A Tribute to Cathy
60 Years of Giving
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Born on November 4, 1941 at Bryn Mawr Hospital, Catherine Marie Fagan began her journey aided by her parents, Alexander  and Katherine (McMenamin). Cathy was a first child who entered the world noisily and took up residence in Wayne, Pennsylvania on Philadelphia's Main Line. Cathy was soon baptized by Father McCusker (who later presided at her wedding) in Saint Katherine of Sienna Catholic Church (where she was subsequently married) in Wayne. Sue (Keeley) Beatty joined her class at Saint Katherine's School in second grade and has remained Cathy's oldest friend. Sue remembers, "All through St. Katherine's Elementary School, Cathy and Elizabeth Krylow would compete for number one in the class...everyone was always happy when Cathy would be number one mostly because everyone liked Cathy who was sweet and nice while Elizabeth was a pompous jerk!" Chris (Jones) Devine joined Cathy and Sue at St. Katherine's somewhat later. Chris and Cathy were born on the same day!

Cathy attended Notre Dame de Namur Academy in Villanova, PA for her high school years. She was fortunate to share those formative years with a small community of friends who offered support and mutual understanding. When Cathy was fifteen and a sophomore, I met her at a party at the home of one of her classmates, Monica Lopes. Cathy and I eventually discovered that we were kindred spirits with passionate overtones for each other. In an act of wisdom that still astounds me in retrospect, we decided that we had "miles to go" before we could be involved in a serious relationship, so we voluntarily suspended our involvement with each other. Cathy went on to be graduated from Notre Dame in 1959.

West Chester University was next in Cathy's quest for education. Her life-long love of learning continued as she pursued a degree in English with a minor in French and a Pennsylvania state secondary teaching certificate. During these years, Cathy sometimes describes her activities as "wild", but she was just manifesting her Joie de Vie. Cathy, Sue, and another friend undertook a six-week sojourn to Europe in 1964, a year after she was graduated from West Chester. A lonely soldier (me) pined away for her at Fort Dix, NJ while she was gone.

Cathy taught English at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School in Lafayette Hills, PA for three years. Meanwhile, I was finishing my last two years at Villanova University helped by her moral support and love. We married on August 6, 1966 shortly after my Villanova graduation. We honeymooned for three weeks in a cabin on Lake Wallenpaupack in the Poconos. Cathy would have preferred a flashier honeymoon, but patiently bided her time as she worked on modifying my interests more toward her own.

We moved to Penn State, where I was to work on a Ph.D. in Mathematics. Cathy went to work for the Circulation Department at Pattee Library on campus; she soon was the assistant to the Directory of Circulation, Miss Lyle. Cathy endured our poverty stoically, but longed to begin a family. Cathy became pregnant soon after we arrived on campus, but a tragic miscarriage on Thanksgiving Day forced us to wait longer for a family. Although we really couldn't afford children at that time, Cathy pursued fertility treatments at Geisinger Medical Center. Cathy's influence and financial support caused me to complete my Ph.D. in a record 30 months.

We didn't know yet, but as we left Penn State in March, 1969, Cathy was pregnant with Alexandra (Alex). We moved to Shippensburg, PA so I could teach at Shippensburg University and so we could raise a family. Once again, this was not Cathy's first choice for residence, but she accepted it and became active in several activities. We had an active social life, including our Gourmet Club,  which fit well with Cathy's friendly demeanor. We were active in Our Lady of the Visitation Catholic Church and eventually became the Sunday School teachers for the high school class. Cathy also became active in the Junior Civic Club and served on the board of the public library. In all of these things, Cathy gave her best effort. Alex was born in November 1969; while she was in incubation, an American astronaut stepped on the Moon. Our son William (Bill) was born in May 1971, just before Cathy's sister Marianne was married, and just before we moved to Binghamton, NY for the summer so I could attend a research institute.

Cathy loves to travel and is willing to endure a great deal of suffering and inconvenience in order to do so. We spent another summer in Williamstown, MA in 1972 so I could attend another institute. Cathy broke her kneecap chasing an active 14 month old toddler/sprinter and spent much of the summer in a full-leg cast.

We bought and moved into our first house in the winter of 1973. Cathy has some gardening in her genetic makeup, so she really enjoyed owning property and working with it. Our daughter, Katherine (Katie), was born in December 1973. We took a baby-sitter with us as we vacationed in Avalon, NJ in August of 1974. The whole family spent a good portion of the Summer of 1975 in State College, so I could take courses at Penn State, and Cathy could work on a catalogue of the John O'Hara Study within Pattee Library. Cathy did her usual excellent job while still putting in the heavy hours of a mother with three young children.

