Grace Lamacchia-Paris, PhD
Grace Lamacchia-Paris, PhD, professor emerita, passed away on January 25, 2023. A Pace alumna, 1961, Professor Lamacchia-Paris served on Pace’s Board of Trustees during Pace’s transition from a college to a university from 1971 to 1977. She was a professor in the Literature and Communications department on the Pleasantville campus from 1990 to 2002 and was a director of the Leadership Development and Freshman Studies programs during this time. Upon retirement, Professor Lamacchia-Paris joined the Dyson Dean’s Office. She loved Pace’s mission and worked to ensure Pace served its students well—she identified with them as someone who, through education, had defied expectations for what her life “should be.” Professor Lamacchia-Paris will be remembered as a caring and dedicated professor who took a personal interest in her students’ success. She was a generous mentor to many—kind, always helpful—and had a wonderful sense of humor. Donations can be made to the Grace Lamacchia-Paris Scholarship on the Pace Alumni website.
Michèle Newman, PhD
Michèle Newman, PhD, professor emerita, passed away on October 22, 2022. Professor Newman taught in the Modern Languages and Cultures department on the Pleasantville and White Plains campuses. She began her career at Pace as an adjunct professor in 1969, became a full professor, and chaired the Modern Languages and Cultures department from the late ‘80s until she retired in 1993. She received the Kenan Award for Teaching Excellence in 1987. Her great passion was the illustrious French woman of letters, Madame de Staël, about whom Newman wrote her dissertation from Fordham, L’enthousiasme chez Diderot et Madame de Staël. Professor Newman and Madame de Staël share many qualities: wit, intelligence, worldliness, beauty, eloquence. Professor Newman will be remembered as a stellar faculty member who was devoted to, and adored by, her students, and respected and admired by her colleagues.
Sister Mary Celesta Kelley, MS, professor emerita
Sister Mary Celesta Kelley, a Sister of the Divine Compassion, passed away on April 24, 2023. With a long-time commitment to helping students succeed, Sister Kelley served Pace for 35 years. She joined the Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences, Pleasantville campus, in September 1968 as an assistant professor of physical sciences and retired in August 2003. She traveled to significant geological sites to further her understanding of the forces of the Earth, once melting her sneakers in Hawai‘i while standing on a new lava field. Her love of teaching, travel, and nature made her a repository of stories for her students. When Pace began the Challenge to Achievement (CAP) program, she eagerly took on not only teaching “her ladies,” but also shopping for outfits for them to wear to their interviews. Her fidelity, kindness, and wonderful sense of humor will be remembered by all who knew her.
