NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Over $1.5 million was raised to benefit student scholarships at the Iona College 2016 Trustee Scholarship Award Gala celebration on April 15 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The event honored several outstanding alumni who personify the College’s mission of service, scholarship and life-long learning.
Over 700 guests attended, including scores of students and scholarship recipients, to celebrate the lifetime accomplishments of the Catherine H. McCabe ’71MA and Hugh J. McCabe ’49 Family and Joseph J. DePaolo ’81, recipients of the College’s Legacy Award, and Patrick Quinn ’06, who received the Blessed Edmund Rice Humanitarian Award for his lifetime achievements and commitment to raising funds and awareness for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) research.
“This evening we celebrate Iona’s long tradition and dedication to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service,” said James P. Hynes ’69, ’01H, chairman of the Iona College Board of Trustees. “Trustees have strategically selected the individuals that we are honoring tonight as they portray and live the mission of Iona College.”
“Tonight’s honorees are a testimony to Iona’s mission and the liberating power of an Iona education, said President Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D. “While we cannot claim their successes, we continue to recognize them and share our pride and how they have chosen to live their lives.”
A surprise announcement was made by Master of Ceremonies, Charles W. Schoenherr ’82, managing director of Waypoint Residential. “It is my pleasure to announce that Mr. Scott Shay, chairman of the board of Signature Bank, has established the Joseph J. DePaolo Endowed Scholarship at Iona College. This scholarship is to be directed to student athletes who embody high achieving academics while leading with ethical values and a moral compass. Thank you, Mr. Shay, for your generosity and thank you, Joe, for inspiring a gift with immediate and long term impact.”
“My passion for education stems from my receiving a scholarship from Iona,” DePaolo said. “The years I spent there and friendships I forged impacted my experiences and shaped my life.”
“Tonight is about giving back. I learned about giving back from some amazing mentors who have graciously and unselfishly given of themselves and they serve as an inspiration to me.”
“My family thanks you for this honor,” said David J. McCabe ’80, accepting the award on behalf of his family. “Both of my parents were scholarship students, so we thank you for your support of the dinner, whose sole purpose is to provide scholarships for deserving students, 150 of whom are here tonight.
“In our family, two first generation college scholarships led to seven children all with college degrees and those seven have led to 15 college graduates. The impact is exponential. You are not only changing lives of our Iona students as is evidenced by our family, but you are changing the lives of generations to come.
Quinn noted that he valued and benefited from the relationships he developed as an Iona student and alumnus. “Iona was probably the first school in the world to do the Ice Bucket Challenge. The school was ready to fight, just as they say they do ‘fight the good fight’ and ‘move the world.’ They are not just slogans — they are a way you have to live if you really want to make a difference. You can’t just say them, you have to do them, and I think we are doing that in our fight against ALS.”
“The way Iona has rallied around my cause is really something special. I truly believe I am able to do that because of the Iona family support.”
In accepting the awards, the McCabe Family, Mr. DePaolo and Mr. Quinn join an impressive group of past honorees, including His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan ’14H, Francis Cardinal Spellman, New York Governor Malcolm Wilson, U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and the New York Police Department, and the 15 Iona alumni lost in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.