change in care, developing assessment and intervention processes based on what she learned at Nazareth, which have been implemented across disciplines. She speaks about sexual health to groups such as the Rochester Spinal Association, bringing her work to the larger community.

Norma Fox Kanarek ’74, Ph.D. Fox Kanarek, who studied psychology at Nazareth, went on to epidemiology after working in research at Highland Family Medicine, screening children for elevated lead levels. Her public health career included studying cancer rates and racial

disparities, leading her state’s cancer surveillance work, and advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She originated the first community health status report for all U.S. counties while at the Public Health Foundation. This year marks her retirement from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health after 23 years of service. She has long been an advocate for cancer prevention and screening for early detection.

Stephen LaSalle II ’83 and Lori LaSalle ’83, ’87G

The LaSalles were instrumental in creating the endowed Benincasa Scholarship at Nazareth for full-time Nazareth juniors or seniors with financial needs who are majoring in nursing or social work, which also pays tribute to an end-of-life care home that closed. Story: go.naz.edu/benincasa

Ed Lent ’79

In 2021, poet and artist Lent and his husband, Scott Seitz, established two Nazareth scholarships. The Edward Alan Lent ’79 & Scott Richard Seitz Emerging Artist Fund gives undergraduate art majors access to New York City’s art world up close. The Artistic Advancement Scholarship provides funds for students in need of art supplies. The idea began when Lent was visiting the Nazareth campus and had an inspirational reconnection with his former professor Ron Netsky, who teaches in the Art and Design Department. Lent and Seitz fully fund the art supplies and the trip to the NYC museums. Story: go.naz.edu/Ed-Lent

Judy Wilmot Linehan ’76

Linehan, the first woman and alumna to chair Nazareth’s board of trustees, has a long family history with Nazareth. Her father, James P. Wilmot, was a trustee and a major benefactor; and her uncle Gerald Wilmot, brother Tom Wilmot,and sister-in-law Colleen Linehan Wilmot ’71 have all served on the board. Judy Wilmot Linehan and her late husband Paul donated $2 million to the university — one of the largest gifts in Nazareth’s history — in part to fund the Paul J. Linehan Endowed Scholarship as an emergency fund for students. The Paul and Judy Linehan Chapel on the first floor of Nazareth’s Golisano Academic Center is one prominent place with the Linehans’ name.

Wynnie McCarthy ’70

The retired speech therapist is among the leaders of her family’s foundation, McCarthy Charities, which has given millions of dollars to support nonprofits focused on areas such as education, social services, and housing, to improve the quality of life in Rensselaer County, New York.

Madeline Naegle ’64, Ph.D., CNS-PMH, FAAN

Professor emerita at New York University’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing, Naegle is nationally recognized for publications, programs, and policy initiatives on addiction, psychiatric nursing, and health professional education. Honored by Nazareth as an Outstanding Alumna in 2002, she has received numerous awards from nursing and interdisciplinary

Who’s a Naz alum whose changemaking inspires you, and why?

Who’s a Naz alum whose changemaking inspires you, and why?

Ed Lent ’79, his husband (Scott Seitz), two Naz faculty members, and Naz students

organizations, including the American Academy of Nursing Living Legend award (2023). Dr. Naegle is a psychotherapist in private practice and a global mental health consultant on aging and psychiatric nursing.

Goodwell Nzou ’15

Nzou, who grew up in Zimbabwe, lost a leg to a snake bite when he was 11, because of inadequate medical care. That moment first inspired him to pursue a healing career. After graduating from Nazareth with his degree in chemistry, Nzou went on to pursue his doctorate at Wake Forest University, where he created a 3-D model of the human brain to accelerate drug discovery research and address diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis. He is now promoting the human-centric approach to drug discovery and disease modeling by facilitating the adoption and utilization of organ-on-chip technologies in pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions worldwide.

Jim Ockenden ’83

With a passion for service and a commitment to making a difference, Ockenden is a recognized leader in his professional and personal volunteer endeavors. He has dedicated his time to various causes, including service as a board member and wish granter for the Make-AWish Foundation, mentoring entrepreneurs, and volunteering as a Big Brother and a youth coach. Having served as a Nazareth trustee and a presenter to Nazareth classes, he actively contributes and freely gives of his time to the community, while also sharing his expertise in information technology and cyber security through career training programs for military service veterans nationwide.

Vivian Palladoro ’56, Ed.D.

Neal Powless ’98

Her impressive skills bring people together to accomplish more. She’s known for opening doors and bringing seats to the table to create space for underrepresented groups. A retired clinical pathology laboratory administrator for the University of Rochester Medical Center, she is now on the American Red Cross of Greater Rochester board and chairs its BioMed committee. She previously chaired the N.Y.-Penn. American Red Cross Blood Services board. At Nazareth University, she has been a member of the Alumni Council, the trustees’ Building Committee, the President’s Arts Center Renovation Committee, and chair of Casa Italiana’s Academic and Cultural Committee.

Powless, of the Onondaga Eel Clan, has been a teacher, speaker, coach, business owner, and awardwinning film producer, among his many talents and skills. An All-American, All-World, and professional champion lacrosse player, Powless has served as head coach to the Netherlands National Lacrosse Team since 2014. He is also co-founder, with his wife, Michelle Schenandoah, of Indigenous Concepts Consulting, a firm that helps to bridge Native American ideals and culture with organizations and individuals all over the world.

Norlene Jayme Remollata ’15

While working at a Fortune 500 market research firm, Remollata realized that she wanted to serve her community more. So, she changed careers and went to work for nonprofits and arts and cultural organizations, helping to ensure their involvement in the community and philanthropic success. Notably, she created the after-school program Dance2b, where Garth Fagan performers provide free dance, yoga, and nutrition classes to Rochester City School District students, earning her the 2021 Nazareth GOLD Alumni Award. In her current

role at The Little Theatre, home of Rochester’s independent, international, and classic cinema, she is dedicated to bringing new opportunities to the Rochester community.

Yversha Roman ’07

As a social worker working with low-income families and young people, Roman saw disparities and a lack of diversity in government leadership, so she ran for the Monroe County (New York) Legislature. In 2020, she was elected to the Legislature and became president in 2024, the first Latina in either role. “Every board, committee, and commission works a lot better if it has diversity of voice, perspective, and wealth, and I continue to try to make space at those tables,” Roman says.

Sheila Mundorff-Shrestha ’67, DDS Mundorff-Shrestha joined Nazareth’s Founders Legacy Society by naming the University as a beneficiary of her retirement plans and creating three endowed scholarships for students who intend to focus on a career in the sciences: The Sheila A. Mundorff-Shrestha and Dr. Buddhi M. Shrestha Endowed Scholarship, the Elizabeth M. Ross and Cora Braun Endowed Scholarship, and the Eleonore and Karl Mundorff Endowed Scholarship. She says her Nazareth biology degree has had a profound impact on her life, leading to a scientific career that included dental research, microbiology, and co-authoring with her husband scientific papers and a patent.

Mary Beth (Stone) West ’84

A seasoned corporate executive and strategist, West — with her late husband, Hiry West — endowed Young Scholars scholarships at Nazareth to support high-achieving, first-generation students, as well as a gift to support African-American students.

Jeff Van Gundy ’85

This former New York Knicks coach and broadcaster for ABC and ESPN served on the board and helped raise millions to fund the construction of an athletic

complex for Pro-Vision, a charter school that serves an economically distressed neighborhood in Houston. “It was humbling to see how dedicated people were to give an underserved part of our community the school building it so desperately needed.” Closer to his beloved Golden Flyers, he funded the Nazareth athletics locker rooms and has mentored the men’s basketball team.

Kathleen Wilkinson ’69

After a career as a librarian, she became a nurse and cared for residents at the Sisters of Saint Joseph motherhouse. She’s passionate about making a Nazareth education affordable to current students.

Leslie Wills ’85

Wills (they/them) co-founded the Nazareth Lambda Association, the university’s LGBTQ+ student organization, with Robyn Freeh ’85. After graduation, Wills went on to a career in financial aid, assisting students and families through the process of affording higher education while pursuing woodworking and other arts as avocations. Wills was married in San Francisco City Hall in 2004 when gay marriage was proclaimed legal in San Francisco, upending the

status quo and starting a trend that spread nationally. Wills currently lives and works out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Freeh went on to a career in non-profit and public administration, focusing on the uninsured.

Jonathan Everitt is a freelance writer in Rochester, N.Y.

Gerard Zappia ’89G

Like thousands of her fellow Nazareth alumni, Susan Nowak ’77

Ph.D., SSJ has treasured memories of her student years — including the faculty with whom she connected along the way.

Although she hadn’t expected to major in religious studies as an undergrad, her professors in that department aroused a fascination “about what the study of religion could mean for me,” Nowak said recently. Those faculty included Mary Lourdes MacCarthy ’39 SSJ, Christine Bochen, Joan Kunz ’49, and most of all Monsignor William H. Shannon, who began teaching in 1946 and who came to wear many hats during his 32 years at Nazareth: professor, resident chaplain, internationally known Thomas Merton scholar, and informal confidante to countless students and colleagues.

“Bill was my advisor, and his way of approaching religion meant a lot to me as a young person looking to make a contribution to our world,” Nowak said.

That inspiration contributed to her eventual return to Nazareth as a professor of religious studies herself — where she’s been able to work as colleagues with Shannon and the faculty who meant so much to her.

