Marcelle P. Leahy, a registered nurse who has served medical organizations in Vermont and the nation, was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters at the Saint Michael's College 2009 commencement on May 14.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was featured speaker at the ceremonies held in the Ross Sports Center for the 516 graduating seniors earning bachelor’s degrees and 50 graduate students who were present, earning master’s degrees, and their families, together totaling some 3,000 people at the ceremonies.
Ernest A. Pomerleau, president, Pomerleau Real Estate, Saint Michael's College trustee and cousin of Mrs. Leahy, sponsored Marcelle Leahy at the ceremony and said, “Today, we honor Marcelle Leahy for her own record of truly selfless devotion to children, to the sick, to military families and to countless others.”
Mrs. Leahy, wife of Senator Patrick Leahy, a 1961 graduate of Saint Michael's College, has herself long been associated with the college and was thanked for keeping her husband close to the college. She was praised for her selfless, continuing work on behalf of the sick and needy. Her diligent, quiet service was recognized in 2007 by Tracy’s Kids, a national pediatric art therapy program. As winner of Tracy’s Kids Courage Award, Marcelle Leahy was singled out for helping young cancer patients cope with the emotional stress and trauma of cancer and its treatment. This award is given to “a role model who exemplifies the strength, dignity and perseverance necessary to face the daily challenges of their illness.”
Mrs. Leahy was a staff nurse in the Medical-Surgical Unit of Arlington Hospital in Virginia, and has been on the boards of the Vermont Nursing Initiatives, the Visiting Nurses Association, the Norwich University School of Nursing, and the University of Vermont School of Nursing. Mrs. Leahy is a melanoma survivor, and since being treated she has spoken publicly about her experiences with the hope of educating others regarding the success of treatment for early detection of skin cancer.
She is chair of Heritage in Harmony, the Vermont-Quebec-France youth leadership Lake Champlain Quadricentennial program; Honorary Chair of the Vermont National Guard Family Support Program and a Board Member of the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation.
Saint Michael’s College, founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nation’s Best 368 Colleges. A liberal arts, residential, Catholic college, Saint Michael’s is located just outside of Burlington, Vermont, one of America’s top college towns, and less than two hours from Montreal. As one of only 270 institutions nationwide with a prestigious Phi Beta Kappa chapter on campus, Saint Michael’s has 2,000 full-time undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 200 international students. In recent years Saint Michael’s students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Guggenheim, Fulbright, National Science Foundation and other grants, and Saint Michael’s professors have been named Vermont Professor of the Year in four of the last eight years. The college is currently listed as one of the nation’s Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings.