A. John Gambro is the co-founder of The LEO Foundation. John, a retired chemical engineer from Cedar Grove, and his late wife, Rose, have been longtime supporters of Bergen Community College, with LEO Foundation scholarships awarded to eligible Bergen students...

The Allendale Woman’s Club is a volunteer service organization comprised of diverse and talented women who are interested in making a difference in the community. They dedicate their efforts toward worthy causes both within the community and throughout the state....

Arline Simpson Seidman was born in the Bronx and graduated from Central Commercial High School. She opened her own personnel agency, Arline Simpson Associates, in 1980. She was past chairwoman of the Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce (MRC) and one of the...

Arthur and Cecilia Tolve, married for 45 years, exemplify the term “committed to the greater good.” When asked why they give, their response was: “That is the way we were raised: to help one another, family values, commitment, give to the poor. It is the discipline...

Arthur H. Abel, Jr. passed away at the age of 36 in 1995 from a rare form of cancer, predeceasing both of his parents. He was the only child of Violet and Arthur Abel, Sr. Arthur was an extraordinary person who was raised in Hasbrouck Heights and attended school...

“As someone who was able to obtain eight years of college (Brandeis University, Vassar College, and the University of Buffalo) with extremely limited funds, I can well appreciate the financial needs of serious students. I did manage to become a Psychologist who...

Bergen Community College seeks to create an open, accepting, and affirming environment for LGBTQ+ individuals at Bergen, one that is supportive of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression for all members of this community on campus and in the larger...

Founded in Bergen County, Bogota Savings Bank is proud to be one of the oldest banks in New Jersey. In 1893, local businessman William Smith determined that the employees of his company, Bogota Paper Mills, should have a local place to tend to their banking needs. To...

Dan and Peg Reese-O’Neill were dedicated to the values of love and support for each other and their community. Peggy was a member of the professional staff here at Bergen Community College, working as an international counselor for 35 years. She helped countless...

David A. Gille was a 1961 graduate of Teaneck High School, where he participated on the track team. In 1965, he graduated from Valparaiso University with a mathematics degree. He trained as a naval officer and served in Vietnam as a Lieutenant, JG. Following his...

Dawne Olensky established the Steven D. Olensky Scholarship at Bergen Community College to provide scholarships for single head-of-household women with children. Dawne was the single mother of a young child, who now lives in Florida with children of her own, when she...

Dr. George Philo Pitkin (“Dr. Pitkin”) was born on March 25, 1885 at Schroon Lake, Essex County, New York. Dr. Pitkin studied at the Albany Medical School, Union University, where he graduated in 1908 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine taking up his practice of...

Edward Paul “Doc” Wonsicki was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and lived in Manalapan and Atlanta, Georgia, before moving to Orlando, Florida. He graduated from Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Doc...

Eleanor “Ellie” D’Avino defined the two words that make up “humankind” in every aspect of the life that she so generously, graciously, and selflessly shared with others. She was born on December 24, 1931, in Hoboken, NJ, and passed away peacefully on July 27, 2022,...

Ena L.“Po-Po” Lue was born in Jamaica, West Indies, on March 2, 1941. Affectionately known as Po-Po, the Chinese word for grandmother, Lue made tapestries for her church and sang in the choir. She volunteered with Meals on Wheels, and family members said she always...

Indian-Americans of Paramus is a community nonprofit organization that seeks to: 1) Provide non-political, non-religious forum for members of the Paramus community in general. 2) Support and participate in all Paramus borough community projects as caring responsible...

Isabella Altano was a passionate and driven artist who spent her life creating and inspiring others to create works of all mediums. After immigrating to the United States from Molfetta, Italy, Isabella attended and graduated from Bergen Community College where she...

John A. Schepisi is the Founder and President of Schepisi & McLaughlin P.A., a law firm where he focuses on litigation, real estate development, and land use issues, including property acquisition, zoning approvals, and property development and marketing. An engineer...

“The Louis Girshon Memorial Scholarship was established to honor my father. He was an immigrant from Eastern Europe in the 1920s. He was lured by a chance for a better and more positive life. As he was semi-literate, he had no chance for a higher paying job. Over the...

Maura Burke Soehnlein was born in Ireland and immigrated to the United States as a teenager. She lived with her sister and brother-in-law in New York while she pursued a degree in nursing (LPN). She paused her education to raise three children in New Jersey with her...

Michael Orlando, of Westwood, NJ, devoted 25 years of his life to Bergen Community College. His colleagues deeply appreciated his guidance, insight, and support, and his presence in the classroom, English Basic Skills Coordinator’s office, and in the Faculty Senate...

The National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) is a non-profit organization formed in 1960 with the purpose of awarding and maintaining credentialing for Respiratory Therapists in the United States. The NBRC is the only organization in the United States which...

Philip and Kathleen Ciarco are longtime supporters of Bergen Community College; Kathleen herself is a BCC alumna. They established the Ciarco Family Scholarship fund in May 1998 and, in 1999, made another generous donation, resulting in BCC renaming its Hackensack...

PSE&G is an energy company headquartered in Newark, NJ, founded in 1903. They power the lives of over 2.3 million electric customers and 1.9 million gas customers in New Jersey, and over one million electric customers on Long Island – keeping the lights on and...

Reverend Father Carnig A. Hallajian was born in 1928 in Aleppo, Syria, with the baptismal name Antranig. He received his elementary education at Aleppo’s Giligian School and, in 1944, entered the seminary of the St. James Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Due to...

SiteOne Landscape Supply is the largest and only national wholesale distributor of landscaping products in the United States and Canada, with a long history of serving residential and commercial landscape professionals who specialize in the design, installation, and...

Sonia Sklaver’s high school education in Poland was interrupted by World War II. She was an excellent student with a facility for languages. She survived the war hiding her Jewish identity and working as a servant for Polish farmers. Following the war, she married a...

Founded by two brothers, David Khym and Kenny Khym, Wicked Fashions, Inc. began in 1991 when it launched its flagship brand, SOUTHPOLE® in New York, the fashion capital of the world. SOUTHPOLE started as a premium urban brand. With its legendary puffy “bubble” jacket...

Stephen J. Moses was born in 1938 in the Bronx to Seymour Moses, a contractor, and his wife, Ruth, a legal secretary. After graduating from high school in Teaneck, he received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University. While a student there, he met his wife,...

Stryker is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies that, together with their customers, is driven to make healthcare better. They offer innovative products and services in the areas of medical and surgical, neurotechnology, orthopaedics, and spine...