Alumni Class Notes

SJC Hall of Famer, Neile Joler Nelson ’95, to be inducted into Maine Basketball Hall of Fame. Neile was a basketball standout at the College and was inducted into SJC’s Hall of Fame in 2000. According to the Bangor Daily News, Neile earned Maine NCAA Woman of the Year honors at SJC and was a Scholar-Athlete All-American and is a Monks Hall of Fame member for soccer and basketball. Her career hoop totals: 814 points, 313 assists, 279 rebounds, and 143 steals. At Fort Kent High School, Nelson was an all-tourney pick and a McDonald’s Senior All-Star. She’s the varsity girls’ assistant at Gorham High School, which won state titles in 2016 and 2017.  The induction ceremony takes place on August 28 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.

Patricia Ann (McGrath) Abrahams ‘95, ‘10, has spent 25 years teaching at Saint Anne’s Parish School, in the Diocese of Orange, in Santa, California. She began as a Kindergarten teacher and has since taught First, Second, and Third grade. Patricia is also the Technology Coordinator at the school and serves on the School Board. Throughout her career she has mentored several teachers and has sat on many Accreditation Teams for other schools.

David P. Dineen ‘85 named Senior VP and Director of Wealth Services at Orange Bank & Trust Company. In this capacity, Dineen will serve as division head for Private Banking, with the Trust Services department reporting to him directly. He will also serve as Managing Sales Executive responsible for Orange Wealth Management and will manage referrals between Hudson Valley Investment Advisors and the Bank. Dineen graduated from Saint Joseph’s College with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration.

Michael Mulhare ‘79 recognized for service and leadership during Virginia Tech’s COVID-19 response.Michael Mulhare, assistant vice president for emergency management at Virginia Tech, has received special recognition for his leadership and service to the university during the COVID-19 pandemic. President Tim Sands presented Mulhare with a Presidential Commendation for Exceptional Service during a meeting of the President’s Council on November 10, 2021.

Mulhare has been at the forefront of the university’s response to the virus, serving as Virginia Tech’s COVID director, leader of the Incident Management Team, and advisor to President Sands and his leadership team.

“Managing our COVID response has been Mike’s full-time job for more than a year, in addition to his other emergency management responsibilities, and we deeply appreciate his dedication,” Sands said. “His unique knowledge and insight has been invaluable to the university and the surrounding community during our response to the pandemic.”

“Mike’s commitment to service and dedication to our students, faculty, and staff is extraordinary,” Sands added.

Denise (French) Cilley ‘15 has recently been promoted to Director of Small Business & Entrepreneurship at Sunrise County Economic Council as of January. She is also the Owner of deeZign, a growing business that is getting its LLC this year, offering a transformative and collaborative learning experience design with full range promotion asset creation – focused on building work for designers in her rural region.

Melissa (Hale) Smith ‘17 has been named the 2022 North Carolina Community College Excellence in Teaching award recipient. This prestigious honor was awarded to her after competing with 57 other nominees throughout the state. Melissa is the Program Coordinator for the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) program at Forsyth Technical College. She has taught at the college for 11 years and during this time has made quite an impact on her students, fellow faculty members, and staff. She has exemplified the highest quality and standards for her students and consistently strives to promote learning, equity, program completion, and positive post-graduation outcomes. Melissa has a Master of Science in Education from Saint Joe’s.

Obituaries

Constance I. Dudzic ‘76 passed away on March 1, 2022. Donnie earned her nursing degree at Saint Mary’s General Hospital School of Nursing and went on to receive her Bachelor of Science from Saint Joseph’s College. She held many positions in public health, including with the American TB Association and as the Auburn Public Health Nurse. She spearheaded many vaccine clinics in area schools for polio and measles, and taught CNA courses throughout the area. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.

Suzanne McGowan Grescoviak ‘54 passed away on January 30, 2022 at the age of 89. She received her degree in philosophy from Saint Joseph’s College and immediately moved to Washington, DC where she enjoyed a long career with the US Conference of Bishops, primarily working on all media and press communications – the first woman to work in the press room at the conference and with the Knights of Columbus. She was also instrumental in planning Pope John Paul II’s visits to the US in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. She loved to travel, but upon retirement she and her family returned to her beloved Maine. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.

