TowerFall2021

28 TOWER | FALL 2021 When she was in the fifth grade, Karen Ligammari ’89 already knew what she wanted to be when she grew up. After reading a novel for young readers called “Follow My Leader,” which told the story of a young man blinded by a fire- cracker, Ligammari knew that she wanted to teach children with visual impairments. When it came time to explore higher education, Ligammari’s high school guidance counselor didn’t know about the profession or how to guide her toward it. So, Ligammari pulled books off her shelf and did her own research. She found three colleges with the program she needed, one of which was Kutztown University. “My dad drove to campus to visit, and on that trip, I developed this unbelievable sense of peace, a feeling of certainty that this was exactly where I belonged,” she said. In her first semester at KU, Ligammari began feeling ill and visited the KU Health Center, where the staff urged her to get a biopsy. Their quick thinking led to an early diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer that can be found in young adults. “When I was in treatment, I met so many other people who had been misdiagnosed for literally years,” she said. “If it hadn’t been for the health center, things might have gone very differently for me. I genuinely believe that Kutztown saved my life.” Ligammari left campus after only one semester to pursue treatment – but she never lost touch with KU. Her advisor stayed in touch and sent her cards, and her instructors were sympathetic, working with her so that she wouldn’t fall behind academically. “I was studying for my classes while under- going chemotherapy treatment in New York City,” she recalls. “That helped to keep me going.” She returned to campus the following fall and resumed life as a traditional student, and she was able to graduate only a semester behind schedule. She attended graduate school, but she always knew she could count on her Kutztown network. “KU helped me find my first job,” she said. “I never felt like I was floundering because I knew I had the support of the faculty and other alumni from my program.” Shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Ligammari reflected on her need to create a will. “Knowing that I wasn’t able to have children due to my cancer treatments, I decided to leave my entire estate to KU,” she said. “I created a scholarship in my own name, which will benefit someone who chooses to be a teacher of the visually impaired.” This bequest makes Ligammari the youngest member of Kutztown University’s Old Main Society. As it turns out, Ligammari’s passion for her alma mater – and her generosity toward it – is contagious. Ligammari’s brother, Ken (pictured above), shares his sister’s love of KU. He visited her on campus when she was a student and became familiar with the town itself – which was also known to him through his love of the artist Keith Haring, who was born in Reading, Pa., and grew up in Kutztown. Years later, when Ken and his partner, Fred Moscatello, began collecting art, they acquired a lithograph of one of Haring’s works, KUTZTOWN (1978) – one of only 99 in the world. After about 10 years of enjoying it in his home, Ken thought perhaps it deserved a wider audience. “I knew about Haring’s connection to Kutztown, and I was surprised to learn that there wasn’t much of his art on campus,” said Ken. “I thought to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to loan it to Kutztown University so that the campus and surrounding community could enjoy it?’ So, I called Karen, and she helped me make it happen.” “We are excited to finally have a Keith Haring piece on campus,” said Karen Stanford ’98 , director of the Marlin & Regina Miller ’84 Gallery at KU. “His work is as relevant today as it was 30 years ago. Our art students still find inspiration in Haring’s work and it’s wonderful to have a place to easily see this unique piece in person. We are honored to be a location KAREN LIGAMMARI ’89 DONOR SPOTLIGHT