On April 1, 2022, St. Thomas Aquinas College honored distinguished members of their Alumni at their 25th Annual Alumni Hall of Fame Celebration. Among those inducted into the STAC Alumni Hall of Fame that night were two Dominican Sisters of Sparkill.
Dr. Eileen M. Cunningham, OP, Class of 1966 Over the course of her illustrious career in education, Sister taught at every level here in the U.S. from pre-school to college, and at the Dominican Convent Higher Secondary School in Bahawalpur. Sister Eileen began her 34-year tenure at STAC in 1977 as Head Teacher for a new campus PreSchool. She taught courses in Reading Instruction, became a full-time professor, and was appointed to Chair of the Teacher Education Program in 1983 where she guided the faculty through the development of the MSEd and other certification programs on the graduate level. Sister Eileen was introduced by Barbara Wallenstein, Class of 1990 and Alumni Board President.
Dr. Margaret A. Palliser, OP, Class of 1971. Sister Margaret has had a variety of ministries since her graduation from STAC. In addition to a career that included elementary, secondary, and college teaching, Sister also served as Assistant Vice President for Mission at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. Having completed a graduate degree in music education at Boston University, Sister served as a liturgist in Rome where she pursued studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University, culminating in a doctoral degree in sacred theology. Sister is currently a member of the Leadership Team of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill. Sister Margaret was introduced by Sister Patricia Hogan, OP, Class of 1971, herself a STAC Hall of Fame Inductee in 2020.
The Alumni Hall of Fame honors alumni of the College who have carried out STAC's Mission "to challenge, guide, and energize each student to realize and create their own path to success and commit themselves to making a profound difference in the world." It was a perfect time for the announcement by Thomas Flood, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, of the creation of a new scholarship fund: The Mission, Ministry, and Service Scholarship which has been named in honor of Sister Peggy Scarano, OP, Class of 1970 and member of the STAC Board of Trustees. This scholarship recognizes Sister Peggy’s many contributions to the promotion of the College’s mission and has been made possible by the generosity of STAC friends and benefactors.
We are so proud of Sisters Eileen, Margaret, and Peggy. They truly have embodied STAC’s motto: Illuminare Mentem Per Veritatem—"To Enlighten the Mind through Truth.