Honoring Mary Jane Connell: A Life of Inclusion, Compassion and Respect
Marty Connell | Class of 1987
B.A., Communications and Sociology
Marty Connell's connection to John Carroll began in college but has continued well beyond graduation. It was that special JCU connection that led to a moment at his 35th reunion which spurred Marty to create a unique scholarship in his mother's memory.
JCU Connections
A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, Marty graduated from JCU in 1987 with a double major in Communications and Sociology. He thoroughly enjoyed his time at John Carroll, specifically the smaller size of the University and the personal connections with classmates and professors.
After graduation, Marty started his career in the telecommunications industry. During his first interview, he ran into a JCU classmate. Marty believes that JCU connection made the difference for him in getting the job. That position led to a long career managing telecommunications networks for several Fortune 500 companies. Marty's current role, negotiating global technology contracts for the largest bank in the country, allowed him to return to Cleveland and deepen his ties to JCU.
JCU connections have been a part of Marty's life, from his first job to his recent move back to Cleveland. Marty observed that his moving company, realtor and builder's appliance partner all had JCU ties. Even the maternity doctor who delivered his niece's baby played baseball at JCU with Marty's nephew (class of 2011).
Epiphany Moment
Marty's strong connection to JCU motivated him to give back. He began working with the school to establish a planned gift to support the University. In 2022, Marty's vision for his John Carroll legacy evolved and grew when he found himself at JCU for his 35th reunion. As he walked through Dolan Science Center, Marty saw the nursing labs that were under construction in preparation for the launch of JCU's new School of Nursing. Marty had a literal teary-eyed "epiphany moment" and decided to redirect and significantly increase his existing planned gift to create a scholarship in memory of his mother, Mary Jane Connell.
Mary Jane Connell grew up during the Depression, one of six children raised by a mother who was widowed at age 36. Despite long odds, Mary Jane completed her degree and became a registered nurse. During WWII, Mary Jane was a young nurse at Walter Reed Medical Center. In addition to her regular nursing duties, she was the only white nurse who would go in to the minority patient tuberculosis ward. At a time when there was a severe shortage of minority nurses, Mary Jane's commitment to caring for everyone, regardless of race, made a meaningful difference in the level of care her patients received. Because of Mary Jane's unique and uncommon willingness in the 1940's to care for patients with a different skin color, the men in the ward called her their "angel," a term of honor and gratitude that highlighted her strength of character and her commitment to providing all of her patients with dignity, respect, and exceptional nursing care.
Mary Jane's vocation as a nurse continued throughout her life. After the war, while raising her children, Mary Jane was the volunteer neighborhood nurse. Marty remembers vividly how his mother also provided great care, devotion and comfort for Marty's grandmother and great aunt at the end of their lives. In addition, Mary Jane continued her professional nursing career in several roles, even returning to work in her 70s, on a part time basis, to care for nursing home patients.
Mary Jane Connell was a nurse who truly lived the Jesuit ideals of Inclusion, Compassion and Respect.
Memorial Scholarship
The aptly named "Mary Jane Connell Angel Nursing Scholarship" provides tuition assistance for John Carroll nursing students who otherwise could not afford the program. Marty would like his mother's spirit to live on in future Angel Scholarship recipients: "The scholarship to honor Mary Jane Connell's memory and legacy asks simply that the recipient aspire to her ideals: Provide compassionate care for everyone with no boundaries. Be an angel to someone who needs you."
Marty intends to increase his current support for the scholarships over time. Marty also is a Magis Legacy Society member and has committed the majority of his trust to JCU when he passes. Marty's planned gift will provide perpetual funding for this scholarship so it can live on eternally in his mother's memory.
In Marty's words, "My mother was a leader and the type of woman who had strength of character representative of the type of people JCU aspires to set out into the world. So there is no better place for this scholarship than JCU."