Sister M. Cuthbert Donovan, IHM

Sister M. Cuthbert Donovan, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, died on Wednesday, August 3, 1988, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Carbondale, PA.

She was born on January 28, 1894 in Renovo, PA, and given the name Eleanor “Nellie” Johanna. She was the daughter late Charles and Gertrude Agnes Connor Donovan. She entered the IHM Congregation on August 15, 1911, received the religious habit on August 2, 1912, and made profession of her vows on August 3, 1914.

Sister Cuthbert served as teacher at the following schools: St. Rosalia High School in Pittsburgh, PA; St. John the Evangelist High School in Pittston, PA; and Marywood Seminary in Scranton, PA.

In her thirty-seven years of service at Marywood College in Scranton, PA, Sister Cuthbert served on the faculty, as dean of the college, and as Marywood’s archivist.

She received a bachelor’s degree in education from Duquense University, and a Ph.D. in education from Fordham University.

She is preceded in death by three brothers, Reverend George Alphonsus, Dr. John D., and Dr. Francis Connor, and a sister, Mary Gardner.

She is survived by nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be Saturday, August 6 with Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. at the IHM Center in Scranton, PA. Interment will follow at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, PA. Friends may call at the Marian Convent on Friday afternoon or evening.

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Archival Remembrance:

Her long and dedicated career in education began when Sister Cuthbert Donovan was assigned to teach at St. Rosalia School in Pittsburgh, PA. During that time, she earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Duquesne University. After eleven years in Pittsburgh, she moved to St. John’s High School in Pittston, PA. In addition to teaching at St. John’s, she taught extension classes at Marywood College in Scranton, PA, and earned her Master of Arts degree in education from Villanova University.

After her service at St. John’s, Sister Cuthbert was assigned to teach at Marywood Seminary before joining the college faculty in 1931 as a full-time instructor in the department of education. In 1937, she earned her Ph.D. in education from Fordham University.

During her years in the education department, Sister Cuthbert worked closely with the dean in the area of teacher certification. This expertise was to bear fruit in all the students, including hundreds. In 1943, Sister Cuthbert became the second dean of the college, a position she held for twenty-five years. During that time, Marywood College experienced significant growth in enrollment, an increase in the scope and diversity of academic programs, and expansion of the physical plant. When Sister Cuthbert became dean emerita in 1968, it was not to go into retirement. She became archivist of the college where she worked full-time at preserving the history of Marywood, much of which was written in her own hand.

Numerous awards and professional honors were bestowed on Sister Cuthbert over the years. The most distinguished in her eyes was undoubtedly the Presidential Medal of Marywood College given to her in 1975, on the occasion of Marywood’s 60th Anniversary.