SERVING COUNTRY AND COLLEGE

Serving Country & College:

battleground nurses — supporting our armed forces

Twin sisters and Mount Nursing alumnae Elizabeth ScannellDesch ’72, PhD, RN, OCNS, FAAN and Mary Ellen Doherty ’72, PhD, RN, CNM, are well-versed in the triumphs and hardships of the military nurse: They coauthored two books revealing the stories of U.S. military nurses who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Nurses in War: Voices from Iraq and Afghanistan (2012) and Nurses After War: The Reintegration Experience of Nurses Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan (2016).

The books greatly benefit from the sisters’ collective experience both in the military and as pillars in the field of Nursing. Scannell-Desch just retired as the associate dean for Baccalaureate Nursing Programs and a professor of Nursing at Rutgers University, a former Mount Nursing professor and department chair, and a decorated retired Air Force officer with 25 years of service. She rose to the rank of Colonel, command nurse executive at USAF Headquarters in the Pentagon.

Doherty is a certified nurse-midwife and an award-winning professor of Nursing at Western Connecticut State University. She teaches nursing students at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels.

But back in late 1960s and early 1970s, Scannell-Desch and Doherty were only at the start of their careers, working towards a bachelor’s degree in Nursing at the Mount. The sisters were some of the earliest gradu

Mary Ellen Doherty ’72, PhD, RN, CNM and Elizabeth Scannell-Desch ’72, PhD, RN, OCNS, FAAN

ates of the college, and some of the first to benefit from the demanding Nursing program founded by the Dominican Sisters.

“The MSMC Nursing program was the most rigorous and well-designed program one could imagine,” said Scannell-Desch. “I sailed through my MSN program at University of Pennsylvania and my doctoral program at Georgia State University because the Mount prepared me so well. The Mount program gave me the academic and clinical tools to be successful as my career blossomed in the US Air Force.”

Doherty added that “I fell in love with maternal-newborn nursing while at MSMC. Birth has never ceased to amaze me even after being a nurse-midwife for over 30 years and 2,000-plus babies later. Now, I plant the seeds of midwifery in my nursing students."

The World Health Organization has designated 2020 as ‘The Year of the Nurse and Midwife.’

A large part of their joyful memories of the college revolve around the lifelong connections they made with their professors and their classmates.

“The Mount faculty became role models for life, and that included nursing as well as arts and sciences faculty,” explained Scannell-Desch. “Sr. Leona DeBoer, Sr. Barbara Bohny, Dr. James Cotter, and Dr. Edith Lessor hold special places in my heart. I still have my English book from Dr. Cotter’s class.”

For Doherty, her most memorable professor was Sr. James Elizabeth, who now goes by Sr. Leona DeBoer, OP. “She was a trailblazer, a visionary, and a quiet leader in Nursing,” said Doherty. “She was progressive in her thinking and wanted to prepare nursing students for the realities we would face in our chosen career after graduation. She challenged us academically and clinically, and we all rose to the occasion. She inspired us to work hard, think critically, and embrace a holistic philosophy when caring for families.”

She added, “I made lifelong friends at MSMC. Linda Fabbri Keithley ’72 and I roomed together for all four years, and she sat next to me at my daughter’s wedding reception in 2015. Other close friends who I still keep in touch with are Anne Wolff Rich

Professor Emerita of Nursing Sr. Leona DeBoer

Mount Nursing students have Sr. Leona DeBoer, OP to thank for their incredible experience here in the Mount's Nursing program. Sr. Leona helped to found the Nursing major here at the college. Even after her retirement, she continues to remain closely connected to the college community. She often returns to campus for the Alumni Nursing Symposium and the annual Nurse Pinning Ceremony. The Sr. Leona DeBoer Graduate Nursing Award is named in her honor.

’71, Olga Alonso Kelley ’71, Gerri Walotsky Cass ’71, and Nancy Cuomo Bailey ’72.”

Now, Mount Nursing students enjoy state-ofthe-art simulation labs and clinical relationships with more than 40 area hospitals. What’s stayed the same since the twins graduated, however, is the Mount’s passionate faculty, who are dedicated to the success of both their undergraduate and graduate students.

