Sally Chin McElwreath Pace BA 63; MBA ‘69

For Sally Chin McElwreath, Pace means opportunity.

Sally was born to Chinese immigrants. Her father ran a farm in rural New Jersey that grew Chinese vegetables to sell in Chinatown. The family split their time living two different lives: winter in Chinatown where they had hot water and plumbing, and the rest of the year on the farm with well water and an outhouse. This took a great toll on Sally’s schooling. Since New York and New Jersey had different standards for each year, she could be in first grade in New York and second in New Jersey. This caused Sally to have a hard time mastering English. In Chinatown, her accent was not uncommon, but in New Jersey her accent caused suspicion, since World War II had recently ended and Asian-Americans faced prejudice.

When Sally was 8, a nun took her into a bilingual Catholic missionary school in Chinatown. There, she received extra attention, mastered English, and ended her elementary school years at the top of her class. She then went to Catholic high school where she also excelled. Although she had considered earning her bachelor’s, her traditional Chinese parents prioritized her brothers’ education, so she entered the workforce.

One day, Sally bumped into a friend who was attending Pace University, who suggested Sally enroll at Pace while continuing to work. She enrolled in a couple of classes and was quickly hooked. Soon Sally decided to matriculate. When she asked her father for money to enroll full time, he agreed with the condition she marry a Chinese man. Sally felt too young to make that decision, and declined.

Sally visited Pace’s Dean of Students to explain that in order for her to matriculate, she would need to work full time first to save up enough money. The Dean immediately called the head of the liberal arts department.

“I can picture this very vividly. He hung up, opened the middle drawer, took out a piece of paper and said ‘My dear, you have a full scholarship.’”

Sally was nervous and excited to be finally pursuing her dreams. While working part time for extra money, she excelled in her courses and started writing for Pace’s newspaper, eventually becoming editor.

“The instructors were a major part of the process. I had no idea what you do in college because I’ve never been exposed to anything beyond farm life and Chinatown. They were very helpful and personally put me on the path to life ahead. They were my mentors and guides.”

While attending Pace, Sally learned about corporate writing and public relations, which became her focus. Through her talent, dedication, and education, Sally had an incredibly successful career. After graduation, she held various roles with ARCO, Sinclair Oil Corporation. Macmillan Inc., The Travel Channel, TWA, United Airlines and Aquila, Inc., a Fortune 100 company from which she retired as senior vice president—corporate communications. Sally also served as a public affairs Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, attaining the rank of Captain.

Now 80, Sally decided to allocate a generous gift to Pace in her will alongside numerous other donations.

“I give because Pace was a key component in my life. It put me in the direction and steered me, step by step, where I needed to go. After graduation I got a job at Sinclair, they offered to pay for my graduate degree. That’s when I went back to Pace and got my M.B.A. while working full time.

One of the legacies Pace left to me was when a professor, in response to a mark given on a final paper that I thought deserved higher, his response “I know you can do better,” mirrored what my mother had said to me, and it was something that has stayed with me for life.

Through her donations, Sally hopes to give others the chance that she was given: the chance to get an education, the chance to change their lives.