Your support makes incredible things possible.
"How can we do it better?" was a question was a question John Brancaccio ’52 was always asking himself, and one that was his guiding philosophy. So in 1946 when he received a telegram offer to transfer to Cornell under the condition he report within two days, he and his family drove from Long Island to Ithaca to ensure his admittance.
Upon graduating from Cornell Engineering, John Brancaccio ’52 worked as a factory and plant engineer for Shell Oil, the International Paper Company and Western Electric Corporation. He also worked to improve environmental impact of manufacturing plants following the passage of the Clear Air and Water Acts.
John was an accomplished and award-winning ballroom dancer, tennis player and ski racer. Undeterred by a diagnosis of aortic valve stenosis, John seized an opportunity to learn about treatments and the best way to live with a heart valve replacement. The John Brancaccio Heart Valve Center was established following a gift John made to St. Francis Hospital in Floral Park, New York.
When John’s beloved sister passed away in 2014, he thought about the philosophy that guided his life and his legacy and decided to establish three endowments at Cornell through his estate plans: a professorship and graduate fellowship in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and a scholarship in Arts & Sciences in memory of his sister.
Before his death in 2018, John offered this advice to graduate students receiving his fellowship: “You are the best. Have a successful career and select an occupation you love. As you get older, think of giving back.”
Cornell Engineering is proud of its alumni. Thank you, John.
Before his death in 2018, John offered this advice to graduate students receiving his fellowship: “You are the best. Have a successful career and select an occupation you love. As you get older, think of giving back.”
What difference can one day make?