“There was no way I was going to turn away that opportunity,” she added.

Today, she holds the University’s Shannon Chair of Catholic Studies, which was inaugurated in 1999, and considers it “one of the great honors of my life.”

An oral history project reveals countless alumni memories of influential faculty

Shaping Legacya

First, Class Memories

Nowak’s powerful memories of influential Nazareth faculty are echoed by hundreds of her fellow alumni.

As part of the upcoming Nazareth Centennial History book, an oral history project was conducted among thousands of the University’s 37,000+ grads. Many of their gathered stories include vivid recollections of certain faculty — with Shannon emerging as the educator most often cited by alumni who contributed stories to the project.

For example, Nancy Shay ’81 recalled Shannon and Monica Weis ’64, Ph.D., SSJ, professor of English, as among the educators “who all had such a positive impact on me…. They had high expectations and pushed me to do my best, but also showed me kindness and understanding.”

Weis continued making an impression throughout her 39-year Nazareth career. Kelly Webster ’10, 17G recalled how “she taught me how to find answers on my own and opened my eyes to different ways of thinking.”

Mary T. Bush ’51, Ph.D., professor emerita of history and political science, held an unprecedented 70-year tenure on the Nazareth faculty before her passing in 2022. Theresa Noonan ’63 remembered Bush as “a major influence in my life…. She encouraged me and provided me with the support I needed to transition from a small high school to college.”

Monsignor William H. Shannon

Magdalen LaRow ’50, SSJ

Shaping Legacy of Lives

Deborah Cramton ’87G said Naomi Erdmann, Ed.D., professor emerita of language and literacy, who became a champion of literacy education during her 44 years at Nazareth, “greatly influenced how I taught and mothered.” Bobbie Wright ’77, ’81G remembered Erdmann “telling me to learn how to write on a blackboard. [She] was tough but accurate.… It was a great experience.” Michael Pullen ’01G credited “individualized attention” from Erdmann and others as being “instrumental in helping me achieve my academic goals.”

Alec Sutherland, a 26-year professor of English who retired in 1998, was lauded by Catherine Nowaski ’78 for a “fun” approach to teaching that “really sparked [students’] interest in literature. Even his exam papers were humorous.”

Jamesetta Slattery ’43, Ph.D., SSJ, had multiple Nazareth connections in her life — as an alumna; a 23-year member of the education faculty, beginning in 1967; and interim president in 1993, before the appointment of Rose Marie Beston. Nancy Smith ’82 recalled how Slattery put her at ease as she contemplated pursuing a graduate degree following years spent in the workforce. “I was nervous … but Sister Jamesetta’s welcoming and innately positive attitude made me feel confident that I could do it.”

by Erich Van Dussen

James Avery ’05 credited his academic success to “super educators” like associate professor Phyllis Bloom and professor Gerard Zappia ’89G of the School of Business and Leadership. They helped make Nazareth a place “where learning was so much fun,” he said.

Of Zappia, a faculty member since 1983 who today leads Nazareth’s marketing undergraduate program, Avery added, “the completion of my degree [was] largely due to his incredible belief in my ability to succeed.”

Jared Koopman ’03 also called Bloom, who retired in 2016 after 36 years of service, “a great mentor.”

Enriching Campus Life

Many alumni recollections of faculty extended beyond the classroom, befitting the sense of community that has always defined the Nazareth experience.

Take Magdalen LaRow ’50, SSJ, who studied art at Nazareth in the 1940s and was later a longtime chair of that department — and whose commitment to her students transcended academic achievement.

Elaine Morrison ’63 recalled “completing a three-month project in copper enameling and cloisonne, and when I slipped on the ice and broke every piece, Sister Magdalene was so understanding and kind.”

LaRow “made a permanent impression” on Gillian Conde ’85, and inspired the student to make an impression of her own — painting in the Nazareth tunnels.

Phyllis Bloom

Monica Weis ’64, SSJ

Naomi Erdmann

James Kearney, bishop of the Diocese of Rochester, was instrumental in Nazareth’s founding and a longtime fixture among the faculty (as well as the namesake of Kearney Hall). Many alumni remembered him not only for his teaching, but for his contributions to the campus culture: Elizabeth Murphy ’48 recalled how Kearney helped her secure a four-year scholarship, and Christine Masterman ’69 called him “a great friend of the girls at Nazareth and often gave us an extra day off to travel home for the holidays.”

In addition to being a professor of English, Marion Hoctor ’54, Ph.D., SSJ, also served as vice president for academic affairs, dean and provost during her 52-year tenure. Sheila Smyth ’64 remembers a particular act of kindness that spoke to Hoctor’s compassion: “[She] came to visit me in the hospital. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and was feeling cold. She brought me a quilted bathrobe to keep me warm.”

Marcia Mendola ’64 remembered that Shannon helped transform the Nazareth gym into “a magnificent Viennese ballroom,” and Elaine Morrison ’63 recalled how Shannon took her and other Glee Club members to sing at nursing homes and parishes in the community.

Helen Daniel Malone ’39, SSJ, taught English and speech beginning in 1943, later chaired the department of speech and drama, and ultimately served as president for 12 years starting in 1960. Marilyn Bailey ’55 remembered her as “an amazing woman who put Nazareth on the map” by leading the creation of the Nazareth Arts Center. Kathleen Quinlan ’59 called Malone “a beautiful soul,” and remembered sitting with her during Malone’s final days in hospice care. “I felt so grateful to be with her … I will always remember her.”

Ron Netsky

Impacting a Life’s Journey

Some alumni drew straight lines connecting specific faculty encounters with long-term career and life choices. For Nancy Beikirch ’02, ’04G, Ron Netsky, professor of art, was among the faculty who were “instrumental in helping me become a successful art educator, as well as fostering my personal growth as a visual artist.” Beikirch’s body of work includes a specific ceramic sculpture that she donated to the University some years back, and is now displayed in a courtyard on the Nazareth campus.

Kathleen Parker ’65 recalled that Magdalen LaRow, who also served as a campus liaison for the Peace Corps, was “very enthusiastic about us going into service” after leaving school. Parker attributed that encouragement as an inspiration toward using her French language skills in work with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and later in the private sector.

Shirley Sharp

Marion Hoctor ’54, SSJ

Helen Guthrie

Rose Marie Fagan ’65 said LaRow and other “amazing and impressive” professors influenced her to pursue a life of social activism, and “preparing and inspiring me to be a leader and advocate for change.”

Crucial advice from Monica Weis ’64 helped Mary Scanandoah ’88 pivot from an initial career path toward becoming a technical writer. “She convinced me that … I would be an ideal teacher,” Scanandoah said. “I took her advice and I’m still teaching today!”

Helen Guthrie, who joined the Nazareth faculty in 1965 and went on to lead the social work department, was praised by Lorraine Hems ’81 as having “taught me the importance of having a support system and understanding my strengths and weaknesses.”

Loretta McNamara ’79 echoed Hems’ praise — saying that Guthrie and Shirley Sharp, associate professor of social work, were both “incredibly supportive and encouraging.” What’s more, “I’ve had the pleasure of reuniting with Shirley Sharp several times since, as our grandchildren attend the

Now a licensed massage therapist and registered nurse, Patricia Paprocki ’80 credited an ethics class taught by William Shannon as having “changed my view on my profession and my approach to patients.”

Marina Jagodzinski ’88G said Erdmann’s “very high standards … helped me to grow as an educator and prepared me for my

Karen Caton ’86’s memories of an “incredibly rewarding” Nazareth experience are the influence of business faculty

Bloom and Zappia, for giving her “the foundation in accounting” that led to a successful career with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Harris Corporation. Now retired, Caton provides volunteer services as a treasurer for a nonprofit in her community.

During her “four wonderful years” as a student, Eleanor Meier ’57 recalled “amazing professors and advisors, like Sister Magdalene, Father Shannon, and Mary [T.] Bush, all who made me fall in love with their respective subjects. I learned so much during those years and it influenced my decision to pursue a career in art. For all that I was able to accomplish, I’m thankful to Nazareth.”

Education as Exploration

Many more alumni memories of Nazareth faculty and campus life will be shared in the Centennial History book, to be published later this year. Taken together, the recollections contribute to a portrait of an academic community whose steady evolution has included a unique, enduring spirit. From her perspective as both alumna and faculty member, Nowak describes it as a sense of education as exploration — and a deliberately thoughtful journey over the years for all involved.

“It is very much a partnership,” Nowak says. “Students and faculty share their own context and resources and knowledge, and that exchange of ideas brings a richness to the work that we do. Together we plumb these very sensitive, very real impactful realities that we all live in. It’s part of what makes this a special place.”

Erich Van Dussen is a freelance writer in Rochester, N.Y.

Alec Sutherland

Zoom in

See this photo online for a closer look: go.naz.edu/artifacts100

How Naz has changed

Athletics, logos, technology, architecture, students, and more have evolved over 100 years. See the evolution in the timeline that follows.

When Roman Catholic Bishop of Rochester Thomas Hickey asks the Sisters of Saint Joseph to create the college, five Sisters secure doctorates from academic institutions as varied as Oxford, the Sorbonne, and Fordham University. The five founders become Nazareth’s first trustees: Teresa Marie O’Connor, Rose Miriam Smyth, Rose Marie Carroll, Agnes Patricia Breen, and Raphael Lyons. Later, buildings are named for each one.

