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September 10, 2021Growing up, St. Joseph alumnus Vince Petteruti ’69 and his wife, Chicago-native Marylouise “Duck” White, shared very similar upbringings. Coming from middle-class, blue-collar families, working hard to provide for one’s family was instilled in both households. With her mother working as an RN and her father a machinery mover and rigger, Duck shares that both her parents modeled strong work ethic and the importance of providing for one’s family.
“I saw from a very young age how each [of my parents] contributed and how, as a team, they were successful in the commitment they collectively had to provide security for the family,” Duck says.
Those same principles of working hard and learning were also present in the Petteruti household. Vince’s mother never completed high school in order to work to provide for her family, while his father worked as a paint sprayer for Lincoln Electric. Vince says his parents made it clear to him and his sisters that education was not an option, but rather a requirement, as they desired their children to have opportunities and success beyond their own. This mindset would stick with Vince, who went on to become an engineer and later an executive in the steel industry.
Duck, a former senior vice president of global information management, explained that both sets of their parents made an investment in private, Catholic education, which was not always easy for less affluent families. She describes their selflessness as a “considerable financial sacrifice.” Education was the primary focus of their parents to ensure that their children would have a real chance at successful careers. As adults who both held successful executive-level careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), Duck and Vince realize the true sacrifices each of their parents made to ensure that their children had opportunities that were not afforded to them.
This humbling realization is the reason that Vince and Duck were so inspired to dedicate a state-of-the-art STEM lab as part of VASJ’s Keeping Our Promises Campaign. The STEM lab will be built in recognition of their parents’ collective sacrifices. In pledging $100,000 for the enhanced learning facility, their gift will cover the cost of the equipment, technology and teacher training needed to make the space fully operational. They are also committed to see the project to its full potential and are willing to make a further investment if needed to fully develop the lab. Vince explains that their hope is for other alumni to be motivated by their significant contribution and consider joining them in securing a bright future for VASJ students in support of the campaign.
“We want our parents' names to appear on the lab, not ours,” Vince says. “Had they not sacrificed and made our future a priority, we would not have had the opportunities we have today.”
“Our parents made education possible for all of their children. They saw education as a huge part of their job [as parents]. Taking schooling seriously was our job as kids,” Duck adds.
As students, Vince and Duck shared similar interests and aptitudes for math and science. Duck remembers as early as second grade simply loving math class. By the time she entered high school, her teachers recognized her knowledge of the subject, and she began assisting with classroom lessons and tutoring her peers. She also offered tutoring as part of the Catholic Area Lay Movement (CALM), a program that offered tutoring programs for young girls living in the inner city of Chicago. Attending a Dominican-supported high school, Duck says that the order emphasized social justice and dignity for all people, as well as lifelong learning, especially for women. It wasn’t until she graduated from high school that Duck learned she was dyslexic. Upon learning of her diagnosis, she realized that her dyslexia was actually instrumental in forming her ability to help her peers understand math concepts.
“I needed to explore new ways to learn. I found myself able to explain lessons in many different ways,” she says.
While a student at St. Joseph High School, Vince described himself as a student who sought to find focus and structure, which led him to enjoy math class, analytical thinking and experiential learning. He largely credits the Marianist values he learned in helping to develop his character and grow his confidence. After graduating, Vince studied engineering at Marianist-founded University of Dayton. It was here that Vince discovered a renewed faith in God and realized the hard work and effort he would need to put into his education to not only fulfill his dreams but also those of his parents. As a future industrial engineer, Vince knew this path would allow him to showcase his aptitude for analytical thinking and work to improve production and processes in factories. For Vince, his knowledge would not just impact a business’s bottom line, but it would also make the jobs of many blue-collar workers more fulfilling and safer.
Reflecting on their future contribution to VASJ’s learning landscape, both Vince and Duck are excited about the opportunities students will have to explore STEM as careers. As a technology professional in a male-dominated industry, Duck notes the importance of exposing young women to careers in STEM, emphasizing that the path is challenging, but it is realistic for anyone who works hard and is dedicated.
Vince believes that a modern STEM lab will promote VASJ’s emphasis on providing a quality education and further put the school at a competitive advantage. He also envisions the lab attracting local businesses and industry professionals, along with alumni working in STEM fields, to lead classroom discussions and present mentoring opportunities. Modern equipment and technology will aid in bringing new life to old concepts by exposing VASJ students to tools used in STEM fields today. Vince also pictures the lab as allowing for group study since collaboration is an integral part of many science and technology directed professions.
“My hope is that VASJ students will make a significant contribution to society,” he says. “One day, a student who follows the path of engineering could create a solution to control climate change, while another becomes a doctor who saves lives.”
Vince and Duck ultimately view their gift of the White-Petteruti STEM Lab in honor of their parents, Alfred and Gertrude White and Vincent and Katherine Petteruti, as affording other students with the same potential and opportunities their parents so deeply desired for their own children.
“We want to give students the opportunity to make good choices,” Duck says. “We made good choices because there were good choices available. Our parents did not ‘decide’ what our individual potential was; instead, they laid a foundation of possibilities.”
To read an Alumni Spotlight on Vince White-Petteruti ’69, click here.
To learn more about the White-Petteruti’s nonprofit, Domus Pacis Family Respite, click here.
