By Kristin E. Etu, Assistant Director of Public Relations, Canisius University
Three Canisius College alumni are recipients of Magis Medals from Alpha Sigma Nu (ASN), the national Jesuit honor society, in celebration of its centennial anniversary. Frederick G. Attea ’61, Robert M. Greene ’66 and Megan Brenner-Zwara ’10 were among 100 Alpha Sigma Nu members to receive Magis Medals. The honor is given to those members who truly live out the values of Alpha Sigma Nu.
ASN recognizes those who distinguish themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service. The only honor society permitted to bear the name Jesuit, Alpha Sigma Nu encourages its members to a lifetime pursuit of intellectual development, deepening Ignatian spirituality, service to others and a commitment to the core principles of Jesuit education.
Frederick G. Attea was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu in 1960. A partner at the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP, Attea is engaged in securities and corporate practice with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, securities law, corporate governance and legal compliance programs. He serves on the board of directors of Read to Succeed Buffalo, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing early childhood literacy and third grade reading scores. Attea is a member of the Bishop’s Lay Advisory Board for the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, NY and a member of committees serving Catholic education. He has dedicated his life to the ethical treatment of employees and allowed his Jesuit beliefs to guide him in all areas of his life. Attea has served on the Board of Trustees of Nativity Miguel Middle School (a Jesuit school) since 2008. He has given back by volunteering with the students and purchasing equipment for the school’s two campuses.
Robert M. Greene is also a partner at Phillips Lytle LLP. He was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu in 1965. Greene visited Haiti for the first time in 2001 as part of a medical team with the Catholic Health System and the Sisters of Mercy. Since then, he has traveled to Haiti more than 20 times, volunteering in a variety of capacities. When the devastating earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, Greene became involved in fundraising for an orphanage for young girls on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. Now completed, the orphanage is home for 240 girls with on-campus primary and secondary education. Greene is the current director and former president of the Notre Dame Law Association, director and chair emeritus of the Western New York Public Broadcasting Association, director of the Global Health Ministry (Trinity Health) and a trustee of the WNED Foundation and the Foundation of the Zoological Society of Buffalo. He served four terms on the Board of Trustees of Canisius College, two terms as chair.
Brenner-Zwara is the Western New York recruitment coordinator for AmeriCorps Build Lives through Education (ABLE). She was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu in 2009. Zwara served as a Jesuit volunteer in Sacramento, CA, where she worked as a teacher’s assistant and music teacher at a small, Catholic elementary school. She spent a second year in service with AmeriCorps VISTA as a member of the SERVE New York program in Buffalo, NY. With AmeriCorps, Zwara worked at EPIC – Every Person Influences Children – as a families-in–transition military program assistant. She researched and created partnerships with local agencies that work with military families and veterans in Western New York.