Nazareth’s first 25 students, seven with scholarships, start classes on September 24, which comes to be known as Founders Day and, more recently, Naz Day.

The first campus is a converted 16-room mansion from the mid-1800s at 981 Lake Avenue in Rochester, next to Nazareth Academy high school and near trolley lines. The Sisters transform that “Glass House,” so named for its many windows, into classrooms, a library, an assembly room, a lecture hall, offices, and a chapel.

As Nazareth’s original Changemakers, the founding faculty introduce students to the priority of service, the imperative of confronting injustice, and other important life lessons by debating ideas and theories across a broad spectrum of liberal arts courses. Early academic offerings include a diverse array of disciplines, from English and modern languages to mathematics and global economics.

Nazareth’s pioneering students are challenged to follow their passions to make a difference in people’s lives and in society, especially by listening to and partnering with people facing challenges.

1925:

Volunteerism is part of the Nazareth experience. The early years include community service at Charles Settlement House in Rochester and weekly sewing efforts to serve people with low incomes.

1928:

The first graduating class includes future educators, social workers, nurses, and lawyers.

An alumni association begins.

New campus: With an enrollment of 107, Nazareth outgrows its space and moves to nearby Augustine Street for the next 14 years.

First named scholarship: The George L. White Memorial Scholarship is established by his daughter, Rosemary A. White.

An Athletic Association provides intramural activities. Over time, these include volleyball, badminton, table tennis, horseback riding, and softball.

1929:

Undergraduate Association (UA) — student government —begins.

1930s:

Academic offerings expand to include biology, chemistry, secretarial science, art, music, sociology, social work, speech, and drama.

1938:

1940s:

Students are prepared for careers in scientific research, teaching, and social service. Responding to needs during World War II, Nazareth introduces medical technology and nursing degrees, plus “defense courses” such as radio, meteorology, nutrition, physical fitness, and post-war planning.

Nazareth is known for educating local women and the daughters of professionals, ambassadors, and international figures.

By now, students come to Nazareth from as far away as Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Cuba, Peru, and China.

1944

The first Black student: Georgia Conner Youngblood ’48 comes from Texas at age 15 and is the first Black student to enroll, well before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She goes on to work as a chief medical technologist and to teach health science. Dress code: A dean’s letter instructs all students living on campus to wear stockings — of cotton, lisle thread, silk, or rayon — from morning until night.

1942

New campus: With 300 students, Nazareth relocates to farmland at 4245 East Avenue, building three Collegiate Gothic buildings: Smyth Hall; St. John Fisher Hall dormitory (renamed Medaille in 1953, after St. John Fisher College opened down the street); and a building with a cafeteria, gym, and auditorium that later was expanded to become the Shults Center. Classes began in January 1942

Underground tunnels between buildings are a hit in inclement weather. The first tunnel mural is painted by prominent local artist John C. Menihan and depicts the Biblical figure Ruth. (It’s still there.)

Movie fun: The Undergraduate Association holds a Penny Bazaar to raise money to buy a “moving picture machine.”

1950s grads go to Motherhouse for Baccalaureate

1957:

New library: A human chain of Sisters moves about 40,000 volumes from the library’s original location in the basement of Smyth Hall to the new Lorette Wilmot Library.

1950s

The first Parents Weekend is held.

1950:

Annual alumnae fund drives begin. Through June 1974, a collective $285,000 is raised.

1960s:

George Hall is built, originally as an infirmary for elderly Sisters of Saint Joseph. It has a cafeteria (future home of Colie’s Café), and an outdoor swimming pool (no longer there).

Charles Mills becomes Nazareth’s first “author in residence.” Later, the Writing Center is named for him.

1965

Barbara Lum ’58, SSJ, and other nursing program alumna who are also Sisters of Saint Joseph provide emergency nursing care at a segregated hospital serving people of color in Selma, Alabama — including civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis — injured in attacks by state troopers during a peaceful march for voting rights on what becomes known as Bloody Sunday.

By 1965, encouraged by Magdalene LaRow ’50, SSJ, the chairperson of Nazareth’s art department and a Peace Corps liaison, 16 Naz alums are in the Peace Corps. In the 1960s, Nazareth has the highest percentage of graduates in the Peace Corps of any college. Naz alums serve in such places as Cameroon, Panama, Malawi, Turkey, India, Brazil, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Ghana, and Ethiopia.

1964:

Three faculty members and 34 students sail on the Queen Elizabeth ocean liner to study abroad in Europe.

1960:

Male students start taking classes, as Nazareth and Fisher allow students to take courses and use the facilities of both colleges. Through 1964, 201 Nazareth and 281 Fisher students participate.

1967:

Carroll Hall opens as a residence hall. (In the 90s, it’s renovated for offices. Later it’s transformed into York Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute.)

Arts Center opens, providing art, music, speech therapy, and theatre arts facilities. Young cellist Yo Yo Ma, who’s just hitting his teen years, is among the first performers. Distinguished guest artists and speakers over the years include Marcel Marceau, Robert F. Kennedy, Andres Segovia, Meredith Monk, Pinchas Zuckerman, the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Vincent Price, William Shatner, Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, Richard Harris, Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson, Julie Harris, Dame Judith Anderson, Cyd Charisse, the National Dance Company of Senegal, William Windom, Mummenschanz, Shirley Chisholm, Bonnie Raitt, and Arlo Guthrie.

Otto A. Shults becomes the first lay chairman of the board.

At an enrollment of 1,200 students, Nazareth’s first campus security service starts, directed by James Riley, a former FBI agent.

1968:

Student dress codes are relaxed to allow slacks and Bermuda shorts (which reach just above the knee), except in the “formal business areas of the campus” — Smyth Hall, the library, and the Arts Center auditorium and lecture rooms — a move toward the end of dress codes.

1970s:

Grad programs are revitalized, initially with elementary education and then with special education, reading education, and early childhood education.

Continuing Education becomes a division of the college.

Study abroad programs begin in Spain and France.

The escalation of the war in Vietnam and shootings at Kent State University inspire many students and faculty to hold antiwar memorial services, candlelight marches, and gatherings calling for peace.

Nazareth’s first competitive athletic teams form, dubbed the Golden Flyers — golden for Naz colors and flyers for the bird-like symbol that is part of Nazareth’s logo.

1970:

Le Puy Hall (residence hall) becomes La Maison Française. Students of the era love to sled down its hill on plastic trays from the dining hall.

1971:

First male undergraduates are admitted. Carroll Hall’s second floor becomes a men’s dorm.

1971

Nazareth becomes a private, independent college.

1976:

Robert A. Kidera becomes the first male president.

Otto A. Shults Community Center opens.

1983:

Campus computer capacity quadruples and automation of Lorette Wilmot Library begins.

1982:

A new Arts Center wing and Gerald G. Wilmot Hall of Music

Lorette Wilmot Library is renovated/expanded.

Marie Callahan Reading Clinic opens to serve the community and help prepare Nazareth students to be teachers.

Casa Italiana — a center of Italian language, literature, and culture for the campus and the broader region — opens.

1980s:

In response to Rochester’s Hillside Children’s Center seeking a college to prepare art therapists, Nazareth adds art therapy alongside music and speech therapy programs.

1984:

Women’s swimming and diving athlete Kama Grattet Way ’85 becomes the first-ever national champion at Nazareth, winning the 1-meter board and following it up with the 3-meter title in 1984.

1995

1990s:

Kathleen Weider ’76, SSJ, director of campus ministry, begins the Partners for Learning program, advancing educational equity by building partnerships with schools and organizations. The national Points of Light Foundation recognizes the program. (Expansions include Partners for Serving and Partners for Health.)

Nazareth ranks among the top 100 colleges in the nation as a “best buy” for quality and value by Money magazine, offers degrees in nine of the 10 fastest-growing occupations identified by the magazine.

Nazareth provides students with access to a new tech innovation called the internet — “the wave of the future” — in microcomputer labs on campus. The student handbook says Nazareth defines itself as a “model for human interaction and as an advocate for human values.”

1984:

The men’s basketball team, in its first season of NCAA Division III competition, wins the East Region title and advances to the tournament’s Final Eight. The team captain and starting point guard is Jeff Van Gundy ’85, who goes on to become head coach of the New York Knicks and of the Houston Rockets and a national sports commentator.

1984:

Nazareth students start a festival/fundraiser tradition that evolves into the Ten Ugly Men, an annual summer charity picnic and party in Rochester. A decade later, the bash raises $10,000 for a local hospital foundation and is featured in the Wall Street Journal.

1985:

Students start a Lambda student club to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) students.

1989:

A rustic stone fountain discovered under dirt is restored.

1992:

The men’s lacrosse team, in its seventh season, wins Nazareth’s first NCAA Division III national athletic championship.

1994:

Nazareth has nearly 40 bachelor’s degree programs and a dozen master’s degrees.

2013 Hall of Fame

1997:

An artificial turf field and new tennis courts open.

Natapow Quad and Clock Tower in the heart of campus are dedicated.

Political activist, author, and educator Angela Davis speaks at Nazareth’s Martin Luther King Day event, coordinated by Nazareth’s Office of Multicultural Affairs.

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Carl Bernstein delivers Nazareth’s 70th Commencement address, addressing the need for recognizing and valuing truth.

