March 19, 1920 – March 24, 2019

Sr. Monica Kevin (Sr. Petra) died on March 24, 2019. She was born on March 19, 1920 in Tipperary, Ireland. She entered the Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk at Blue Point in 1937. Later, she enrolled in Fordham’s Undergraduate School of Education. After receiving a B.S. (Magna cum laude) with a major in mathematics, she taught for a number of years in the Archdiocese of Hartford, CT and the Dioceses of Bridgeport, Brooklyn, and Rockville Centre. She resumed her graduate studies at Fordham in 1960 and received a Ph.D in Biology in 1964. After three years on the faculty at St. John’s University, Sr. Monica returned to Fordham’s Biology department where she spent the next 20 years as a researcher, teacher, and mentor to doctoral students, directing the Pre-Med/Health Program, and serving on almost every College and University Committee. She was elected to the Faculty Senate and served as President from 1977-1980. Sr. Monica received a Bene Merenti Medal acknowledging 40 years of service on the Fordham University faculty, where she also received both her Phd and undergraduate degrees. An avid Fordham Basketball fan, Sr. Monica served for many years on the Athletic Advisory Board and was the the first woman to serve on that committee. She served on the Fordham Chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, and she volunteered at the Malcolm King College in Harlem, NY. In 1986, Sr. Monica Kevin became Dean of the newly centralized Summer session which she organized and administered for 12 years. After her retirement, she worked as a liaison and counselor to the Retired Faculty.