Sister J. Dolores Brunner, School Sisters of St. Francis (SSSF), passed away Monday
morning at the Sacred Heart Convent in Milwaukee. She was 92 years old.
For over 55 years, Brunner worked at Alverno College serving in a number of different
roles. More than twenty-five of those years were spent in Admissions and Academic
Services, where she worked diligently to recruit Hispanic students. Her philosophy
was, “It isn't enough to get students to Alverno; they must graduate.” Brunner often
reached out to students, giving them the extra push they needed to succeed.
In 1999, Brunner was honored as one of the U.S. Postal Service's “Women Who Put Their
Stamp on Milwaukee,” which recognizes women who have helped improve the quality of
life for all citizens of Milwaukee. In 2006, she was honored by Latino Arts Inc. and
the United Community Center for her work offering educational opportunities to Latina
women.
“Sister Dolores Brunner was a pioneer who fought tirelessly to help Hispanic women
get a college education, and she was extremely successful in this calling,” said Ricardo
Diaz, Executive Director, United Community Center, Inc. “She was way ahead of her
time, and while her earliest forums about opening up the possibility of college education
to Hispanic women could have been held in a phone booth, it was standing-room-only
audiences by the end of her career.”
In a message to faculty and staff at Alverno College, President Mary J. Meehan, Ph.D.,
said, “Education was her life -- it was for her a means of touching the hearts of
all whom she encountered. Whether encouraging Hmong women in supermarkets to go to
college, or teaching newly-arrived immigrants from Mexico how to read, she gently,
yet persuasively suggested a road to a better life for us all.”
Published on September 19, 2012 | Categories: Newsroom migrated press release