Two longtime professors and two alumni from the 1960s will be honored later this month at the annual Alumni Awards Dinner during Alumni and Family Weekend.
Dr. Mary Mulcahy, director and associate professor of biology, and Dr. Francis Mulcahy, director and associate professor of chemistry, will receive the Pitt-Bradford Alumni Association Teaching Excellence Award.
Also recognized will be alumni Frank and Mary Rizzo, who both attended Pitt-Bradford from 1964-66. They will receive the Denny Lowery Distinguished Volunteer Award.
The Mulcahys and the Rizzos will be recognized at the PBAA Alumni Awards Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in the Mukaiyama University Room of the Frame-Westerberg Commons. The cost is $25 for adults, $12 for children 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and under. For a reservation, visit www.upbalumni.org/afw or call 814-362-5091.
Dr. Francis Mulcahy was nominated by nearly a dozen former students throughout the last decade, including those who went on to earn a doctoral and pharmacy degree.
“If you struggle with a concept, he works with you to help you learn. If you get a topic easily, he makes you feel like a star. His ability to boost a student's ego is crucial for success in chemistry and biology,” wrote Dr. Dorothy Belle (Craig) Poli '93, herself a professor of biology at Roanoke College.
James McAllister II '00, wrote, “In the classroom, he knows just the right combination of teaching and fun that is required to get the learning across to students.”
Likewise, Dr. Mary Mulcahy was also nominated by a dozen enthusiastic alumni.
“Dr. Mulcahy was by far my favorite professor. She is hardworking, dedicated to her work and students and an incredibly genuine and helpful professor,” wrote Cheyenne Staufenberger '19.
Classmate Courtney Shade '19 wrote, “Mary Mulcahy was so supportive and helpful throughout my entire time at Pitt-Bradford, especially with getting into vet school.”
The Mulcahys live in Bradford and have two children.
Frank and Mary Rizzo '64-'66 have been active volunteers and supporters for the past decade. Last year, a major gift from the Rizzos put the university over its fundraising goal for the Dean Evans Legacy Fund, which benefits students at risk of not being able to continue their education due to a balance on their accounts.
This year, Frank Rizzo has lead the charge to establish the Alumni Emeritus Society for alumni who attended Pitt-Bradford 50 years ago or more. As part of that effort, the Rizzos established a 1960s Emeritus Alumni Scholarship.
The Rizzos were nominated by Karen Costello-Pecht '11 and Lindsay Hilton Retchless '98, who have worked closely with the couple in their roles as PBAA president and director of alumni relations, respectively.
Costello-Pecht said, “I have had many opportunities to watch both Frank and Mary engage with our students, and it truly defines what it means to be a Pitt-Bradford alumnus.”
Retchless said, “Simply put, Frank and Mary's dedication to and love of Pitt-Bradford is a rare and special gift.”
This year's Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Alumni Awards Dinner has been postponed due to irregularities in the approval process.
“We are deeply sorry that we will not have a Hall of Fame induction this year,” said Dr. Catherine Koverola, Pitt-Bradford's president. “We were recently made aware that confirmation of eligibility and the necessary approval process was not followed. It is important that we follow these standard procedures before inducting any new Hall of Fame members in order to ensure the integrity of the award.”