St. Francis College commemorated the life and legacy of Brooklyn native Frank Macchiarola, former chancellor of the college, on Dec. 18.
On the 12th anniversary of Macchiarola’s passing, the Downtown Brooklyn college dedicated its chapel to Macchiarola and his wife, Mary Macchiarola. Father Brian Jordan led the plaque unveiling ceremony, during which Mary Macchiarola accepted the acknowledgment on behalf of her and her husband.
“We’re going to see him again in heaven,” Jordan said at the ceremony, according to The Tablet. “He’s probably teaching a couple of classes up there right now.”
Macchiarola, a graduate of St. Francis College, returned in 1996 to become the school’s president, and dedicated 12 years to the betterment of students and educational opportunities.
Lovingly referred to as “Dr. Mac” during his time at St. Francis, Macchiarola created more than 150 endowed scholarships supporting the school’s mission to provide affordable private education, stated St. Francis College.
Under his tenure, the college successfully completed a $40 million fundraising campaign that supported the construction of the appropriately named Frank and Mary Macchiarola Academic Center, according to the college. The academic building contains a three-floor library, a theater, an HDTC studio, and multimedia classrooms.
A year after his passing, in 2014, Sheepshead Bay High School was renamed the Frank J. Macchiarola Educational Complex.
Mary and their son Joseph attended the ceremony at St. Francis, encouraging students to live up to the school’s namesake.
“My life with Frank was just so special,” Mary told The Tablet. “Frank was as large as life. He lit up a room. And that lack of his presence is tough to swallow.”
Mary, also a graduate of a Catholic school education under the Diocese of Brooklyn, generated her own notable contributions to Brooklyn’s educational system. Mary started her career as a public school teacher in both public and Catholic schools. Following her retirement, she dedicated her time and energy as a director of the faith formation program at Our Lady Help of Christians and fundraising efforts for St. Francis College.
The plaque honoring the contributions of the Macchiarola’s can be found at Our Lady of Angels Chapel at St. Francis College.
