The University Record, September 24, 1997
‘Family’ one of president’s most cherished values
Bollinger shares a brief, quiet moment with his wife, Jean Magnano Bollinger, after the Hill Auditorium ceremony. Photo by Bob Kalmbach
Watching from the eighth row-center of Hill Auditorium were members of President Lee C. Bollinger’s immediate and extended family, taking pride in sharing his achievements.
In very personal comments during his inaugural address, Bollinger acknowledged that his new job imposes burdens on his wife, Jean Magnano Bollinger, “especially on her efforts to develop her own career as an artist.”
“For resisting a world that is too slow to catch up with our ideals of social fairness, I am deeply admiring. For patiently and graciously enduring some of what we cannot change, I am empathetic. And for voluntarily embracing with enthusiasm and elegance so may part of my life I am forever grateful.”
Speaking to others of his family in the audience children, Lee and Carey; parents, Lee and Pat; brother, Brad, and brother Mark and his wife Debbie; and his sister, Tami, the president said that when he uses the term `family’ metaphorically, “it derives from its highest form.”
He also acknowledged Jean’s family: father, Marco; brother, Marco and his wife Sheila and their children Marco, Michael and Matthew; her sister, Patti, and her partner, John; her cousin, Paul; and her mother, Darlene, “who passed away a few years ago, remains a pervasive presence in all our lives, especially today.”
