From:
Robert MacKay <robertmackay@songvoice.com>
To:
KT's Friends
Sent: Mon, Jan 26,
2015 11:45 pm
Subject: KT Memorial
Warm greetings to all
(especially to those of you in the Northeast today!),
with kind and continuing wishes for a happy, healthy and
prosperous 2015. I trust this finds each of you in good
health and high spirits.
I am pleased to inform that I have secured a date and
place for us to pay respects, share stories, weep,
laugh, cry, cheer, admire and otherwise celebrate the
extraordinary life of our sister, friend and colleague
Katy (aka KT) MacKay.
Please make a note on your calendar for Monday, April
13, 2015 when we will gather mid-afternoon at Merkin
Concert Hall inside Kaufman Music Center. The venue is
located on Manhattan's Upper Westside in New York City
on West 67th St. between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.
Additional details will be forthcoming as they
materialize. I am very early in the planning stages and
have a general vision in mind for agenda format and
content, and remain open to entertaining your thoughts,
suggestions and any ideas you wish to share.
I have no idea what to expect in terms of turnout, and
wouldn't even begin to know all the names of people to
contact. For better or for worse, individual invitations
will not be sent so please feel free to personally share
the date and this email with whomever you feel would
want to be included. I'll keep my fingers crossed that
the first-come, first-served 450-seat + SRO auditorium
will comfortably accommodate all who wish to attend.
Immediately following our memorial we will congregate in
the adjoining lobby for an informal reception where
light snacks and refreshments will be available. As
such, it will be most useful for planning purposes if
you could kindly RSVP at your earliest convenience.
Please use 'KT Memorial' as your Subject Line and
respond with Yea, Nay or Maybe with the anticipated
number of guests in your party. I prefer your response
be sent to my alternate email address: robertmackay@songvoice.com,
however rtmjr@att.net will work equally well.
In the event your personal circumstances prevent you
from attending in person, please understand and embrace
that your presence will be with us regardless.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the
Katy MacKay University Fellows Endowed Fund at St.
Lawrence University, c/o Tom Pynchon, Vice-President for
Advancement, St. Lawrence University, 23 Romoda Drive,
Canton, NY 13167
My appreciation for your time and infinite support
continues...
EverLove,
Robert MacKay
President's
Office
To: The St.
Lawrence Community
From: William L. Fox, President
Date: October 1, 2014
Subject: In Memory: Emerita Trustee Katy MacKay ’70
When
a life is brave and full, its end will seem too soon and
simply impossible. Katy MacKay ’70, loved by countless
Laurentians around the world, died last night in her
home city of New York. Her devoted brother Robert told
us that throughout the “ravages of her journey,” she
never lost the fire of perseverance or the grace of
selflessness.
Katy had faced the most
critical health difficulties imaginable over the past
two years, but by last spring was home again and, of
course, was one of the star attractions at the annual
New York City alumni event in midtown.
Before health
restrictions limited her professional activity, Katy was
a part-time consultant, working for Zetlin Strategic
Communications. Previously, she retired from a
quarter-century career in state government. She was
Assistant Executive Director of the Port Authority of
New York and New Jersey, first serving as AED/State
Relations working with the governments of both states
and later as Chief Administrative Officer. Previous to
that, she served in the New York State Budget Division
during the fiscal crisis of the late 1970’s. She served
as a member of the Board of Directors of The Council of
Governing Boards of CICU, and as Chair of Nominating
Committee of the Board. She served as a member and past
Chair of a women’s investment partnership (WITS). As we
all discovered, though she would never make the claim
herself, Katy knew everyone in Albany and New York City
public life.
She served on the Board
of Directors of her building cooperative, the Advisory
Board of Hostelling International-New York, the Advisory
Council for the Disabled for the 1980 Olympics in Lake
Placid, the Governor’s Advisory Council on the Disabled,
and as a charter member of the Center for Women in
Government in Albany.
While Katy was a St.
Lawrence student, she was involved in a car accident.
Her complicated injuries resulted in the lost use of
her legs. Her indomitable spirit and energy, the
uncomplaining habits of determination, endeared and
inspired in equal measure. One of her friends on the St.
Lawrence Board said to me, “Who among us did not marvel
at her intellect, drive and determination?” Another
said, “Who will ever meet a braver person?”
As an alumna, she was a
member of the Alumni Executive Council, reunion
development committees, President’s Associates
Membership Committee, planning co-chair for her 30th,
35th and 40th class reunions, Laurentian Singers reunion
co-chair, and career advisor. She established the Katy
MacKay University Fellowship Fund to support student
research. Katy was elected an Alumni Trustee in 1986
and a Term Trustee in 1992. Among her trustee
leadership roles was chairmanship of the Student Life
Committee, the former Information Technology Committee,
and the former Planning Committee. Most of all, she
loved meeting students, especially mentoring student
delegates and helping them understand the responsibility
of their roles.