We decided to take a sabbatical leave in 1977 at Duke University. Cathy (and I) took up jogging while in North Carolina and both of us committed ourselves to a life of fitness. We took a great trip to Florida and Disney World in March 1977. This is the first trip that our children remember well. Cathy took a really difficult computer course at Duke and did quite well, even though her background with computers was meager.

In 1978, we spent the first of three summers in the Boston area as I worked as a consultant for Raytheon Data Systems. That first summer we lived on Jerusalem Road in Cohasset. Each weekday of the summer, weather permitting, Cathy and the kids walked to Nantasket Beach and spent the day at the ocean's edge. One of the best aspects of being in New England was our chance to get back more actively into the lives of Cathy's old friend, Sue, and her husband Jack and daughters Karen and Kim. In 1979, we lived in Dedham for the summer. Alex spent a month in Maine visiting my brother Bob, his wife Shannon, and their daughter Lauren in Waterville. Cathy and I discovered Bar Harbor, one of our favorite places, as a side-effect. We really missed Alex while she was gone. We all discovered Provincetown and fell in love with that crazy place.  In 1980, we lived in Newton for the summer. Our son Bill got involved in a recreational swim team and Katie learned the basics of swimming as a six-year old.

All three of our children became involved in the age group swim team, the Shippensburg Sharks. This was an all-family activity that required many hours from all of us. Cathy was the coordinator for the Little League candy sale during the 1981 season.

Cathy took a giant step as she returned to teaching at Fannett-Metal High School in 1982. Our daughter Katie became a latch-key kid and I took on some new roles such as stopping nose bleeds and putting hair into pony tails. Cathy quickly became a valuable asset at her new school and became loved by administrators, teachers, and students. Cathy taught English and French and reinstituted the Drama Club with its annual play.

Cathy decided that we needed to travel to Europe. I had spent a year in Thailand in the army in 1963, but hadn't been in Europe. Cathy knew firsthand of a lot of places that she wanted to show me, especially Venice, Italy. Since I had spent my early years camping with my family in California and had traversed the country three times by car, I wanted Cathy and the kids to see our country first. So in 1984, we packed our Ram van and headed across the country. Cathy loved her new acquaintanceship with our country and its varied geography. Cathy became an expert map reader and navigator during the course of the trip. She kept us on course and on schedule for a great trip.

During the summer of 1985, Cathy organized a school trip to England and France. Most of the participants were students, including our three, but we had some other adults including Cathy's principal, Jim Peterson and his wife. Cathy showed her strong organizational and people skills in putting the trip together and keeping it running smoothly throughout the two weeks.

In the Fall of 1987, Alex moved to Villanova, causing a huge change in all of our lives. From January to August of 1988, we took a sabbatical leave in Cape May, NJ to "test-drive" the area as a potential place of residence.

Cathy organized a high school trip to the British Isles during the summer of 1989. This trip included Cathy's sister Marianne Bialas and her family. Cathy was an excellent trip coordinator as always. Our son, Bill, headed off to begin college at Penn State during the summer session.

During the summer of 1990, we did a week on our own in Athens. We packed a lot of activities into that period. Then we flew to Oslo to hike with my brothers and their wives. Cathy didn't particularly like hiking in the snow, but she impressed our guide with her level of fitness and enthusiasm.

For our twenty-fifth anniversary in 1991, I secretly scheduled us on a cruise to Tahiti and French Polynesia. I don't think I could have planned a trip more suited to Cathy's tastes; we loved it! We celebrated our actual anniversary day in Bora Bora - hard to top. Earlier in the summer, Cathy organized and led yet another high school trip to Australia. Our group was smaller for this trip so we were consolidated with two other groups. Our group leader (Cathy) was the best. Cathy began to cycle during 1991 and became quite adept at it.

Katie was graduated from high school in 1992 and entered Virginia Tech in the Fall. We joined my brothers for a hike into the Grand Canyon and also hiked to the remote ruins at Keet Seel in June 1992. Cathy and I rode our bikes the 184 mile length of the C&O Canal in July 1992 over a three day period.

