Doctor's Gift Provides Scholarship Support for Students
William J. Antognoli, M.D. '57 has made a gift to the University that will help students in need receive scholarship support to complete their degree.
Bill Antognoli wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. But only so far.
Bill's dad, Anthony Antognoli, M.D., was an old fashioned general practitioner—on call 24/7 with an office in his home. Bill knew that he wanted to be a doctor, but says, "I wanted some kind of normal life, and surgery or pathology seemed like positive choices. It turned out that my internship steered me into my life's work and vocation—pathology."
Out of high school, The University of Scranton was the only school that Bill applied to and, like so many of his peers at the time, he lived at home with his parents. It was, in many ways, a very different University then, but one thing has remained the same—the superior pre-med educational experience that originated during Professors Evans' and Wolf's eras.
"Professor Wolf's pre-med program and reputation was outstanding, with an exceptional success rate for medical school acceptance," Bill says. "That was the reason I focused on Scranton, and that was my only goal."
With his University diploma in hand, Bill headed to Philadelphia where he studied at Jefferson Medical School, now called the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. He stayed in Philadelphia serving an internship at Misericordia College, followed by a residency in clinical and anatomic pathology at The University of Pennsylvania Medical College.
His next step was into uniform during the Vietnam War era. Bill—then Dr. Antognoli—was eligible for the physician draft, which allowed him to complete his training prior to military service. His first two choices for location were Europe and Hawaii. He was, of course, off to Vietnam.
After the completion of his military service, Bill served at the Poly Clinic Hospital, later absorbed by the Harrisburg Hospital, before returning home to become a member of Pathology Associates of NEPA. There he met and became a partner and personal friend of a fellow Royal, Dr. Edward Skovira, Class of '53. At the same time, Bill was a partner in Clinical Laboratory, a separate business entity.
Bill's service to the community included time on the boards of the Scranton State General Hospital, the Mercy Hospital and The Mid-Valley Hospital. He has been on the staff of the Moses Taylor Hospital, the Community Medical Center, Carbondale General and Saint Joseph's Hospital, also in Carbondale. After a long and rewarding career, which was more of a vocation, Bill retired in 2003.
"My biology professors are looking down from heaven but smiling at the legacy they provided and the tradition of excellence that continues at Scranton in the current pre-med program," he says. "My undergraduate education at Scranton allowed me to have a very successful career and, as a way of giving back, I established the Antognoli Family Scholarship to help today's students pursue their dream of becoming a physician without spending a lifetime in debt."
"When the University built the Loyola Science Center, I was thrilled to make an irrevocable planned gift through my estate to continue the tradition of not only great professors at my alma mater, but also great facilities. These two important priorities—in the uniqueness of Scranton's Catholic and Jesuit environment—guided me and now provides direction to the students of today with a values-based education and service-to-others philosophy."
"Providing an estate gift through your will is a wonderful way to make a much larger gift than the one you can give while on Earth, and paying it forward is just the right thing to do," he says.
To learn how you can make an impact on the future of our students, like Bill has with his scholarship support, please contact Carol Maculloch, MBA, CFRE at 570-941-7799 or plannedgiving@scranton.edu.