1996:

1999:

2000:

The March: Bearing Witness to Hope trip begins with visits to Germany and Poland to study the Holocaust, guided by scholars, survivors, and

Student volunteers provide Spanish interpreting at polling places (a Naz tradition that started at least 25 years earlier), recreation activities and discussion groups for frail elders, and health assessments and screenings.

2001:

After the 9/11 terrorist tragedy, a Nazareth student choir led by professor Bryan Hunter, Ph.D., went to New York City to sing at firehouses and public places in aid of disaster relief.

2003

Nazareth acquires 98 acres from the Sisters of Saint Joseph next to the college, effectively doubling the size of the campus.

A new track and field complex opens.

Nazareth has 13 Division III athletic teams.

A physical therapy degree program — the only one of its kind in the region — launches in response to the growing need for these professionals.

Commencement speaker Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Ph.D., a renowned scholar of Afro-American oral and literary traditions, encourages the graduates to accept change and adapt to the world around them.

The Alumni Association sponsors comedienne Joan Rivers to perform on campus.

A Nazareth College banner is carried into outer space aboard the shuttle Atlantis.

2007:

The Campaign for College and Community — Nazareth's first comprehensive campaign — kicks off. It raises a record $49 million to support the construction of Peckham Hall and of a new wellness and rehabilitation institute, a major Arts Center renovation, the creation of more scholarships, student community engagement, and more.

2008:

The four-story Clock Tower Commons residence hall opens. Nazareth is ranked among the best colleges by the Princeton Review (a ranking Naz continues to achieve annually).

2005:

The former SSJ Motherhouse is renovated and dedicated as the Golisano Academic Center, which houses classrooms and faculty/staff offices. Worship services, performances, lectures, and other activities that celebrate the aspirations of the human spirit take place in its Linehan Chapel — built in 1927 — where the stained glass windows depict women saints and the central figure of Saint Joseph.

2011:

Nazareth College, Victor Central School District, and The Arc of Monroe County form the LifePrep@Naz program to help individuals with developmental disabilities continue their education while working toward meaningful employment. The 10-year-old Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue becomes the Brian and Jean Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue with the Hickeys’ generous support.

2012:

Men’s hockey defeats Geneseo 3-2 in the Golden Flyers’ first men’s hockey game at the Sports Centre at Monroe Community College.

2015:

2012:

Peckham Hall opens — providing state-of-the-art classrooms, meeting spaces, and laboratories for math and science education — with support from Larry and Nancy Peckham. The science labs are ranked among the top 20 nationwide and enable undergraduates to utilize equipment other colleges restrict to graduate students. The building is the first LEED-certified green building in Pittsford.

2008:

Nick Stenuf ’08 becomes the first cross country All-American, placing 19th at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships.

2013:

York Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute opens, doubling the health and human services clinic and collaboration space — and providing the best interprofessional learning environments and clinic spaces among Northeast colleges of similar size. The clinics provide ongoing service to the community, including to people lacking insurance coverage for this care. Supervised by faculty, students in art therapy, music therapy, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work, and speech-language pathology provide treatment and co-treatment totaling more than 15,000 visits per year. The facilities support student-faculty research to improve health outcomes and clinical practice. The building’s name pays tribute to the York family, whose contributions to health care have spanned four generations and more than a century.

Nazareth is a Presidential Awardee in the U.S. President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This is the highest honor a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service learning, and civic engagement.

Nazareth becomes one of the only colleges nationwide to require experiential learning as part of a revamped core curriculum.

2017:

2016:

The Center for Life’s Work is established, providing specialized career coaches for students and alumni. The Center also connects students to rich experiences such as internships, study abroad, and community engagement.

The stone fountain is restored and enhanced with a new terraced perennial garden — supported by a generous gift from Frank York and Kathy Garen and named Garen Peace Garden in honor of parents Jim and Judy Garen.

Community & Belonging (later Culture, Community, & Belonging) is established to advance the commitment to confronting inherent privilege, power, and marginalization to achieve equity, social justice, and belonging for all — across visible and invisible differences.

Sulam Center, a prayer space for people of Jewish and Muslim faiths, opens.

2019:

Golisano Training Center opens with an indoor track; a turf field; a fitness center; and a focus on inclusion, fitness, and wellness for athletes of all abilities. The facility supports a unique partnership with Special Olympics. Nazareth students studying health and human services learn from and provide services for Special Olympics athletes.

2022:

2022:

Women’s hockey wins their first-ever UCHC Championship, defeating Manhattanville 7-0.

Konar Center for Tolerance and Jewish Studies opens. Nazareth stands out for its significant number of Fulbright awards — an international exchange program — given by the U.S. Department of State in recognition of academic merit and leadership potential. The 32 Nazareth student awards, per capita, put Nazareth on par with top liberal arts institutions in the country.

2020

Faculty, staff, and students pivot and innovate to keep learning when the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic halts in-person learning in the middle of the spring semester. By fall 2020, on-campus classes resume with state-required risk reduction policies.

Acting on the promise and peril of technology, Nazareth launches a new Institute for Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Society, later renamed the Institute for Responsible Technology.

The Institute seeks to lead the way in the ethical and responsible development and application of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies through education, partnerships, research, and innovation.

2021:

Senior Danielle Caringi ’24 hole-in-one on the par-3 11th at Webster Golf Club for the Nazareth Invitational.

Nazareth is ranked among the Top 15 colleges nationally by Great Value Colleges for strong strategic planning and response to the pandemic and racial injustice.

2022:

York Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute is recognized and honored as a model for health care innovation with its unique collaboration across health and human services academic programs and clinics that serve the Rochester region

Naz Weekend — a new tradition — launches, combining reunion, homecoming, and family weekend.

2023:

On June 1, 2023, Nazareth officially becomes Nazareth University.

Casa Italiana is named after Rochester business leader and donor, Frank DiMino.

A Lorette Wilmot Library renovation significantly expands Millie’s cafe.

The 15th annual Battle of the Beaks men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader — Nazareth vs. St. John Fisher — brings the total raised for Golisano Children’s Hospital (particularly its music therapy program, staffed by Nazareth alumni and student interns) to about $155,000.

September 2023 kicks off Nazareth’s two-year Centennial celebration.

First Class First Class

The graduates of 2024 The graduates of 2024

As the first class to graduate from Nazareth University, the Class of 2024 recently became part of a historic transformation, celebrating their achievements and the centennial of our institution’s rich legacy. These graduates have worked tirelessly, making significant life decisions while embodying the determination that defines the Nazareth spirit. The University takes immense pride in sending forth these individuals ready to transform and uplift the communities they will join for the better. Forever bonded by their shared experiences, they now enter a vibrant new community as alumni. In this special edition, we highlight a diverse group of students whose unique backgrounds and fields of study exemplify Nazareth’s mission of courageous education through action.

Rita Veneziale ’24

Studied: Music Composition

What’s next: Master’s in Film and Media Scoring, Beal Institute at the Eastman School of Music

Lesson I take from Naz: “Everything comes with time. Don’t worry, just do.”

Shaddai Amore Simmons ’23, ’24G

Studied: Master of Social Work, School Social Work Concentration

What’s next: Hired as a school social worker at Odyssey Academy in Greece, New York. Begins a tenure track in September.

Lesson I take from Naz:

“Build a community of multidisciplinary support. The relationships developed within this community will sharpen your skills and provide perspective on the situations that you come across.”

Austin Stroup ’24

Studied: Music Education

What’s next: Moving to North Carolina to start my music teaching career, as my wife starts her career in nursing, with our son, Samuel. I would also love to join a church’s worship team and continue songwriting. Eventually, I will pursue my master’s degree.

Lesson I take from Naz: “To make the right choice, you have to establish priorities.”

Grace Hunt ’24

Studied: Social Work and Spanish; minor in Dance

What’s next: teaching English in Spain through the Embassy of Spain’s North American Language and Culture Assistants Program. “I will be a teacher’s assistant, working with students on pronunciation, grammar structures, and North American cultures. And of course, live the Spanish lifestyle!”

Lesson I take from Naz:

“Don’t be afraid to be afraid! New experiences can fill you with so much fear before they can fill you with so much joy. Take the risk! Do the thing!”

Sophia Caruana ’24

Studied: Ethical Data Science; minors in Mathematics, Philosophy, and Psychology

What’s next: Researching modeling human behavior with biologically inspired systems as a Cognitive Science Ph.D. student at RIT

Lesson I take from Naz:

“Be fearless: Never be afraid to ask questions, make connections, and experience unconventional learning experiences. Not only will you make the most of your educational experience, you will stand out and make a difference.”

Andrew Wicklum ’24

Studied: Musical Theatre; minors in Theatre Design & Technology, Communication & Media

What’s next: This summer I will be performing as Squidward in The Spongebob Musical at The Quisisana Resort in Maine.

Lesson I take from Naz:

“There is never a limit to the amount of knowledge you possess or growth you are capable of. The work for your craft never stops. Never.”

Gabbie Pighetti ’22, ’24G

Studied: Physical Therapy

What’s next: Hired by MVPT in Fairport, NY (Perinton Rec Center) with a focus on aquatic physical therapy.

Lesson I take from Naz:

“Embrace it all! The smiles, the tears, the fun, the stress, etc. because you will never, ever get this opportunity again!”

