Professor Abigail McPadden Mosey Member of the Department of Mathematics Hobart and William Smith Colleges from 1944 to 1980

GENEVA - Abigail McPadden Mosey, 93, formerly of Hamilton Street and Seneca Lake Terrace, passed away Monday (Feb. 18, 2008) at the Geneva Living Center North. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph, 150 French Road, Rochester, NY 14618, or to St. Stephens Church, Geneva, NY 14456. Abigail lived her entire life in Geneva, the seventh child in a family of eight. Her parents provided a loving and fun-filled home until their untimely deaths in the fall of 1918 during the influenza epidemic. She then became the adopted daughter of Sarah Ann McPadden. Abbie attended St. Stephen's Grammar School, DeSales High School, graduated from Nazareth College in 1936 and received her master's in the teaching of mathematics from Syracuse University in 1944. She taught at DeSales High School, Clifton Springs High School and the accelerated Navy V-12 Program at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Professor Mosey remained at the Colleges for 47 years, and for many of those years she served as chair for the Advisory Committee and as a member of the Committee on Students. In 1978, Professor Mosey received the Faculty Prize for Teaching, awarded by her peers for ``her dedication to her profession, her artistry in teaching and her genuine interest in each and every one of her students." She was the recipient of the Student Teaching Award, another testament to her outstanding skills, strength of character and dedication to her students. She lovingly and unselfishly gave her time and resources to both her family and her students throughout her life. Professor Mosey retired from the mathematics department in 1980 and moved to the Learning Center, where she worked with students who needed support and assistance to better prepare themselves for life at the Colleges and beyond. She once said, ``I loved the Learning Center because I was involved in the growth of the whole person. I like to build a structure, to lay a foundation." In 1991, Professor Mosey retired from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Abigail Mosey touched generations of ``Mosey off-spring," as well as students, with her enthusiasm, intellect, patience, understanding and generosity. She loved being ``Aunt Abbie" to scores of nieces and nephews. Her legacy lives on in her students who subsequently entered the teaching profession. She was a teacher of the whole person, and taught as much by example as by academic discipline. She once wrote, ``There are so many doors of the mind to open. If I can instill the love of learning in a few, that will be ample reward." Those who studied with and learned from her as her students or family members know how highly they, and she, were rewarded.