Three esteemed faculty members have passed away recently.

Dr. Thomas Pendleton, Professor Emeritus of English, died on Dec. 31, 2013. Former dean, Dr. Charles O’Donnell, died on Jan. 23, 2014. Professor Peter Chetta, from the English department, died on Jan. 28, 2014.

Each of these professors served at Iona for at least 45 years and made a huge contribution to the education of countless students.

Pendleton, age 81, joined the Iona faculty in 1959 and retired in 2012.

His 53-year career at Iona spanned 11 American presidents – from Eisenhower to Obama.

Pendleton, who earned his Ph.D. from Fordham University, authored, edited and contributed to numerous books.

He lived in Rowayton, Conn. with his wife Carol. The two were married for 49 years.

His passion was Shakespeare. He taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate Shakespeare courses in addition to the core English classes.

Pendleton served as the chair of the English department and on numerous committees.

An acclaimed Shakespeare scholar, he served as co-editor of The Shakespeare Newsletter, an academic journal published by Iona College.

“Tom was a good friend and trusted colleague whom I worked with closely at Iona over the past 42 years,” Dr. John Mahon, fellow editor of The Shakespeare Newsletter, said. “Tom was probably the smartest person I have ever known, and not just smart about Shakespeare. He loved all literature, and baseball, and comics.”

O’Donnell, age 75, served as dean of both the School of Arts and Science and the Hagan School of Business.

He is the only person to hold both positions at some point at Iona.

He was a professor of economics and taught both undergraduate and graduate courses.

He started teaching at Iona in 1961 and retired in 2008.

O’Donnell resided in Bronxville, N.Y., where he lived with Mary, his wife of 46 years.

He had an ardent interest in the United States Social Security System.

O’Donnell graduated from Iona in 1960 and instilled an Iona tradition in his children.

All three of his children graduated from Iona, including Dr. Caitlin Greatrex, who is currently a professor of economics at Iona.

“If I could be half the educator my father was, my students would be enormously lucky,” Greatrex said. “My father loved teaching, loved Iona, but more than anything, loved helping students. He was a great man.”

Chetta began teaching at Iona in 1961.

He taught a wide array of classes, ranging from the core English classes to East Asian Literature in Translation to Modern American Theater.

Chetta was teaching as recently as the fall of 2013, which is when he went on medical leave.

He graduated from Iona in 1956.

The life-long bachelor resided in Corona, N.Y.

He had a love of the theater and frequently shared this passion with his students and colleagues.

“Professor Chetta was a raconteur with an encyclopedic memory of the theater he had seen, and was always willing to share this expertise,” said Dr. Laura Shea, chair of the English department. “A teacher of the Humanities, Professor Chetta will be remembered for his own humanity, which he demonstrated to everyone who knew him.”

Students were also saddened to hear of the passing of these campus icons.

“I was surprised that so little notice was given in the passing of these professors,” said junior Sean Lynch. “I heard that Dr. Chetta died through word of mouth, and I would have rather heard it from the school.”

These three people will surely be missed. Iona has been blessed by the presence of each of them.

A memorial service will be held for Dr. Thomas Pendleton on Feb. 27 at noon in Romita Auditorium.