Upon the passing of his beloved mother Lillian Anastasio in 2006, Scholarship Trustee Neil Anastasio, Theta Beta 19773 (N.Y.U.) and his family decided to memorialize her memory in the form of a Foundation scholarship.

Lillian was a first generation proud Italian-American, who never forgot her modest roots and always stressed the importance of education.  She was born on the lower east side of NYC in 1914 and was educated until the 8th grade, when her immigrant parents decided that she and her four sisters would be better off plying a trade.  Hence, she became an extraordinary seamstress for many years.  A smarter and wiser woman never existed despite her brief formal education.  

She was a headstrong woman blazing paths for other family members as a single woman after her frowned upon divorce of a famlily arranged marriage, and later the death of her beloved second husband.  Lillian raised three children often without a spouse.  Never a person to shy away from advocating for her rights and the rights of others, she bestowed upon her family the value of education as a means to succeed in life. She was an avid reader and lived to a ripe old age of 92.  

Her greatest joys were spending family time with her beloved grandchildren, (pictured above) Howard, John, and twins Tricia and Elizabeth.  Perhaps her greatest joy was cooking for fraternity brothers who often showed up at her doorstep with brother Neil at all hours of the day and night.  She was a mother to everyone she met, and was always quick to offer advice or wisdom, whether or not it was requested.  

Everyone who knew her has a "Lillian pearl of wisdom" story to tell.  She was a woman well before her time !