The Niagara University Eagle is published by the Office of Institutional Advancement.
Please send correspondence to: Lisa McMahon, M.A.’09, Editor Niagara University, NY 14109 716.286.8747 / lmcmahon@niagara.edu
FEATURES
TOMMI VINCENT SHARES PERSONAL STORY OF SURVIVAL 13 14 16 18 22
ON-CAMPUS SOLAR ARRAY POWERED UP NURSING STUDENTS HAVE LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE
CONTINUING LEGACY OF DR. ROBERT GREENE
NIAGARA’S VAUGHAN CAMPUS EXPANDED
DEPARTMENTS
CATCHING UP 01 02 10 12 24 26 28
OPENING REMARKS ON THE RIDGE
NIAGARA ATHLETICS
MISSION AND MINISTRY
NEWS FROM THE NEST
ALUMNI PROFILE
Cover photo: Dr. Timothy Ireland, Dr. Debra Colley, Mario Cortellucci, Mayor Steven Del Duca, Rev. James J. Maher, Larry Montani, Peter Cortellucci, Jessica Kemp, Dr. Daniel Patterson, and Jaclyn Rossi Drozd cut the ribbon on the new expansion of Niagara University’s location in Vaughan, Ontario.
Dear Niagara University alumni and friends,
As this edition of the Eagle magazine is being finalized, the Vincentian community worldwide celebrates its 400th anniversary. St. Vincent formed his “little company,” known formally as the Congregation of the Mission, to evangelize the poor, the Catholic Church of 17th century France, to educate and form the clergy, and to have a missionary heart for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Vincentian priests and brothers serve as a leaven with our lay partners to spread the mission of St. Vincent to now over one million followers. At Niagara University, we will use the year 2025 to spread that mission wider and deeper in our region, the United States, Canada, and the world.
As our academic year comes to an end, I am proud to share that Niagara University continues to rise as a leader in higher education—innovating, growing, and strengthening our mission in ways that make a lasting impact. At a time when many institutions face significant challenges, we stand firm in our commitment to academic excellence, service, and student success.
Recently named the North’s “Best Value” by U.S. News & World Report, Niagara University remains steadfast in providing a high-quality, mission-driven education that is both accessible and transformative. Our recognition as a Green College in The Princeton Review further underscores our dedication to sustainability, a commitment that was reinforced with the launch of our new on-campus solar array—a step toward a greener future for our community.
This year, we have also expanded our reach and impact. The ribbon-cutting ceremony in Vaughan, Ontario, marked an exciting milestone for our growing presence in Canada, strengthening our ability to provide students with worldclass education opportunities on both sides of the border.
Philanthropy continues to fuel our momentum. A landmark $10 million gift from entrepreneur and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano is accelerating innovation across our academic programs, student experiences, and campus infrastructure. This extraordinary generosity affirms the confidence our benefactors have in our vision and ability to deliver results that matter.
At the heart of Niagara University is our unwavering Vincentian mission— to serve others with compassion and purpose. That mission came to life in our Veterans Day celebration, where we honored those who have selflessly served our nation, and at our annual President’s Dinner, where we recognized individuals whose lives exemplify professional excellence and dedication to others. We also proudly celebrated five remarkable individuals whose contributions reflect the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul, reminding us of the profound impact service can have on our communities and beyond.
As we commemorate this Vincentian milestone, we reflect on our deep roots and look forward with confidence—rooted in our mission, energized by innovation, and emboldened by the generous support of our alumni, benefactors, and friends. Thank you for being part of this extraordinary journey.
With every good wish,
Rev. James J. Maher, C.M. President
Rev. James J. Maher, C.M.
ON THE RIDGE
Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
B. Thomas Golisano Gives $10 Million Gift to Niagara University
Niagara University has received a $10 million gift from entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civic leader B. Thomas Golisano. This transformational gift is one of the largest received among a series of major awards totaling $360 million to organizations in Upstate New York, which were announced by Golisano on Sept. 17, 2024.
“It is truly an exceptional day at Niagara University and an exceptional day for the region,” said the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., president of Niagara University. “Mr. Golisano has shown an impressive commitment to helping those who help others — hospitals, not-for-profits that provide direct services to individuals, and educational institutions. These organizations, many of which are our partners, are working to transform the lives of the underserved and marginalized in Niagara County and across our entire region. We are humbled to be among the incredible institutions and organizations that are the beneficiaries of Mr. Golisano’s generosity, and we are honored by this show of confidence in the vision and future of Niagara University.”
Golisano’s previous gift to the university supported the construction of the Golisano Center for Integrated Sciences, and it is anticipated that this gift will be equally transformative to Niagara and its nearly 4,100 undergraduate and graduate students. The university has recently launched a Biomedical Research Lab on the Buffalo-Niagara Medical
Campus, a family nurse practitioner graduate degree, and an Institute on Disability Awareness. It was also recently designated as a National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and is implementing a new program in supply chain and logistics for next fall.
“I’m thrilled to provide support to the Upstate New York community, to the region where I built my life and my business,” said Golisano. “I know that there are many organizations doing great work and understand that running a nonprofit is not easy, facing both opportunities and challenges, like raising money. These awards are the result of relationships I’ve formed over the years. I am impressed with these organizations’ dedication and innovation. It is extremely rewarding to see what they have been able to accomplish with my financial support over the years. I hope this unexpected, unrestricted funding helps them build on their successes and broaden their impact.”
“I am beyond grateful that I have the ability to do so,” he continued. “I look forward to seeing how this will be used to strengthen their organizations and better the communities they serve.”
This marks Golisano’s second $10 million gift to Niagara University, the first of which spearheaded the fall 2013 completion of the 50,000 square-foot, $33 million B. Thomas Golisano Center for Integrated Sciences.
Niagara University
is the North’s “Best Value” in U.S. News College Rankings
Niagara University offers students a better return on their educational investment than all 72 other colleges in the north, according to the 2024 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s annual survey of “America’s Best Colleges.”
The “Best Value” calculation considers a school’s academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid. The availability of needbased grant and scholarship support— financial aid that students do not need to pay back—was a major consideration in the analysis, because this type of aid is most beneficial to students.
The university was also featured in several other of the publication’s categories, including the overall category of “Best Regional Universities (North)” where Niagara is ranked at #33, making it one of the top schools in Western New York. The university was also listed at No. 10 in “Best Colleges for Veterans,” and on the list of the best schools for “Social Mobility.” In addition, Niagara’s six-year graduation rate is above 70% for the sixth year in a row, again overperforming U.S. News’ expectations.
SCAN FOR MORE ON THE RIDGE NEWS
B. Thomas Golisano’s first $10 million gift to Niagara University spearheaded the fall 2013 completion of the 50,000 square-foot, $33 million B. Thomas Golisano Center for Integrated Sciences.
Niagara University Mourns the Rev. Vincent J. O’Malley, C.M.
The Rev. Vincent J. O’Malley, C.M., former executive vice president, chaplain, and adjunct faculty member at Niagara University, passed away Jan. 6, 2025.
Father O’Malley played a major role in developing the university’s athletic fundraising efforts in coordination with the advancement office, hiring the first men’s and women’s hockey coaches, overseeing the construction of Dwyer
Arena, and completing renovations to the Gallagher Center—including the Athletics Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in 2017. He also served as the men’s basketball team chaplain for 11 years and as the hockey team chaplain until 2019.
A true advocate for all student-athletes, the Father Vincent O’Malley Award was established and is presented annually at the Purple Eagle Awards Show to a male and female student-athlete for a season of outstanding athletic performance and accomplishments.
Alden Trust Grant Supports New Student Spaces
Niagara University students now have additional places to collaborate and engage with peers and faculty, thanks to a $150,000 grant from the George I. Alden Trust. The funding supported the renovation of several learning spaces in Glynn Hall, one of the four premier buildings in Niagara University’s heritage footprint.
Four areas in the building were transformed into comfortable, inviting seating and study places where students can relax and converse before and after classes, and a classroom on the third floor was reimagined as a showplace classroom with moveable furniture, additional presentation screens and whiteboards, and elevated seating.
“This initiative will create welcoming spaces for students to gather between classes and supports the retention efforts of our Office of Academic Services to cultivate meaningful relationships among students and integrate them into
their new learning community,” said Dr. Timothy Ireland, Niagara University provost and vice president of academic affairs. “By offering students a variety of study space settings—from quiet individual cubicles to collaborative group areas—we allow students to choose the most effective environment for their specific tasks and learning styles and foster their academic success.”
“Glynn Hall serves as one of Niagara’s main teaching hubs, so it sees a high volume of faculty and student traffic,” said Antonia Knight, dean of academic services, who led the grant along with Kathryn Marzec, associate dean of academic services; Dr. Rachael Rossi Webb, faculty development coordinator; and Dr. Vennessa Walker, executive director of institutional effectiveness and assessment. “These new student spaces will invite students to linger and have valuable conversations with their professors and peers, creating a deeper sense of belonging and community.”
New Programs Launched
Niagara University has recently launched three new programs, designed to prepare students for growing fields in business and nursing, and to enhance studies in any major.
The B.S. in supply chain management is designed to meet the increasing demand for skilled professionals in logistics, procurement, operations, and global supply chain management. Students will gain in-depth knowledge of inventory and warehouse management, quality management, and lean systems; learn more about technology and sustainability through case studies; and benefit from hands-on learning opportunities through internships, mentorships, and site visits, preparing them with a deep understanding of the complexities of supply chain processes, both domestically and globally.
The online M.S.Ed. in nursing education program will prepare nurses who want to transition into a role that supports and advances the nursing profession. The 18-month program, created with input from clinical partners and nurse educators, provides flexibility through online asynchronous classes complemented with experiential learning opportunities, and develops exceptional educators who are able to address the needs of a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape by preparing the next generation of skilled, compassionate nurses.
An interdisciplinary minor in disability studies focuses on developing a broad understanding of disability as a social construct and is designed to enable students in any major to add it to their curriculum. Students will examine the phenomenon of disability and the experiences of disabled individuals through a number of academic fields and can engage in research or internships with targeted disability populations.
Father Levesque, Father Thomas Conway Honored During Veterans Day Celebration
left, Robert Healy, inaugural director of Niagara University’s Veterans Services program; veteran and NU student Zechary Fisher, ’27; Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., Niagara University president; Karl Hinterberger, director of the Veterans Services program; NYS Senator Robert Ortt; artist Tyshaun D. Tyson; Jaclyn Rossi Drozd, ’08, M.S.Ed.’10, vice president for institutional advancement; and Brandi Alfiero, program manager at Foundation 214, in front of the mural of Rev. Lt. Thomas M. Conway, a Navy chaplain and Niagara University alumnus.
Niagara University observed Veterans Day with a special celebration in honor of the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., former president of Niagara University and founder of its veterans program, and Rev. Lt. Thomas M. Conway, a Navy chaplain and Niagara University alumnus
who received the Navy Cross for giving his life to bring spirituality and peace to the crew of the USS Indianapolis. A plaque honoring Father Levesque and a mural by local artist Tyshaun D. Tyson commemorating Father Conway’s heroic sacrifice were unveiled during the event.
In 2010, Father Levesque spearheaded the establishment of the Veterans Services office on campus to assist military veterans, active-duty service members, and their family members with their transition to academic life. On June 6, 2019, the university cut the ribbon on a newly renovated veterans lounge in DePaul Hall on the university’s Lewiston campus, demonstrating its commitment to being a “veteran friendly” campus.
Father Conway enrolled at Niagara University in 1928 and was ordained a priest for the diocese of Buffalo in
He enlisted in the Navy in 1942. He was assigned to the ill-fated USS Indianapolis on Aug. 25, 1944, and was aboard when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine on July 31, 1945. For three days before exhaustion resulted in his own drowning, the priest swam among the survivors, praying with them, hearing their confessions, and administering last rites. The 316 crewmen eventually rescued credited him with providing the spiritual strength and hope that allowed them to survive.
Professional Accomplishments and Extraordinary Service Celebrated at Annual President’s Dinner
Seven individuals were honored for their outstanding leadership and dedication to improving the lives of others at the 2024 President’s Dinner, Oct. 29, 2024, at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino. Proceeds from the President’s Dinner benefit Niagara University’s scholarship programs. This year’s event raised nearly $235,000 toward student scholarship assistance.
The event was hosted by the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., president of Niagara University, and co-chaired by NU Trustee Nicholas Cecere Sr. and his wife, Barbara. The evening included the presentation of awards to Dr. C. Henrik Borgstrom and Donna L. DeCarolis, who received the Ozanam Medal; John, ’84, and Robin Katko, ’85, who received the Legacy of Service Award; Dr. Thomas A., ’84, and Jennifer Summers, who received the St. Vincent de Paul Award; and Dr. Lori V. Quigley, who received the St. Louise de Marillac Award.
