Summer 2026: In Memoriam

Each semester, Pace University pauses to remember members of our community who have passed away. As students, faculty, staff, alumni, mentors, colleagues, and friends, they contributed to the life of the University in meaningful and lasting ways. We honor their memories, celebrate their legacies, and extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and all who knew and loved them.

Barbara Farrell, EdD, CPA

Image

Barbara Farrell, EdD, CPA, was a longtime professor in Pace University’s Lubin School of Business and a dedicated educator whose career at Pace spanned more than four decades. A certified public accountant, she brought extensive professional experience in public accounting, private industry, auditing, accounting information systems, forensic accounting, and internal auditing to generations of students.

Professor Farrell earned both her BBA and MBA in Public Accounting from Pace University and later earned her EdD from Columbia University. She began teaching at Pace as an adjunct professor in 1980 and became a full-time faculty member in 1984. Beyond the classroom, she served as faculty advisor to the Robert S. Pace Accounting Society, contributed to key University committees, supported scholarship initiatives, and helped expand opportunities for accounting students. In 2024, she received Pace’s Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her dedication to teaching, service, scholarship, and the University community.

Professor Farrell is remembered as a generous mentor who helped students succeed in their careers and personal lives. She was also devoted to her family and to animal rescue causes. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her son, Brandon Downing, her family, friends, colleagues, former students, and all who benefited from her wisdom, kindness, and guidance.

Richard L. Ottinger, JD

Image

Richard L. Ottinger, JD, dean emeritus of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, was a public servant, environmental pioneer, and transformative figure in the life of the University. A cofounder of the Peace Corps and a 16-year member of Congress, he devoted his life to expanding opportunity, advancing environmental protection, and strengthening responsible governance.

At Pace, Dean Emeritus Ottinger served as dean of Pace Law School from 1994 to 1999 and founded what is now the Pace Energy and Climate Center. Through his vision and leadership, Haub Law earned national and international recognition in environmental law and climate advocacy. Generations of students, alumni, faculty, and colleagues carry forward his commitment to justice, public service, and environmental stewardship.

We extend our deepest condolences to his wife, June, his children and grandchildren, and all who were mentored, inspired, and touched by his remarkable life.

Steviemarie DeLuca ’27

Steviemarie “Stevie” DeLuca ’27 was a Criminal Justice major in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and a student in the Honors College on Pace University’s Pleasantville Campus. She was also a dedicated member of the Pace cheerleading team and a soror of Delta Phi Epsilon.

Stevie is remembered by coaches, classmates, colleagues, and friends as a bright light who was always smiling, positive, and kind to those around her. Her loss is deeply felt across the Pace Community. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Stevie’s family, friends, teammates, sorority sisters, and all who knew her.

Stephen Brodsky, JD

Image

Stephen Brodsky, JD, was a longtime general counsel for Pace University, known across decades of service for his dedication, judgment, and deep commitment to the University community.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Stephen built a life marked by devotion to family, meaningful work, and creative expression. Beyond his legal career, he was a photographer, singer-songwriter, and storyteller who brought joy and inspiration to those around him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Mary, his daughter, Katherine, his family, friends, colleagues, and all who knew him.

Florence L. Denmark, PhD

Florence L. Denmark, PhD, Robert Scott Pace Distinguished Professor of Psychology and former chair of Pace University’s Department of Psychology, was a pioneering psychologist, scholar, teacher, and advocate. Her work helped shape the fields of social psychology, the psychology of women, and human rights.

A past president of the American Psychological Association, Professor Denmark was widely recognized for her leadership, scholarship, and commitment to advancing equity in psychology and beyond. She joined Pace in 1988 and had a profound impact on the University community, her students, and her colleagues. We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, former students, colleagues, and all who were touched by her life and work.

Ruis Woertendyke

Image

Ruis Woertendyke, former Chair of Theatre at Pace School of Performing Arts, was a visionary educator, mentor, and leader whose influence helped shape the performing arts programs that would become Pace University’s Sands College of Performing Arts.

For more than three decades, Ruis dedicated his career to educating artists, mentoring faculty, and building a culture of artistic excellence at Pace. During his tenure, he recruited a new generation of faculty, many of whom remain part of the Sands community today, and oversaw the creation and evolution of several signature programs, including Musical Theater, Commercial Dance, BFA Acting, and BA Acting and Directing.

Ruis also helped expand Pace’s place in the broader performing arts community. He established Pace’s first collaboration with La MaMa, launching repertory seasons featuring one-act plays by celebrated playwrights, and was instrumental in founding Methods: A Journal of Acting Pedagogy, an important forum for scholarship and dialogue on the craft and teaching of acting. In 2017, he received the Kenan Award for Teaching Excellence in recognition of his outstanding teaching, dedication to students, and intellectual leadership.

Those who knew Ruis remember him not only as an accomplished educator and administrator, but also as a generous mentor who nurtured artists with curiosity, rigor, and care. His legacy lives on in the countless students, alumni, faculty, and colleagues he inspired, and in the vibrant artistic community he helped create at Pace. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, former students, colleagues, and all who were touched by his life and work.