Iona College felt the loss of two distinguished trustees emeriti this past year. Patrick J. Lynch ’59, ’08H passed away on April 11, 2020, and Thomas E. Hales, CPA, ’58, ’04H passed away on October 8, 2020. Both members of the Board of Trustees, Lynch and Hales served as key thought-leaders and visionaries for Iona and made meaningful and visible impact in the day-to-day lives of our students.
Patrick Lynch had a long and distinguished career with Texaco Inc., beginning in 1961 as a traveling auditor and culminating as senior vice president and chief financial officer at the time of Texaco’s merger with Chevron Corporation in 2001. During his 40-year Texaco career, Pat held key positions in the company’s financial organization and gained extensive general management experience as the president of two Texaco international divisions.
Pat was a great supporter of Catholic education and directed much of his philanthropy to his beloved alma mater. Through his generosity, the LaPenta-Lynch Trading Floor was established, exposing students to real world trading applications. In addition, he and his family provided critical support for the extensive renovations to the Ryan Library, creating an enhanced learning environment for students.
Thomas Hales, along with his wife, Alice Marie, was a passionate and compassionate philanthropist. Many entities bear their names, including the Thomas E. and Alice M. Hales Endoscopy Unit and the Alice Marie and Thomas E. Hales Pediatric Treatment Area of the Emergency Department at Phelps Memorial Hospital. Closer to home, in 2017, the former South Hall was dedicated the Alice Marie and Thomas E. Hales Hall, or Hales Hall, and the term “Hales’ Gaels” was fondly coined. In 2003, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor was bestowed on Tom, recognizing his extraordinary humanitarian efforts and outstanding contributions to our nation.
Tom had an incredible business acumen, and under his leadership, Union State Bank (USB) grew from $23 million in assets to over $3 billion in assets. USB was sold to KeyBank in 2007, while Tom was suffering from the debilitating disease of pulmonary fibrosis. On November 1, 2007, he underwent a lifesaving double lung transplant that gave him almost thirteen years of additional life, a miracle in every sense of the word.
Both Patrick Lynch and Thomas Hales created legacies at Iona whose impact will be apparent for years to come. Gaels at heart, they lived the mission of the College and we too share in the loss of these two outstanding Ionians.
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