From
Dr. Lori V. Quigley received the St. Louise de Marillac Award at the 2024 Niagara University President’s Dinner. She is pictured, right, with Dr. Tim Ireland, NU provost and vice president of academic affairs; Denise Góñez-Santos, NU trustee; and the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., president of Niagara University.
1934.
Five Honored for Outstanding Work in the Spirit of St. Vincent de Paul
As part of its celebration of Vincentian Heritage Week, Niagara University recognized the extraordinary contributions of five individuals who have lived the mission of St. Vincent de Paul at its annual convocation Sept. 26, 2024.
Sister Carol Keehan, D.C., former president/CEO of Catholic Health Association of the U.S., was honored with the university’s Saint Louise de Marillac Award for her selfless dedication to the sick and suffering around the world. She also gave the keynote address.
Other honorees included the Rev. Craig D. Pridgen, pastor of the True Bethel Church in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and a member of NU’s Board of Trustees, who received the Rev. Thomas A. Judge, C.M. Award in recognition of his unflinching faith and his relentless love for the community he serves; Dr. Joseph B. Polat, executive director of the Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School and Rochester Academy of Science, who was awarded the Ozanam Medal for his extraordinary dedication to educating children at the margins of society; Dr. Shannon Risk, associate professor of history at NU, who
was presented with the Vincentian Mission Award in recognition of her unswerving dedication to women’s rights, to the fight to end sexual victimization, and to enlightening her students to the Vincentian values of equity, dignity, and inclusion; and Olivia Sheldon, ’24, who received the Perboyre Medal for her extraordinary academic success, her personal dedication to causes of peace and justice, and her steadfast pursuit to make the world a better place.
Food Industry Leaders Discuss Agility and Adaptability at Niagara University Food Marketing Center of Excellence 2024 Innovation Summit
Hundreds of industry professionals and Niagara University students heard from speakers across the retail food and service sectors at the 2024 Niagara University Food Industry Center of Excellence Summit on Sept. 24. This annual summit is presented by the Holzschuh College of Business Administration.
NU alumnus Peter Genovese, ’18, go to market program manager at Gemini Experiences, Google, was a featured presenter. Genovese’s 13-year career in the technology industry began by fixing computers in the corner of the Lockport, N.Y., Yahoo! Data Center. After graduating from NU, he headed to Yahoo! in Silicon Valley, working in organizations across the company as a
technical program manager. In 2018, he joined Google. He played a leadership role in creating Hotel Keys in Google Wallet and is on the Google Gemini team, where he leads the efforts to launch Gemini, Google’s newest AI model.
Other presenters included Chelsea Schroder, director of foodservice at Circana, who discussed trends in foodservice; Amanda Lai, director of food industry practice at McMillanDoolittle, who offered her insights around what grocers were doing to remain agile and adaptable; and Mercedes E. Wilson, CEO and owner of Sadie’s Foods, who discussed her entrepreneurial journey from corporate America to producing her grandmother’s recipe for a cabbage-
based relish, which is now sold in over 157 grocery stores in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.
Peter Genovese, ’18
The Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., Niagara University president, with Vincentian Heritage Convocation honorees Sister Carol Keehan, D.C., former president/CEO of Catholic Health Association of the U.S.; Dr. Joseph B. Polat, executive director of the Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School and Rochester Academy of Science; Rev. Craig D. Pridgen, pastor of the True Bethel Church in Niagara Falls; Dr. Shannon Risk, associate professor of history at Niagara University; and Olivia Sheldon, a member of NU’s Class of 2024.
ON THE RIDGE
New Deans Welcomed at Niagara University
Niagara University welcomed Dr. Stephanie Dimech as dean and campus principal for its Vaughan, Ontario location, and Dr. Amy Nwora as its dean of the College of Education.
Dr. Dimech will lead the university in deepening the footprint of Niagara University in Ontario by advancing Niagara’s mission and strategic growth of the Vaughan campus. She will also guide the development of partnerships which foster the advancement of graduate students in most-needed career fields, as well as those which contribute to the economic and social development of the province.
She began her career in the Ontario college sector two decades ago as a faculty member at Sheridan College prior to progressing into academic leadership roles, including dean, human services and community safety and campus principal at Georgian College. Dr. Dimech has gone on to hold senior leadership roles that included overseeing programming, governance, policy, quality assurance processes, and supporting various academic units and teams across the institution, most recently as dean, academic excellence and innovation, at Cambrian College.
Her experience includes oversight of wholistic strategic enrollment management and planning; multiple programs and activities, including quality and institutional research; financial accountability and sustainability; and embedding and responding to Indigenous awareness and calls to action, inclusive excellence, and Universal Design for Learning.
Dr. Dimech holds a Ph.D. in leadership and a master’s degree in education from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She earned her bachelor of social work with a minor in public administration from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson Polytechnic University).
Dr. Nwora comes to Niagara from D’Youville University, where she has served as a fulltime professor in its occupational therapy and health professions education departments since 2004. She was elected department chair in 2008 and has since held chair/program director positions. During her tenure, she developed several new programs, including the doctoral program in health professions education and the post-professional and entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy programs.
A clinically trained occupational therapist, Dr. Nwora has extensive experience within schools, where she has focused her efforts on school-based treatment for preschool and schoolaged children diagnosed with emotional disturbance, ADHD, autism, and dyslexia, as well as a variety of physical disabilities. She is also dedicated to expanding education opportunities for disadvantaged students through her family’s not-for-profit organization, the Jordan Nwora Foundation. The foundation was created by Dr. Nwora’s son, Jordan, a professional basketball player who spent four years in the NBA and now plays for Anadolu Efes in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Dr. Nwora is active in scholarship, as well. Her recent research emphasis includes program and curriculum development in the health professions. She has published and presented internationally and nationally on topics including cultural aspects of healthcare and pediatric occupational therapy, particularly assessments and interventions for autism spectrum disorders. She recently was a co-author of a $3.25 million HRSA Health Career Opportunity Program grant.
She has a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in occupational therapy from D’Youville College.
Student Accomplishments
COMMUNITY OUTREACH/ SOCIAL JUSTICE
Senior social work students in Dr. Rolanda Ward’s macro social work in organizations course and the firstyear students in Dr. Yonghong Tong’s Vincentian social justice course worked with area community organizations to create short educational videos on critical social justice topics and to design innovative technology-based solutions that address some of these key issues. They presented this work during a social media advocacy miniconference on Dec. 9.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Undergraduate research is a hallmark of a Niagara University education. Since last summer, a number of students presented their work at professional conferences across the United States:
• Ten students presented their undergraduate research at the American Chemical Society’s fall 2024 meeting in Denver, Colo. The students, who are in their junior and senior years, performed their research with chemistry professors Dr. Lauren Rosch, Dr. Luis Sanchez, Dr. Christopher Stoj, and Dr. Mary McCourt.
• Three students accompanied Dr. Cassandra Marnocha, associate professor of biology, to present their research at the American Society for Microbiology’s Microbe 2024 meeting at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga.
• Senior math major Duncan Miller presented his work, “Seeing the World Through the Lens of Mathematics,” at the Mathematical Association of America Seaway Section Meeting, which was held at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Two Alumni Named to Niagara University’s Board of Trustees
Robert P. Ingrasci Jr., partner of accounting and advisory firm Lumsden McCormick, and the Rev. Elmer Bauer III, C.M., have been named to the Niagara University Board of Trustees. The appointment was announced by the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., president of the university.
After graduating magna cum laude from Niagara University in 2008, Ingrasci joined Lumsden McCormick as a tax accountant. In 2022, he was named partner in the firm. He has broad experience in estate planning and personal wealth, including individual income planning and compliance, complex estate, trust and gift tax planning, and charitable giving techniques.
Ingrasci is also active in the community, serving as a member of the board of The Foundations of Catholic Health, board secretary for The Little-Kittinger Foundation, and Western New York chapter leader for Niagara University’s Alumni Association.
Ingrasci is a Niagara Falls native. His father, Robert P. Ingrasci Sr., is a member of Niagara University’s Class of 1975.
Father Bauer graduated from Niagara University magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics education in 1987 and was ordained a Vincentian priest in 1993. His first assignment was as a missionary in Panama, where he was an assistant pastor for two separate parishes in poor, remote communities. In 1999, he was reassigned to Rome, where he served as international treasurer of the Congregation of the Mission for eight years. While there, he completed his MBA in finance at the Rome campus of St. John’s University. Since returning to the United States in 2007, he has served as the provincial treasurer of the Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission. He also currently serves on the investment committee for six Catholic non-profit organizations.
From 2012–2020, Father Bauer was a trustee at Niagara University, and he has also been a trustee at St. John’s University since 2009.
• Niagara University biology/ environmental science students and faculty showcased research findings at the annual meeting of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, in Madison, Wisc. The annual ASLO meeting is the premier international science conference on limnology, the study of lakes and other inland water systems.
Dr. Cassandra Marnocha, Coleen Edwards, Dr. William Edwards, Ciaran Edwards, Samantha Wrobel, Bethany Mangioni, and Clare vanLieshout at the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography meeting.
Robert P. Ingrasci Jr., ’08
Rev. Elmer Bauer III, C.M., ’87
Niagara University Faculty Highlights
Dr. Cassandra Marnocha, associate professor of biology and director of environmental sciences, will be working as part of a collaborative team with colleagues from Johns Hopkins, Purdue, and the SETI Institute, as well as student researchers from her lab, to evaluate if motion by life can be distinguished from non-living motion to determine whether motility can be considered an agnostic biosignature. The work is supported by a $338,420 grant from NASA, one of only six awarded following a NASA Ideas Lab on biosignatures in February 2024. This work will be the most expansive study of movement as a biosignature to date and one of the few to study a truly agnostic biosignature.
Dr. Regine Chung, assistant professor of clinical mental health counseling, was recognized with the Student Research Award by the Association for Play Therapy during its annual international conference in October 2024.
Dr. Chung received the honor for her study of the substantive impact of Child-Centered Play Therapy on the social-emotional development and behavioral challenges of autistic children. She also presented her research, the first repeated-measures study exploring the impact of CCPT on autistic children’s social-emotional assets and emotional and behavioral problems, at the conference.
Dr. Zuhra Abawi, assistant professor of education and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership at Niagara University in Ontario, co-authored the book, “Activist Leadership for
Inclusive Schools—Canadian Insights.” The text offers a timely collection of voices and narratives that recenter the lived experiences of scholars, teachers, school leaders, families, and community activists to disrupt hegemonic understandings of leadership.
Dr. Ajitpaul Mangat, assistant professor of English, was selected to serve as a writer-in-residence for Synapsis, a digital journal at the intersection of medicine, culture, and criticism published by Columbia University. He will contribute articles about the issue of disability, including book reviews, as well as pieces about his research on the intersection of disability and race for a public audience.
Dr. Mangat also published the article “Pitchfork, Race, Collaboration, and the Making of ‘Indie Rap’” in the Journal of Popular Music Studies, which historicizes the moment in popular music when rap music and indie rock began conversing with one another and how Pitchfork received what is referred to as “indie rap” by drawing a particular line of influence from indie rock to rap music, thereby showing that it contributed to the historical whitening of Black music.
Dr. Laura Sarchet, assistant professor in the College of Education, published an article in the Journal of Disability Studies in Education that explored how the experiences of disabled and neurodivergent faculty in higher education differ from those of neurotypical and nondisabled faculty. She discussed key themes she discovered in her literature review, including the experiences of disabled faculty with inequity and stigma, and the various ways in which disabled and neurodivergent faculty respond to these barriers, including hiding, fighting, advocating, self-accommodating, and challenging norms.
Dr. Dana Radatz, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice, was awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Connection Grant for the project “Understanding, defining, and assessing coercive control to prevent IPV: Outreach to identify knowledge gaps and research needs.” With her colleagues, Dr. N. Zoe Hilton, professor at the University of Toronto and research chair in Forensic Mental Health at the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care; Dr. Kevin Nunes, professor and director of the Aggressive Cognitions and Behaviour Research Laboratory in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University; and Elke Ham, research psychometrist at Waypoint, Dr. Radatz coordinated webinars by leading scholars on intimate partner coercive control behaviors from around the world for practitioners and researchers centered on coercive control
Dr. Cassandra Marnocha
Dr. Regine Chung
Dr. Zuhra Abawi
Dr. Ajitpaul Mangat
and a networking event designed to bring together numerous researchers to discuss and identify research needs and gaps for future research to address surrounding coercive control within intimate partner relationships.
