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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Patricia O’Neill, Associate Professor Emerita, Chemistry (Retired)


The college family mourns the loss of Patricia O’Neill, associate professor emerita, who passed away on January 30, 2013. Miss O’Neill was among the first to teach chemistry at MCC -- a career that began on the top floor of MCC’s Alexander Street Campus in September 1963. She continued to give back to MCC and stayed closely connected to her teaching colleagues after retiring in 1994.

At this time, her family is making memorial arrangements. I will share that information as soon as it becomes available.

Miss O’Neill was educated at the University of Florida-Gainesville. She applied for a position at MCC because she wanted to focus on teaching and thought Rochester was one of the most beautiful places in the country.

During her MCC career she developed and revised courses to match student needs such as a special chemistry lab course for medical technicians. She was a member of the American Chemical Society and served as chair of the Western New York State Two-Year College Chemistry Teachers’ Association.

Recently Miss O’Neill shared how she, Myron Cucci and Mary Lou Swicklick turned a storage room into office space for the college’s first chemistry department. Reflecting upon the college’s humble, yet exciting, first years, she said “As pioneers, we knew what people saw on the outside didn’t count. We became a close-knit, determined group teaching students from a variety of backgrounds.”

She became a member of the MCC Foundation’s Alice Holloway Young Society in 2011 to further support the success of future students through scholarships. Miss O’Neill believed, as we do, that “MCC students are our future.” She often told students that “MCC is real; it’s an open door and its credits transfer anywhere.”

Anne M. Kress
President's Office
02/01/2013