She graduated from St.
Lawrence in 1970 with a degree in sociology and,
naturally, graduated as one of the most popular and
beloved members of her class. She loved the school songs
and never missed joining the chorus when the Laurentian
Singers, by tradition, invite alumni to sing in the
finale of all performances - Chapel Bells, A Tribute,
and the St. Lawrence Alma Mater. Katy had the strong
voice of a singer, but it was her ready, happy laughter
that punctuated a voice speaking the words of life
wisdom and careful thinking. We’ll ne’er forget.
From:
Valerie Ingram
Sent: Thursday, October
30, 2014 3:08 PM
To:
Madeline P. Schroth
Subject: Katy MacKay fund at St. Lawrence University
Tom Pynchon asked me to respond to your request for more
information about the Katy MacKay University Fellows
Endowed Fund, and I am happy to do so.
Students participating in St. Lawrence’s University
Fellows Program live on campus for the summer and
undertake collaborative research with a faculty
mentor/partner in a “community of scholars.” This is a
program Katy highly valued because it provided an
opportunity not common at a small liberal arts school to
engage in high-level, serious scholarship and research.
Because many of our students need to earn money in the
summer, the program provides a stipend, as well as
housing and support for supplies and any associated
project travel.
For many years, Katy supported, with an annual gift, an
expendable University Fellowship fund bearing her name.
In her generous way, she did not restrict her gift to
one discipline or major, but, true to her commitment to
the liberal arts, left it up to the Scholarships,
Fellowships & Grants committee to choose a high quality
project worthy of support, regardless of the nature of
the research. Because of her commitment, her brother
Robert wished to honor Katy’s memory by working with
others to endow her fund so that there will always be a
“Katy MacKay Fellow” at St. Lawrence.
You can find out more about the University Fellows
Program by clicking
here, and you might
also enjoy the short student-produced video which
highlights the work of some of our past University
Fellows (it’s the one entitled “Student
Research Opportunities”).
Katharine B. MacKay
1948 - 2014
Katharine
B. MacKay (Katy or KT) of Manhattan, died in the evening
of September 30, 2014 in New York City. She was 66.
As a child of a career Naval officer, Katy and her
family moved numerous times, spending her more formative
years in Scituate, Massachusetts. As a college
sophomore, Katy was in a car accident resulting in the
loss of use of her legs. Refusing to be defined by this
event, she forged ahead with exceptional determination,
resilience, humor and resourcefulness.
After
graduating from St. Lawrence University in 1970, she
carved for herself an extraordinary and fulfilling life
of public service, becoming one of New York's most
respected and admired public servants.
As a life-long active alumna of St. Lawrence, Katy was
elected Alumni Trustee in 1986, then Term Trustee in
1992. Among her trustee leadership roles were chair of
the Student Life Committee, the Information Technology
Committee, and the Planning Committee. She was a member
of the Alumni Executive Council, the President's
Associates Membership Committee, and the planning
co-chair for her 30th, 35th and 40th class reunions. She
was co-chair for the "Laurentians" reunions, a renowned
a cappella singing group of which she was a member as a
student. Most of all, she loved meeting and mentoring
students as a career advisor. She established the Katy
MacKay University Fellowship Fund to support student
research.
Beginning her public service right out of college, Katy
worked for the Director of the Massachusetts Department
of Human Services. She was subsequently recruited to
serve with the Director of New York State's Budget
Division during the State's fiscal crisis and near
default of New York City in 1975. She then became
Assistant Executive Director of the Port Authority of
New York and New Jersey, first serving as AED/State
Relations and later as Chief Administrative Officer.
Katy retired from a quarter-century career of public
service in 2003.
During her career, she served as a member of the Board
of Directors of CICU, including as Chair of its
Nominating Committee of the Board. Katy was a member and
past Chair of WITS, a women's investment partnership.
She also served on the Board of Directors of her
cooperative apartment building, the Advisory Board of
Hostelling International-New York, the Advisory Council
for the Disabled for the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid,
the Governor's Advisory Council on the Disabled, and as
a charter member of the Center for Women in Government
in Albany.
Katy consistently conducted her remarkable life with
inspirational integrity, strength, purpose and always
with a welcoming smile. It was as though she was the
only person who didn't realize she was a wheelchair
user.
Katy is survived by her brother, Robert T. MacKay, Jr.
of Los Angeles, California.
A celebration of Katy's life is planned for Springtime
in New York City.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Katy MacKay University
Fellows Endowed Fund at St. Lawrence University, c/o Tom
Pynchon, Vice President for Advancement, St. Lawrence
University, 23 Romoda Drive, Canton, New York 13617.
Published on NYTimes.com from Oct.
20 to Oct. 21, 2014