Dr. Laura Kremmel, assistant professor of English, authored “Romantic Medicine and the Gothic Imagination: Morbid Anatomies,” a book that was selected by the British Association for Romantic Studies as one of its four First Book Prize recipients. The prestigious award is given biennially for the best first monograph in romantic studies to encourage and recognize original, ground-breaking and interdisciplinary work in the literature and culture of the period c. 1780-1830.
Dr. Cheryl Rode, associate professor in the College of Hospitality, Sport, and Tourism Management, recently published an article titled “Sport Management Experiential Learning: Faculty Perceptions of Opportunities, Benefits, & Supports” in The COSMA Journal. In the article, Dr. Rode explored the varied experiential opportunities available in college sport management programs in the United States, including inclassroom activities, internships, practicums, cooperatives, and service learning, and highlighted the importance, the range of experiences, and the perceptions of the faculty regarding these kinds of opportunities.
Dr. Lori V. Quigley, professor and chair of Niagara University’s Ph.D. in leadership and policy
program, was among five women honored as “Living Trailblazers” during an awards ceremony on March 4, presented by the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women and hosted by the Buffalo History Museum in honor of Women’s History Month.
The award was given as part of the Trailblazing Women of WNY Monument Project, an initiative whose mission is to elevate stories of the many contributions women from across Western New York have made in shaping the community.
Dr. Quigley’s academic achievements, which include numerous awards, are complemented by her deep commitment to preserving Native American histories and promoting Indigenous language reclamation. She is an enrolled member of the Seneca Nation, wolf clan, and has made it her life’s work to raise awareness about the truth and complex legacy of Native American boarding schools, offering both a scholarly lens and personal connection to this painful contemporary history.
Yvonne Grace Chan, an instructor and program coordinator for Niagara University in Ontario’s Bachelor of Professional Studies program, was chosen for a Ludwik & Estelle Jus Memorial Human Rights Prize in the category of “Emerging Leader.” The award is presented by the University of Toronto to individuals who make positive and lasting contributions in the areas of scholarship, service to others, and/or action against discrimination. Chan was recognized for her work in challenging all forms of discrimination, especially against antiAsian racism, her dedication to the community, and her desire to create meaningful change in the lives of those who are vulnerable and underserved.
Dr. Laura Sarchet
Dr. Cheryl Rode
Dr. Dana Radatz
Dr. Laura Kremmel
Dr. Lori V. Quigley
Yvonne Grace Chan
NIAGARA ATHLETICS
NIAGARA MAKES HISTORY WITH MAAC SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIP SWEEP
Niagara University swept both the men’s and women’s team titles at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships Feb. 15, marking the first time since 2008 that one program has captured both championships in the same year.
The Niagara men (653.5 points) won their first MAAC title since 1994, while the women (766 points) captured their second straight championship and third in four years.
Sophomore Natalie Killion earned Women’s Swimmer of the Meet honors after breaking the MAAC record in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:55.90. She also anchored Niagara’s 400 freestyle relay team to a second-place finish.
The Purple Eagles set five school records during day four of the meet. Freshman Marty Divis broke the women’s mark in the 1650 freestyle (16:50.35), while Holden Brock established a new men’s standard in the 200 backstroke (1:46.77). Nathan Dragon set the program record in the 100 freestyle (43.73), Sean Finley topped his own mark in the 200 breaststroke (1:58.04), and Mary Carl broke through in the 200 butterfly (2:02.91).
Freshman Lance Cruz was named Men’s Rookie of the Meet after helping lead Niagara’s historic performance. Cruz posted a runner-up finish in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 1:58.10.
Other top Niagara performers included Claire Gorton and Paige South, finishing 1-2 in the women’s 100 freestyle, while Dragon captured third in the men’s race. Alaina Pitton added a win in the women’s 200 breaststroke, touching in 2:14.42.
Niagara head coach Eric Bugby was named MAAC Coach of the Year for both the men’s and women’s programs after leading the Purple Eagles to their first championship sweep to join Marist, Loyola, La Salle, and Army as the only MAAC schools to win both titles in the same season.
NEW GOLF SIMULATORS INSTALLED IN DWYER ARENA
Niagara University’s men’s and women’s golf programs have received a significant technological upgrade with the installation of new golf simulators in Dwyer Arena, funded through donations from alumni and program supporters.
“This project exemplifies how our alumni and supporters continue to make tangible differences in the student-athlete experience,” said Simon Gray, Niagara’s associate vice president of athletics. “Their contributions directly enhance our competitive position and provide our student-athletes with exceptional resources.”
The state-of-the-art simulators provide Purple Eagle golfers with year-round training capabilities regardless of Western New York’s often challenging weather conditions.
“These simulators transform how our student-athletes can develop their skills,” said Selena Borek, head coach of the women’s golf program. “We now have the ability to analyze swings with precision and make technical adjustments that weren’t possible before.”
Student-athletes are already experiencing the benefits of the new technology. The simulators offer detailed analytics on
swing mechanics, ball flight, and other crucial performance metrics that allow for targeted improvement.
“Having access to these simulators gives us a competitive edge,” said Carlos Hernandez, a sophomore on the men’s golf team. “We can practice year-round and get immediate feedback on our performance.”
The coaching staff also emphasized the simulators’ impact on recruiting efforts, noting that the technology demonstrates Niagara’s commitment to providing student-athletes with elite training facilities.
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS ESTABLISHES PIONEERING GIFT FOR ATHLETICS
Dr. Robert Wylie, ’74, has made a transformative gift to establish an endowed fund for the women’s golf program at Niagara University. This gift will support the team—which has recently seen a season of new program records and personal bests—well into the future.
After attending his 50th Niagara reunion, Dr. Wylie reflected on all that Niagara University had given him and decided it was time to give back.
Having a daughter, who met many challenges in the athletic world, inspired him to create more opportunities for women in sports. “I’ve seen firsthand how impactful sports can be in fostering confidence, leadership, and camaraderie,” he said. “This endowment is a step toward ensuring that women athletes at Niagara have the resources they need to thrive.”
His focus on the women’s golf team came after he hosted them at the Cherry Hill Golf Club. As he established and strengthened his relationship with the players, he became aware of their potential both on and off the golf course and wanted to support them in a more impactful way.
“These women are incredibly talented and driven,” he said. “My hope is that this endowment not only supports their journey, but also inspires others to contribute to the future of Niagara athletics.”
The long-term impact of his gift is critical, noted Selena Borek, head coach of the women’s golf team.
“My goal since day one has been to increasingly elevate this program, and Dr. Wylie’s generosity is a huge step toward accomplishing that,” she said. “This endowment will provide lasting support for our team, helping us reach new heights and ensuring our studentathletes have the resources they need to succeed.”
“Dr. Wylie’s gift reflects the true spirit of Niagara’s mission to provide opportunities and foster excellence,” said Simon Gray, associate vice president of athletics. “This endowment significantly elevates our women’s golf program and will undoubtedly inspire others to follow his lead. It comes at a historic time for women’s athletics at Niagara University, when we are experiencing record
performances and all-time best finishes across our women’s programs.”
A proud alumnus, Dr. Wylie recalls his time at Niagara University as “four of the best years of my life,” and credits his dedicated professors—both in the sciences and in other classes—for shaping his academic and personal growth. He also fondly remembers the Rev. Louis Trotta, who was the first person he met on campus.
Dr. Wylie continues to embody the values of service and dedication that distinguish a Niagara University education. His generosity and vision not only ensure that future generations of women golfers will have the support they need to excel both on and off the course, but also set a precedent for future philanthropic initiatives in athletics.
For opportunities to support the university or Niagara athletics, contact Jaclyn Rossi Drozd at jrossi@niagara.edu.
“When prospective student-athletes visit campus, they can see that we’re investing in their development,” said Tim Frank, head coach of the men’s program. “This technology puts us on par or ahead of conference programs, and shows recruits that they’ll have every opportunity to reach their potential at Niagara.”
The simulators are now fully operational and being incorporated into regular training sessions for both golf programs. A ribbon-cutting is planned once the facility is completed.
Dr. Robert Wylie, ’74, with the Niagara University women’s golf team.
Sriya Machiraju practices her swing on Niagara University’s new golf simulator.
IMPACT OF VINCENTIAN SCHOLAR SERVICE EVIDENT DURING SITE VISITS
By the Rev. Gregory Semeniuk, Vice President for Mission Integration
For the past 15 years, Niagara University’s Vincentian Scholar Program has developed student leaders in the university’s Vincentian tradition. Envisioned and realized through the generosity of the Glynn family, the elite four-year scholarship program forms leaders in the Vincentian tradition academically, practically, and spiritually. Scholars are connected with community service organizations in Niagara Falls to work on initiatives intended to alleviate poverty and social injustice. As the director of the Vincentian Scholars, I recently completed several site visits to learn about how the scholars contribute at their service sites.
Christian Hoffman, vice president of public relations and development at Community Missions, spoke of the valuable assistance past and present scholars have offered in providing a refuge for the poor. The current scholars have researched and published a blog post and worked in the organization’s
food pantry. Hoffman added that he remains in contact with some of the former scholars.
Mary Beth Smith, director of the Francis Center, could not be happier with each of the three future teachers who were assigned to the organization’s afterschool program. “They take an interest in the children and their families, and they are interested in their well-being. They have excellent skills to help the children learn,” she said.
The scholar assigned to the Packard Court Community Center has been a great mentor to the children, noted Samika Sullivan, the center’s director.
At Heart Love and Soul, Kristina Daloia, hospitality/events manager, supervises four Vincentian Scholars and said that they contribute a great deal to the mission of the organization, from working with the children of the guests, to caring for the vegetable garden, to finding fresh clothes for the people who come to the facility to take a hot shower.
“I can ask the Vincentian Scholars to do anything that is needed, and they simply get the work done,” she said.
Emily Worth, director of volunteers at Jewish Family Services, appreciates the help scholars give to newly arrived refugee families, including filling out government forms or shopping for necessities.
At Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, NU’s Vincentian Scholar “has a presence that calms others; it’s priceless,” according to Judy Villani, director of volunteers.
To close, St. Vincent de Paul continues to inspire a new generation of Vincentian Scholars in their development as leaders. The word “mission” means to be sent by God for some noble purpose; for example, to welcome migrants, to feed the hungry, to protect children, and to heal the sick. The site visits attest to the wholistic learning of the Vincentian Scholars in shaping the noble aspirations for a better world.
Mateo Gruosso, ’27, teaches first grade students at the Francis Center to read.
Hannah Cukierski, ’26, with children she worked with at Packard Court Community Center.
Judy Villani, director of volunteers at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, appreciates the assistance Nilar San, ’26, a third-year Vincentian Scholar, offers both patients and staff.
Niagara University Powers Up On-Campus Solar Array
Niagara University powered up a 17-acre state-of-the-art solar array on its Lewiston, N.Y., campus Oct. 30, 2024. The $6.2 million, four-megawatt project, completed in partnership with Montante Solar and Pivot Energy, features 7,500 bifacial solar panels, mounted on a smart “tracker” racking that follows the sun throughout the day to maximize energy production.
The project is expected to generate 5.6 million kilowatt hours of renewable power annually, enough to power approximately 500 homes.
“This solar array represents another major step forward in Niagara University’s commitment to preserve and protect our environment,” said the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., president of Niagara University. “Our Catholic and Vincentian mission calls us to recognize our responsibility to address ecological challenges and conserve our natural resources to ensure that everyone has access to a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment. Our partnership with Montante Solar and Pivot Energy supports the work we are doing as a leader in environmental stewardship.”
Coupled with the university’s NYPA hydropower supply, the solar project allows Niagara University’s electric consumption to become 100% carbon neutral. The solar array was developed and built by Montante Solar, a full-service developer and installer of commercial and industrial solar energy systems, who worked with the university to strategically integrate the project into the campus.
“We are here to celebrate Niagara University’s transformative step toward sustainability, not just for the campus, but for our entire community,” said Daniel Montante, president of Montante Solar. “The project, sited on the campus’ southern entrance, serves as a visible testament to the university’s dedication to empowering future generations to learn, innovate, and lead.”
Pivot Energy, a national renewable energy company and independent power producer, owns and operates the array, which is projected to offset CO2 emissions by around 40,000 tons over the first decade and marks a significant step toward a greener campus.
“Pivot Energy is pleased to support Niagara University’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality,” said Gordon Woodcock, director of project development for Pivot Energy. “As a certified B corporation (a company that has voluntarily met the highest standards for social and environmental performance), we are committed to making a positive impact on society. Through this partnership with Niagara, we are collaborating with an institution dedicated to sustainability and improving its community.”
