“All I could feel was pride.”
As the lights came up at the end of a new play by two Wagner College alumni this summer, that was what a theater faculty member said she felt. (That show, by the way, is the subject of one of our feature stories in this issue.)
And as I thought over the other stories in this issue of Wagner Magazine, that’s also the word that kept coming to my mind: pride.
Wagner College has produced some really outstanding graduates in a wide range of fields — and the more I’ve gotten to know their stories, the prouder I’ve become of them.
For example, I’ve known Patricia Tooker ’79 M’95 D’16, the subject of our cover story, as long as I’ve been on Grymes Hill. The dedication she has shown to the education of the next generation of health care professionals… the ingenuity she has displayed in leading her fellow faculty members… the commitment she has shown to her community… Wrap all that together, and you can sum it up in one word: pride.
And it’s the same feeling of pride I have for the subjects of our other profile stories:
• Scott Fink ’83, a Wagner accounting graduate, has become an extraordinary success, both in business and in charitable work. “Philanthropy and giving back and supporting my community,” Scott tells us, “that makes me happy.”
• Kinsey Casey ’02, who grew up in the shadow of her home state’s capitol building, has made her career in public service. Kinsey shies away from attention for herself; she just wants to make a difference for others.
• Julie Hassett ’08 went from working as a drug counselor at a Queens methadone clinic to creating extraordinary Halloween costumes for Ariana Grande and painting whimsical body art on the very pregnant bellies of dozens of celebrity women for the philanthropy known as Every Mother Counts. Julie’s amazing creativity, and the way she puts it to use for others, can’t help but make other Waggies proud!
I’m sure you’ll feel the same way about your fellow Grymes Hill alumni after reading this issue.
Lee Manchester
Editor, Wagner Magazine
