Ava Pascalar received a surprise visit from her son, U.S. Army Sgt. Randolph Pascalar, when she received Geneseo's Gloria and Van Quaal Outstanding Quality Service Award for 2015.
GENESEO, N.Y. – Ava Pascalar, supervising janitor in SUNY Geneseo's Facilities Services Department, has received the college's Gloria and Van Quaal Outstanding Quality Service Award for 2015. The annual award recognizes an individual in the Division of Administration and Finance who has had a consistently high level of performance during his or her career, a recognizable and meaningful impact at the college, and who serves as a role model for others.
“I have never been so surprised and moved to be chosen this year’s winner of this award and to have my son Randolph J. Pascalar home from the Army to be with me when I received this honor,” said Ava. "Every day that I drive onto our campus, I am filled with pride to be a part of this wonderful college, and the students I have taken care of over the years have become a second family to me, as well as my coworkers. I don't look at Geneseo as a job; to me it’s home.”
Pascalar, a 16-year employee of the college from Geneseo, received the honor during the Division of Administration and Finance's recent recognition ceremony. She received an additional surprise during the event when her son, U.S. Army Sgt. R.J. Pascalar, unexpectedly attended the ceremony on his way home for the holidays from Kaiserslautern, Germany, where he is currently stationed.
“Ava is a hard worker, someone who follows her procedures and gets her work done, but she also is someone who goes above and beyond without being told,” said Jim Milroy, vice president for administration and finance at Geneseo. “The best part about her, though, is how she views the students. She sees them as her own children, learning their names and taking an interest in their lives, and the students respond to her positive attitude.”
The selection committee chose Pascalar from six nominations this year. She received a certificate and a $1,000 check from the Geneseo Foundation. Receiving runner-up awards were Shirley LaGeorgia from Perry, N.Y., a payroll services calculations clerk 2 in the Department of Human Resources, and Jennifer Regatuso from Dansville, N.Y., a cleaner in the Facilities Services Department. LaGeorgia and Regatuso each received a certificate and a $150 check.
Former Vice President of Administration and Finance Kenneth Levison established the award in 1997 through an endowment from the Geneseo Foundation in honor of the Quaals' many years of devoted service to the college and Geneseo community. Van Quaal was vice president emeritus of business affairs and finance before his death in 2005 at age 80.
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