Honorary doctorate for Thomas Kelaher
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
Mercy Sister Rosemary Jeffries, president of Georgian Court University, Lakewood, presented a Doctor of Public Service Honorary Degree to Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher during commencement exercises for graduate students May 21.
In preenting the degree, Sister Rosemary noted Kelaher’s decades-long track record as a Marine, Ocean County prosecutor and as an active member of various hospital, health and community boards. The degree was presented to Kelaher by long-time friend and retired New Jersey Superior Court Judge Eugene Serpentelli.
“He has lived his life embracing the Sisters of Mercy’s core values, especially when you consider his service to the public over the last 50 years,” said Serpentelli, who emphasized the mayor’s work to help Toms River residents and business owners recover from Superstorm Sandy.
On receiving the honorary doctorate, Kelaher said, “I am extremely grateful to Sister Rosemary and the trustees of GCU. It was totally unexpected and it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to express my words of appreciation to the faculty and students.”
Kelaher is a trustee, reader and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion in St. Joseph Parish, Toms River. In 1997, Pope John Paul II designated him a Knight in the Order of St. Gregory the Great, and in 2002, he was installed as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.
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Mercy Sister Rosemary Jeffries, president of Georgian Court University, Lakewood, presented a Doctor of Public Service Honorary Degree to Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher during commencement exercises for graduate students May 21.
In preenting the degree, Sister Rosemary noted Kelaher’s decades-long track record as a Marine, Ocean County prosecutor and as an active member of various hospital, health and community boards. The degree was presented to Kelaher by long-time friend and retired New Jersey Superior Court Judge Eugene Serpentelli.
“He has lived his life embracing the Sisters of Mercy’s core values, especially when you consider his service to the public over the last 50 years,” said Serpentelli, who emphasized the mayor’s work to help Toms River residents and business owners recover from Superstorm Sandy.
On receiving the honorary doctorate, Kelaher said, “I am extremely grateful to Sister Rosemary and the trustees of GCU. It was totally unexpected and it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to express my words of appreciation to the faculty and students.”
Kelaher is a trustee, reader and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion in St. Joseph Parish, Toms River. In 1997, Pope John Paul II designated him a Knight in the Order of St. Gregory the Great, and in 2002, he was installed as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.
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