Trinity Magazine: Fall 2006

Notable Alumnae

Therese Critchlow ’43 continues her work at Forensic Mental Hospital under the NJ Department of Human Services for 11 hours a week, and this year received one of three annual awards for outstanding service.

Marie Noonan Sabin ’53 has published a new book – she is the author of the Collegiate New Testament series Vol. 2, Commentary on Mark. She explains that this series is regularly updated, and is written about the apostles’ teachings in a more approachable style for a wider audience.

Caryl Rivers Lupo ’59 has published a new book out, Selling Anxiety, a critique of the media. Lupo keynoted the National Women, Action and the Media conference at MIT in April. At the moment, she is at work on a thriller and an action-adventure screenplay with her FBI son, Steve.

Carolyn Mezzadri ’62 was named Becton Regional High School’s 2005-06 Teacher of the Year at the culmination of her 44-year teaching career in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Shown receiving a commemorating plaque from Board President Lawrence Bongiovanni, this is the second time Mezzadri has received this honor. She was also awarded the New Jersey Governor’s Award for Outstanding Teaching and was the College of New Jersey Outstanding Educator of 2004 among many other teaching awards from several civic organizations throughout her tenure. Becton Superintendent Dr. Samuel Feldman said Mezzadri didn’t miss a day of school in 44 years. “Her record is amazing,” Dr. Feldman said. “In all those years, she never took a sick day.”

According to The Leader newspaper, Mezzadri began teaching English at the old East Rutherford High School in September 1962. For the past 35 years, she has been chairperson of the English Department and in 1990, also become the Advanced Placement Coordinator at Becton. She served the students as the advisor to many different clubs through the years, including cheer leading.

When asked if she had any advice for new teachers entering the teaching profession in 2006, she said that the first year of teaching is the most difficult. “Don’t become discouraged,” she said.

Mary Alice O'Dowd ’63 had two chapters published this year in textbooks on AIDS and was also honored for lifetime achievement by the Society for Liaison Psychiatry.

Dr. Susan Brown ’67 has just come out with a new book, The Acid Alkaline Food Guide, examining the effect of foods on bone health.

Three Trinity women were featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer in October for being among the “101 Top Connectors in Philadelphia”: Helen Cunningham ’71, executive director of the Samuel S. Fels Foundation, Gloria Guard ’67, president of the People’s Emergency Center; and Irene Hannan ’68, senior vice president of Citizens Bank. The 101 Top Connectors were selected by Leadership Philadelphia, a community leadership organization. The Connectors project is designed to stimulate a positive conversation about good leadership in greater Philadelphia, identify area leaders across sectors who exemplify quality leadership, and develop and implement a leadership curriculum in Philadelphia-area school systems.

Jane Grall ’71, former Superior Court Judge in Trenton, NJ, has been promoted to be a judge in the Appellate Division and now hears cases and renders appellate opinions. Her husband, Ed Neafsey, is a judge of the Superior Court in NJ.

After obtaining a teaching certification with an expertise in early childhood education, Marcy Griggs McNabb ’71 home-schooled her children through 8th grade. They later attended a Catholic high school in Napa, CA. McNabb has written a book about her home-schooling experiences, Home Education: A Pioneering Adventure.

Colleen Hallisy Schaefgen ’71 is launching a new web site, PowerfulSingleWomen.com, for the newly single woman, that offers coaching support "to help her create a life that she loves." Schaefgen works as a life coach, helping women make satisfying choices for their life and work, and create the life of their dreams. She has over 15 years of experience in consulting and training with organizations and individuals at all levels in a Fortune 100 company.

Ann Kurz ’83 graduated from the NYS Partners in Policymaking program in November 2005. Her “partners” elected her to give one of the graduation speeches. She continues to work as a merchandising support analyst at Wegman’s Food Markets.

Elizabeth Whelan ’83 had the honor of having her textile collection, Luminesce, selected by the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum for its Design Triennial. The museum, part of the Smithsonian, selects and exhibits the best of American Design every three years. Luminesce will be on display from December 2006 to July 2007 at the NYC museum. Designed in 2004, Luminesce has also won a Design Distinction Award from ID Magazine, an international magazine focusing on design. Since graduating from Trinity, Whelan earned a degree in fine arts, specializing in textiles, from the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1997, she started her own design studio, Elizabeth Whelan Design, Inc., and has designed collections for internationally renowned companies such as Humanscale, Knoll, Richard Schultz Design and Spinneybeck Leather. Whelan also taught at the Rhode Island School of Design and Parsons School of Design and was honored as a visiting foreign faculty member at the National Institute of Fashion and Technology in New Delhi, India.

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