Dorothy Bilotto Herbst ‘87 passed away in early March, 2022, after a brief illness. She graduated from Genesee Hospital School of Nursing in 1959 and went on to earn her BSN from Saint Joseph’s in 1987. Dorothy worked as a Registered Nurse for more than 30 years at Lyons Hospital, Newark-Wayne Community Hospital and Wayne County Nursing Home. She was a painter and avid antique collector, and her paintings will be cherished by family and friends for years to come. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.

Joan H. Rapp ‘82 passed away on February 18, 2022, at the age of 84. She earned her RN from Barnes Jewish Hospital and went on to complete her BSN at Saint Joseph’s College, her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Florida. She was a compassionate leader in her field, working as Head Nurse, Nurse Educator and Program Manager. A dedicated lifelong Catholic, she also enjoyed tennis, reading and writing. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.

Sister Janice Ryan, RSM, former member of the Saint Joseph’s College Board of Trustees, passed away on March 30, 2022. Sister Janice was a leading Vermont advocate for social justice and served as president of Trinity College of Vermont, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Corrections, and education advisor to the late US Senator Jim Jeffords. She received many awards for her dedication to community service, including a lifetime achievement award from the Vermont Community Foundation, and an award for excellence from the New England Board of Higher Education. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and religious community at this time.

Elizabeth “Betty” Snow Thompson ‘60 passed away on February 16, 2022, at the age of 84. Betty earned her Bachelor of Arts from Saint Joseph’s and went on to teach French, Latin and Russian at schools in Pennsylvania and New England. In her later years, she taught French at Saint Joseph’s, close to her home. She had a lifelong passion for the arts, including piano, calligraphy and the design of elegant costumes for the Portland School of Ballet. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and many students at this time.

Alice Faye Thorson, ’92, 84, of Viroqua passed away on Wednesday morning, March 23, 2022, at her home, surrounded by family after a three-month battle with pancreatic cancer under the awesome care of Gundersen Health Hospice staff. he worked as executive director in several care facilities. Along the journey, she earned a bachelor of science in professional arts from Saint Joseph’s College in Standish, ME, and a master of arts in business and health services from Webster University in St. Louis Missouri. She was executive director at Waterman Village in Mt. Dora, FL, and they named a garden in her honor. Alice and John moved to Gainesville, GA., in 2001, and she became the first executive director of Lanier Village Estates, a facility that included independent residences, assisted living and nursing home care. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.

Lee S. Brown Tonet ‘76 passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 27, 2022, after a brief illness. She became a Registered Nurse through the Hartford Hospital School of Nursing, and earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Saint Joseph’s College, and a M.S.Ed in counselor education from the University of Southern Maine. Lee worked in a wide range of clinical nursing in acute care facilities in Hartford, CT and Portland, ME, including operating room, coronary care, emergency room and public health nursing. She closed her career in on-site case management for insurance carriers in the Workers’ Compensation and Disability fields throughout New England. Lee enjoyed travel, music performance and was a longtime member of the Northampton Lions Club. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends at this time.

Linda Trippe Libby ‘02 passed away February 6, 2022 in Eason, Maryland. She earned her nursing degree from the McQueen Gibbs Willis School of Nursing and went on to add her Bachelor’s Degree in Health Care Administration from Saint Joseph’s. After working for many years as a Registered Nurse, Lin became an Administrative Supervisor at Memorial General and Dorchester General. She was an active member of Christ Church and especially loved the Wednesday Healing Service. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.

Rita Lambert ’65  passed away peacefully at the age of 93 on February 12, 2022. Rita received her Bachelor’s degree from Saint Joseph’s College, going on to earn her Master’s from the University of Southern Maine. She taught in the South Portland school district for 25 years, nine years at Holy Cross School and retired as principal of the Henley School. Rita was a communicant of Holy Cross Church for her entire adult life. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.

Emily E. Giard Cabrera ’05, 38, passed away unexpectedly in her home in North Bergen, NJ. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Saint Joseph’s and went on to receive her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University. She thrived as a social worker at Independence High School in New York City and was proud of her students and their accomplishments. Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband, two daughters and extended family at this time.

Samuel S. Wright ‘85 passed away in February, 2019 in Eastport, Maine. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in History and English from Saint Joseph’s and went on to live and work in many locations, traveling by boat between New England and the Caribbean, before finding his forever home in Eastport. He enjoyed spending time with his friends, playing his guitar and telling stories. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time.