Albertus Magnus College Mourns the Loss of Alumna Dr. Lynne Stapleton Farrell, ‘60
Proud Alumna and Board of Trustee Member
New Haven, Conn., October 28, 2020 – The Albertus Magnus College community is mourning the loss of Dr. Lynne Stapleton Farrell, ’60 who was a passionate lifelong learner and an enthusiastic advocate for her alma mater. Dr. Farrell passed away October 24 at the age of 82.
“Lynne Farrell was a faithful servant to her alma mater, including 24 years as a member of the Board of Trustees. In my first couple years serving as President, I always looked forward to spending time with Lynne and listening to her share reflections of her Albertus experience. She represented so well the gift Albertus bestows upon its graduates, developing a passion for lifelong learning and community advocacy, and so much so for Lynne that she went on to earn a Doctorate in Education and a Juris Doctorate,” said Albertus President Marc M. Camille, Ed.D.
“Lynne was one of the College’s most fervent and loyal supporters. Ever the advocate for Albertus, since graduation, she served as a member of countless class, reunion, and Alumni Association committees. As a long-time member of The President’s Associates and a recipient of the 2001 Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement, she believed in the importance of giving back to the place where she received the foundation and incentive for a lifetime of learning,” said Vice President for Advancement Mary Young, ’91.
Born in New Haven in 1938, she was the daughter of Edward Patrick Farrell and Elynore Gertrude Stapleton Farrell and grew up in West Haven. Some of the highlights of her long list of accomplishments include being appointed principal of First Avenue Elementary School in West Haven before going on to serve as principal at both Thompson Street and Carrigan Schools before retiring in 1996. She then pursued a career in the law, being admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1999. Much of her career was spent representing children before retiring as an attorney in 2017.
Farrell was involved in many causes. In her adopted hometown of Shelton, she served as an Alderwoman in the administration of Mayor Mark Lauretti and was an appointment on the State Board of Education under Governor Jodi Rell.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at Most Holy Trinity Church in Wallingford. COVID precautions will be followed and masks are required.
About Albertus Magnus College
Founded in 1925, Albertus is a coeducational Catholic College in the Dominican tradition. Albertus' values- and liberal arts-based education is recognized by external rankings such as US News & World Report, Money, and The New York Times, and has been named a Top 10 Military Friendly School. For ten consecutive years, at least 95% of Albertus graduates have attained employment or gone on to graduate studies within six months of completing their degrees. The College has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students across its traditional undergraduate, accelerated adult undergraduate, and graduate program levels. Proud to enroll a student body where nearly half of its undergraduate students receive Federal Pell Grants and are first-generation college goers, Albertus is known for its innovative curricular offerings, recently launching new Bachelor's degree programs in Nursing, including BSN and Connecticut's first LPN-to-BSN; General Health Sciences; Interdisciplinary Studies; and Public Health.
Among its graduate offerings is the State of Connecticut's only Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling program, and it is just one of three schools to offer a Master of Science in Human Services. In 2025-26, Albertus is celebrating its historic 100th Anniversary and completing implementation of the Albertus 2025: Lighting the Way to a Second Century strategic plan, with a bold vision to "be a destination liberal arts-based college, distinguished in its interdisciplinary and experiential approach to education, rooted in Dominican values, that prepares students for lifelong civic engagement and success." To learn more, please visit albertus.edu.