A Gift of Hospitality

Don Green in Memory of Isabella Wilkinson-Green ‘27

Raised in Western Pennsylvania in a hardworking middle-class family, Don embodied his parents’ strong commitment to helping the less fortunate. He carried these same qualities throughout his life. His proudest achievement involved providing a home and lifelong care to a homeless woman, culminating in end-of-life care through the Little Sisters of the Poor. Motivated and inspired by his parents at a young age, Don began his first job as a caddy at the Rolling Rock Country Club at the age of 10. He went on to garner much success in the business world. He credits his ambition to his parents’ aspirations for him and has never forgotten one of their first lessons—a lesson lived and learned—to give back. To honor his mother and one of her lifelong friends, Don created the Isabella Wilkinson-Green/Kathryn Cepull-Woleslagle Scholarship. He also made a transformative gift to the Allenwood. The Allenwood is a simulation restaurant and has been in operation since 1916. Don’s generous gift brought the restaurant into the 21st century with an updated dining area and modern appliances. The dining room is named the Isabella Wilkinson-Green Dining Room in honor and memory of his mother, Isabella WilkinsonGreen, who graduated in 1927 and was one of the first two students to graduate from the State Teacher’s College (IUP) with a four-year home economics degree.

Rebecca Verrastro

While pursuing a dream to become a veterinarian, Rebecca’s true passion revealed itself, quite surprisingly. While volunteering for a student organization, she realized that her true passion was event planning. She remembered a university on her short list from high school which was renowned for its hospitality program—IUP. Upon meeting Stephen Shiring, Professor of Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management, and his team, she knew she had found the perfect match. Her work in the Allenwood Restaurant with Chef Jeffrey Santicola has been especially rewarding given its reality-based setting with its updated dining space and modern kitchen—all made possible with the generous gift given by Donald Green in memory of his mother. Rebecca loves learning about food presentation, preparation, customer service, bartending, and business management. Working as a student assistant in the Office of Annual Giving to help offset the cost of tuition, she has a unique perspective on individuals who are asked to give to IUP. When asked what she would tell donors, she said, “Thank you profusely, from the bottom of my heart, because this has been one of the best experiences. I did not know if I was going to go back to school, but I’m really grateful to have made the decision to pursue a hospitality degree. And I am really grateful for IUP and everybody who contributes to it to allow students like me to really excel and learn.”