Margaret McCormack Sokol '38: A Life of Philanthropy
The Montclair State University family was saddened at the passing on June 4, 2006 of Margaret McCormack Sokol '38, a longtime friend and supporter of Montclair State. The generosity shown by her and her late husband, Herman Sokol '37, has been seen and felt for many years throughout the campus in the Sokol Seminar Room in Science Hall, scholarships, fellow-ships, the Margaret and Herman Sokol Science Lecture Series, and the University’s first named chair.
The Margaret and Herman Sokol Chair
in Chemistry was the first endowed chair
established by a graduate at a New Jersey
public comprehensive university. She was also a major supporter of the Alexander
Kasser Theater.
Margaret Sokol was the widow of
Dr. Herman Sokol, a research chemist
and industrialist who served as president
of the Bristol-Myers Company from
1976 to 1981. Dr. and Mrs. Sokol were
both awarded honorary degrees by the
University, he in 1982 and she in 1992.
As a student, Mrs. Sokol was a science major who participated in a broad range of student activities including dance, journalism, and athletics. After graduation, she went on to teach mathematics and science in the public schools. She traveled extensively and was a benefactor of the arts, cancer research, education, and the sciences.
To date, the Sokols’ generosity to Montclair State includes funding for 16 Faculty Fellows, 92 freshman chemistry scholarships, 11 graduate students for international travel for research and conferences, 22 graduate students for doctoral work support, 42 faculty members for shared research opportunities with students, 6 graduate summer research fellowships, 8 science lectures by renowned individuals, and an endowed chair in chemistry.
Financial support for many of these programs will go on for years to come because of the Sokols’ foresight and thoughtfulness. The bequests from Dr. and Mrs. Sokol’s estate will benefit students and faculty of the College of Science and Mathematics through the creation of endowed fellowships, professorships, and a faculty awards program.
