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.
Once again, we are reminded that “The Albertus Story is Your Story.” The latest example is the many fun, fond, and fabulous memories of the Class of 1970 as they were welcomed into the Golden Society — virtually of course.
The Golden Society of Albertus Magnus College was created in 2001 as a way to recognize graduates who celebrate 50 years or more as dedicated and loyal members of the Alumni Association. This year’s virtual event was hosted by the Office of Advancement, attended by alumni from 15 different states, and captured several glorious Albertus experiences. Some conversations were nostalgic and others were personal observations on how Albertus shaped them into the persons they are today.
For instance, Barbara Frinder O’Donnell ’70 reflected upon meeting “a very special guy” at a mixer with the College of the Holy Cross on one Friday the 13th in her Junior year.
“We danced under the disco ball, drank root beer sodas, and talked for hours. Then we married,” she happily shared.
Maria Mendes ’70 said, “What I remember most about Albertus was the impromptu parties, the sharing of the joys of all of our friends, and I also remember walking, walking everywhere, down the hill to Yale, down the hill to Ann Taylor, or the Potpourri.”
For others, their solid educational foundation prepared them for life.
Janet Nowakowski Gold ’70 talked about an influential professor, Ruth Sedgwick, who taught Latin American Literature. Fast forward 20 years when she went back to school and got a doctorate in Latin American lit.
“I realized she had transmitted to me some of her love not only of literature but the realization that literature can be studied and enjoyed and lived in the world and not only in books and the library,” she proclaimed.
Nora Conlon ’70 and Leslie Hudson ’70 cited the critical thinking skills they learned at Albertus as tools that have served them well in life.
“One of the hallmarks of an Albertus liberal arts education is that it didn’t tell me what to think, it taught me how to think,” said Hudson.
Added Conlon, “The education I got at Albertus, well, there could not have been a better one. That critical thinking has enabled me to live a pretty wonderful life.”