Beyond its renewable energy contributions, the solar project will serve as a vital educational resource for students in the university’s biology and environmental sciences programs, who will use the array as a working laboratory and gain hands-on learning experiences and research opportunities. The integration of pollinator habitats beneath the array further aligns with the university’s commitment to biodiversity and sustainability, offering additional avenues for ecological study and conservation efforts.
The solar array is the most recent initiative Niagara has undertaken toward its goal of carbon neutrality. Other projects have included planting hundreds of trees on campus; the construction of its LEED Gold-certified, 50,000-square-foot integrated science center; the use of solar panels and live plants on roofs; the installation of four electric car-charging stations on campus; and a campuswide conversion to LED lighting, an initiative that decreased electric consumption for lighting by more than 50%. In addition, Niagara hosts an annual paint recycling event in partnership with the Niagara County Division of Environmental/Solid Waste and GreenSheen, a paint company that refines recycled paint to create a premium latex paint from the content.
Niagara University was again recognized for its commitment to sustainability and fostering a culture of environmental responsibility by The Princeton Review®. The education services company features NU among the 511 colleges profiled in the new 2025 edition of its online resource “The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges.” Niagara earned a “Green Rating” of 91 out of a possible 99, and is the only private school from Western New York included on the list.
The Princeton Review chose the colleges for this edition of the guide based on a survey it conducted in 2023-2024 of administrators at nearly 600 colleges about their institutions’ sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. The company also surveyed students attending the colleges about their “green” campus experiences. The school selections were based on more than 25 data points from the surveys, including the availability of transportation alternatives on campus, whether or not the school has a formal committee devoted to advancing sustainability on campus, and the percentage of the college food budget spent on local/organic food.
NIAGARA
UNIVERSITY NURSING STUDENTS
Have Life-Changing Experience in Guatemala
BY LISA MCMAHON
In October, 10 Niagara University nursing students accompanied Dr. Christine Verni, dean of the College of Nursing, and Kristina Sinsabaugh, faculty fellow, on a weeklong service trip to Guatemala, where they learned more about nursing in the rural communities there.
The trip was organized as part of Sinsabaugh’s community and public health nursing course, and coordinated through Nursing Heart Inc., a nonprofit organization in Antigua, Guatemala, that builds partnerships to improve the health of underserved communities in that country.
Sinsabaugh explained that she offered the trip to her students, who would soon be entering the profession, because she wanted them to better understand the healthcare challenges in rural and indigenous areas of the developing world, including high poverty, malnutrition, and maternal-child mortality rates, and to compare them with what they may experience as nurses in the United States.
“I wanted them to see how the nurses were able to take care of patients with the very, very limited resources that they have,” she said.
In the weeks leading to the trip, the students collected donations of toothbrushes, sports equipment, matchbox cars, coloring books, and stickers for the children they would care for while there. On Oct. 5, they left for Antigua, a small city in southern Guatemala, where they connected with Nursing Heart.
Throughout the week, the NU group visited remote communities that were far enough from the urban centers to make healthcare services difficult to access. Accompanied by volunteers from Nursing Heart, they visited families to take vital signs, measure blood pressure and glucose levels, and talk with them about what they found and what possible diet and lifestyle changes would help them feel better.
Among the places the group visited was Santiago Zamora, where they learned how a group of village women established a co-op called Ixoqi Samaj (Working Women) to sell traditional Guatemalan handicrafts. Proceeds from the sales are used to purchase book bags, books, writing equipment, paper, and other items to support education for the children of the village.
Damion Lattimer screens a child during a service trip to Guatemala in October 2024.
They also spent time at a school in a remote hamlet called Chidon Juan, where they met students, their parents and their teachers, and screened more than 100 children for high blood pressure, low oxygen levels, dental cavities, stunted height and weight, skin rashes and lesions, and diabetes.
In Pacoxpon, they toured a preschool and health clinics, and visited a community leader who was on a committee to spearhead local water projects, a critical need in an area where poor water has been identified as one of the most compelling health factors by Nursing Heart.
The group learned more about nurses midwives from members of an organization that advocates for their profession, including what inspired them to pursue midwifery, their first deliveries, and how they use primarily alcohol and scissors to assist with childbirth. The midwives are often compensated with a warm meal or a chicken because their patients don’t have the means to pay with cash. The students, who had prepared questions in advance, learned about the role, the women, and the limitations of healthcare, as well as efforts to eliminate the profession in the country.
Damion Lattimer, a senior from Albion, N.Y., took the trip because he was looking forward to expanding his skills and learning more about the differences in healthcare between the U.S. and Guatemala. He came back with a better understanding of the core values of nursing.
“This mission trip is life changing,” he said. “It isn’t only beneficial for the peoples’ lives you impact, but also for yours. A lot of people will never be given the experience to go somewhere and change kids’ and adults’ lives and also have their own life change through the process of providing care.”
He was especially moved by the excitement shown by the children they cared for and noted that, because of this
experience, his practice of nursing, which will begin on the cardiac/vascular unit at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y., “will be tailored more around empathy and giving time instead of just trying to ‘get the job done.’”
Ariana Zapata, a Chicago native who will graduate in May 2025 with a dual degree in integrated business management and nursing and a minor in public health, considered the trip an opportunity to see what her future career in community health could look like, she said. It also held special significance for her as the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants. Her grandmother was one of the reasons she chose to pursue nursing, she said. “She taught me to use my hands to help others and shared the idea of love for all.”
Zapata was especially impressed by the level of unity and support in the communities they visited, and the fact that often, payment for services was not required.
“The clinics we visited were run by dedicated individuals who sacrifice their life to help others in their community,” she said. “Some traveled for hours to reach those in need of help with the limited supplies they have to offer. And it was common to see financial barriers taken away. Members of the community were eager to help each other and showed overflowing gratefulness.
“This experience gave me a gentleness I will use in my practice as a nurse and an insight to the world, especially the dark parts that many others don’t see,” she continued. “As a nurse, I will work with passion, appreciation, and an eagerness to lend my hands to those that need them.”
Sinsabaugh, too, was impacted by the experience, which she said reminded her of why she went into nursing in the first place. A visit to a long-term care facility where more than 280 special needs residents, ranging in age from toddler to the elderly, were being cared for was especially touching, she said.
Despite their limited resources, “the people who worked there were so happy to be working, and they were so grateful for their jobs and excited to show all of us,” Sinsabaugh said. “They were very proud of where they were, and the residents were just so well cared for and loved. And that was awesome to see.”
CONTINUING THE LEGACY OF Dr. Robert Greene, ’75, M.S.’77
BY LISA MCMAHON
Ever since Dr. Robert Greene first came to Niagara University as a freshman in the Class of 1975, he has made an indelible impression on the campus. Although he passed away on Jan. 3, 2024, after 42 years of teaching at his alma mater, his legacy lives on through the alumni across the country who are making names for themselves in healthcare and the sciences; through the faculty community he created that carries on his passion for the work and the students; and through the state-ofthe art facilities for which he advocated.
After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Niagara University and his Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo, Dr. Greene joined the university’s biology department in 1981 as an assistant professor, later earning full professor and serving as the chair of the department for 29 years. He encouraged generations of students and showed them what it means to “do science.”
without him. His legacy will be seen in his students, like me, paying it forward and mentoring others.”
Pediatrician Dr. Jennifer (Rosenau) Clark, ’96, said that Dr. Green had a profound impact on her life, and as the years passed, went from advisor, to mentor, to colleague, to friend.
Dr. Ryan DenHaese, ’94, met Dr. Greene as a freshman, and he became a beloved mentor for the young biochemistry major, who went on to pursue a career as a neurosurgeon.
“He is the sole reason that I pursued a career in medicine,” said Dr. DenHaese. “He’s more than just a teacher. He gave me advice on life and helped me stay on the right side of the tracks. He had patience, sincerity, and was always honest. As an 18-year-old kid trying to figure out college, he helped me become the man I am today. He will be forever missed. The world is a lesser place
“I came to Niagara University in 1992 as a wide-eyed freshman majoring in biology with the hope of going to medical school,” she said. “I was fortunate to have Dr. G as my advisor. He knew exactly which courses would help me excel as a student and stand out as a medical school applicant. As luck would have it, he was also the prehealth advisor at that time and spent hours helping me with applications, essays, and mock interviews. When I was granted early admission to UB Medical School, I could see how proud he was. Dr G also served as my research mentor for my honors thesis. He was always asking the challenging questions that led to more lab work … but I was so grateful that he taught me the critical thinking skills that I needed to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular pharmacology. At graduation, I received the Morton and Niagara medals. After the ceremony, I remember Dr. Greene posing for photos with me and my family. He knew my parents and grandfather by name. This is what makes him and NU so very special.”
Dr. Jenna McCune, ’15, realized her dream to become a dentist because of Dr. Greene’s support.
Dr. Ryan DenHaese, ’94 (right) with his brothers, Greg, ’90, and Jason, ’91 (holding his son, JP) and Dr. Greene, June 1996. Greg and Jason were also Dr. Greene’s students.
“He guided me through the ups and downs of a predental career path,” she said. “He was there to support me when I got my best grades and even more when I got my worst. He was an absolute legend, and it was an honor to be taught and mentored by him. I am where I am today as Dr. Jenna McCune because of his guidance and love. And I will continue to carry his wisdom with me wherever I go.”
Dr. Greene also assisted Ashley (Scofield) Mooney, ’12, in preparing for dental school, and became more than just a professor to her.
In addition to teaching, Dr. Greene was an accomplished scholar with multiple publications and grant awards throughout his distinguished tenure. He was also an assistant cancer research scientist at Roswell Park Cancer Institute until 2008. This work fueled his desire to give his students valuable, real-world research experience as undergraduates.
“Dr. Greene treated any student who walked through his office as family,” she said. “He would often take the extra moment to remind us after studying to have some fun, but not too much fun, to make sure to fuel up with a good meal, and to drive safe—especially in the winter. You could always count on Dr. Greene for a good quote from a baseball movie, or encouraging you to go grab a donut from the faculty lounge. Dr. Greene and Connie became like family to me. I was honored to have them attend my wedding and have stayed in touch over the years. Someone who I looked up to as my teacher became a very good friend, and that was the best gift of all!”
As a retired army officer, Dr. Greene pinned his students who were in the ROTC program at their year-end ceremony. He was also particularly attentive to athletes and nursing students, and “supportive of students who would struggle, students who maybe others didn’t see as having that potential to succeed,” said Dr. Mary McCourt, professor of chemistry. “He called those students his Vincentian mission, and I am forever appreciative of his showing me that this was important.” His commitment to his students was recognized in 2023, when the College of Arts and Sciences honored him with its prestigious Excellence in Teaching award.
professor of biology. “He shepherded the programming, the blueprints, and every detail.”
“He fought so hard to make sure that the new building for science got done,” Dr. McCourt agreed. “I would say that the Golisano Center stands because of the vision and work that Bob did.”
Dr. Edwards will always appreciate Dr. Greene’s impact on him as an academic and as a young faculty member as he carries the torch as the chair of the department.
“Bob epitomized the scholar-teacher of the sciences during his time here at NU and envisioned a transformation of Niagara’s biology program from one devoted almost exclusively to teaching to one that featured state-ofthe-art, student-faculty research as a centerpiece,” said Dr. William Cliff, professor of biology. “Leading this initiative—and refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer—he championed this transformation during the 1990s by overseeing the hiring and support of full-time faculty and technical staff who brought research capabilities to the university, and by acquiring the funding and building the infrastructure to systematically support student research.”
Under Dr. Greene’s leadership, the biology department broadened its scope to partner with the chemistry department, providing students integrated research opportunities in its Center for Integrated Biological, Chemical and Technological Sciences, the precursor to the B. Thomas Golisano Center for Integrated Sciences. He steadfastly worked toward building a facility that would allow students to hone their skills using sophisticated laboratory equipment under the guidance of faculty in preparation for graduate school or high-level jobs in the sciences.
“It was Bob’s conversation with (B. Thomas) Golisano, telling the story of impacting students through research and teaching, making new scientists and doctors, that finally sold Golisano and the many, many other donors on NU,” said Dr. William Edwards,
“He taught me to listen when a student or a faculty member wants to talk, to schedule my classes backto-back so that I had time to write and to do science, and how to mentor undergraduate students,” he said. “He raised all of us to be good department citizens, to carry our weight and then a little more. It was only later when I realized that not every department or group of people had that kind of relationship. Bob was a perfect match for this department and university, and he helped make us, the faculty, the university, his former students, and his friends and family who we are and who we strive to be.”
