For Two Students, Commencement Marks ‘Grand’ Occasion

05/03/2016 

Every member of SUNY Cortland’s Class of 2016 has good reason to join their families in celebrating their upcoming graduation. But for seniors Jonathan Pastuf and Katherine “Kat” Peck, Undergraduate Commencement will mark a special family occasion that’s been more than 50 years in the making.

That’s because both students will share their respective ceremonies with their grandparents, who will march as alumni members of the College’s Half Century Club on Saturday, May 14. Joan Lombardi Peck ’56 and Norman Peck ’57 will celebrate with their granddaughter, while Dolores Costello Pastuf ’60 will join her grandson.

“It’s definitely going to be a special day for the both of us,” said Jonathan Pastuf, a childhood education major from Mallory, N.Y. “We’re both pretty excited about it.”

SUNY Cortland has changed in countless ways over the past 50-plus years. In 1956, it was known as Cortland State Teachers College. Enrollment, which stands at approximately 7,000 students today, barely exceeded 2,000 at that time. Buildings such as Memorial Library and Bowers Hall had not been built.

Jonathan Pastuf, center, pictured with his grandparents Richard and Dolores Costello Pastuf ’60.

Kat Peck, center, pictured with her grandparents Joan Lombardi Peck ’56 and Norman Peck ’57.

Yet both soon-to-be alumni said their grandparents’ fond memories of the College helped steer them to SUNY Cortland.

“They 100 percent wanted me to go here and they were so excited when I made my decision,” said Kat Peck, a selected studies major from Commack, N.Y., who plans to go on to graduate school to become a high school guidance counselor. “They told me all of their Cortland stories while I was growing up … just how amazing the College is.” 

In Jonathan’s case, he followed in his grandmother’s footsteps almost exactly. Dolores, who today resides in Zephyr Hills, Fla., studied childhood education before working in the classroom for more than a decade. After graduation, Jonathan said he plans to pursue teaching jobs near his grandparents’ home in Florida.

“Cortland was one of the schools I wanted to visit when I was in high school because I knew it was where she went,” Jonathan said. “I also knew it was one of the best education schools in New York state, so that definitely influenced my decision too.”

Peck’s grandparents, who live in Rye, N.Y., remain dedicated volunteers with the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association. They seized every opportunity to visit her on campus for Kickline performances over the past four years.

“You should see how proud my grandmother is,” Peck said. “She said she’s going to decorate her graduation cap too, and I totally believe her.”