Lavery Library Modernization Project Receives Four Gifts Totaling Nearly $1M

Four gifts totaling nearly $1 million will furnish and name study spaces, lounge areas, and offices in the newly modernized Lavery Library at St. John Fisher University, scheduled to open this fall.

The gifts were made as part of the University’s comprehensive fundraising campaign, Fisher Forward. It supports the Lavery Library Modernization and Renovation Project, which at $38 million, is the largest capital project in scope and investment in the institution’s history.

A $500,000 gift from Fisher alumna Catherine D’Amico ’78 will create a silent study space and silent study lounge, both honoring her father, John S. D’Amico. Trustee and alumna Janice Loss ’96 gave $100,000 for a study space; the Davenport Hatch Foundation, Inc. gave $250,000 in support of office space for career services staff members at the Center for Career and Academic Planning; and David ’83 and Robin W. Pritchard gave $100,000 on behalf of their family—their daughter, Nicole, is a member of the Class of 2019—which will also name study and gathering space in Lavery Library.

“The Lavery Library Modernization and Renovation Project was possible thanks to the generosity of University philanthropists such as Cathy, Janice, David, and support from foundations including Davenport Hatch,” said Dr. Gerard J. Rooney, president of the University. “Lavery Library has always been at the heart of campus, and this project, funded in part through philanthropy, will provide students with innovative spaces to explore their intellectual curiosities and pursue their academic endeavors for generations to come.”

D’Amico, who served as a member of Fisher’s Board of Trustees from 2022-2025, has been a strong supporter of the School of Business. In 2019, she was honored with the School’s Excellence in Management Award, which recognized her demonstrated leadership and managerial accomplishments in business, her service to community-based organizations, and her dedication to Fisher.

Loss, who is the president and owner of Skin Search of Rochester, Inc. and DermaSpa, Partners of Dermatology Associates of Rochester, P.C., joined the Board in 2016. Her philanthropy at Fisher has funded lectures, scholarships, the Loss Family Research Laboratory, and student experiential opportunities as well as the Fisher Fund support at the Spire Society level.

As a member of the Presidents Society, which recognizes philanthropists with more than $1 million in lifetime giving to the University, the Davenport Hatch Foundation has a long history of supporting the modernization of campus offices and learning spaces. This includes the Dean’s Suite in the Victor E. Salerno Center for American Enterprise, a laboratory space in the Skalny Science Center, and a modern, active learning classroom in Basil Hall, among others.

The Pritchards have been active members of the Fisher community. In addition to this gift to Lavery Library, they created the Pritchard Family Scholarship in support of students from the School of Business and Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education and are ongoing supporters of the Fisher Fund at the Spire Society level. In honor of his sustained contributions to the School of Business and Fisher, David Pritchard, president and COO of Gorbel, Inc., was given the Dean’s Medal for Outstanding Service in 2019. The award honors the exemplary and sustained contributions of individuals in service to the University and the School of Business.

View the latest progress on the Lavery Library Modernization and Renovation project website.