Dr. Greene’s influence will continue to live on through alumni like Dr. Korinne (Thorne) Barnett, ’17, chief resident in internal medicine-pediatrics at Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. Dr. Barnett said that Dr. Greene saw her potential, took her under his wing, and helped her balance a rigorous course load with the demands of being a student-athlete.
“I credit much of my success in college to having a mentor like Dr. Greene— someone who believed in me when others said the path would be too difficult,” she said. “I strive to pay it forward, recognizing potential in others and being the ‘Dr. Greene’ who believes in them.”
Second row: Dr. Greene with Dr. Jennifer Clark (l) and Dr. Jenna McCune (r).
Third row: Dr. Greene with Ashley Mooney.
Fourth row: Dr. Greene with Dr. Korinne Barnett.
Niagara University in Ontario Expands Vaughan Campus with Addition of the Cortellucci Family Hall
Niagara University in Vaughan, Ontario, represents our commitment to creating an environment that supports academic excellence, intellectual curiosity, and personal growth. Our hope and expectation is that this incredibly well-designed space becomes a place of inspiration, becomes a place where students will dream big, becomes a place where ideas will flourish, and becomes a place where innovation takes root. Dr. Tim Ireland, provost
Tom Donovan, director of Ontario Programs at Niagara University from 2006-2016; Dr. Debra Colley, former executive vice president; and Dr. John Stranges, university professor, played key roles in establishing Niagara University’s presence in Ontario.
Romina Cortellucci, Peter Cortellucci, Ginesia Cortellucci, Mario Cortellucci, Vilma Cortellucci Fiuza, Manuel Fiuza, Daniel Fiuza, and Dino Gagliano.
Today reflects Niagara’s growing commitment to higher education in the province of Ontario and this city of Vaughan. From our early beginnings in Southern Ontario back in 1984, we now celebrate the steadfast growth and development of this marquee campus, right here in the heart of Expo City, footsteps from Cortellucci Square. We’re proud to be part of this community and to fulfill our role as a provider of education and opportunity to all of its citizens and families. It is our hope to earn the unique honor of being called Vaughan’s hometown university. Larry Montani, chair of the Niagara University Board of Trustees
Niagara University in Ontario officially opened the doors to the newly completed 18,000 square-foot Phase 2 expansion of its campus in the vibrant Vaughan Metropolitan Centre in the City of Vaughan. The expansion strengthens the university’s commitment to becoming the premier binational university within the Province of Ontario and its more than 40-year legacy of preparing graduates for leadership roles throughout Canada.
The Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., president of Niagara University, was joined by Steven Del Duca, mayor of Vaughan, Ontario; members of the Vaughan City Council; Laura Smith and Michael Tibollo, members of provincial Parliament; Bishop John A. Boissonneau, auxiliary bishop of Toronto; and the Niagara University Board of Trustees to cut the ribbon at a special dedication ceremony commemorating the momentous occasion.
“This expansion, which is dedicated to the Cortellucci family, elevates our long-standing history and legacy in Ontario,” said Father Maher. “For more than 40 years, Niagara University has contributed to the workforce and enhanced the social economy of the Province through our outstanding academic programs that provide pathways to in-demand careers and our community partnerships that ensure our curriculum remains relevant and innovative. This expansion enhances our collaborative and dynamic learning community in Vaughan and underscores our commitment to continuing our impact in the region.”
Since 1984, Niagara University has offered programs in Canada which operate under the written consent of the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. The university has maintained strong partnerships with Catholic and public-school boards in Ontario, as well as with many of the colleges in the province. In 2019, it established a
This day is a reminder of the history and legacy of Niagara University pioneers who saw the possibility and thought to come to Ontario. Their dedication and commitment to exceptional teaching and learning, with a focus on the student experience, is unmatched. Their unwavering vision and perseverance is the reason that we are together here today and are excited about the future of our campus and all the incredible things to come. Dr. Stephanie Dimech, dean and campus principal, Niagara University in Ontario
There is so much pride, and there is so much genuine delight in the experience that occurs right here at Niagara University in Ontario, in the City of Vaughan. It really speaks volumes about the magic that you are creating here in the midst of our downtown core. To know that you have positively impacted and helped to shape so many lives, that is the true measure of success, and that’s what you’re doing here. Mayor Steven Del Duca
Bishop John A. Boissonneau, auxiliary bishop of Toronto, blesses the expansion.
Niagara University trustee Peter Cortellucci; Dr. Stephanie Dimech, dean and campus principal, Niagara University in Ontario; the Rev. James Maher, C.M., Niagara University president; and Larry Montani, chair of NU’s Board of Trustees.
The expansion added 18,000 square-feet to Niagara University’s Vaughan campus, including smart technology classrooms, expanded collaboration spaces, student lounge areas, an event venue, and faculty offices.
permanent location in Vaughan, becoming the first university in the City of Vaughan and York Region, and providing students and alumni with a place to call their Niagara University home.
“Today marks an important milestone for Niagara University in Ontario — and for our city — as the university officially opens its doors to the newly completed Cortellucci Family Hall in the Phase 2 expansion,” said Steven Del Duca, mayor of the City of Vaughan. “Located in the heart of the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, this new, modern, state-of-the-art facility will provide students and staff with the latest innovations to support their educational journey and nurture the future leaders of tomorrow. I want to thank Niagara University in Ontario for this incredible investment in Vaughan. I look forward to continuing building on our longstanding partnership to support students in Vaughan for generations to come.”
The Cortellucci Family Hall is an 18,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility on the Vaughan campus featuring smart technology classrooms, expanded collaboration spaces, student lounge areas, an event venue, and welcoming faculty offices that will significantly enhance the student experience through modern, innovative, and inclusive learning environments that support academic, personal, and professional growth.
“It’s been a privilege for our family to be part of Niagara University’s journey in Ontario, from the first campus to the opening of the Cortellucci Family Hall in this exciting Phase 2 expansion,” said Peter Cortellucci, a member of Niagara University’s Board of Trustees. “We have seen firsthand how the Niagara University community is filled with people who give of themselves every day, inspiring a culture that brings people together. The new state-of-theart Cortellucci Family Hall will continue to deliver upon that mission—providing students with the space to grow, connect, and thrive, while strengthening the bond between the university and the Vaughan community.”
The Vincentian bishop of Buffalo, Father John Timon, invited his confrere, Father John Lynch, to come to this region to found a seminary school for aspiring priests in the Vincentian community and beyond, and they began the miracle of Niagara University.
After six years or so, Father Lynch was called to become bishop of Toronto and later, the Catholic Archbishop of Toronto. Throughout his ministry, he continued to look and innovate for ways to create what he referred to as an educational pathway for students in Canada, at that particular time.
So from its inception, Niagara University had in its very DNA the call to be a binational university, embracing our Canadian and our United States identity in a wonderful, beautiful, majestic marriage of one identity. The Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., Niagara University president
Tommi Vincent Shares Personal Story of Survival at Niagara University’s
“Living in Light:
The Art of Healing”
By Lisa McMahon
For the past eight years, Niagara University has given the victims of domestic violence a voice through an exhibit of artwork reflecting their journeys, experiences, hopes, and dreams called “Living in Light: The Art of Healing.”
This year’s event, which was held Oct. 8, 2024, at the Castellani Art Museum on the university’s campus and featured Tommi A. Vincent, an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and leader in the movement to end domestic violence, was both powerful and poignant.
Vincent, who shared her own personal experience as a thriving domestic violence survivor and her mission to transform her pain into purpose by normalizing the conversation, not the behavior, encouraged those in attendance to read the stories of the survivors who created the artwork that was displayed throughout the room.
“If we center survivors in the work that we do, we’ll get it right,” she said. “But if you remove the survivor from the story, if you remove the survivor from the narrative, we will get it wrong, because it’s not about us and our expertise, it’s not about us and our institutional knowledge. It is about the survivor and them being able to educate us about what they need, so that they can move beyond survival to thriving.
“I want to thank Niagara University for creating this type of atmosphere that gives us permission to freely talk about an important subject matter, because everyone has been impacted by this issue,” she continued. “I still get triggered. But you know what? When you come into spaces like this, you recognize there’s power in numbers.”
Vincent is a respected voice and fierce advocate for survivors. She is passionate about developing curriculum and resources to help communities process and heal from intimate partner and intracommunal violence, and aims to help children, women, and families learn the warning signs to prevent it. As the immediate past chairwoman for the National Domestic Violence Hotline board of directors, Vincent has been recognized for her advocacy for lifesaving funding, crisis counseling, safety planning, and other supportive services to help survivors of domestic violence.
Vincent is on the board of directors for Survivor Justice Action and Womanspace and has served as a keynote speaker for fortune 100 companies. Her work has been featured in leading print and broadcast media including the New York Times, WayMaker Journal, Hallmark Home & Family, Savoy Magazine, The Undefeated, NewsOne, CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, and WGN.
In 2023, Vincent and her husband, Troy, executive vice president of the NFL, established The Vincent Commission in partnership with Niagara University. The commission includes research and education efforts centered on the perceptions, experiences, knowledge, perpetration, and victimization of genderbased violence among college students.
“Tommi Vincent exemplifies the strength and resiliency of the survivors of domestic violence, and we are honored that she is here to share her story with us,” said the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., Niagara University president. “Through our shared work with the Vincent Commission and events like ‘Living in Light,’ we are fostering an educational environment that focuses on the dignity of all people in our community, continuing our commitment to finding solutions that address gender-based violence, and serving as a light for those who need our help.”
Exhibits included “Harmony in Healing,” a display of colorful beaded windchimes that use sound and art to foster emotional release and empowerment; “Found Healing,” artwork created using objects typically considered worthless; “Voices of Survivors, Visions of Strength,” which highlighted the courage of survivors who shared their stories; “Tree of Strength,” symbolic trees that represented personal journeys, growth, and strength; and “Voices of the Brave, Strong and Resilient,” featuring artwork created by those who experienced abuse during childhood.
Niagara University students also contributed to the exhibits with “Niagara’s Light in the Darkness,” a display of purple lights forming the letters “NU,” each representing a student who pledged to stand in solidarity with victims of domestic abuse; and “Silhouettes of Strength,” which incorporated motivational quotes and affirmations to reflect the inner strength of survivors. They also
created the outdoor display of “The Clothesline Project,” a collection of T-shirts with messages to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence, which was exhibited inside the museum, as well.
In addition to the artwork, the event featured an exhibit of ribbon skirts designed and created by members of the six nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in 2021 as a way of showing unity and sisterhood for missing and murdered Indigenous women; a 16-square quilt made by women in the Tuscarora community that represents what domestic violence means to them; and the “Silent Witness Project,” a reconstruction of a national traveling memorial honoring the 27 individuals from Niagara County who were killed in acts of domestic violence—two more than were part of the exhibit last year.
The Office of Violence Prevention and Education, which presents this event each year with its community partners in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, also displayed red flags on the lawn in Gacioch Circle as part of the national Red Flag campaign, a public awareness initiative designed to encourage college students to intervene when they see a warning sign (“red flag”) of partner violence.
Several community organizations collaborated to host the event, including Pinnacle Community Services, the Castellani Art Museum, the Child Advocacy Center of Niagara, Niagara County Sheriff’s Office Victim Assistance Unit and DV Intervention Program, the Seven Dancers Coalition, and the YWCA of the Niagara Frontier.
Dear Niagara alumni and friends,
As we embark on a new chapter following the success of the Powering Transformation campaign, I am deeply grateful for the generosity and commitment that continue to shape the future of Niagara University. Your dedication has made a lasting impact, and because of you, we are reaching new heights.
This year, our focus remains on advancing key priorities and expanding initiatives that will ensure Niagara continues to lead in the region. We’ve hosted over 35 events and have engaged with hundreds of our alumni and friends, strengthening connections across our Purple Eagle family. Our philanthropic efforts have been remarkable, with $18.5 million secured in new gifts, pledges, and commitments—another testament to the strength of our community.
As we look ahead, I invite you to be part of making 2025 a record year for engagement and philanthropy. Whether by making an annual gift to an area that means the most to you, attending an event such as Alumni Weekend (June 6-8), or joining us at the President’s Dinner on Nov. 5, your support ensures that Niagara’s legacy of excellence continues for generations to come.
On behalf of the entire Institutional Advancement team, thank you for your unwavering Purple Eagle pride. I look forward to connecting with you throughout the year and celebrating the impact we create—together.
