Meet Our Donors
 Barbara E. Simpson ‘69
My parents were both members of the Greatest Generation. This was that very
special group of people so aptly named by Tom Brokaw when he published his
book “The Greatest Generation” in 1998. By reason of nothing more
than their birthdates, these men and women would experience two of America’s
most turbulent times-- the Great Depression and World War II. They recognized
that hardships are a part of life. They understood that freedom comes at a
cost. Many of them paid with their lives for the freedom that future generations
would enjoy.
My father, George J. Simpson, and my mother, Maryellen Hagan Simpson, were
both veterans of World War II. They were both first generation born of Irish
immigrants who settled in Western PA. My father had enlisted in the US Army
before the United States entered the war. He was in ordnance—specifically
bomb disposal, where a first mistake usually precluded a second error. Before
the war, my mother was employed at Westinghouse in the payroll office. After
Pearl Harbor, she enlisted in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps which
later became simply the Women’s Army Corps.
My parents met each other when they were both stationed at Edgewood Arsenal
in Aberdeen, MD. My mother was assigned to Headquarters and she usually knew
about my future dad’s orders sending him overseas before he knew! She
was honorably discharged when they married in 1945. My dad, one of many American
soldiers training for the invasion of Japan, was honorably discharged when
the war ended.
In 2006, I decided to update my will. Since I have no children or siblings,
I knew that this was an opportunity to do some good with what I’ve earned.
I realized that I wouldn’t have what I have today if it hadn’t
been for my parents, my teachers, and Carlow University. I wanted to give back
and thank those who had done so much for me. According to the terms of my will,
my estate would establish a scholarship in my parents’ name and one in
my name at Carlow University upon my death. When I learned about the Capozzi-Kirr
Endowment Challenge, I decided to establish a memorial scholarship for my parents
now and on November 11, 2006 the George J. and Maryellen Hagan Simpson Memorial
Scholarship was created. This scholarship requires academic excellence and
gives preference to a veteran or to a student with a veteran in their immediate
family.
My will also remembers a man who greatly influenced my life and my career.
Msgr. Leo A. Pastorius sponsored me in the Cadet Program at Carlow. He was
a man who knew the value of education and he built a school in my home parish
which at one time educated hundreds of children each school year. Today, the
school is closed due to lack of enrollment, but the facility is still used
for CCD and also a number of parish activities. Msgr. Pastorius’ legacy
doesn’t lie in the physical realm, but rather in the lives of all the
people who were educated in that school and by the collective good they’ve
done in their lives. I can’t think of a more fitting way to thank him
than to create a scholarship in his name. His name will be remembered and his
work honored—long after his death in 1969.
 Dr. Mary Elizabeth Canterna Douglass ’67
My involvement with the Sisters of Mercy began as a 7-year-old in Clairton,
Pa where I took piano lessons with Sister Bernadette at St. Clair’s Convent
until my senior year of high school.
On Monday mornings, my mother would go to the convent to help the sisters
wash, starch and bake their coifs and guimpes. For years, on Saturday mornings,
with me in the back seat, she would drive several sisters to Mount Mercy College
and Duquesne University for college classes.
Early on, the importance of education and the life-giving spirit of charity
and community service were instilled in me. When it came time for me to apply
for college, through the generosity of a benefactor and the Sisters of Mercy,
I was offered a partial scholarship to study music at Mount Mercy College.
This scholarship offered me opportunities and relief from financial pressures
when I needed it most.
When my mother died and left me a sum of money in 1995, it became clear that
I wanted to make this gift endure for many lifetimes to come. I never had children
of my own, but I have fully participated in the sisterhood that bonds all women,
past, present and future, in all parts of the world. I want upon my death to
be remembered for the generosity, grace and gratitude in which I lived my life.
I decided to set aside a portion of my living trust to seed scholarship funds
for young women at Carlow University with preference given to those who’s
vocational intents are to work in international medical/social service with
women and children in underdeveloped countries. I now have the life-giving
satisfaction of knowing that the blessings I have been given will continue
to bless the lives of others, over and over again.
This financial funding is in honor of my mother and in her name. Her legacy
of a vital spirit in living and a dedication to the welfare of others lives
on within me. Upon my death, our legacies will pass to the lives of students
who will also be touched by and who will perpetuate the Spirit of Mercy.
Anita Dacal
Executive Director of Advancement
Carlow University
3333 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
(412) 578-6343
dacalas@carlow.edu
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