Meet Our Donors

Support for the Performing Arts Leads to Impactful Gift

Joy Yagman has worked with senior citizens her entire career. Now, her gift through her estate will support the next generation of performers.

Alumna’s Gift Will Help Others Follow the Spirit of Mālama Honua

Hawaii native Leslie Morioka’s generous gift will create a legacy of helping future generations combine an excellent legal education from Pace with their passion for environmental conservation.

Susan Lubalin is an alum, volunteer and donor. She’s also receiving a few benefits from her generosity, including a tax benefit, after making a gift to Pace through her IRA.

In Memoriam: Harry D. Mayo III (1939–2022)

Harry D. Mayo III supported Pace in many ways. His giving spirit lives on through a generous estate gift.

What I Needed to Do

Through her estate, Lorna Linhart helps Pace’s Pleasantville students on their path to become nurse practitioners.

Never Waste a Moment

Jo has never been good at staying still. When the COVID-19 pandemic started, the boredom of being locked inside with nothing to do was so bad that she registered for classes at the senior center, even if they didn’t interest her.

Estate Gift Helps Students—Today and in the Future!

Years ago, Bill said, "My own education was only made possible by scholarship. Life has afforded us many opportunities. It's important to give back," and Bea wholeheartedly agreed!

Sally Chin McElwreath Pace BA 63; MBA ‘69

For Sally Chin McElwreath, Pace means opportunity.

Milt Feldman

Milt Feldman’s parents emigrated from Eastern Europe in the years leading up to World War I, settling in Queens, where Milt was born. When Milt graduated high school, World War II had already begun.

Eugene Celentano ’63

Eugene Celentano ’63 grew up in Queens, the largest and most ethnically diverse borough of New York City and the most linguistically diverse place in the world. Motivated to become the first in his family to graduate from college, Gene decided to attend Pace University to study accounting, and later he earned his MBA in financial management in 1971.

A Lifetime of Service

Pace University changed Neil Bianco’s life. The first in his family to attend college, Neil wasn’t sure what to expect when he began his courses. He chose Pace for its prestigious accounting program, but he found so much more.

Simple Choices, Big Impact

Helen Emanuel ’03 graduated Pace with a Hospitality Management degree. Her successful hospitality career quickly led to event planning, event décor, and to Helen’s passion in children’s events and décor, starting her company, Favor Your Day!

Investing in Pace, Investing in New York

Education was always at the forefront of E. Virgil Conway’s mind. He graduated high school as valedictorian and then received scholarships to attend Colgate University, where he graduated magna cum laude, and Yale University Law School, where he graduated cum laude.

A Cause You Love

Bill Kaung started working in life insurance in the Wall Street area when he was 17. He then attended what was Pace College in the mid 1960s to learn the basics of accounting and finance.

For This Alum, Everything Comes Back to Pace

When Kevin Birdsall was a high school senior, he took an accounting class and immediately was hooked. He knew he wanted to continue to study accounting in college, and since his brother attended Pace just five years earlier, Kevin knew it was a natural fit.

Encouraging Tomorrow's Leaders in Nursing

Dean Harriet R. Feldman is a proud leader and educator who acknowledges the value of scholarship and support, a catalyst for her own professional success. Dean Feldman was fortunate to have parents who were able to help her cover the costs of her diploma education, and the rest of her education was partially funded by a traineeship (at the time, a federal grant designed to increase the number of qualified nurses in the country).

The Will to Do Well

Liz Mackay selected Pace, where she was an undergraduate, for her scholarship fund. What distinguishes Pace for her is its high national ranking for the upward economic mobility of its graduates. Pace is among the universities with the highest number of first-generation graduates — and she was the first person in her family to graduate from college.

Educator's Gift Creates Opportunities for Future Generations

Brian Evans joined the Pace family in 2007 as an assistant professor of Math Education in our School of Education. He came for an esteemed position, but what he found was much greater: a calling.

Successful Alum Creates New Opportunities at Pace

When Bob Hutton decided to go to college, he wasn't overwhelmed with options. He and his sisters were the first in their New Jersey family to attend college. His parents didn't have extra money for him to go away to school so he needed to commute. He decided he wanted to major in accounting so he chose the best local school for this degree, Pace University.

Giving Back for the Support She Received

When something's right, you just know it. Everything clicks the way it should. That's how Jennifer Loftus describes her experience at Pace University.