Ann (Fitzpatrick) Warner, ’84, Martha (Trainor) Curran, ’84, Rhea (Mahar) McCone, ’84, Carolyn (Zack) Warner, ’84, and Karen Welch enjoy a day at the Saratoga racetrack during Niagara University alumni and friends event on July 20, 2024, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Lynne DePasquale, ’01, and Alicia Nagel, ’01, take a Tiki Harbor Cruise in Buffalo, N.Y., on Aug. 20, 2024.
Mike Taberski, ’01, and Michael Nevins, ’02, at the Cup of Niagara event in Rochester, N.Y., on Oct. 17, 2024.
Paul Fuller, ’62, Tom Currie, Judy Willard, ’70, and Barbara Green, ’72, at happy hour in Fort Pierce, Fla., on Feb. 5, 2025.
Robert Plato, ’88, and Sharlene Santercole, ’90, at a Niagara University alumni and friends gathering at The Dome in Williamsville, N.Y., on Jan. 23, 2025.
Kaitlin Smith, ’15, and Melissa (Morgan) LaNasa, ’19, share post-graduation advice with current students at the College of Hospitality, Sport, and Tourism Management Alumni Advantage event at Niagara University on Sept. 27, 2024.
The Office of Alumni Engagement and our chapters across the country host numerous events for alumni to reconnect and stay engaged with all that is happening on Monteagle Ridge. SCAN THE QR CODE FOR A LIST OF UPCOMING EVENTS.
Jaclyn Rossi Drozd, ’08, M.S.Ed.’10
Paul J. Yesawich Jr. Scholarship Helps First-Generation Students
Paul J. Yesawich Jr. was the only child of Lithuanian immigrants who grew up in Queens, N.Y. As he approached graduation from one of the city’s most challenging and respected high schools, Brooklyn Tech, he was eager to continue his education, but concerned about his family’s ability to pay for it. Fortunately, while at Tech he also developed a standout talent for basketball, which ultimately earned him a full athletic scholarship to Niagara University (and induction into its Hall of Fame in 1966). He studied accounting, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1948 and a master’s degree in 1950.
Yesawich pursued his basketball career as a player on the National Basketball Association’s Syracuse Nationals for a couple of years before enrolling at Cornell Law School to earn his JD. He graduated and was admitted to the New York Bar Association in 1951, after which he began a long and distinguished career that included positions with the renowned New York City law firm of Davis, Polk and Wardwell; as assistant counsel to the subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives; as partner in the law firm of Folmer, Ryan, Fenstermacher & Yesawich; and as a commissioner of the New York State Law Revision Commission.
In 1971, he was appointed to the New York State Supreme Court by Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller and served a
14-year term on that court. Three years later, he was designated to serve on the Appellate Division, First Department, of the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan. He served in that position for seven years, simultaneously serving as a trial judge in the Sixth Judicial Department and as a member of the Advisory Panel on the Proposed Code of Evidence for the State of New York. He was subsequently appointed to the Appellate Division, Third Department of the court in Albany, where he served until his retirement in 1999. He passed away in 2017.
Yesawich never forgot the crucial financial assistance that enabled him to attend Niagara, often saying that he was very lucky he learned to “throw a ball through a hoop.” In recognition of his father’s gratitude and strong belief in the value of education, Dr. Peter Yesawich, his wife, Paris, and brothers Paul III, and Christopher, established the Paul J. Yesawich Jr. Memorial Scholarship in 2021, and recently donated an additional $250,000 to the corpus of the fund. Scholarships will be awarded to undergraduate students who, like Paul, are the first in their families to attend Niagara and require financial assistance to do so.
“Going from his youth in Queens, to his early days at Niagara, to what he eventually accomplished professionally was quite remarkable,” said Dr. Yesawich,
who described his father as “incredibly honest, principled, focused, and determined.” Yet, despite his outstanding success as a legal scholar, his father was very humble, Yesawich added.
“Niagara gave him a wonderful opportunity not only to develop personally, but eventually become a respected legal scholar…something that likely would have never happened otherwise,” Dr. Yesawich said. “So, when we created the scholarship, we wanted to make sure it reflected the path he had to pursue, because we knew it would warm his heart to know we did something that would enable someone in a similar circumstance to have the same opportunity he did.”
Paul Yesawich Jr. (third from right) with son Paul Yesawich III; grandson John Yesawich; son Christopher Yesawich; daughter-in-law Paris Pyne Yesawich; grandson Peter Yesawich Jr.; and son Peter Yesawich at a family golf outing in 2015.
Rebecca Oliver, ’13, Maria Bruce, Kristina (Chartrand) Kirchgraber, ’13, Bridget (McDonnell) Guetta, ’13, and Emily (Heiler) Saucke, ’12, at a gathering before the Niagara men’s hockey vs. RIT game in Rochester, N.Y., on Jan. 25, 2025.
Richard Shea, Dominic Pino, ’66, Warren Grafer, ’70, Frank Moore, ’11, and Dennis Prouty, ’65, at the Cup of Niagara event in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Feb. 3, 2025.
Dr. Tony Dardano, ’63, and Michelle (Manfredi) Hall, ’08, enjoy an alumni and friends lunch in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Feb. 4, 2025.
Lynn (Haefner) Sullivan, ’65, Mary (McMorrow) DeFranco, ’76, Pat (DeGrechie) Quinn, ’75, and Colleen (Corcoran) Camp, ’76, at a happy hour in The Villages, Fla., on Feb. 6, 2025.
It’s All About the People for Tom Sacco, ’75
By Lisa McMahon
For the past four years, Tom Sacco has been chief happiness officer, CEO, and president at Dynamic Restaurant Holdings, owner/ operators of Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor and Tony Sacco’s Coal Oven Pizza. It’s a role he seemingly has been preparing for his whole life, beginning at the restaurant and hotel his Italian grandparents owned on Wasaga Beach, just north of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. Sacco spent many childhood summers in the kitchen there, learning the importance of taking care of the customers who support your business, as well as your staff and vendors.
After graduating from Niagara University with an accounting degree in 1975, Sacco earned his MBA in finance from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, with the intent to follow his father’s encouragement to become an attorney. He attended the University of Detroit Law School for only one semester before he
realized that law was not for him. He was married by then and his wife, Gwen, supported his decision to return to the restaurant industry.
Sacco obtained a position in a restaurant management program for Mother Tucker’s Food Experience. The restaurant chain was a division of Champs Food Systems, owned by entrepreneur Oscar Grubert.
A turning point in Sacco’s career came in the spring of his first year with that company, while working in its corporate training restaurant in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Inspired by the example of his grandfather, Sacco decided to enhance the entrance of the restaurant by planting flowers in two beds near the front door’s main entrance.
His work was interrupted by an irate gentleman who asked him what he was doing. Sacco explained that he thought more people would come into the restaurant if it looked nice and inviting from the outside.
The man was Oscar Grubert. Impressed with Sacco’s vision for running a restaurant, Grubert took Sacco under his wing, sharing industry insights and giving him greater responsibility.
One of those responsibilities came after Sacco was relocated to the newly opened Chez La Mere Tucker location in downtown Montreal, Quebec, where the staff had recently been unionized.
True to his people-first approach, Sacco, who came from a union family, began developing relationships with the employees there.
“There was no magic to it,” Sacco said. “It was just
remembering what my grandfather had told me about making sure you take care of your employees.”
Sacco saw that many of the workers were college students who enjoyed spending time together, so he launched a company broomball team that competed in a local league the first winter he was there. By spring, the workers, who now felt valued and heard by management, voted against the union.
Sacco’s next challenge was opening restaurant locations in the United States. As the only American on staff and after the successful turn of events in Montreal, Sacco was promoted to vice president of operations for the U.S. and sent to Scottsdale, Ariz., to establish the first Mother Tuckers location there. Restaurants in Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle, and Denver followed. Dallas became his home base and where he began his family, which includes four children.
With hospitality as his guiding principle, Sacco later took on executive positions with other national chain restaurants, including Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, and Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shoppes. He was instrumental in the image refresh and franchised growth of
Ponderosa Steakhouse & Buffet and Bonanza Family Restaurants, both domestically and internationally. Sacco even ran his own restaurant brand for a while, with locations in Texas, Arizona, and Florida.
After more than 30 years in the business, Sacco retired. But just a few months later, he was contacted by a recruiter with an interesting opportunity: Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor, a well-known Midwestern pizza chain, was looking for a transformational leader to guide the brand’s national and international expansion.
As Sacco learned more about the iconic restaurant and its “cult-like” following for its specialty pizzas, including the original taco pizza, he became more intrigued.
“It had a different vibe to it than anything I’ve been associated with,” he said. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be with a company that has connected with my soul like this brand has. You never know when and where your greatest career joy and satisfaction will come from.”
In October 2020, he was named CEO, chief happiness officer, and president of the chain.
“I deliver smiles across miles!” he said when asked about his role as chief happiness officer. “I create
a happy place for our guests, particularly the children; our team members; our vendor partners; and last, but definitely not least, our stakeholders.”
Sacco creates these happy places, both domestically and in new markets, including Egypt, with a holistic focus on food, design, technology, and community involvement. He was named a 2023 Top 10 Restaurant Executive by Pizza Marketplace, but he is more interested in being known as a servant-leader than an awardwinning restaurateur.
“When you lead with a servant’s heart, your primary mission is to take care of others before yourself,” he said. “All the things that my grandfather talked to me about as a young child back in the 1960s came to fruition in the 2020s, so it’s almost like coming full circle for me. There is no better reward for your work and the effort you put forth than seeing the enjoyment and satisfaction (of the customers). Happy Joe’s has created generational magic and continues to create magical memories for our current child guests that last them a lifetime.”
CATCHING UP
Class Notes
1950s
Anthony Stranges, ’58, M.S.’63, recently published his fourth book, “Petroleum from Coal: A Century of Synthesis,” the sole historical account of Germany’s 1920s-World War II industrial processes that converted coal to petroleum. He is currently a history of science professor at Texas A&M University, where, as a member of the German Document Retrieval Project, he has added hundreds of documents to the A&M collection, now one of the largest in the United States on the history of synthetic fuel production. His interviews and correspondence with German synthetic fuel scientists who came to the United States during Project Paperclip remain an important part of the record of America’s complicated and controversial relationship with Germany’s World War II scientists. He is also the author of “Transforming America,” a standard work for courses in the history of science.
1970s
Maj. Mark J. Kelly, ’70, was awarded the Military Officers Association of America’s highest recognition, The President’s Award for Exceptional Leadership and Meritorious Service, in support of the objectives and programs of the MOAA. As a key member of the Fort Knox-area chapter and Kentucky’s Council of Chapters, he continues his commitment to serve MOAA members, service members, veterans, and their families, exemplifying MOAA’s motto, “Never Stop Serving.”
1980s
David Werth, ’81, was named partner of counsel at Tronconi Segarra & Associates LLP, a certified public accounting and business consulting firm.
Rebecca Murphy, ’88, research and evaluation team lead in the Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease and Health Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made her Broadway debut in the premiere of the musical “Lifeline” at the off-Broadway Pershing Square Signature Center in New York City, Sept. 17-22, 2024. The former theatre major, who earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in public health, was part of a chorus of “singing scientists and other healthcare professionals” in this musical about Sir Alexander Fleming and the discovery of penicillin. “It’s a dream come true to have both loves come together, and I owe it all to the excellent education I received at NU!” she said.
1990s
Kenna Liddell, ’90, is site supervisor of EMS & Security at ATI Specialty Metals in Lockport, N.Y.
Julie Bellanca, ’91, joined Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, a full-service business law firm, as a business development manager in the firm’s Buffalo office.
2000s
Richard Andres Jr., ’01, received a 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Niagara County Community College Foundation. He is a social studies teacher in the North Tonawanda school district and a 10-year member of the Niagara County Legislature.
Joanne Israel, ’06, was named one of Buffalo Business First’s “2024 Power 200 Women,” a list of women in Western New York’s business community whose talent and influence fuel economic, social, and cultural growth throughout the region. Joanne is general manager of Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino.
Jonathan Haseley, ’08, M.S.Ed.’10, is pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Blossom, in Elma, N.Y., where he is leading the church’s revitalization and rebuilding project after it was destroyed by a fire in 2023. He formerly served as a campus pastor in Omaha, Neb.
Erika Harris, ’09, was named assistant coach of the women’s basketball team at Bethune–Cookman University, Daytona Beach, Fla. She served as women’s basketball head coach at Moberly Area Community College in Moberly, Mo., for the 2023-24 campaign, and at Danville Area Community College in Danville, Ill., for five seasons prior to that, where she led the team to its first Region 24 Championship in program history.
The Class of 1976 class committee invites all of its classmates to reconnect as we prepare for our 50th reunion.
Please email Mike Hogan, MichaelHogan77@gmail.com or join the Class of 1976 Facebook Group.
