By Julia Gardiner
Peg Finucane, a beloved University professor and former Newsday editor, died the morning of Sunday, Nov. 18, from an infection developed during her struggle with pancreatic cancer. The wife and mother of one was 57 years old.
Friends and colleagues remembered Finucane as a kind, good human being, an accomplished journalist, and a passionate teacher.
"Professor Finucane was not only an astute editor and caring teacher, but also one of the finest human beings I've known," Carol Fletcher, a University associate professor of journalism, said. " She was never boastful, and she interacted with everyone in a most open and genuine way. I always looked forward to seeing her; we all did. She was funny and kind and smart and fair and I learned a lot from her."
Special assistant professor of journalism Peter Goodman also remembered Finucane as indiscriminately kind and friendly.
"When I first began teaching here two and a half years ago, Peg had a welcoming smile and offered to give me any assistance or guidance I needed. We did not work together, but I always had the sense that she was a generous, open person," Goodman said. "It was pretty much the same at Newsday, where we usually worked in different departments. She was friendly, willing to help, and generous with her time."
In her 24 years at Newsday, Finucane held several positions, beginning with copy editor. Her most recent position was a news editor in the Viewpoints section.
Her husband of 22 years, Bob Heisler also began his career as a copy editor at Newsday, where he met his wife. "She loved newspapering," Bob Heisler said in the Newsday obituary. "She was an editor in the best sense of the word."
After an illustrious career about which she remained modest and unassuming, Finucane began teaching copy editing courses at the University in the early 1990s and started teaching full time in 2001. "Although she had a really accomplished career- working for Newsday, the New York Times and other papers - becoming a Neiman fellow at Harvard-breaking glass ceilings - you might work with her for years and never know these things," Fletcher said.
Although she began teaching late in her career, Finucane fell deeply into it, giving her students every opportunity to learn from her considerable experience. "She came to teaching late in her career and fell in love with it-she truly cared about her students," Fletcher said. "In the years I worked with her, I always admired her ability to combine very high ethical and professional standards with down-to-earth humanity."
Her students remember her as a witty, understanding and caring professor who would always chuckle at her own jokes and go to great lengths to guide students in the right direction.
"She always encouraged her students to ask questions and to not be afraid to look silly and make mistakes when you were trying to learn," Tara Conry, a former Chronicle editor-in-chief, said. "She lived by example I guess, because she was never afraid to look silly, whether she was making a joke about herself, sharing stories about her family or reminiscing about her days working for the copy desk of The New York Times.
"She taught me the basics of journalism and she laid the foundation that I will build upon throughout my entire career."
"I really feel Professor Finucane was one of the most knowledgeable professors in the Journalism department," said Ariel Servadio, a senior print journalism major. "She had a wealth of experience to share with her students. Hofstra has suffered a great loss."
Peg Finucane was born Margaret Finucane on August 3, 1950. She grew up in Indiana and began her journalistic career early. In high school she worked for her local paper before progressing to various reputable papers, including The New York Times and The Toledo Blade. She was also a Neiman fellow at Harvard University.
Finucane is remembered fondly by her husband, Heisler, and daughter, Sarah Heisler, 19, and her brothers Dan of St. Louis and Martin of Owosso, Mich. "She was a wonderful wife and mother, too, unfailingly supportive of the people she loved. Her daughter is an opera student and Peg was so proud of her, and loved to hear her perform," Fletcher said, adding, "I've gotten so many calls from former students of hers in the past week, people whose lives she changed, in small ways and big."
The Department of Journalism, Media Studies and Public Relations will hold a memorial service on December 11 at 11:15 on the 10th floor of the Axinn Library. Any members of the University community who had contact with Finucane are welcome to attend and share their memories. For information, contact Peter Goodman, in the New Academics Building room 404, or e-mail him at peter.goodman@hofstra.edu or pwgoodman@gmail.com.