In June 1993, at Cathy's insistence, we bought land on the Delaware Bay, three miles north of the Cape May Canal. Then we spent six weeks of total immersion French at Laval University in Quebec. We traveled on the weekends and camped a couple of times, but we always returned early on Sunday to do our homework, usually outdoors. Imagine spending lovely summer Sundays studying - that's Cathy.

In the summer of 1994, Cathy had a nice reunion with Sue and Chris and husbands in New England. We had spent a great deal of the spring and summer hiking the Appalachian Trail preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime hike in the Grand Canyon. Cathy showed an awesome fitness and stamina level in accomplishing our long trek in high temperatures. We decided to start building our beach house at the Shore and eagerly tracked its progress.

In February 1995, Cathy became the mother of the bride and mother-in-law as Alex married Phil Stoops in Villanova Chapel. This was an extremely joyful event for Cathy because her children's happiness has always been more important than her own. Cathy was also able to gather her bridesmaids for a photo. On May 5, we finally took possession of Baie-Chalet; Cathy had to teach until June 12, so she officially moved in on that day as I carried her over the threshold. Sue and Chris and husbands Jack and Jimmy joined us on our new deck overlooking the Delaware Bay; Cathy had finally arrived where she wanted to be! Always thinking of others, Cathy helped former neighbor Anna Fulcomer celebrate her 90th birthday in her nursing home in Carlisle, PA in August. Cathy began a new teaching job at Cape May County Technical High School in the fall. Our son Bill was graduated from Shippensburg University at the December graduation.

During the summer of 1996 Cathy took a part-time job at PawPrints, a pet boutique owned by one of her teaching colleagues. As with everything she does, she performed with enthusiasm. Cathy's love of the area was manifested in her desire to get out into the environment as much as possible during all seasons. During August, we met with Sue and Chris and husbands in Woods Hole for a reunion. We had a flurry of activity around the holidays with Katie's graduation from Virginia Tech, Christmas in Florida with the Bialas family, and our first trip to Key West, one of Cathy's favorite places.

On Memorial Day 1997, Katie and Tom became engaged on the beach near our home. We celebrated another wonderful addition to the family. Cathy always takes part in all school activities, including dress-up days. We spent another holiday season in Key West.

In the winter of 1998, Cathy enjoyed walking the beach in spite of the cold. In all years and all seasons, Cathy maintains weekly phone contact with the kids - these are among her most important moments. Cathy helped with another school event in the spring. Cathy also had a chance to share her gardening expertise with Alex at her home in Springfield, PA. Most importantly, Cathy had the opportunity to reprise her role as mother of the bride in June 1998 as Katie married Tom Leitch in Blacksburg, VA. Phil delighted us with his toast, a light-hearted welcome into the family to Tom. Always making time for others, Cathy visited with an old family friend, Sister Mary at the retreat house on Cape May Point during July 1998. Cathy also made time to travel with a summer trip to Bar Harbor with hiking and biking. We had our usual holiday festivities.

Cathy was named an Outstanding Teacher of the Year by Cape May County in 1999. During June, we attended the annual AAAI aerobics convention in Atlantic City. We attend this event annually since Cathy does aerobics nearly every day, enjoying both the exercise and the camaraderie. The highlight of 1999 for Cathy was becoming a grandmother; Erin Stoops was born on July 13, 1999 in Bryn Mawr Hospital. Cathy relished this new role. The holidays took on a new dimension with a baby in the mix.

Spring Break 2000 found us in Key West with friends. Cathy kayaked, biked, hiked, lounged in the pool, and partied. On Mothers' Day, we joined Katie and Tom for the Race for the Cure in Philadelphia. Marianne's daughter Stephanie was married in North Carolina, so we had a great chance for a family reunion in Chapel Hill, Cathy got a chance to visit with Sue and Chris at Chris' home in North Carolina following the wedding weekend. I became 60, so we traveled to Bar Harbor to celebrate. Cathy enjoyed most of the hiking. Cathy showed her great sense of humor again as she dressed as the host of the annual Matthews' Halloween party. Cathy continued to show her mettle by facing the winter's wind and cold in her outside activities. Cathy enjoyed the holidays as always, especially having a toddler in the house for Christmas.

We headed south again during Spring Break 2001. This time, Alex, Phil, and Erin joined us at Marianne's new home in Bellaire. Then Cathy and I headed on to Key West. Sue and Jack Beatty visited Cape May during the summer of 2001. Cathy finally got me to accompany her to Venice for our 35th Anniversary celebration; it was even better than she had described. Cathy had the opportunity during the year to spend some quality time with an ever-growing Erin.