Vince Anania, M.S.Ed.’93, retired in June 2024 after more than 37 years with the Niagara Catholic District School Board, where he worked as a kindergarten teacher. He is currently working at Joseph Estates Wines in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake and volunteers at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. He reports that he “is truly enjoying retirement to the fullest!”
Michael Kellar, ’09, was promoted to head baseball coach at Illinois Wesleyan University after six seasons as an assistant coach. Prior to coming to Illinois Wesleyan, Michael spent four seasons as assistant coach and pitching coach at Illinois State University.
2010s
Megan Hahin, ’11, was appointed inaugural executive director of Mount Calvary Cemetery Group’s Heritage Foundation. The foundation assists in the conservation of the natural beauty, historic integrity, and cultural heritage of Mount Calvary Cemetery in Cheektowaga, N.Y.
Alexis Layo, ’11, was promoted to tax director in the Syracuse, N.Y., office of Dannible & McKee, LLP. She joined the firm in 2013.
Justin Wainwright, ’11, MBA’13, has joined Key Private Bank as senior vice president, senior relationship manager. He previously was a senior relationship manager at M&T Bank.
Sam Goodwin, ’12, recently published “Saving Sam,” the story of his disappearance in Syria and his family’s extraordinary fight to bring him home. In 2019, as Sam was attempting to travel to every country on the planet, he vanished in a supposed safe-zone run by the Kurds on the Turkish border and spent nine weeks imprisoned in Syria. With the help of a network of journalists, hostage negotiators, Middle East experts, Russian diplomats, Vatican envoys, mercenaries, and members of the Syrian intelligence service, his family was able to bring him home.
Aaron Bevill, ’13, M.S.Ed.’20, was appointed as director of special education for the Forestville, N.Y., Central School District.
Amina Diallo, MBA’13, was promoted to audit principal at Lumsden & McCormick, LLP. She joined the firm in 2014.
Lorraine A. Kochanowski-Sutter, ’14, was named vice president of quality and corporate compliance at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. Prior to joining NFMMC, she spent nearly a decade at UnitedHealthcare, where she held several key leadership roles.
Robert Reeves, ’14, was promoted to audit partner in the Schenectady office of Dannible & McKee, LLP. He joined the firm in 2017.
Dr. Jawdat Mustafa, ’15, joined Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center’s primary care team at the Summit Healthplex.
Cody Candelario, ’16, won the Aug. 20, 2024, episode of “Chopped” on the Food Network. This is his second Food Network win. In July 2015, he beat several experienced chefs to win the championship on “Cutthroat Kitchen.” He also competed on Season 19 of “Hell’s Kitchen,” becoming one of the final four chefs competing for the position as a head chef at Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen Restaurant in Lake Tahoe.
Share Your News With Us!
Let us know what’s new with you: new jobs, new babies, marriages, etc. Send your updates to Lisa McMahon, editor, at lmcmahon@niagara.edu. Digital photos should be taken at the camera’s highest quality setting and sent with a description and the names and class years of the people in it. Due to the volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee publication of alumni notes or photos in the Eagle.
Jade Thomas, ’17, was named Houston County Teacher of the Year. She is a fourth grade teacher at Lake Joy Elementary School in Warner Robins, Ga.
Corey Nash, ’18, is the marketing and communications coordinator for the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He previously served as brand content manager and interim director of marketing at D’Youville University, and as a communications coordinator for FIFCO USA.
Elizabeth Faxlanger, ’19, MBA’20, was promoted from senior accountant to manager at Chiampou Travis Besaw & Kershner LLP, specializing in the real estate niche in its tax department. She joined CTBK in October of 2020.
2020s
Erika Ruggieri, ’20, joined the Oswego Health Medical Practice’s Center for Cardiology team as a physician assistant.
Nineteen members of the Class of 1978 enjoyed a mini-reunion on a Rhine River cruise in November. The trip started in Amsterdam and continued on the Rhine River for seven days through five countries, ending in Lake Como, Italy, for three “magical days,” said Diane O’Hara Mendick. “The trip was amazing, and everyone bonded and recalled old days at Niagara. We were so happy to explore these beautiful lands and be together again. Some people said it was ‘a trip of a lifetime with lifetime friends.’”
The attending Purple Eagles were Mike McGuire, Jim (Spank) Monaghan, Cindy
Monaghan, Diane
Sheppard
O’Hara Mendick, Mike Mendick, Pete Flynn, Frank Torchio, Steve Burger, Tom Barden, Aggie Grier Barden, Karen Polino Larkin, Terry Larkin, Pat Madigan Mirsky, Maura Mulrenan Faughnan, Sandy Maggio Monahan, Rich Monahan, Tom Sweet, John Sullivan, and Terry Green.
CATCHING UP
Marriages/Anniversaries
Carolyn Skaros, ’08, M.S.’09, and Sean Maloney were married on Sept. 21, 2024.
Holly Kaiser, ’16; Audra (Silfee) Cutler, ’08; Carolyn (Skaros) Maloney, ’08, M.S.’09; and Kelly Keroack, ’08.
Brittany Pompi, ’14, and Kevin Flanagan were married on Sept. 27, 2024.
Taylor Mortellaro, ’14; Jill Warner, ’13; Ryan Denz, ’14; Mary Kate Metzger, ’10, M.S.Ed.’12; Sarah Horton, ’14, M.S.Ed.’16, M.S.Ed.’19; Victoria Pascuzzi, ’14; and Brittany Pompi, ’14.
Jay Hannon, ’11, and Laura Yost, ’13, were married on July 27, 2024.
Liz Berger, ’12, M.S.’13; Mark Hauenstein, ’13; Eric Stoutenburg, ’13; Chelsea Jarosz Stoutenburg, ’12; Mary Kate Metzger, ’10, M.S.Ed.’12; Laura Yost Hannon, ’13; Jay Hannon, ’11; Stephanie Grierson Tyler, ’13;
Warner, ’13; Brittany Pompi Flanagan, ’14; Brianna Fries, ’12; and
’12.
Ted Brown, ’13, MBA’20, and Shannon Schmit were married on Sept. 14, 2024.
(Back row) Shawna (Opet) Colavita, ’06; Dave Colavita, ’06; Dennis Coast, ’12; Chris Wolfley, MBA’13; Kevin Schwartz, ’14; Jon Walters, ’13; Shawn Lynch, ’13; Ben Covel, ’13; and Chad Nordin, ’13. (Front row) Martin Cadin, ’64; Martin Brown, ’06; Michael Cadin, ’68; Anika Loeffler, ’12; Sean Farber, ’13; Ben Sweet, ’13; John Buckley, ’13; Matt Hicks, ’13; Shannon Schmit; Ted Brown, ’13, MBA’20; Ryan Schoepfel, ’13; Mary Cadin-Roickle, ’77; Kate (Hardison) Cleveland, ’12; Alex Cleveland, ’14; Natalie (Zimmer) Covel, ’17; Padden Newark, ’13; Emily (Kaufman) Nordin, ’13, M.S.Ed.’16; Rebecca Oliver, ’13; and Stacey Czerwinski, ’13.
Craig LoPresti, ’09, and his daughter (and future Purple Eagle?), Mae, with her preschool teacher, Christy (Amerose) Phelan, ’97.
Niagara University College of Nursing alumni Col. Lorraine Fritz, ’84, Col. Dawn Flynn, ’89, and Col. Roy Harris, ’75, reconnected in September 2024 at an Army Nurse Corps Association Convention in Raleigh, N.C. Deborah (Tansey) Zimmermann, ’80, CEO of The Daisy Foundation, was a keynote speaker during the event.
Jill Spencer
Emily Heiler Saucke,
Alex Intihar, ’16, and Adrianna Rossi, ’16, MBA’17, were married on July 20, 2024.
Gabriella Brzostowicz, ’17; Marla Ernest, ’17; Nick Geraci, ’17, M.S.’20; Briana Neale, ’17; Jessica Rueda, ’17; Alex DiBernardo, ’17; Tera Galvano, ’17; Dick Hillman, ’17; Lucas Koziol, ’16; Chris Galvano, ’17; Mady Cappuccilli, ’18; Kyle Schwindler, ’17; Anthony Cappuccilli, ’17, M.S.Ed.’19; Colin Huntington, ’16; and Cass Huntington, ’18, celebrated the wedding of Alex Intihar, ’16, and Adrianna Rossi, ’16, MBA’17.
Chris Galvano, ’17, and Tera Perilli, ’17, were married on Aug. 31, 2024.
Maria Gaca, ’17; Jacqueline Porras, ’17; Adrianna Intihar, ’17; Marla Ernest, ’17; Gabriella Brzostowicz, ’17; Carly Shank, ’17; Briana Neale, ’17; Anthony Cappuccilli, ’17, M.S.Ed.’19; Alex Intihar, ’17; Kyle Schwindler, ’17; Alex DiBernardo, ’17; Nick Geraci, ’17, M.S.’20; and Dick Hillman, ’17, celebrated the wedding of Chris Galvano, ’17, and Tera Perilli, ’17.
Stuart Blodgett, ’18, and Jessica Wheeler, ’18, were married on July 6, 2024.
Jim Delia, ’66, and Judy Powell Delia, ’66, at the NU men’s hockey game at St. Lawrence University on Oct. 12, 2024. Although NU lost in a sudden-death overtime of 4-3, the game was “very well-played!” they said.
Dotty (Hardy) Kassler, ’77; Betty McArdle, ’75; Joe Helfer, ’75; Joe Kassler, ’74; John (Hondo) Sheehan, ’76; and Bill O’Connor, ’75, met up at the Raintree Restaurant & Pizzeria in Tonawanda, N.Y., on Oct. 5, 2024, to party and listen to live music.
NU alumni Gabe (Buck) Cox, ’18; Kendra (York) Crego, ’19; Ben Slate,’18, M.S.’19; Rachel Slate, ’18; Brian Bremer, ’17; Maria (Croft) Bremer, ’17; Josh Fose, ’17; Hannah (Croft) Fose, ’17; Elizabeth (Bennage) Wisely, ’18; Jason Wisely, ’18, MBA’19; Greg Jubert,’19, MBA’21; Shanique Service, ’18; Nichole (Essig) Heins, ’18; Faith (Moenich) Winkelman, ’17; Jay Winkelman,’17; Dustin Heigl-Dorsino, ’18; Adam Wisely, ’18; Kelly Fitzpatrick, ’17; Quinn Stasa, ’18, M.S.’17; Will Haydanek, ’18, MBA’20; Mary McCormick, ’18; Alicia (Morath) Matesic, ’04; Kevin McDonnell, ’21; Emily DiMaria, ’20; Karina Randles, ’17; and Emilee Dauphinee, ’22, celebrated the wedding of Stuart Blodgett, ’18, and Jessica Wheeler, ’18.
CATCHING UP
In Memoriam
Charles B. Starrs, ’51, passed away on Aug. 2, 2024. He retired from CBS Creative Fundraising Services after a 41-year career in religious fundraising.
Robert L. Porvaznik, ’52, passed away on Sept. 3, 2024. He retired from West Chemical Products in 1997 as Eastern regional sales manager.
Richard F. Kay, ’53, passed away on Sept. 20, 2024. He was employed by Moore Business Forms, Inc., as an accountant and retired as national purchasing manager.
John J. Keegan, ’53, passed away on Nov. 24, 2023. He worked as an adjustment counselor in the Marshfield, Mass., Public Schools until his retirement.
John J. Bishop, ’55, passed away on Aug. 10, 2024. He was a research chemist and developed microencapsulation products for NCR in Dayton, Ohio, and other pharmaceutical companies.
John D. Herrmann, ’55, passed away on June 24, 2023. He had a 35-year career in management with Unisys (Burroughs).
Irving P. Smith Jr., ’56, passed away on June 4, 2024. He owned Smith & Howard Associates Inc., a government relations firm advising transit industry clients on legislative and regulatory issues.
Bernard D. Camia Sr., ’57, passed away on July 11, 2024. He was former president of Hobe Cie Ltd., New York.
James J. Dasey, ’57, passed away on Oct. 13, 2024. He had a career in sales.
Mary (Mercer) Dasey, ’57, passed away on Oct. 26, 2024. She worked as a medical technologist in public health, inpatient and outpatient clinical settings during her career. Our condolences to her daughter, Dr. Maureen Dasey-Morales, ’84, and to her son-in-law, Edgar Morales, ’84.
Frederick S. Lapisardi, ’57, passed away on July 20, 2024. He was a longtime professor of English at California University of PA, the author of four books, and dramaturg for the Yeats Festival at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.