Throughout the many highlights of their careers, Scannell-Desch and Doherty never forgot the college that gave them their start. The sisters have paid it forward to future generations of Mount students by contributing to three scholarships between them. Scannell-Desch funds a scholarship for a graduate student in Nursing in the name of her late husband, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph M. Desch.

Doherty funds a scholarship in the name of her best friend in the nursing program, Patricia Welch Donahue ’72, RN, who passed away several years ago. In addition, both sisters fund a scholarship in the field of Education for their mother, Marie Murphy Scannell, who was the supervisor of elementary schools in Perth Amboy, N.J. for more than 40 years. And now, both sisters have begun the process of endowing additional scholarships in the names of their mother and Scannell-Desch’s husband, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph M. Desch, USAF.

“I believe scholarships are an investment in our future,” explained Scannell-Desch. “Current undergraduate and graduate students are the future of our community and our country. I received scholarships to help me through college, and now I'm passing it on.”

Doherty echoed her sister’s sentiment: “I want students to be able to experience the excellent education that I did at the Mount. My Nursing education opened the door for me to go on to become a family nurse practitioner, a certified nurse-midwife, academic researcher, and professor. I believe that I am following God’s plan for me and that MSMC played a big role in guiding me towards a role of service. I love MSMC, and it holds a special place in my heart."

Archive photos of Mount Nursing students during the 1970s

Alumni Donors July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019

CONTINUED Dr. Richard C. Reed Mary Lou T. Sgro Joseph P. Spano Diane Pignataro Statler Dr. Karen Marinelli Wallis Class of 1978 Regina Hosey Adducci Patricia Miller Barki Maryann Belus Davidson Mary Ellen Gregory Diver Sharon A. Harris Debra Killeen Jaggers Mike Lepore Susan Williamson Marian Jacqueline Newman McConnell Maureen T. McLoughlin Lorelei Linger Pitt Mary Ellen Lewicki Plass

Class of 1979 Linda Bingham Arnold Lisa Caporaso Dyke Mary Susan Hendricks Christine Catania Johnston Donna Lee Connell Kleister Roxanne Bauer Miller Diane M. Rubeo Maureen A. Ryan Judith A. Saleh Elaine Maurici Snider Marie F. Sossi Virginia E. Thompson Mary Skerritt Winar

Class of 1980 Nancy G. Beckett Carla Bunch-Davie Stephanie S. Collins 16 DONOR IMPACT REPORT

Kelly McMahon Cook Paula Morreale Curtis Anne Walsh Dalton Dale Ellen Dammier Joseph J. DiCioccio Maureen E. Elliott-Stuckey Christine Macy Feroli Joyce V. Garrett Gretchen Underhill Gartman Linda Kastenbein Giarrizzo Caren Cooke Henderson Lisa LaRotonda LaFalce Susan Donohue Luerssen Victoria A. Maute Joanne O'Reilly Mohan Dr. Kathleen A. O'Brien Deborah R. Pariser Colleen Bonner Postel Brenda A. Shurtleff Agnes Montalvo Timberger Linda Ventrano Williams Sharon Di Genio Wulftange Alice Murphy Yoder

Class of 1981 Ruth Sheridan Bolger June Orr Burgess Debra Santora Calvino Anne Ferrara Chiapetta William T. Corrigan Dorothy E. Davidson Rosemary Dellechiaie Evelyn C. Foley Annemarie Berckovits Furphy Susan Shearer Gray Mary Boyle Haas Janice E. Harding Anne Bulson Hoffman Barbara L. Hultgren Claudia L. Jenkins Ronald La Sota Edward J. Lowe Ann MacDermott-Keefe Cheryl Clarke Margiotta Karen Mills-Heron Joyce Gentillo Mucci Kate J. Novak Mary M. Sullivan Patricia C. Taylor Joseph Tierney III