Wren Heron ’24

Studied: Communication and Media; minors in English and Asian Studies

What’s next: Summer internship at LáLew Public Relations, a woman- and minority-owned public relations firm that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion in client work

Lesson I take from Naz:

CLASS OF 2024 CLASS OF 2024

“It’s necessary to engage in reflective work to learn and grow as an individual. I have had great support from friends and faculty at Naz, which showed me that self-reflection is not always a solitary journey.

Emily Perechov ’24

Studied: Accounting; minors in Financial Planning and Analytics

What’s next: Hired as a tax accountant at The Bonadio Group

Lesson I take from Naz: “the importance of building strong relationships and the power of teamwork in achieving success”

What yoursupport makes possible

Start the next 100 years of Nazareth’s legacy with a life-changing pledge

Donating to Nazareth University’s scholarships creates a powerful ripple effect that extends far beyond a student’s education. Your generosity fuels inspiration and empowers individuals to excel in their chosen fields. As these graduates step into many diverse communities throughout their lives, they bring with them the leadership and knowledge fostered at Nazareth, impacting countless lives and driving positive change wherever they go. Your support ensures that the legacy of our centennial celebration continues to thrive through the achievements and contributions of our students.

$162,000 A four-year, full-tuition scholarship for one student

$40,000 A one-year, full-tuition scholarship for one student

One year of housing and meal plan support for one student

$17,000

$20,000 An Impact Award scholarship

Painting the town

Our Nazareth. Our centennial. Our celebration.

What

was the state of our world in 1924 that necessitated

the creation of a place like Nazareth?

After a world war and a time of global illness, communities were forced to imagine just what kind of progress and resources they wanted to build up. So in celebrating this centennial, we continue to answer the questions, what is Nazareth’s place in the world and how can we best prepare individuals to change it for the better? What problems have our graduates solved? What are the struggles that continue to need our attention, even though an entire century may have passed since we started making an effort?

Celebrating the gravity of one hundred years is not simply recognizing a campus that was constructed brick by brick over time, it’s a celebration of the students, over the many decades, that we’ve encouraged one by one, class by class.

The ripples are many as we recognize our legacy and also the four principles the Sisters of Saint Joseph used as a roadmap to welcome that first class of changemakers 100 years ago:

UNITING NEIGHBOR WITH NEIGHBOR, WITHOUT DISTINCTION

RESPONSIVENESS TO THE NEEDS OF THE DAY

CONTEMPLATION INTO COURAGEOUS ACTION

UNITY, FORGED THROUGH RESPECT, WITH AN APPRECIATION FOR DIVERSITY

Nazareth is this place where you know your child is going to be given every opportunity to discover who they are, how they can help, who they want to be, and it’s done in this cocoon of a warm, loving environment.

— Centennial Changemaker Chat

podcast guest

Jeff Van Gundy ’85

Sights and sounds of celebrating a century

Signs of the centennial are everywhere. Centennial banners line campus roadways, centennial flags fly high, centennial messaging abounds at performing arts and athletic events, and there’s LOTS of purple — as campus becomes a palette for purple lighting. In Nazareth’s famous tunnels, a new centennial mural has appeared, drawn by student Ellery Mertens ’26 and her mom, Meredith ’96. Digitally, naz.edu/centennial provides a go-to source for all things centennial, and on social media, “Centennial We are Naz/Wear Your Naz Days” offer the Nazareth community opportunities to show off their Naz apparel.

Audibly, the centennial drum bangs loudly. “Changemaker Chat” podcasts are hosting insightful conversations with alumni and friends who’ve changed the world for the better.

A legacy of leadership

Celebrating a milestone merits significant depth as well. Nazareth has hosted two Centennial Summits, bringing prominent influencers to campus to join Nazareth experts in thought-provoking collaborations regarding human rights in Burma and the ethics of artificial intelligence.

A Golden Insights webinar series is giving students, faculty, staff, and alumni the inside scoop – directly

from Nazareth senior leadership –on strategies helping Naz fulfill its mission and vision.

And while dialogue is key to leadership, action speaks volumes at Nazareth. Naz in Action Worldwide centennial volunteer activities have been organized by alumni, including a school playground cleanup and a food bank event.

Centennial celebration

Celebratory events have taken place throughout the 2-year centennial, and the party’s not over yet.

In April 2024, Nazareth alumni, faculty, students, and staff gathered at Nine Spot Brewing in Rochester, owned by Chris Nothnagle ’98, to sample and vote on a centennial-themed beer. With an irreverent nod to Nazareth’s founding heritage, a golden honey ale called “Get Bee to a Nunnery” received the most votes, and debuted at Senior Week activities. It will also be available (along with Naz’s Centennial Bourbon) at a Naz Weekend 2024 tasting event this September.

Naz Weekend 2024 will be the pinnacle of the centennial celebrations, featuring a Centennial Soiree with live music, dancing, food, fireworks, and more. Among

other Naz Weekend centennial events: Emmy-winning composer Jack Allocco ’72 will lead musicians performing a premier composition he wrote for the centennial.

Laying the cornerstones for the next 100

Dozens of centennial events have already happened, with many to come before the celebration concludes at Commencement 2025. But in Dr. Paul’s words, “The ultimate measure of this centennial is not necessarily how it celebrates what has come to pass in the last century, or how amazing an institution — and a community — Nazareth is. The true impact of this centennial is how it steers us toward our second century.”

A Century of Uniting Education and Action

Long time Nazareth friends — and nursing alumni — gathered in February 2024. Left to right: Susan Brown (daughter of Anne LaPalm Martin ’58, Rosemary “Ro” Dessel Taub ’58, Elaine Bell Fuller ’58, Martin (who has since passed away), and Rosemarie Scherer Burke ’58

“Ro” Dessel Taub ’58

Cyrilla Stabel Dessel ’28

By Rosemary “Ro” Dessel Taub ’58

firstgraduate transforms a first generations generations

My mother, Cyrilla Stabel Dessel,

graduated in the first class from Nazareth

— but she didn’t start with her classmates. Nazareth was brand new in 1924, and she wasn’t sure it would survive! So she went to a college in Buffalo for a year, supported by a state scholarship, and then transferred with the scholarship to Nazareth. Back then, Nazareth was in a building from the 1800s called the Glass House on Lake Avenue in Rochester. It wasn’t well insulated, and it was cold.

My mom was a math major and then changed to study languages. After graduating, she worked as a translator for a thermometer manufacturer and was a bookkeeper for her family’s business (and let me tell you, those books balanced!). She and her classmates who remained in the Rochester area stayed close for years and had informal reunions. At that time, a woman with a college education had come farther than most.

My mom was proud that she was a college graduate, the only one in her family who went to college. In the next generation, my brother and I were both expected to go to college. I went on to earn a master’s in nursing education. And my daughter earned a doctorate.

I think my mom was very happy that I went to Nazareth. I felt good about it. By then, the campus was on East Avenue, and I lived there my first year and senior year. The only phone was out in the hall, and there were a lot of rules. We had to be in our rooms from 7:30 to 9 p.m. to study. We had to wear stockings all day, although you could wear socks over the stockings. We couldn’t wear slacks unless we were playing tennis outside or cleaning our rooms.

I majored in nursing, and we spent our second and third years in the community — in hospitals and health agencies. I felt well-prepared as a nurse. After graduation, I worked as a hospital obstetrics nurse in Rochester and then as an assistant instructor at Syracuse Memorial Hospital. After I earned my master’s at Teachers College of Columbia University in New York City, I taught nursing at the University at Buffalo.

After I got married, I tried working parttime at one hospital, but it didn’t work out. They seemed to think I was “too slow” for insisting on washing my hands between every baby.

College

After 30 years away from Rochester, we moved back and I was welcomed into gatherings of my Nazareth classmates. Four of us nursing classmates had lunch recently (February 2024).

Nazareth gave me lifelong friends. It gave me a career in nursing. And it taught me good moral values like being honest, accepting other people and ideas, and valuing learning.

I think Nazareth’s vision was to educate women at a time when the main option for women was to get married. I had grown up in a rural area, and some of my high school classmates never left that town. When I graduated with my nursing degree from Nazareth, my mom said, “There is no job suitable for you here. Go find a job in a suitable place to live and be sure to come back and visit.”

I strongly believe in small liberal arts colleges and the individual attention provided. My husband and I both committed to financially supporting our undergraduate colleges. Our scholarships can help people like my mom, who needed support to go to college.

“Ro” Dessel Taub lives about a mile from campus in Pittsford, N.Y.

IN 2024 IN 2024

NAZARETH UNIVERSITY CELEBRATES 100 YEARS

THE GAMES OF THE XXXIII OLYMPIAD TAKE PLACE IN PARIS, FRANCE

ANYONE WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION CAN COMMUNICATE AROUND THE WORLD…EVEN WITH THE NATION’S PRESIDENT

THE EQUALITY ACT OF 2024 IS INTRODUCED IN THE U.S. SENATE, PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, OR GENDER IDENTITY IN BUSINESSES, EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, AND MORE TO FIX GAPS IN EXISTING LAWS

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS PROJECTED TO CREATE MORE JOBS THAN IT DISPLACES

7.4 MILLION MORE WOMEN ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE THAN MEN IN RECENT YEARS (U.S.)

TAYLOR SWIFT BREAKS THE RECORD FOR MOST NUMBER-ONE ALBUMS (14) BY A FEMALE ARTIST ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS AND HAS THE HIGHEST-GROSSING CONCERT TOUR IN HISTORY

THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE STUDIES THE HISTORY OF OUR UNIVERSE

CHANGEMAKING

A CENTURY OF CHANGEMAKING CONTINUES

Class Notes

1950s

Jeanette Martino Land ’58 (English) is a Passionist associate and was a presenter, together with Rev. Melvin Shorter, C.P., at the Ash Wednesday Day of Prayer at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center, North Palm Beach, Fla.

