St. Vincent de Paul, patron saint of the poor and founder of the
religious community that sponsors St. John’s University, dedicated
his life to serving those who, in Vincent’s own words, “are most in
need of encouragement or assistance.” Consistent with its mission
as a Vincentian university, St. John’s seeks to provide for its
students not only the knowledge and skills needed for success but a
concern for those less fortunate.
Spirit of Service Award Video Presentation
In their success, but especially in their commitment to serving
others, Margaret LaRosa (Peg) D’Angelo ’70Ed and Peter P. D’Angelo
’78MBA, ’06HON stand as models of all that the University seeks to
achieve.
Since earning her B.A. in Mathematics from the School of
Education in 1970, Peg has devoted her time and talents to helping
others achieve their dreams through education. She is the Founding
President of the Sacred Heart Academy Alumnae Association and
played a pivotal role in the establishment of The Dear Neighbor
Scholarship, a grant awarded to young women from the area of
Hempstead, Long Island who possess the academic ability but lack
the financial resources to attend Sacred Heart. At St. John’s she
served as Chair of the School of Education Centennial Celebration
Committee and is currently Chair of its Leadership Committee.
Peter has combined extraordinary professional success with an
equally extraordinary dedication to serving others. He earned his
M.B.A. from St. John’s College of Business Administration in 1978
and has had a stellar career in the Financial Services industry. He
co-founded Caxton Associates, one of the world’s largest hedge
funds, which manages $10 billion in assets, and is retiring as
President of the firm. He has been a member of the Board of
Trustees of St. John’s since 2003, served on its Executive
Committee and chaired the Investment and Fiscal Resource Management
Committees. In May of this year he was elected Chair of the
Board.
The D’Angelos have not only given their time and talent to St.
John’s but have been extraordinarily generous benefactors as well.
They have endowed a scholarship for Mathematics majors seeking to
pursue a career in Education and established the Peter and Margaret
D’Angelo Endowed Chair in the Humanities within St. John’s College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The strikingly beautiful D’Angelo
Center on the University’s Queens campus stands as a visible
reminder of their exceptional devotion to the University. Their
Vincentian values are also very much reflected in the assistance
they have rendered to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity,
the Interfaith Nutrition Network of Hempstead and St. Francis
Hospital on Long Island.
St. John’s has recognized the accomplishments of this
extraordinary couple on many occasions. Peter received the Alumni
Outstanding Achievement Award in 1998 and was awarded a Doctor of
Commercial Science, honoris causa, in 2006. Peg received the
University’s Pietas Medal in 2000 and the President’s Medal in
2008. In recognition of their devotion to each other and to St.
John’s, the couple received the Fidelitas Award in 2010.