Barbara B. Trent Donna Bills Yancey Terry Rundle Zaccheo Donna Halligan Zaino

Class of 1982 Elizabeth Zangle Anderson Sharon Berry-Carrion Kathleen Stack Burns Linda Dobias Dombroski Dr. Mary Ann Vaccarella Fiscella Dr. Michael J. Fraser Christina Byrne Fredericks Margaret L. Gagnon Susan Turnbull Generazio Nancy L. Hoyt Camille Murphy Kennedy Mary O'Connell Lewis Anne Smith McGillin Marta A. Newkirk Margaret M. Prial Harriet Gall Rowlette Barbara Kramer Shortt Caryn Stafford Sobel Kelvin T. Thomas Ann-Marie Walker Class of 1983 Elizabeth Seranne Brittman Theresa A. Casey Dr. Jorge R. Delgado Ruth E. Hill Linda Thompson Jannarone Maureen McGeever Kenney Jeanette Clarke Kluckowski Marie DiPrima Kochek Mysia Haight Julia Martin Holland Margaret M. Kissane Lee Ann Baumgardi Laubscher John J. Lynch Mary A. O'Keefe Kathleen Stuhler Reilly Marianne Decker Weaver Dolores Wilkinson

Class of 1985 Christina Bart Bilsky Lynette Scianna DeBellis RiAnne Williams Keir Elise A. Mamone Paula Merricks-Lewis Mary Ellen Randazzo Pembleton Carolyn Doyle Pugliese

“I contribute because it helps to ensure that I will be able to relax in one of the lounge chairs in Aquinas Hall with a quiet smile in my heart knowing that I was fortunate enough to have attended and graduated from MSMC and the hope that someone else like me will have the same opportunity.” - Beth Mills ‘77

Teresa Cirelli Lucente Christine Becker Miller Rowena Lopez Mock Honore L. Piccorelli Victoria Satterly Ryder Claudia M. Sawicki-Brooks Sondra L. Thompson Roseanne Savaglio Tierney Laurie A. Walsh Class of 1984 Georgette Bowers Curcio Mary D'Acchille Suleski Constance M. Deho Brenda Fry Underhill Sandra M. Haight Laura Basile St. Onge Deborah Daly Weisel

Class of 1986 Carole Muller Bean JoAnn McCormick Greenawalt David Iamiceli Richard P. Joyce Clare Rizzitiello Kitz Maj. Sharon O'Shea Lopardi Patricia Coyne Mahon Elizabeth R. Mills Camille M. Parisi Yonette E. Shepherd Diane M. Weldon

Class of 1987 Kristina Leinweber Burger Suzanne O'Rourke Chansky Robert J. Conticchio Edward J. Forgit Karen A. Harris Susan Croteau Kindley Kathleen Mohrman Markisello Lynn Stanaitis-Maschi Patricia Leigh Stanek Class of 1988 Nina Amendola-Polistena Maureen A. Cannon Tracy Wolff Crawford Donna A. Elliot Stephanie Keane Joyce Mary Baus Knight Donna E. Levien Kenneth J. Maguire Katherine R. Mooney Robert J. Munger Andrew D. O'Grady Colleen Gray Pitcher Mary K. Scott Jeanine Feenaghty Terwilliger

Class of 1989 Betty L. Aichelmann Peggy Ann Caraballo-McCarthy Maeve O'Sullivan Cizek Donna Sipos Cox Laura A. Crowley Kathleen Girard Doyle Elaine Moore O'Grady Sandilyn Sherman Rivet Ruth C. Smith Linda J. Sloves Suzanne Windsor Soltysik Cheryl Lantz Steiger Suzanne Becht Volpe

Class of 1990 Deidre MacGregor Brignola Elizabeth Gulino De Soye Thomas J. De Soye Bernice DeFina-Mastoros Brian M. Doyle Thomas J. Feenaghty James W. Ferguson Bonnie L. Helmsorig Eileen Gaffney McDowell Melvin W. Montgomery Mary Hill Sautner Matthew G. Sautner

Class of 1991 Cheryl Schnitzel Barnum Beth A. Glynn Ronald A. Irwin Maryellen Fraser Lopreato

"I give to MSMC so that they can continue to give that education extraordinaire that was given to me. Because of my accomplishments (1989 NJ Governor's Teaching Award), degrees, certifications, and experience, today, I am a tenured math professor at Bucks County Community College. All of this started at the Mount and I am so grateful."

