Necrology

Cynthia Louise Gadziala '84

Mar. 11, 1962-Dec. 1, 2022

Cynthia Louise Gadziala ’84 died on Dec. 1, 2022, in Weymouth, Mass. Born on March 11, 1962, in Utica, N.Y., she grew up in Clinton and went to Clinton High School. Cindy majored in French and Francophone studies, and spent a semester in France. A member of Phi Sigma Iota, the national honor society for those studying or teaching a foreign language, Cindy received the Franklin G. Hamlin Prize in French, awarded to a senior who has excelled in the language and plans to continue study in it or a related field in graduate school.

From Hamilton, Cindy went abroad to visit the couple who had hosted her during her semester in France. That same year, she began her teaching career at the Linden Hall School for Girls in Lititz, Pa. It has the distinction of being the oldest boarding school for girls in the nation, founded by the Moravian Church in 1746. In 1987, she moved to Boston where she began graduate studies at the School of Theology at Boston College, earning a Master of Arts degree in pastoral ministry in 1989.

In 1990, she joined the faculty of Fontbonne Academy, a Catholic college preparatory high school for girls in Milton, Mass. There, she specialized in the teaching of theology, ultimately becoming chair of the department. 

As her career unfolded, Cindy was inspired by the commitment of a previous department chair to principles of social justice. Together, they developed an equal rights program in 2008. Senior students addressed an issue of their own choosing — e.g. gentrification and its impact on Black communities — created websites reporting on their findings, and made presentations to the student body at Fontbonne.

 Known to her students as “Miss Gadz,” she was much admired on campus for her teaching as well as for her kindness and the depth of her faith that served as a model for many who studied with her. As one alumna put it in a news article announcing her passing: “She was an incredible teacher, a compassionate human being, and a powerful advocate for social justice. She is deeply missed by all who knew her.”

Cynthia L. Gadziala is survived by her brother, a nephew, and longtime friend, Liz Fitzsimons.

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