Richard J. Valeri, ’58, passed away on March 30, 2024. He had a career in education, most recently as student teacher supervisor at New Mexico State University.
George A. Wiegers, ’58, passed away on Nov. 24, 2024. He began his financial career at Dean Witter & Company, where he became partner. He later joined Lehman Brothers as a general partner, and retired as managing partner at Dillon Read & Co. in 1993.
Claire Manning Brown, ’59, passed away on June 7, 2024. She worked as an obstetric and recovery room nurse for several years
in New Jersey and North Carolina. Our condolences to her husband, Hubie Brown, ’55, M.S.Ed.’59.
Tomasina (Cassara) Lester, ’59, passed away on Sept. 27, 2024. She had a long and diverse career as a registered nurse working in oncology, pediatrics, psychiatry, medical case management, home health care, and as the small business owner of a legal nurse consulting firm.
Ann (Schmitt) Swartwout, ’60, passed away on Aug. 4, 2024. Our condolences to her daughter, Karin (Swartwout) Connerton, ’89, and to her granddaughter, Katherine Connerton, ’25.
Gene M. Simon, ’61, passed away on Dec. 15, 2024.
Thomas J. Lee Jr., ’62, passed away on June 11, 2024. He retired from Royal Specialty Underwriting in Sherman Oaks, Calif., as a vice president of property and casualty after a 25-year career.
Elizabeth E. Virtuoso, ’63, passed away on Sept. 13, 2024. She was employed at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center for 15 years.
David V. Voellinger, ’63, passed away on July 15, 2024. He retired as director of human resources and communications for Farr Associates in Allentown, Pa., in 2016.
John W. Luraschi, ’64, passed away on March 2, 2024.
Robert E. McGouey, ’64, passed away on Dec. 19, 2024. He worked as a banker for over 35 years. Our condolences to his wife, Francine (Conti) McGouey, ’66.
Stephen D. Winiecki, ’64, passed away on Aug. 12, 2024. He ran biomedical and industrial hygiene testing labs, most recently for SGS Galson Laboratories, Inc.
Brian A. Motter, ’65, passed away on March 7, 2024. His long career in education included positions as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal at Detroit Public Schools, and assistant principal, principal, and superintendent of the Redford Union School District.
John J. Burlick Jr., ’66, passed away on July 26, 2024. He was marketing-interventionist regional director for New Jersey and New York City with Clearbrook Treatment Center, Laurel Run, Pa.
Our condolences to Col. Peter J. Edgette, ’67, on the death of his sister, Ellen Jo Edgette, who passed away on July 28, 2024.
Rev. Msgr. Daniel A. Picciano, ’67, passed away on May 26, 2024. He was active in parish ministry until his retirement in 2017.
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Daniel A. Tracy III, ’67, passed away on Oct. 22, 2024. He served in the Army for 23 years before pursuing a second,
20-year career with Prudential Insurance as an investment adviser and broker until his retirement in 2023. Our condolences to his wife, Susanne (Koszalka) Tracy, ’67.
Rev. John F. Friel, OSFS, ’68, passed away on Sept. 11, 2024. Following his ordination, Fr. Friel completed training at the U.S. Naval Academy. He received a number of awards and decorations during his long career, including the Legend of Merit (three times), the Meritorious Service Medal (twice), the Navy Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Unit Commendation (twice), the Navy “E” Ribbon, the National Defense Service Medal (two stars), the Vietnam Service Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. He retired from service in 1999 with the rank of captain, and began serving in active ministry in Yuma and Tucson, Ariz., until his retirement in 2019.
The Rev. John J. Kelly, OSFS, ’68, passed away on Dec. 3, 2024. His 53 years as a priest included high school, college, and parish ministry, most recently as pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fayetteville, N.C., where he served until 2022.
James J. Tortorici, ’68, passed away on Oct. 7, 2024. He taught high school English in the Shenendehowa, N.Y., Central School District until his retirement in 2001.
Robert M. DiFrancesco, ’69, ’74, M.S.Ed.’79, M.S.Ed.’80, passed away on Sept. 11, 2024. His 40-year career as an educator in the Niagara Falls City School District included positions as a history teacher, dean of students, vice principal, and principal. In 2003, he became the principal of Niagara Catholic Jr./Sr. High School, where he stayed until his retirement a decade later. Our condolences to his wife, Sheila (D’Aloise) DiFrancesco, M.S.Ed.’75.
John M. Fountaine, ’69, passed away on Oct. 13, 2023. John had a 40-year career as an elementary and middle school teacher in schools from New York to Florida, and also served 23 years in the Army Reserves, retiring as a sergeant E-7. Our condolences to his sister, Joan (Fountaine) Biggs, ’68.
Frederick R. Morden, ’69, passed away on Sept. 13, 2024. He worked for Nabisco Shredded Wheat in Niagara Falls, N.Y., for over 35 years.
Our condolences to Andrea (Skivington) Troisi, ’69, on the death of her son, Joseph Troisi, who passed away on May 7, 2024.
Robert R. Caister, ’70, passed away on July 11, 2024. He retired after a career with the Oneida County Department of Social Services.
Louise (Fish) Cushing, ’70, passed away on Aug. 8, 2024. She taught nursing at the New Hampshire Technical Institute for over 30 years.
Ruth (Wisneski) DiGiorgio, ’70, passed away on Nov. 30, 2024. She worked for many years as a media director for Block & DeCorso.
Ronald J. Gentile, ’70, passed away on Dec. 6, 2024. He was an FDIC bank examiner for 20 years, before serving as a bank president and CEO of three different NY community banks for more than 20 years.
Charles G. Grimner, ’70, passed away on Dec. 9, 2024. His lifelong career was with the United States Postal Service.
Joseph F. Wiechec, ’70, passed away on July 27, 2024. He retired as assistant chief, fiscal service, with the US Department of Veterans Affairs in Buffalo, N.Y., and at Bay Pines, Fla.
Thomas R. Zay, ’70, passed away on Oct. 26, 2024. He taught seventh and eighth grade sciences at Riverhead Middle School, Riverhead, N.Y.
Craig C. Gross, ’71, passed away on Aug. 15, 2024.
Dr. William J. Martin, ’71, passed away on Oct. 29, 2024. He was a longtime professor of English at Niagara University.
Joseph M. Austin, M.A.’72, passed away on Oct. 7, 2024. He had a 40-year career teaching in Montgomery County Public Schools. Our condolences to his wife, Eva (Szabunia) Austin, ’69.
Joseph S. Bubas, ’72, passed away on Jan. 21, 2024.
Milton J. Nesbitt, ’72, passed away on Aug. 8, 2024. He had a 30-year career with New York State Electric and Gas.
Our condolences to Rita (Bongiorno) Rolfe, ’72, on the death of her husband, John Rolfe, who passed away on Nov. 23, 2024.
Mario J. Violante Jr., M.S.’72, passed away on Aug. 8, 2024. He was a dentist in Niagara County for over 40 years. Our condolences to his wife, Lois (Tomlinson) Violante, ’77.
Colleen (Cummings) Flynn, ’73, passed away on Oct. 3, 2024. She had a 40-year career in nursing, beginning at VA hospitals and ending in public health with the N.Y. State Dept. of Health in the Bureau of Tuberculosis Control.
Maureen (Bell) Olbon, ’73, passed away on July 13, 2024. She spent the majority of her professional career working as a registered nurse in several departments at Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C., until her retirement.
Walter Schultz, M.S.’73, passed away on Nov. 24, 2024. He was an analytical chemist with E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Niagara Plant, Electronics Materials
Group, where he eventually ran the quality assurance chemistry wet lab and retired after 44 years in 1993.
Maj. Patrick T. Feeley, ’74, passed away on Dec. 23, 2024. He worked for Prolift and finished his career with Buffalo Materials Handling. Our condolences to his wife, Mary (Malahosky) Feeley, ’74; to his daughter, Carrie (Feeley) Brawn, ’03; and to his son-in-law, Dr. Robert Brawn, ’96.
Michael J. Miller, ’74, passed away on Nov. 18, 2024. His law enforcement career spanned 36 years, culminating in the position of chief of police for the town of Sandwich, Mass. After retiring, he served as an adjunct instructor in criminal justice at Cape Cod Community College. Our condolences to his wife, Susan (Fucarino) Miller, ’74.
Our condolences to Carol (Edgette) Rossi, ’74, on the death of her sister, Ellen Jo Edgette, who passed away on July 28, 2024.
Maria (Lubinski) Campbell, ’75, passed away on May 26, 2024. She was a nurse and owned the Congregational Home, a nursing home in Brookfield, Wisc.
Kevin L. Eudell, ’77, passed away on July 2, 2024. He retired after a 30-year career with the Syracuse Housing Authority.
Henriette Basset, ’78, passed away on March 25, 2024. She had a career as a teacher in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Inese Moisejs Wallace, ’78, passed away on July 1, 2024. She was a 26-year retiree from the Department of the Army Civilian Corps. Our condolences to her husband, Lt. Col. Christopher Wallace, ’76.
Michael P. Flanagan, ’80, passed away on Aug. 22, 2024. He was a heavy equipment operator and project supervisor on both commercial and industrial construction and demolition projects across Western New York and other parts of the United States.
Catherine A. Luhr, ’80, passed away on July 8, 2024. She was assistant principal and history teacher at Mt. Mercy Academy, Buffalo, N.Y.
Quain Weber, M.S.’80, passed away on Nov. 8, 2024. She had a 20-year career in the Niagara County Youth Bureau and was owner of Fife and Drum Restaurant and Inn in Youngstown, N.Y. Our condolences to her grandson, Eamon Weber, ’14, and to her daughter-in-law, Bernadette (Brennen) Weber, ’91.
David W. Roche, ’81, passed away Aug. 5, 2024. Our condolences to his wife, Lisa (Roth) Roche, ’83.
Ellen E. Zakshevsky, ’81, passed away on Aug. 13, 2024. She worked at Boston Children’s Hospital for 38 years.
Samuel J. Galante, M.S.Ed.’82, passed away on Oct. 8, 2024. He was a teacher, vice principal, and principal with Halton Catholic District School Board.
Peter J. Dombrowski, ’84, passed away on Dec. 11, 2024. After a career in hotel sales management at various top hotels throughout the country, he began working in healthcare client services for Valley Health System.
Pamela M. Renzi, M.S.Ed.’85, passed away on Dec. 5, 2024. She had a 30-year career as a teacher with the Toronto District School Board.
James J. McElvarr III, ’87, passed away on June 29, 2024.
Karen (Dempsey) MacDavid, ’88, passed away on Jan. 3, 2024. Our condolences to her son, Andrew MacDavid, ’23.
Alison L. Lyons-Barto, ’89, passed away on July 31, 2024. She worked in hotel and college campus hospitality as well as in banking before becoming a massage therapist.
Our condolences to James Braniecki Jr., ’90, on the death of his wife, Lori Braniecki, who passed away on Sept. 11, 2023.
Karen Wood Hurley, ’90, passed away on Dec. 20, 2024.
Our condolences to Kenna Liddell, ’90, on the death of her father, Kenneth Liddell, who passed away on July 31, 2024.
Ronald W. Maron, M.S.’90, passed away on April 27, 2024. He was director and therapist with Hillside Children’s Center, overseeing offices in Warsaw and Wellsville, N.Y.
David M. Galvano, M.S.Ed.’91, passed away on April 14, 2024. He was employed for over 25 years as a teacher for the Niagara Falls Board of Education.
William E. Phelps, ’92, passed away on Nov. 20, 2024. Our condolences to his sister, Kathy (Phelps) Rogers, ’86; and to his niece, Megan Rogers, ’18.
Linda L. Schug, MBA’96, passed away on Sept. 29, 2024. She was employed by the City of Niagara Falls as a claims administrator and as an administrative assistant for the Buffalo Teachers Federation.
Brendan J. Martin, ’03, passed away on Dec. 27, 2024. He was an agent with the United States Secret Service, performing dual investigative and protective missions.
Patricia A. Pileggi, M.S.Ed.’05, passed away on Aug. 8, 2024. She was a teacher at Maple Avenue School in the Niagara Falls School district for 25 years.
Office of Institutional Advancement
11 Vincentian Drive
P.O. Box 2008
Niagara University, N.Y. 14109
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
Come back to campus June 6-8, 2025, to relive your favorite Niagara memories and make new ones with your classmates at Alumni Weekend. This year’s event will honor our alumni who graduated in class years 0’s and 5’s, but all alumni are welcome back to join the fun!
A room block at the Doubletree by Hilton in Niagara Falls has been reserved. Call 716.524.3333 prompt #1 to make your reservation. Please specify that you are a Niagara University alum. The reservation code is NUA.