A Simple Gift, a Significant Impact

When fellow Pace alumnus Michael Mital '11 first enrolled in the university's Lubin School of Business, he promised himself that he would seize every opportunity for personal, educational and professional enrichment that came his way.

Making a Permanent Mark at Pace

For Loretta Menger '60, philanthropy to Pace University is all about bringing it full circle. "I was on a full tuition scholarship for my last two years at Pace," she reminisces. "I just thought it was the right thing for me to start giving back. The idea of establishing a scholarship for a deserving, hardworking Pace student was very appealing to me."

Edward W. Stack ’56 H’91

Edward W. Stack ’56 H’91 is the president of The Clark Estates, Inc., where he has worked ever since graduating from Pace. He is also a vice president, director, and trustee of many cultural and civic organizations, including the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, The Clark Foundation, The Farmers’ Museum, The New York State Trooper Foundation, and The Salvation Army. A member of the Edward J. Mortola Heritage Society, he has committed an estate gift to Pace and has also been a consistent donor to the University, having made his first gift in 1967.

Giving to Its Greatest Potential

Nancy Goodman '77 supports Pace in several ways, including naming the University as a partial beneficiary of her IRA.

A Sister's Love

Thomas F. Delaney '87, along with his sister, Judy, realized the importance of higher education at an early age. Although they did not have the opportunity themselves, Tom and Judy's parents made sure that both of their children attended college.

A Proud Legacy: 30+ Years with Lienhard School of Nursing

Marily Jaffe-Ruiz has been proudly working for Pace’s Lienhard School of Nursing since 1981—that’s more than half of Lienhard’s 50-year lifetime! From day one, she’s been impressed by this great university and its students: dedicated, intelligent, creative, and hardworking diverse people, eager to practice nursing and committed to patient care.

A Fortunate Life Leads to Future Giving

Joe Fineo is part of a proud tradition dating to the 1950s, when Pace educated thousands of GIs returning from military service. In transferring from another university, he lost his military deferral. But instead of being drafted into the Army, he enlisted in the Marines, where he served 1½ years on various bases, and 4½ years as a reservist, while pursuing his Pace BBA.

Delivering on Promises for Next Generation

A few years back, Robert Demmett attended a presentation given by Stephen J. Friedman, former President of Pace University. President Friedman spoke about keeping Pace focused on its core purpose, i.e., providing a quality college education to those students who are the first in their families to attend college. Pace offers these students training in professions which will provide an opportunity to obtain high-paying jobs and ideally increase their social and economic standing.

Judah Klein '49

I take tremendous pride in my Pace education and in the career that Pace helped me build. After serving in the Navy during World War II, the GI Bill funded my Pace education, and Pace's rigorous curriculum challenged and motivated me to complete my degree in 2½ years, becoming part of the first Pace class to receive college degrees. That was a proud day for Pace and for me.

How My IRA Helped Support Pace Students’ Entrepreneurial Spirit

Donald Ehrgott is a proud member of the Pace University alumni community, having graduated from Pace College as a student of the Class of 1950. His years at Pace were filled with hard work and a desire to improve upon the modest upbringing his family could provide during the Depression and its aftermath. Fortunately, his Pace education was funded by the GI Bill after he served in the Navy.

A Generous Gift for Real-World Opportunity

William Pfluger's Pace education provided him with, literally, a world of opportunity. After being raised in Long Island, Bill became the first in his family to attend college. He attended Pace University on scholarship and accredits his success to his esteemed professors, who had accounting experience outside of academia and provided real world insight.

Virginia Curry '59, '88, with Pace's Director of Planned Giving Marc Potolsky

Virginia A. Curry GCC'59, LAW '88

Scholarships made my education possible from my undergraduate years at Good Counsel College through my years at Pace Law School. I commuted to Good Counsel and graduated with a Biology major/Education minor. After earning a graduate degree, I taught students Biology and Chemistry in several public high schools in Westchester County.

Paying It Forward

Caress Kennedy selected Pace when she decided to get her Executive MBA because of Pace's reputation in the business community. One of the most important factors for her in selecting Pace was that her professors have experience in the "real world," not just academia. In fact, that real-world experience has been the hallmark of Pace since its inception.

Vincent M. Blazewicz '79 and father Vincent R. Blazewicz '55

Vincent M Blazewicz, Lubin School of Business, 1979

My experience with Pace University goes back to long before I enrolled as a student, since my dad attended Pace in the 1950s. In those days, a Pace education provided students with a strong business background, and many Pace graduates were accomplished leaders and executives in the country's most pre-eminent companies.

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