University Honors Long-term Employees

On Dec. 13, the Office of the President celebrated those men and women whose generous work ethic and longstanding dedication shape Fordham’s life and character every day.

Five employees received the 1841 Award Medal for Service of 20 or 40 years. Together, they represented more than 100 years of University service. They are:

Fernando Castillo, Facilities Services at Lincoln Center: Castillo began his Fordham career as a mechanic and was promoted to engineer. A native of the Philippines, Castillo works on the 2nd shift at the Lincoln Center campus, where he frequently handles heating and cooling operations for after-hour events in Pope Auditorium, the 12th-floor Lounge, and the Law School Amphitheatre.

Anita Bisecco, Custodial Services at Rose Hill: Recognized by her supervisors for exceptional work and polite disposition, Bisecco had worked in custodial services cross-campus—from Dealy Hall, to the William D. Walsh Family Library, to her present position in the Administration Building. She has earned numerous citations for her outstanding performance.

Nathan Bahny, Quinn Library Staff: Bahny has bar-coded books and periodicals, maintained hundreds of library stacks, and now helps run the library’s online Reserve system. His encyclopedic knowledge of just about everything on reserve in the Quinn collection makes him a favorite among faculty and staff, as does another essential quality for a library staffer—his patience.

From l to r, Fernando Castillo, Anita Bisecco, Linda Lo
Schiavo (accepting for Nathan Bahny), Rosemary
DeJulio, assistant to the President, Dr. Freedman,
Father McShane, Marc Valera, vice president for
facilities, and Msgr. Joseph Quinn, vice president
for mission and ministry (Photos by Chris Taggart)

Anthony “Tony” Romeo, Facilities Services at Rose Hill: A 40-year employee, Romeo ran the Rose Hill Gas Station when it was in existence. Since the station’s closure, Romeo has worn several other hats in facilities, including serving as s a shop steward for the facilities workers, acting as their advocate and ensuring everyone receives a fair shake.

Debra L. Rivera, Fordham Law School: Rivera works in the Office of Faculty Support, where she provides administrative support to tenured, tenure-track and visiting professors. Among her duties are providing teaching support, article and book editing, conference planning, and online course-ware maintenance. Rivera is also a Fordham alumna; she holds a master’s degree in political science from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

On hand to present the awards were Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, Stephen Freedman, Ph.D., University provost and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, employees’ area supervisors, and friends and family.

“It’s my pleasure to acknowledge personally the dedicated service of our loyal Fordham employees,” said Father McShane. “Their efforts and commitment make a difference in the life of the University.”

The 1841 Award was established in 1982 by former Fordham President James C. Finlay, S.J., in honor of the year the University was founded by Archbishop John Hughes.