— Mary Ann Kadera Klicka '74

Sandra Ramos Maguire Michael S. Rheaume Daniel Sullivan

Class of 1992 Frank A. Antonucci Diane Anderson Boyle Sarah Browne-Bradwisch Kathleen S. Fogarty Kelvin C. Hill Joan P. Kaplan Olivia J. Lindenberg Jeanne Nogay Maltes Victoria Krawiec Mastrantuono Jennifer M. Michaels Madeline Cowhey O'Neill

Class of 1993 Marie C. Barnett Tricia Pelletier Belfonti Connie Eichhorn Craven James P. Fragnito Linda L. Hulse Patricia Debertolis Napolitano Karen Mendler Nastro Peter V. Nastro Kathleen Connelly O'Connell Christine Kane Orgera Jean Burnette Pozza Francis L. Rich Robert L. Schupper Robert S. Slutsky Eric W. Stallmer Harry C. Warren

Class of 1994 Carol O'Keefe Brown Gerald V. Conlon, Jr. Michele M. Corona Jennifer Hartling Dube Diana Penn Francia Shane Melcher Goldberg Silvio Grenga Edward W. Hanley Michelle A. Iacuessa Tiffany Loprete Ingram Andrea Boss Jarvis Anastasia Pallace Lentini Ellen D. Leuner Barbara E. Lisi Robin Cole Lois Lisa A. Morris Jennifer Gorgone Murray Arlene M. Nicholson Evelyn L. Perhauch Silvia L. Roberts Margaret M. Scalzo Ronny R. Shipley Glenn Simpson Louise Couser Simpson Debra Pugh Vastag

Class of 1995 Donald L. Allen Joanne S. Bunnell Suzanne F. Ferrigno Patricia L. Gloeckler Allen E. Jacobsen Karen Welenc Kenney Michael J. King Ira J. Kroun Linda S. Linenbroker Patrick T. Marino

Alumni Donors Class of 2002 Erin Botti Daniel W. Cooke Jennifer Fennell Fletcher July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019 Patricia A. Fuller Eileen A. Galligan Irene Lynch CONTINUED Joseph A. Pozza Karen L. Saluto Class of 1996 Class of 1999 Class of 2000 Margaret A. Venable Allan D. Diamonti Margaret E. Dillon Donald E. Guernsey Michael B. Igo Jessica Alvarez-Cordero Mary Lynn Conklin Rita Estrada-Flood Andrew M. Bier Steven P. Capone Cynthia Dukes-Clay Regina M. Gibson Class of 2003 Nancy J. Benfer Donna A. Cowan Williams Maura M. Lee-Byrne Andre P. Loubier Gerianne M. Minkus "Returning to the Mount as an alumna allows me to pay it

forward as I recount my college journey and its treasured

Class of 1997 Kathryn Smith Brenneman Charles J. Cordero Lucia Fernandez

memories while sharing my appreciation for my alma mater. I look to offer advice, encouragement, and connections with students by sharing my love for a place I once called a home, and people who continue to be like family."

Susan L. Hall — Corri Tetler Nicoletti '10 Margarita Rios Knight Margaret F. McGinnis Courtney Cook Molinaro Nancy Noolas Nachtigal Anthony J. Patino Regina M. Taylor Patrick J. Ward David Weyant Melissa M. Wyant Marcus E. Floyd Kim E. Grey Catherine McEneaney Kingsley Michael J. Koscielniak Annette C. Levett Veronica Lupino-Pizzola Patricia L. Holumzer Suzanne B. King Ryan J. Kingsley Kristi Reeve Larson Peter J. Larson Billy Lee Patricia M. Moresco Dr. Matthew T. Flanagan Jennifer Fullwood Garrett John R. Hutton Christine Vitacco Nelson Sara Grossarth Nielsen Alicia Hock Plevritis Suzette Paustian Wyant Class of 1998 Tara M. Bohan John J. Bruno, Jr. Suzanne Callaghan Leona N. Faust Kristin E. Haas Ronald E. Harley Greg King Nancy E. Mazza Katherine M. Miller Marianne L. Muise Sharon White Oliva Susan M. Perkins Joseph Porvaznik Alicia Ramos Monica B. Ruiz Erin M. Sheedy Douglas C. Olympia Natalie Naglieri Pascale Joseph G. Polvere Class of 2001 Naomi Jannotti Daven Betty L. Gaudette Diane Palmer Gary A. Pinar Eileen J. Snook Timothy S. Underhill Ms. Melissa Andrea Purcell Mr. Trevor Michael Purcell Nancy Quackenbush-McComb Nicholas A. Shannon Jason M. Sorensen Class of 2004 Jennifer N. Bruckmann Marilyn Karlich Corinna C. Kazolias Maxine Lindsay-Shillingford Matthew Scully Mr. Stephen Joseph Sosler Tobey L. Zodikoff Joy C. Yeaman Jeannine E. Zaluski Geraldine Cross LaGasse Kathy J. Little Valerie J. McCloskey Catherine M. Nelting Cheryl K. Reidy

