St. Thomas Aquinas College Inducted 19th Annual Hall of Fame Class

(SPARKILL, NY – February 23, 2016) - St. Thomas Aquinas College’s Alumni Association inducted six alumni and one 2016 Spartan Award honoree into its prestigious Alumni Hall of Fame recently at The Rockleigh (Rockleigh, NJ), announced Kevin P. Duignan, ’75 and ’06 MBA, vice president for institutional advancement at the College.

“We enjoyed honoring the new inductees at the Annual Hall of Fame Dinner. We are proud of the variety of individuals who have either graced our campus as undergraduate or graduate students or taken a keen interest in our growth as friends of the College,” said Duignan.

The following individuals were inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame:

Sr. Catherine Rose Quigley, O.P, (Yonkers, NY) a member of the Class of 1966, is the principal at Aquinas High School (Bronx, NY).

Virginia (Ginny) Nolan Ripp, (New York, NY) a member of the Class of 1973, is a retired teacher, mother of two and grandmother of five. She is a member of the St. Thomas Aquinas College Board of Trustees.

Maryann S. Walker, (Nanuet, NY) a member of the Class of 1990, is the former owner of Pearl River Florist, Pearl River, NY.

Stephanie Walker, (Piermont, NY) a member of the Class of 1990, is the owner of Pearl River Florist and Re:Generation Consignment Shop, both in Pearl River, NY.

Joyce M. Pizzi, (Naples, FL) a member of the Class of 1991, is a funeral director and former owner of Anthony R. Pizzi Funeral home in Northvale, NJ.

Kathy Kopac-Cook, (Sparkill, NY) a member of the Class of 2014, is a teacher’s assistant in New City, NY.

The STAC Alumni Association’s 2016 Spartan Award was presented to Sterling National Bank (Montebello, NY) for their ongoing support of the College. The Award was accepted by Jack Kopnisky, president & chief executive officer of Sterling National Bank.

The event also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the St. Thomas Aquinas College Class of 1966.

For more information about the annual Hall of Fame event and Alumni Affairs at the College, contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 845-398-4284 or alumni@stac.edu.

St. Thomas Aquinas College is an independent liberal arts college located on 60 acres in 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 is 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, by Affordable Colleges Online as a top College in New York for Return on Investment, and is included as a Military Friendly School®. 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 Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). For more information, visit www.stac.edu.