Taub ’58, Elaine Fuller ’58, and Betty Lee ’73 met up at Nazareth University's Holiday Gala Concert!

1960s

Madeline Naegle ’64, Ph.D., (nursing) was named 2023 Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing.

Shirley Brewer ’69 (speech pathology/ speech hearing ed.) published her fourth book of poems, Wild Girls. Her new website is shirleyjbrewer.com.

Eileen McGee Pestorius ’61 submitted a photo that shows her wall in a co-op art gallery in Georgetown, Texas, just north of Austin. She is still painting and teaching a bit, and has a life rich with friends and family.

Classmates from 1962 gathered at Mote Marine Aquarium in Sarasota, Fla., in October 2023. They had a great time. “We always share Nazareth memories — the wonderful years and teaching staff we encountered between 1958 and 1962. Nazareth meant something very special to all of us and it has had an impact on our lives to this day,” says Carol Papadopoli Basi ’62. Left to right: Kathleen Scanlon McKeown ’62; Janet Keaveny Morris ’62; Marie Van Ness ’62; Anne Gawkins ’62; Mary Ann Browne Sanborn ’62; Beth Carey Ruszczyk ’62; and Carol Papadopoli Basi ’62

Monica Weis ’64, Ph.D., SSJ, and professor emerita of English was one of five Thomas Merton scholars who presented at a plenary panel at the June 2023 International Thomas Merton Society, “Women Who Helped Us Know Merton.” Weis spoke about how nature influenced Merton’s spirituality.

Elizabeth Osta ’67 announces the publication of her fourth book, Maggie's Brood, an Irish immigrant's tale of tragedy, trauma, and triumph. The book is centered on Lima, N.Y., and includes Nazareth and the Sisters of Saint Joseph, along with other local highlights.

Since graduating 58 years ago, the women of the Class of 1966 have maintained close connections by sharing class reunions on campus and decade birthday parties arranged by a classmate on Edisto Island, S.C. They have read together for their book club and met for Mystery Tours, Lakeside Luncheons, Zoom talks, volunteer activities, and even Friday night poker games. This April over 40 classmates from across the country gathered in the Finger Lakes as the universe celebrated their 80th birthdays with a total eclipse of the sun! Pictured: Cathy LaLonde Butry ’66; Jeanne Gasser McElhinney ’66; Margie Weider ’66; Barbara Olmstead Long ’66; Camille Vistocco Del Vecchio ’66; Nora Brennan Shannon ’66; Mary Randall McMahon ’66; and Donna Eddy Treat ’66. More books by alumni: go.naz.edu/bookshelf

Rosemary

Several alums attended a dress rehearsal at Nazareth. Left to right, front row: Elizabeth Anne LeValley ’64, SSJ; Clare Brown ’66, ’74G; Mary Cumbo ’63, SSJ; Dorothy Meisenzahl ’68; Bri Minix; Veronica Coseo; Maureen Halack ’66, ’69; Mary Jo Flynn; and Alice Cooney ’62, SSJ. Back row: Phyllis Tierney ’62, ’67G, SSJ; Alicia Schur ’64, SSJ; Mary Ann Sliwa ’66, SSJ; Anne Marvin ’68, ’77G, SSJ; Kathleen Lurz ’64, ’75G, SSJ; Anthony Falzano; and Sheila Walsh '71, SSJ.

A group of 1969 alums began weekly Zoom sessions during COVID-19. They held an in-person mini-reunion in September 2023 in Asheville, N.C., including this trip to the Biltmore Estate. Some of these alums had not seen each other in person for 50 years! From left to right: Linda Nicknish Knoll ’69; Joyce Rimlinger ’69; Margie Iannuzzi Adamshick ’69; Cathy Goodman McGrath ’69; Mary Read Saperstone ’69, ’74G; Beth Tupacz Imes ’69; Anna Serafini Heisel ’69; Linda Bordieri Pandolfe ’69; and Carol Van Burek Ferreri ’69

Betty Ng Lee ’73 went to London in May 2023 for her niece's wedding after King Charles' coronation.

Members of the Class of 1975 gathered at Ann Kopczynski Crerand's home to celebrate the year of the 70th birthday! In attendance were, left to right, standing: Marabeth Wasuck Nally ’75, ’80G; Sheila Nunn Murphy ’75, ’76G; Sarah Ann Stack Feinberg ’75; Sheila McLaughlin McCarthy ’75; Donna Johnson Phillipson ’75; Michelle Loughlin Cutro ’75, ’80G; Loretta Kocik ’75; Patrice Koeneke Walkinshaw ’75; and Ginny Noonan Tortorici ’75. Left to right, sitting: Diane Lippa-Bemis ’75; Patricia Burke McNamara ’75; Kathie Hogan Collier ’75; Peggy Williams Mason ’75; Christine Crowe Martin ’75; Diane Lucchesi Muscarella ’75; Ann Kopczynski Crerand ’75, ’79G; Rose Nastasi Ackerly ’75; and Andrea Bonafiglia ’75, ’81G

Donna DeTraglia Colebeck ’78 has attended as many 5-year Nazareth anniversaries as she could. The last reunion she attended was her 40th. She had planned on attending the reunion for 45 years, but was unable to do so, as her husband had surgery that week. Nazareth prepared Donna for life in the arts. She is still engaged as a senior lecturer in the College of the Arts at Kennesaw State University in the Atlanta, Ga. area. In August 2023, Donna received the College of the Arts Teaching Award for outstanding performance and lasting contribution to the College of the Arts.

Mary Ellen Bowman Wilson ’70, ’87 was honored with the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Emergency Nurses Association.

Betty Ng Lee ’73 with Susan Betts Elia ’91 at the Memorial Art Gallery in November 2023.

1980s

Kimberlee Humphrey ’81 (business admin.) was appointed to serve on the Commonwealth of Virginia Manufacturing Development Commission by Governor Youngkin. Humphrey is the president/ CEO of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence, AME.org, an international organization for the exchange of knowledge in enterprise excellence. Members come together to explore lean thinking and other enterprise improvement methods. AME’s power is in the mentoring relationships that take place among members.

his book Retro Active Television at the Famous Radio Ranch in

Victoria Visiko ’83 has an original play, Whispering Inhibitions. Her one-act play is based on her true story of lost innocence and a search for redemption. This was the first play ever pre-

sented at Off Broadway - NYC at Birdland Theatre, on March 25, 2023.

The classes of ’85 and ’86 celebrated 42 years of friendship. Front row: Kathy Jo Domenici Kline ’85 and John O’Gorman ’85, ’90G. Back row: Paul Manzella ’85; Leslie Elliott Vecchiotti ’85, ’90G; Judson Speer ’85; John "Ozzy" Cammarosano ’85; Steve Klumpp ’86; and Susan Willison Maddamma ’86, ’94G

Several alums met at a mini-reunion in Miami, Fla. Top row, left to right: Julie Reed ’87; PJ Pape ’86; Dave Lyons ’86; Margaret Lyons ’91; and Ken Manne ’85. Bottom row, left to right: Chris Reed ’86; Mike Brant ’84; and Mark Tavernier ’85

Andrea Hinchey Unson ’88 is retired from her teaching position at Hilton High School as of 2021. Now she volunteers often. Andrea drives for Meals on Wheels and for WestSide Express. She volunteers at Unity Hospital in the Golisano Rehabilitation Center, the TCC. She volunteers at her church, Gates Presbyterian, by cutting lawns and making bagged lunches for Saint Joseph's House of Hospitality. In a parttime job, Andrea lifeguards for the Y and for Gates Chili Central School District.

During Naz Weekend, a bunch of alumni gathered at alum-owned Nine Spot Brewing in downtown Rochester. As part of Nazareth’s centennial celebrations, Naz has partnered with Chris Nothnagle ’99 and Nine Spot to offer a centennial brew. From left to right: Alan Wood ’88; Todd Calman ’87; Chris Nothnagle ’99 (co-owner of Nine Spot); Joe Convertino ’87; and Chris McCaffrey ’87.

Herbie Pilato ’83 recorded the audiobook edition of

Sherman Oaks with Eric Scott

1990s

Stephanie Miller Smyka ’97 (English - lit. concentration) was honored with the 2023 Curriculum Award by the Genesee Valley Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (GVASCD). She also was elected as vice president of the Reading Recovery Council of North America for 2023-2024.

2000s

Mikaela Middleton ’06 (nursing) will start an emergency medicine services fellowship in emergency medicine at the University of California San Francisco this summer.

Christopher Ottnod ’00, together with their wife Jessica, recently published their debut picture book, Lumo’s Wish (Dorrance Publishing). As illustrator, Chris began the concept for the book while in classes at Nazareth. Lumo’s Wish tells the story of a little boy who goes on an adventure of self-discovery with a magical firefly.

