The following article appeared in the From The Hill Magazine 2020 Issue. Follow these links to make a gift, update your information, or submit a class note.
Stephanie Stiefel Williams and her godmother, Marguerite Flannery ’43. 
Yearbook photo of Marguerite Flannery ’43
In 1939, Catherine Pierson and Marguerite Flannery ’43, two life-long friends since their early days at St. Francis School in Fair Haven, began their college careers at Albertus Magnus College. Catherine also studied music at the Yale Music School, which was then an all-male college, and won the prestigious piano prize. While attending a harmony class at Yale, Catherine met Werner K. Stiefel and fell in love. In her junior year, Catherine married Werner and left Albertus. Marguerite continued her studies and graduated in 1943 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and French. After her time at Albertus, Marguerite earned advanced degrees in Library Science from Columbia University and Southern Connecticut State University. She was a library teacher at Fair Haven Jr. High School and then at Wilbur Cross High School from 1966 until her retirement in 1982.
Unlike her five older siblings, Stephanie Stiefel Willams’ godmother wasn’t a relative, it was her mother Catherine’s best friend, Marguerite Flannery ’43. Her siblings used to tell her that she had the best godmother because Marguerite was very involved in Stephanie’s life — sending her birthday cards and attending her school events and plays. She was very supportive of Stephanie throughout her entire life.
Stephanie remembers Marguerite, who passed away in 2015, for her community involvement and impish sense of humor. From an early age, faith was a large part of Marguerite’s life. As the only daughter of two Irish Catholics, service, volunteerism, and charity were integrated into all she did. Stephanie recalls often joking with her godmother that Marguerite had a better social life than she did. Marguerite was a member and officer of the Catholic Charity League and a member of the New Haven Federation of Teachers, the CT Association of Retired Teachers, the New Haven Council of Catholic Women, the Ladies Guild of St. Joseph’s Church, and the Irish American Historical Society. She also was a volunteer in the St. Raphael’s Hospital Gift Shop for 23 years. At Albertus, she was a member and president of the Albertus Magnus College Alumni Association and President of the New Haven Alumnae Chapter. Marguerite was also a loyal donor to the College and member of the President’s Associates, donating over $20,000 in her lifetime.
Stephanie recalled her move-in day at Fairfield University when Marguerite made Stephanie’s new roommate believe that she was going to live with her. She also remembers Marguerite taking her to the Stony Creek Puppet House in Branford to see a theatre production. Today, the Puppet House has been purchased and is being renovated by Legacy Theatre, of which Stephanie is the co-founder and trustee chair. With a planned opening in April 2021, Stephanie hopes to bring uplifting and inspiring theatre to the Greater New Haven area, theatre which makes people feel better for having been there.
To honor her godmother and Marguerite’s love for Albertus, Stephanie and her husband, Luke Williams, pledged to create an endowed scholarship: the Marguerite M. Flannery ’43 Scholarship Fund.
“She was a proud alumna and a big time cheerleader for Albertus. I know it was her wish to leave something to Albertus before she passed, but she didn’t have much to leave for a bequest,” said Stephanie. “She never would have put it in her name because she was an extremely modest person and did not like the spotlight. However, I decided to put it in her name because she deserves recognition for the kind of person that she was and the things she did for Albertus and the community.” While Marguerite never married and did not have children of her own, she was very devoted to Stephanie. Stephanie feels that, “Albertus was one of her babies as well.” Stephanie and Luke do not yet have any criteria set for who might be the recipient of the scholarship because they believe there are so many reasons for someone to receive one.
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