Here are some others of my favorite photos over the years:

1944 - (?) Toddler
1947 - (?) At the Shore with Daddy and Marianne
1949 - (?) First communion
1952 - (?) Cathy took tap dancing
1955 - (?) St. Katherine's uniform
1966 - Brothers and wives on New Year's Eve
1967 - Cathy with Stacey Wainwright, daughter of friends
1968 - 2nd anniversary at the Shore (Stone Harbor, I think)
1969 - Cathy and Alex
1970 - Summer meal at Lobster House in Cape May
1971 - My birthday in Binghamton, NY
1972 - Cathy smiling in spite of a full-leg cast
1973 - Cathy and I on our anniversary
1974 - before a Christmas party
1975 - Family walk for Shippensburg pool fund
1976 - Just before our 10th anniversary dinner
1977 - Cathy lighting our Advent Wreath
1978 - A tan Cathy and the kids on my birthday in Cohasset
1979 - Cathy and the kids at Cape Neddick Nubble in Maine
1980 - Cathy's birthday
1981 - Cathy's birthday
1982 - On top of Mt. Champlain in Acadia
1983 - Cathy and the kids enjoying Lobster in Maine
1984 - Mother's Day
1985 - Family pose
1986 - Cathy and Katie at the top of the Precipice Trail in Acadia
1987 - Dropping Alex at Villanova
1988 - It's a long story
1989 - Christmas pose
1990 - Birthday dress
1991 - Alex is graduated from Villanova
1992 - Christmas photo taken by Alex
1993 - Christmas Eve dinner
1994 - Cathy and her dream house on the Delaware Bay
1995 - Alex and Phil's wedding
1996 - Katie's graduation from Virginia Tech
1997 - Hiking with Katie and Tom near Virginia Tech
1998 - Katie and Tom's wedding
1999 - Cathy showing a great sense of humor on Halloween
2000 - Family reunion at Governor's Club in Chapel Hill
2001 - Cathy crying about the kids' anniversary gift in Venice
overall - It's hard to choose, but check this one out

Here are a few impressions:

Alex Stoops (daughter): She is someone who (even though she would deny it) touches so many people - from children she has taught, friends she makes easily, and even grocery clerks she encounters everyday.  She is generous and non-judgemental and I think that's why she ends up learning so much about people because they feel like they can talk to her.  And as one of her children, I always felt comfortable talking to
her about many subjects; not all parents and children have that relationship.  I remember how much I appreciated the time that she spent with me after Erin was born.  It was so comforting to have her there and it was indicative of her generosity.

Bill McArthur (son): I remember:

Bill McArthur (husband): It's a rare day when I don't realize how lucky I am to have known and loved Cathy since I was sixteen. Cathy is a constant inspiration to me.

Cathy's Own Words: I care!

Julie Varner, Ph.D. (former student): Cathy has been a major influence in my life. Beginning in those far away days in junior high and high school, when I'm certain she thought she had Satan in her class, she stuck in there and encouraged the snippets of me that she would see in my writing or in drama practice. Although you'd think she would have rejoiced after my high school graduation, she maintained an open-door when I went to college at Shippensburg University and spent many an evening at your house filling my wine glass and listening to my woes.  Her unwavering presence, literature and life discussions have greatly shaped who I am and how I view the world and treat others.  She was/is what every teacher would be lucky to become.  And what every friend should aspire to be.

Katie Leitch (daughter): Some mothering memories:

Marianne Bialas (sister): Cathy, you are the greatest sister anyone could have and we always stuck together through many difficult times.  The fact that I had you as a sister made those times more bearable and I always knew I had you to depend on.  You have had a remarkable 60 years and you look great!  You should be very proud of your many accomplishments both academic and personal.  You raised a wonderful family and your children are all successful, upstanding adults, who are also very nice people.  You and Bill did a wonderful job and I am very proud to be a member of your extended family.  Although we do not get together very often, when we do we all have a great time and really enjoy each other's company and every family is not lucky enough to be able to say that. I love you!

Some Final Thoughts

These are just a selection from the highlights of Cathy's life. There were many trips unmentioned, thousands of photos unshown, and many more lives touched. Cathy is a loving, caring, giving person who is never first in line and never thinks of herself. If you try to give something to Cathy, she is already scheming how she will pay you back before she accepts the gift. I can't wait.


With Love from her husband Bill
October 31, 2001