(Sparkill, NY, September 7, 2006) -St. Thomas Aquinas College will bestow the Aquinas Medals upon Thomas and Maureen Leahy, and the Founders Awards on Sister Celeste Leger, O.P. and Sister Perpetua Deane, O.P., at the College's Annual Tribute Dinner at the Hilton Pearl River on Friday, October 13, 2006. Tickets for this event are $300 per person. Proceeds will benefit students via the Thomas & Maureen Leahy Scholarship Fund. For more information, contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at 845-398-4020.
"Tom is a member of our Board of Trustees and serves the College and its constituencies admirably. Tom and Maureen have been great friends to St. Thomas Aquinas College and have been partners in the institution's growth," said Dr. Margaret Fitzpatrick, S.C., president of the College.
Tom Leahy, Managing Director for Marsh Inc., has served as the leader of the Northeast Region and as a member of the Marsh Inc. Board of Directors. He is currently Chairman of G5 (Global 500) which takes Tom and Maureen to many interesting parts of the globe.
Maureen Leahy is currently working with One-to-One Learning, a program run by the Dominican Sisters, teaching English as a second language. She was a teacher in the North Rockland School District as well as St. Margaret of Antioch School in Pearl River, NY.
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"Sister Celeste and Sister Perpetua have dedicated their lives to living out the College's motto, "Enlighten the Mind Through Truth," and they continue to inspire the College community today. They are exemplars who we strive to emulate in our own lives," said Dr. Fitzpatrick.
Sister Celeste Leger joined the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill in September 1946. A graduate of Fordham University with a B.S. in Education, St. John's University with a M.A. in history and Catholic University with a Ph.D. in History, Sister's teaching career spanned all age levels - elementary, secondary, and college - in the Archdioceses of New York, Brooklyn and St. Louis. Then in 1968, Sister joined the faculty of St. Thomas Aquinas College where she remained until her retirement from formal education in 1998.
Sister Perpetua began her life as a Dominican Sister of Sparkill in 1938. Language was always an interest of Sr. Perpetua's and her studies took her to Manhattan College where she received a B.A. in French and to Catholic University where she received her M.A. in Romance Languages. In 1965, she joined the faculty of STAC, then a young college whose primary focus was the education of the Dominican Sisters in preparation for their ministry of education. Throughout her academic career, she continued her studies in Hunter College as well as in France and Spain. In 1989, Sister was awarded an Honorary Degree in Humane Letters from St. Thomas Aquinas College and then the distinction of Professor Emerita of Romance Languages in 1998.
The College has established more than 80 commemorative scholarships to benefit its incoming first year students. The scholarships are renewable for each of the student's four years. For more information on the College, its scholarship program, or to contribute to the Leahy Scholarship Fund, please contact the Office of Advancement at 845-398-4020.