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ST. THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE HOSTS ANNUAL TRIBUTE DINNER! DRS. GEORGE AND PATRICIA KRAUS, SR. MARIE PETER BUCKLEY TO RECEIVE HONORS

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE HOSTS ANNUAL TRIBUTE DINNER!
DRS. GEORGE AND PATRICIA KRAUS, SR. MARIE PETER BUCKLEY
TO RECEIVE HONORS

(October 4, 2013-Sparkill, NY) 
–St. Thomas Aquinas College will host its’ Annual Tribute Dinner at the Hilton Pearl River on Friday, October 18, 2013 announces Dr. Margaret M. Fitzpatrick S.C., President of the College. St. Thomas Aquinas College will bestow the Aquinas Medal upon Drs. George and Patricia Kraus, and the Founders Award upon Sr. Marie Peter Buckley, 
O. P., Class of 1971.

The Kraus’ were two of the original founders of Operation Link-Up, a non-profit organization based in Paterson, N.J. Since 1989 they have worked to connect disadvantaged children with mentors from neighboring communities to help them get a better start in life. The program not only provides mentors, but scholarships to many colleges and job opportunities to students.

Sr. Marie will be honored with the Founders Award for her tireless dedication to the ideals and values of our founders, the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill. She will be recognized as an exemplar of the College’s motto, 

“Enlighten The Mind Through Truth.”“Each of our honorees is an exemplary role model in their career and the College is pleased to recognize such outstanding individuals,” commented Dr. Margaret M. Fitzpatrick.

Proceeds from the dinner will benefit academically worthy and financially needy students through the Dr. George and Dr. Patricia Kraus Scholarship Fund and the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill Scholarship Fund.

Please contact Linda LoRe, Director of Community Relations, for dinner and ticket information at llore@stac.edu or 845-398-4018.

More about the Drs. Patricia & George Kraus 
George is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Tuck GraduateSchool of Business. He is a serial entrepreneur and has been the founder of several companies. In 1994 George served as chairman of Bridges to Community, an organization dedicated to building a broader and deeper sense of community across cultural divides by offering education service trips to materially poor areas. Today, more than 10,000 individuals have made trips tothird world countries as part of the Bridges family. He was also chairman of the Southampton Hospital Foundation and was on the board of the Naples Hospital Foundation. George currently serves on the board of the St. Thomas Aquinas College National Center for Ethics and Corporate Responsibility.

Patricia is a graduate of the State University of New York at Cortland. After teaching second grade and raising her family,she became heavily involved with Youth Haven, a home for abused and neglected children in Naples, Florida.
Since 1969, Youth Haven has provided shelter for thousands of children from birth through 11 years of age who are in desperate need of protection and support. Patricia served on its board and began a hugely successful wine auction which became one of Youth Haven’s primary fundraisers. Patricia’s book, A Will, A Way, was published in 1992 in Russia. All of the profits were donated to a St. Petersburg Day Care Center. She now serves on the board of Professional Givers Anonymous raising money for the poor in Collier County, Florida.

In 2000, Patricia and George rebuilt an auxiliary facility on the Southampton Hospital campus which houses the Kraus Family Clinic. This clinic serves the indigent and uninsured residents of Southampton Township. Seven years later, they funded the first cottage built at the Liberty Youth Ranch in Bonita Springs, Florida, an organization that provides a permanent environment for boys and girls in need of a family and home. The Liberty Youth Ranch recognizes that all children deserve the opportunity to have a happy childhood and the opportunity to succeed in life. They strive to provide shelter, clothing, food and education to children who have experienced homelessness, abuse and neglect.

More about the Sr. Marie Peter Buckley
 
Sr. Marie Peter Buckley, O.P., ’71 currently serves as the Department Chair of Nursing in the Math, Health, and Natural Sciences Division at Rockland Community College (RCC). She has worked as a Professor of Nursing at RCC since 2004. Sr. Marie is well-known and respected in the field of nursing throughout Rockland County and beyond. Sr. Marie graduated from Cathedral High School, New York City, in 1963. Following graduation, she worked as a customer service representative for Macy’s, New York. During that year, she was an active member of the CCD program at St. John Chrysostom School, Bronx, N.Y. where she worked with the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill.

In 1964, Sr. Marie entered the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill. In 1971, she graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas College with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science. She went on to New York Medical College and received an MS in Nursing in 1973, becoming a Registered Nurse. Sr. Marie attended the College of New Rochelle in 1976 and became a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner in Family Health. She attended Columbia University’s Continuing Education Program where she earned a Sexual Assault Nurse Certification in1998. In 2005, she earned a Post Masters Certification in Nursing Education from Rutgers State University (NJ).

Sr. Marie Peter worked at St. Thomas Aquinas College from 1977-1988 as the School Nurse. She was also an adjunct professor at St. Thomas from 1990-1998 and continues to serve STAC’s School of Education as a guest lecturer in the area of Reporting & Identification of Child Abuse.She has served in various ministries over the years. She began at St. Agnes School as a teacher from 1966-1967. From 1967-1971, she taught at St. Brendan’s School in the Bronx. She served as a resident counselor at Thorpe Residence in NYC, a facility for young women in need of protection from 1971-1973. Sister returned to the Dominican Sisters Motherhouse to serve as Director of Nurses at Siena Hall Infirmary from 1973-1988.

Sr. Marie began her career at Rockland Community College in 1988 as a Clinical Instructor, while at the same time, serving as a nurse consultant at the Catholic Home Bureau. In 1996, she became Associate Professor at RCC, and in 2004, she was promoted to Professor. Sr. Marie has served the College and Community in many venues, some of which are Faculty Senate, Division Chair, Curriculum Committee, Retention, Tenure and Promotion Committee, Rockland County Nurse Recognition Day Committee, Professional Nurses Association of Rockland County, NYS Surrogate Decision Making Committee, Board Member of Habitat of Rockland. Sr. Marie continues to volunteer at Thorpe Senior Center as a nurse consultant as she has done for many years. She has presented numerous workshops for health professionals and educators. At A&T Healthcare, she provides staff education in the area of pediatric assessment/health management.

St. Thomas Aquinas College is an independent liberal arts college located in Sparkill, Rockland County, NY which provides education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The College’s 2,800 full and part time students can choose from more than 100 different majors, minors, specializations, and dual degree programs across three schools: Arts & Sciences, Business, and Education. The College was recognized by U.S. News & World Report in the Top-Tier for Regional Universities, by Colleges of Distinction in both its New York and Catholic editions and is included on the Military Friendly Schools® listing. St. Thomas Aquinas College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; its School of Education is accredited by National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE); and its School of Business is accredited by the International Assemble for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). For more information, visit www.stac.edu.

Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Danielle Kobryn, 845-398-4016, dkobryn@stac.edu
Written By: Natalie Catavero

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