Alums gathered in Arizona! Front row, from left: Traci Lian ’00 (associate athletic director); Ann Renee Wilsey ’81, ’85G; and Jolene DiBrango ’95G. Back row, from left: Pete Bothner (athletic director); Peter Wilsey; and Joe DiBrango.

Jordan Hirsch ‘08 (sociology, inclusive childhood ed.) and Francis Donald ’07, ’13G (business admin., graduate mgmt.) helped coach the Israeli national lacrosse team at the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship.

Stephanie Epstein ’12 and several alums celebrated the Ukulele Kids Club’s 10th anniversary on May 8, 2023. Left to right: Michael Park ’90; Laurie Nowak Park ’91; Stephanie Epstein ’12; Taylor Santabarbara ’20, ’23G; Reissa Ress ’09; and Andrew DeRado ’11

Nicklaus Ambrose ’04 was promoted to executive vice president and director of Corporate Reporting at M&T Bank. He is responsible for managing the company's compliance with various SEC and Federal Reserve external reporting requirements.

Jordan Sutton Fritz ’08 made a major career change in spring of 2020, leaving her full-time corporate job to become a full-time sole entrepreneur of her two businesses (Sip Back & Relax Tours and JF Bookkeeping Solutions). In the fall of 2022, Fritz was elected to the boards of the Rochester Women’s Network and the Western Wayne Chamber of Commerce.

’09 is a licensed mental health counselor and school adjustment counselor at a middle school in Massachusetts. She started her school’s therapeutic learning center, a classroom for students returning from extended absences. McKim recently spoke at the Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition (BRYT) Symposium at Bentley University, where she shared innovative practices from the field. Courses in psychology at Naz inspired her to go into the counseling field. She believes she was well prepared, and even used some of the same textbooks when she went to graduate school!

Lisa Salvaggio McKim

2010s

Carol Turo ’11 (psychology) received her Project Management Professional certification.

Thomas Cheever ’13, ’14G; Laura Sestito ’13; Sarah Putman ’13, ’14G; Kimberly Pantoliano ’13; and Rachel Cuffney ’13 from the Class of 2013 celebrated their 10-year reunion with a trip to California including experiences in San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma, Yosemite National Park, and Disneyland.

Kelsey Sweet ’15 was named a finalist for the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s 2023 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award. The award honors an emerging leader who demonstrates excellence, creativity, and initiative in their business or profession, and serves as a role model for young women personally and professionally.

Christina Stewart ’20, who graduated from the music therapy program, read a Nazareth article showcasing Joanna Dickey ’05 as she uses art to break the education mold. Christina was interested in how to bring nature experiences into her work. She reached out to Joanna and made the 5+ hour drive to Nyack to attend the Fall Strawtown Educator Workshop!

Kayla Miller ’22 wrote her first children's book: I Am … : Self Discovery! This book allows children to discover the power of positive words to remind themselves that they will always be enough. You can order a copy at www.kaylamiller.com.

Thea Beaney Vienna ’14G (speech-language pathology) was honored by the board of the California Educators of the Deaf (Cal-Ed) as a recipient of the 2023 Service Provider Award.

Gabriela Hernandez Pandya ’20G (TESOL) is a special agent with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and served as a liaison at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. U.S. personnel in Australia and New Zealand served in liaison, advisory, and security support roles to protect the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team. Story: go.naz.edu/pandya

Weddings and Unions

Spiotta ’09, to Eric

June 3, 2023. Left to right: Lisa Salvaggio McKim ’08; Gina Totaro ’09; Allyson Smith ’09, ’12G; Deanna Spiotta Carlin ’09; Eric Carlin; Chelsea Carhart Lehmann ’09; Karen Hertline ’09, ’11G; Adele Flanagan Rosati ’09; Lindsey Eagan ’08, ’11G; and Katelyn Marasco ’09.

Keith Smith ’89 married his partner of 32 years.

Alexa Courtney '13, to Alex Goettel '15 on May 13, 2023.

Deanna

Carlin,

Meghan Macri Lounsbury ’18, ’20G, DPT, married Steven Lounsbury ’18, ’20G, DPT, on Aug. 19, 2023, at Holy Cross Church in DeWitt, N.Y. They met in Nazareth’s doctor of physical therapy program. Other alums in attendance were bridesmaid Miranda Hagen ’18 and Taylor Durocher Whitney ’18, ’20G, DPT. Their wedding had many references to their time together at Nazareth, such as their wedding colors (yellow/gold and purple), and their table markers, named after buildings on Nazareth’s campus. Meghan and Steven both work as physical therapists in the Syracuse, N.Y. area.

Briana Sanford ’16 married Matthew Seim on August 19, 2023, at Lake Lyndsay in Hamilton, Ohio. Left to right: maid of honor Tori Gac ’17; bride; groom; Hadley Strelau ’19.

Lindsey Smith ’13 married Terence Hoverter on Oct. 1, 2022, in Cazenovia, N.Y. Several Nazareth alums were in attendance. From left to right: Sara Heron Whalen ’11; Amy Tooley ’08; Catrina Sunderlin DeSantis ’12, ’14G; Alex Bracy Menard ’13, ’15G; Zoe Hilpl ’13; Nina Fargnoli ’12; Breanna Smith Griswold ’11; Jordan Mitchell Aungier ’12; Sarah Wazenkewitz Rodriguez ’14; Susan Snow Smith ’83; Emily Conway Ladilov ’11, ’13G; Kailee O’Hara Petrie ’13; and Caitlyn Angelidis ’11, ’16G

Jillian Schwartz ’15, ’17G married Tyler Albrecht ’16, ’18G on September 4, 2022.

Top Row: Caleb Miraglia ’16, ’18G; Thomas Di Filippo ’18G; Michael Stanley ’16; Christopher DeVos ’18G; Chelsea Mannion ’16, ’18G; Grant Levermore ’16, ’18G; Joe Schwartz ’84G; Kyle Lewis ’16, ’17G; Damond Archung ’16, ’18G; Corinne Levermore ’16; Nicholas Collesano ’15, ’17G; Casey Elston ’14, ’16G; and Luke Elston ’14

Bottom Row: Kelly Maloney ’17, ’19G; Eric Tatar ’16; Ariel Hart Tatar; Sydney Albrecht ’20; groom; bride; Sophie DeCastro ’16; Brian Rosiek ’16; Alison Burt Rosiek ’17, ’18G; Meghan Grant ’15, ’17G; and Deanna Rocco ’14

Births and Adoptions

Paige Culver Labarge ’15, a daughter, Elaina Joan, Oct. 12, 2023

Courtney Ames Germain ’07, ’16, ’17G, a daughter, Eliza Grace Germain, Jan. 26, 2023

In Memoriam

William Carey on August 31, 2023. The longtime coach, administrator, and beloved mentor joined Nazareth Athletics in 1980. Eighteen years later, Nazareth's athletic program had become nationally recognized and had expanded from 75 athletes to 275. Under Carey’s leadership, teams were introduced for men's and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's tennis, and field hockey. He oversaw three national championship teams in men's lacrosse (1992, 1996, 1997) and four Chase Scholarship Basketball Tournament titles.

Helen LoPresti DiMino on April 28, 2023

Katherine Detherage on April 13, 2023

Naomi Bennett Erdmann on July 17, 2023. The Nazareth professor emerita was a leader of literacy education in the region, a passionate and demanding teacher, and a mentor to countless teachers and administrators. She was recognized with multiple awards, including for her lifetime commitment to children and education.

Patricia Nelson on Nov. 24, 2023

Timothy Sullivan on Jan. 29, 2023

Lisa Tranquil ’17, ’20G married on Oct. 22, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas.

Mary Jane Hendrick Culotta ’43 on May 24, 2023

Katherine Mayer ’43 on Sep. 6, 2023

Rita Judge Smith ’44 on Sep. 19, 2022

Carolyn Kelly Post ’45 on March 26, 2023

Lucille McMahon McGinnis ’46 on Dec. 29, 2022

Katherine Hogan Peartree ’46 on April 24, 2022

Rosemary Loritz Maracle ’47 on Jan. 10, 2024

Rosanne Fischer Dugan ’48 on Oct. 19, 2023

Helen Drake Keefer ’48 on May 15, 2023

Karline Koenen Tierney ’48 on April 19, 2023

Mary Ellen Trescott Urzetta ’48 on Sep. 11, 2023

Mary Dutcher ’49 on Jan. 20, 2024

Mary Elizabeth Cooney Fay ’49, ’76G on Oct. 22, 2023

Joan Hartigan Tierney ’49 on July 6, 2023

Rita Contestable Wisotzke ’49 on June 21, 2022

Helen Delaney Worden ’49 on April 9, 2023

Barbara Gurney DiLiberti ’50 on May 25, 2023

Anne Kelly Dolan ’50 on April 17, 2023

Anna Flechuck Gallagher ’50 on Sep. 22, 2023

Linda Stolt ’50 on Aug. 1, 2023

Helen Vollmer Elam ’51 on Oct. 6, 2023

Joan Majewski McGuire ’51 on Oct. 19, 2023

Eleanor Suchan Batt ’52 on Jan. 20, 2024

Rosemary Walker Clarke ’52 on July 29, 2023

Kathleen Burke Englehart ’52 on Sep. 2, 2023

Kathleen O'Hara Judge ’52 on July 25, 2023

Eunice Bradley Donovan ’53 on July 30, 2023

Mary Ellen Creedon Maguire ’53 on Feb. 3, 2023

Mary Patricia Coyne Penders ’53 on Jan. 16, 2024

Marion Hoctor ’54, SSJ, on July 25, 2023. She spent 70 years ministering in higher education as a teacher and academic administrator, nearly all at Nazareth. After earning her bachelor’s in English from Nazareth, she went on for her master’s and Ph.D. in English at Cornell University and also earned a bachelor of letters from Oxford University. At Nazareth, she was an English professor, vice president for academic affairs, dean, and provost. She was honored with the 1981 Outstanding Alumni Award. She retired in 2015.