Class of 2005 Linda L. Connors Janet A. Horan Gina C. Kreso Anthony M. Kuzia Diane McLean Lee Drew Y. Sagar

Class of 2006 Karilee A. Carman JoAnna F. Corio Thomas C. DeLuca Sean P. Glander Noreen M. Stephens

Class of 2007 Stephanie A. Beals Christopher S. Esola Kayla Collins Glander Katie A. Thompson Edward R. Lastowski, Jr. Joanne Feiner Nemecek Mrs. Marisol Neugebauer Conor P. Smith

Class of 2008 Melissa Tetler-Grau Tamara Ried Tran

Class of 2009 Jill G. Barton Gregory A. Brobst Peter C. Carofano Sharon Healy Mankiewicz Susan Unger

Class of 2010 Kathleen Gallagher Barton Paul O. Fritz Therese A. Lamica Andrea Ricciardi McClorey

Class of 2011 Sharnie M. Canary Ellen Bourhis Nolan Rayna L. Burke Karen C. Feliciano Laura E. Galante

Class of 2012 Andréa T. Bednarski Ms. Jessica Elizabeth Mushel

Class of 2013 Sean M. Barton Lissette Fabregas Del Toro Dean DiMarzo Maria C. Greco Brittni Guirguis Manuel E. Juarez Brian Klose Dylan McCann Kate Perna Tamara R. Seney Katharine Tischer Margaret Treacy Kira M. Tutko Angela Oliveri Walters William P. Walters Michael Westerman Samantha Wilson Wood

Class of 2014 Matthew Buonocore Nicole DeFont Nathaniel M. Dziuba Sarah M. Favata Kenneth P. Fusco Joseph M. Henain Colleen N. Jones Sean T. Lockwood Kieran J. O'Keefe Clarisa Rosario-DeGroate John Savini Ryan Philip Straub Stephen Alexander White

Class of 2015 William C. Biersack Brianna M. Croce Brian D. Kimbark Julianna DeBellis Kimbark Robert Lynch Christopher J. Marchese Colin J. O'Keefe Alexandra L. Perosi Yvonndro A. Sims-Bruce

“Receiving the Susan Moffo Myklak scholarship has allowed me to peruse my dream of a higher education at a school that matches my beliefs and values. I am extremely grateful for having been chosen for this scholarship and I hope to someday be in a position where I can provide someone else with the same opportunity.”

— Maria Norris '22

Class of 2016 Sebastian F. Cina Joan Gambeski Jennifer Gries Anthony Hughes Alvin Mann Philip A. Moresco Gregory Nevelik Justin D. Perez Joseph J. Pille Maribeth A. Powers Joel Rodriguez Devon Cook Scalfari

Class of 2017 Christina L. Antico Angelo R. Curro Brendan J. DuRoss Andrew W. Gallivan Dorothy Pratt Gioia Sean J. Jennings Elizabeth A. Lavin Nicole Marc Kelly A. Markisello Kyle Russo Lauren M. Russo Allison Sciucco Michael C. Stoeckel Daria E. Sullivan Alicia M. Walker Ms. Regina Nicole Zeoli Class of 2018 Connor Bacci Mr. Kyle Eugene Barber Nicholas J. Boffoli Nicholas Graziano Allison M. McConville Joyce Mccue Tyler McDine Andrew J. Morris III Mr. Liam John Mullins Meghan Lee Murphy Gerard Nocera Kristine Pilla Marissa A. Pino Joseph A. Rizzotti Mr. Jake Edward Schoenherr Steven Scodes Mr. Tanner A. Tait Rebecca Boggio White

Class of 2019 Andrew Darling Sean Farrell Ms. Brigit Taylor Gardner Mr. Alberto Gilman Kimberly Gries Elizabeth Kenney Ethan McCoy Anthony T. Perrone Joseph T. Ryan Anthony F. Verdoliva