In Memoriam

Remembering recently deceased members of our cherished GSE community

Faculty

Patrick J. Finn

Oct. 17, 1935–Feb. 17, 2025

GSE mourns the passing of Patrick J. Finn, associate professor emeritus in the Department of Learning and Instruction, who died on Feb. 17, 2025, at the age of 89. A passionate educator, author and advocate for educational equity, Finn spent his life working to transform literacy into a force for social justice.

Finn joined GSE in 1973 and served on the faculty until his retirement in 1999. He became widely known for his groundbreaking 1999 book “Literacy with an Attitude: Educating Working-Class Children in Their Own Self-Interest.” A second edition, published in 2009, won the American Educational Studies Association’s Critics' Choice Award the following year.

Finn argued that schools must honor the lived experiences and language of working-class students to help them access the full power of literacy. His work, rooted in both research and activism, reshaped how many educators approach reading instruction, especially in underserved communities.

Finn also wrote “Helping Children Learn to Read” (1990), “Teacher Education with an Attitude” (2007, co-edited with his wife Mary Finn), and “The Taste of an Olive: A Southside of Chicago Memoir” (2024).

In Buffalo, Finn led parent and teacher workshops on empowering education through a grant from the Mayor’s Education Fund.

His influence extended well beyond the classroom, inspiring generations of teachers, organizers and scholars.

Patrick Finn.

“While Pat had retired before I came to UB, ‘Literacy with an Attitude’ had a significant impact on the grad students who were teachers over the years. I used it as a core text in my Language Literacy and Culture master’s class,” said Mary McVee, professor in the Department of Learning and Instruction.

"Former students have told me that the book changed their lives because it dramatically shifted their perspective from blaming kids—and maybe also teachers—to thinking about where kids were coming from and how working-class perspectives influenced views of teaching and learning.”

Alumni

1940s

  • Betty-Jane A. Fenwick, EdM ’48 | 03/28/2025
  • Sister M. Aubert Froning, Adv. Cert. ’46 | 07/04/2025

1950s

  • Janet Kibrick, BS ’52 | 07/11/25
  • Ellen Kimmelman, BS ’59 | 07/13/25
  • Carol W. Snell, BE ’58 | 03/31/2025

1960s

  • Richard F. Boris, EdM ’67, BA ’65 | 04/28/2025
  • Paul Gagliardi, EdM ’68, BS ’63 | 08/25/25
  • Marsha R. Grass, BE ’65 | 04/07/2025
  • Dr. J. Norman Hostetter, EdD ’67, EdM ’63 | 03/28/2025
  • Ruth H. Jones, MS ’63, BA ’60 | 06/30/2025
  • Sandra G. Kurtzman, BE ’60 | 04/03/2025
  • Minnette Mazur, EdM  ’66 | 08/2/25
  • Thomas Nuhfer, EdM ’71 | 07/15/25
  • Dennis E. Przykuta, BE ’66 | 04/13/2025
  • John Rex, EdM ’68 | 05/14/2025
  • Arthur L. Serotte, EdM ’66, BE ’62 | 04/14/2025
  • Mary Ann Stegmeier, EdM ’66 | 04/08/2025
  • Jane M. Wilks, EdM ’69, BA ’66 | 04/08/2025

1970s

  • Brigita Alks, EdM ’73 | 08/8/25
  • James A. Allegretto, EdM ’71, BE ’63 | 05/30/2025
  • James V. Allen, EdM ’74 | 05/26/2025
  • D. Richard Bleyle, EdM ’75, BA ’71 | 04/26/2025
  • Theresa M. Costello, EdM ’79 | 05/07/2025
  • Darryl J. Crowe,  EdM ’75, BA ’72 | 06/04/2025
  • Jacqueline B. Faigenbaum, EdM ’70, BE ’67 | 06/08/2025
  • Gloria G. Foster, EdM ’73 | 06/23/2025
  • Howard Gordon, EdM ’72 | 07/26/25
  • Ernestine R. Green, EdM ’71 | 05/02/2025
  • Elaine Mahaney, MS ’73 | 07/14/25
  • Jane Maier, MLS ’70 | 08/11/25
  • Adrienne K. Sakavicius, EdM ’71, BE ’67 | 06/25/2025
  • Gretchen Seibert, MLS ’76 | 08/23/25
  • Allan C. Stevens, EdM ’70 | 04/05/2025
  • Janet M. Taylor, MLS ’75 | 03/14/2025

1980s

  • Susan M. Bassett, EdM ’86 | 06/20/2025
  • Susanna P. Lunsford, EdM ’81 | 03/31/2025
  • Barbara A. Moore, MLS ’81 | 06/24/2025
  • John Mrozek, EdM ’84 | 07/12/25
  • Rena A. Sheffer, MLS ’84, BA ’71 | 05/03/2025

1990s

  • Mark Davison, EdM ’96 | 07/24/25
  • Joyce P. Klaasesz, MLS ’90 | 05/12/2025
  • Margaret McGrath, EdM ’97 | 07/13/25
  • Dr. Patricia Pulver, EdD ’97 | 07/8/25
  • Paula A. Valley, MLS ’98 | 06/13/2025
  • Iris Zackheim, EdM ’90 | 05/14/2025

2010s

  • Emily E. Cady, MLS ’18, MA ’18 | 04/25/2025
  • Jennifer Kubek, MS ’10, BA ’03 | 06/08/2025