New Paltz’s Kyra Russo won the 2022 Thomas Joseph Casey Memorial Endowed Scholarship for Integrity in Journalism. Thomas and Joan Casey endowed a memorial scholarship celebrating the life of their second son Thomas J. (TJ) Casey ’11 (Journalism) to support journalism students studying at SUNY New Paltz. TJ, a thoughtful journalist, was killed in an automobile accident just two months before he was due to start graduate school. In the face of this horrific loss, his friends and family sought to raise $60,000 in his honor, support that will now be awarded to highly qualified journalism students who bring passion, energy and integrity to their profession. The Caseys hope that TJ’s memory can live on as future graduates achieve journalistic success. That may not have been possible without this philanthropic contribution.