Eileen Flanagan Joyce ’54 on Sep. 29, 2022

Mary Ellen Frasher Slisz ’54 on April 25, 2023

Virginia Weis ’54 on March 25, 2023

Mary Ann Pelino Nicolini ’56 on Aug. 18, 2023

Jennie Ermie Piazza ’56 on Jan. 25, 2023

Arlene Costigan Schoenherr ’56 on March 25, 2023

Diane Widmer Burns ’57 on Jan. 23, 2024

Helen Schanz Martin-Klaver ’57 on July 13, 2022

Elizabeth Raetz Kennedy ’58 on Sep. 30, 2023

Patricia Gabel Niermeyer ’58 on Feb. 20, 2023

Molly Hartnett Parisi ’58 on Oct. 7, 2023

Marianne Cuddy Watters-Rodriguez ’58 on Dec. 24, 2022

Jacqueline Cranmer Gullo ’59 on Oct. 11, 2023

Elda Clasing Loredo ’59 on Jan. 21, 2024

Nancy Reagan Garlick ’60 on April 24, 2023

Judith Palmeri Hale ’60 on Jan. 8, 2024

Teresa Madigan Harrington ’60 on Feb. 11, 2024

Sue Draves ’61 on June 27, 2023

Jeanne Angelone Loberg ’61 on April 18, 2023

Virginia Serbent Schulz ’61 on Oct. 19, 2023

Jean DaMore ’62 on April 29, 2023

Natalia Maria de Paz da Roza ’62 on Aug. 10, 2023

Isabelle Schuler Thomas ’62 on Aug. 29, 2023

Vivian Carpenter ’63 on Oct. 25, 2023

Jean Lynch Goodwin ’63 on Jan. 16, 2023

Gloria Hillman ’63 on April 10, 2023

Barbara Lynaugh ’63, SSJ, on July 25, 2023

Patricia Lawlor Burke ’64 on May 13, 2023

Arlene Helget ’64 on Oct. 23, 2023

Therese Joyce ’64, OSF, on Oct. 9, 2023

Carolyn Cammarata McMahon ’64 in December 2022

Diane Aceto Davis ’67 on May 27, 2023

Bernadette Donovan ’67, OSF, on Aug. 25, 2023

Maureen Lynch Swanson ’67 on June 9, 2023

Nancy McRae Wright ’67 on Jan. 31, 2023

Judith Hoffend ’68 on July 7, 2023

Ann Goeltz Kubiak ’68 on September 27, 2023

Barbara Orczyk ’68, SSJ, on May 4, 2023

Elizabeth Lukacs ’69 on February 6, 2023

Kathryn Whalen Phelan ’69 on March 31, 2023

Dolores Trotta ’69, ’81G on Aug. 26, 2022

Kathryn Conte ’70 on March 14, 2023

Mary Ann Kolo ’71 on June 6, 2023

Margaret Thiem Mathis ’71 on Oct. 21, 2023

Margaret Wintish ’71, ’78G, RSM, on Feb. 9, 2023

Elaine Masiello Fico ’72, ’77G on May 10, 2023

Susan Martin ’72 on Aug. 1, 2023

Edith Merino Penale ’72 on Nov. 10, 2023

Rose Anne Welch ’72 on June 1, 2022

Kathleen Elliott McNally ’73 on Oct. 4, 2023

Lucille Gregoire Koba ’74 on Jan. 8, 2023

Rita Mayernik Oberleitner ’74G on June 27, 2023

Alice Sciscioli Pratt ’74 on April 27, 2023

Helene Bertrand Robinson ’74 on Oct. 9, 2023

Adeline Bausch Sauer ’74G on Feb. 9, 2024

Marjorie Brown Conti ’75, ’78G on March 11, 2023

Sandra Rougeau Kane ’75 on March 8, 2023

Pauline Ciemmy Silco ’75, ’80G on Jan. 28, 2024

Joyce Poleshuck ’76G on Feb. 17, 2023

Tula Ugarteche Warchol ’76 on Dec. 18, 2022

Patricia Callan Wheeler ’76 on Nov. 30, 2023

Glenn Granger ’77G on Sep. 5, 2023

Carolyn Dunne Gray ’77G on Sep. 24, 2023

Elaine Lippa Guerrera ’77 on March 18, 2023

Jane Laidlaw Lyth ’77G on Jan. 16, 2023

Maria Alene VanValkenburg ’77 on May 4, 2022

Helen Connolly Watt ’77G on April 29, 2023

Mary Alice Weist ’77G on Sep. 5, 2023

Winifred Burry Adams ’78G on May 25, 2022

Lee Ann Principino Beck ’78, ’83G on Sep. 23, 2023

Ernest DiBella ’78G on Nov. 15, 2023

Ida Locklear ’78G on June 16, 2022

Kathy Venieris Robbins ’78 on Sep. 27, 2023

Howard Wood ’78G on March 8, 2023

Sandra Garufy ’79, ’82G on June 8, 2023

Jennifer Evans Gourdine ’79G on Feb. 27, 2022

Steven Ferguson ’80G on Nov. 26, 2022

Janet Ethel Gerace ’80G on Feb. 12, 2022

Laurie Maxson Glasgow ’80, ’00G on Oct. 20, 2023

Patricia Cianciotto Grossi ’80 on Aug. 5, 2023

Alaine Matthies O’Connor ’80G on Nov. 22, 2023

Ann Simmons Hooper ’81G on June 4, 2023

Stephen Tacy ’81, ’87G on Sep. 6, 2023

Marvin Goldsberry ’82G on Jan. 12, 2023

Jody Kearney ’82G, RSM, on Oct. 18, 2023

Martin Santomenno Jr. ’82 on Dec. 2, 2023

Nellie Kisner Carroll ’84G on Aug. 27, 2023

Lillian Knapp ’84G on June 13, 2023

Sally Litz Schaertl ’84G on Feb. 12, 2023

June Ingleson Brush ’85 on June 9, 2023

Janet Ellson ’86 on Oct. 7, 2023

Susan Pritchard ’87G on June 16, 2023

Frances Lane Seeley ’87 on April 25, 2022

Marcia Badger ’88 on Sep. 21, 2023

Susan Truesdale ’88G on Nov. 27, 2023

Joan Barbour VanDuzer ’88 on Feb. 18, 2023

Kathleen Peters Doody ’89 on Feb. 3, 2024

Colleen O’Brien Leahey ’89, ’90G on May 9, 2023

Rosemary Grimes Evans ’90 on May 13, 2023

Louis Jaquin ’90G on April 25, 2023

Paul Sadler ’90G on Feb. 11, 2024

John Sargent ’91 on Jan. 27, 2024

Melissa Agan Williams ’91G on Feb. 18, 2024

Marian Wood Schickling ’92 on May 6, 2023

Terrie Craig Sleeman ’93G on June 9, 2023

Deborah Schnabel ’94G on May 23, 2023

Phyllis Haviland ’96G on July 8, 2023

Andrea Webb Pascuzzi ’97G on Jan. 27, 2023

Susan Schepp ’98G on Sep. 24, 2023

Oscar Pineda ’00, M.D., on March 16, 2023

Nicole Stambach Casellas ’03G on March 27, 2023

Elizabeth Cox ’03G on Oct. 5, 2023

Meg Sullivan Strocko ’03 on March 9, 2023

Lauren Kelly Valenti ’03 on May 19, 2023

Sarah Templar Ballard ’04 on Sep. 15, 2023

Matthew Pagani ’08 on March 1, 2023

Beth Reimer Doser ’09 on April 27, 2023

Marsha Trevania Shipman ’10 on May 16, 2023

Mercedes Allen-Winbush ’12G on Dec. 2, 2023

Mya Maloof ’21, ’23G on Aug. 11, 2023

Online

Nazareth’s In Remembrance webpage is updated monthly: go.naz.edu/remember

A legacy for generations

Edna Bauman Costitch ’28 was the first graduate from Nazareth College in 1928, crossing the stage before anyone else, since her last name was at the start of the alphabet. Clearly, since then, Nazareth has become a family affair. Her daughters, Constance “Connie” Costitch Keavney ’51 and Nancy Costitch Woolston Kavanagh ’54, followed in her footsteps. Nancy’s daughter Catherine “Cate” Woolston Obernauer ’88 crossed the stage a few decades later.

Connie recalls knowing and loving Nazareth “since the time I was born.” To honor the legacy of her mother and her family’s connection to Nazareth, Connie and Nancy created a scholarship in their mother’s name to help make a Nazareth education possible for future generations.

With an additional gift through her will, Connie has pledged to increase that scholarship and make a difference in the lives of even more Golden Flyers.