When nearly 30 women in their 80s returned to campus for their latest class reunion, they applauded, laughed, and cheered the story that classmate Peg Rooney Hall '65, told. During that 60th reunion luncheon, she presented slides on screen — complete with Wonder Woman comics and black-and-white photos of their class reunions over the years — chronicling how scholarship funds they created have grown to more than $500,000. So far, they’ve helped 77 students pursue their dreams at Nazareth University.

 “It is not about money, it is about wanting to share the value of our Nazareth experience,” Hall told her classmates during Naz Weekend in September 2025.

A group picture of the class of '65 together during their 60th reunion during Naz Weekend 2025.

 The Class of ’65 gathered for its 60th reunion during Naz Weekend 2025. Three aren’t pictured here but were at other events that weekend, and seven more joined via Zoom.


Hall grew up in Rochester as a legacy student — her mother, two aunts, and a cousin were all Nazareth alumnae. Like them, she experienced the college as a close-knit community where she and her classmates quickly built camaraderie.

"We really bonded as friends," Hall says. "That takes a lot of nurturing. It doesn't just happen. We were lucky to have classmates who made that happen."

Martha Doell Swacen toasting and smiling with Peg Rooney Hall, both members of the 65 class.

Martha Doell Swacen ’65 (left) shares a toast with Peg Rooney Hall ’65. 


One of those connectors is Mary Fran O'Herron, whom Hall describes as “the glue” holding the class together. O'Herron majored in math and pioneered a career in the software industry when computers were just emerging. When email became commonplace in the 1990s, she organized email chains that evolved into the Zoom meetings that continue today. 

 O’Herron and her classmates were part of the societal change around them —  including the expansion of civil rights and the modernization of the Catholic church. Hall also points to instrumental figures from their college years, particularly Father William H. Shannon, college chaplain and a professor of religious studies, and Sister Helen Daniel Malone, a Sister of Saint Joseph and the fourth president of Nazareth, both of whom challenged students to make a difference in the world.

black-and-white photo of women posed, all wearing skirts or suits
Our 20th reunion

Bonds strengthened at reunions every five years as the classmates learned how each was participating in the changing social landscape. At one memorable reunion on campus, they were chatting about the usual career and life updates when someone said something that was “sort of activist,” Hall said. Everyone hesitated and looked around the room, wondering, “Can we go there?” A conversation blossomed about how social norms were evolving, their views of the world around them were expanding, and they were finding ways they could make a difference through their family, volunteer, and professional roles. The next day when they were at Mass together, Father Shannon again called on them to make their mark on the world, which struck a chord after the previous night’s conversation. "We walked out saying, 'Oh my gosh, it was Father Shannon who turned us all into activists,' " Hall recalls. Today, many of them send photos to each other from rallies they’ve attended.

The scholarship fund itself was born from the vision of classmate Susan Reynolds Baime, who thought they should make their 30th reunion extraordinary by celebrating the impact of their Nazareth experiences with significant philanthropy.

A black and white image of a large group of the class of 1965 at their 30th reunion.
Our 30th reunion

Baime noticed that her son's and husband's elite schools regularly solicited alumni donations, and she contacted the college with an ambitious goal: creating an endowed scholarship fund that in her peers’ lifetime would grow to provide a full-tuition scholarship each year. The graduates were in their early 50s at that time and had become changemakers in various ways in their lives — including as Peace Corps volunteers, teachers, parents, nonprofit and business leaders, researchers, computer engineers, leadership trainers, librarians, doctors, lawyers, and artists.

Baime assembled a committee and developed a strategic approach — asking classmates who had never donated to contribute $100, and those who had given before to double their previous gift, with an initial goal of reaching $10,000. The Nazareth development office suggested creating a Plan B, but Baime said no, they would not fail.

Hall, who spent her career in higher education development and retired as the vice president of institutional advancement at Gallaudet University, was naturally on the committee and handled some of the larger asks. By their 60th reunion, the Class of 1965 scholarship principal fund had grown to $327,000. With additional endowed funds created by individual classmates like Reynolds Baime, Kathy Parker, and Maureen Bell Field, the class's total endowment impact reached $579,000.

The impact of their giving has been transformative. Alexandria Criswell '22, who received the Class of 1965 scholarship all four years, is now in her second year of the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center's Ph.D. program, specializing in tumor immunology. She's developing CAR-T cell therapies for pediatric osteosarcoma, hoping to save children's lives while avoiding the harsh effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

"Without the help of previous graduates setting up scholarship funds to help students like me, I most likely would not have been able to attend Nazareth College," Criswell says. The scholarship enabled her to participate in volleyball and track, live on campus, and discover her passion for cancer research.

Now 82 years old, the women of the Class of 1965 remain connected, sharing news about their lives and continuing to support their alma mater. They gather on Zoom, attend reunions, and maintain the friendships that began at Nazareth.

Their legacy isn't just measured in dollars or students helped. It's found in the enduring power of community, the belief that education transforms lives, and the conviction that together, they could indeed change the world.

Class of 1965 alumnae dancing on a dancefloor at Naz Weekend 2025, with younger generations joining in.

Class of ’65 alumnae weren’t allowed to dance the twist on campus when they were in college, but at Naz Weekend 2025, they taught the moves to younger generations.


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