a Legacy Legacy lasting Leaving

By Patricia Jetty

Not many 9-year-old children can confidently say they know what they want to be when they grow up. Marcia (Argenio) Hillock ’71, however, knew she wanted to be an educator from a very young age. Having grown up in a close-knit South Buffalo neighborhood and family, Marcia has fond childhood memories of her father bringing home a chalkboard and chalk when she was around 9 years old.

“My parents acted as my students,” she says. “I think during those improvised teaching sessions, something sparked in me to become a teacher.”

As a student herself, Marcia always loved learning, and she had a constant desire to investigate and study more than the teachers had time for in the classroom. As a teenager, there was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to pursue a postsecondary education. In fact, she recalls sitting down with her parents during her junior year of high school to look over catalogs from various colleges in Buffalo. Medaille and its robust Department of Education caught her eye.

“Medaille seemed to have all of the qualities I was looking for,” she says. “My parents and I attended an open house, and we were impressed by the friendliness and warmth of the faculty and staff.”

Looking back, Marcia, who graduated with her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Medaille in 1971, is confident she made the right decision for herself and her career. She notes that the expertise of her professors and the education she received made her feel well prepared for the realities and demands of being a teacher.

“When I was attending Medaille, we covered every possible situation that could occur in the classroom and discussed options to help the students as best we could,” she says. “Because of the guidance and knowledge of my instructors, I was confident that I was well prepared to lead my own classroom.”

Marcia credits the tone set by her instructors as something that served as her inspiration when establishing her own classroom. She learned how to consciously create a safe and caring learning environment. She also learned the importance of being flexible as a teacher, understanding the human aspect of students and the fact that each day is going to be different.

“I tried to incorporate an environment where the children felt safe to learn at their own pace and ability,” she says. “Each day in the classroom is different, so I learned what worked yesterday may not work today. At Medaille, our instructors stressed being flexible and always having a few options to count on.”

All of these lessons were instrumental to Marcia when she started teaching elementary school children — a career that lasted nearly 40 years before her retirement. She spent a majority of that time teaching fourth grade at St. Gregory the Great in Williamsville, but also spent time in classrooms ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade.

About ten years ago, Marcia and her husband of nearly 30 years, George, made the decision to retire, but their passion for giving back to society in meaningful ways has not slowed down. Marcia knows firsthand how there will always be a perpetual need for good teachers who are well prepared to help the next generations of students.

“After I retired, George and I discussed the idea of supporting future elementary education teachers at Medaille,” she says. “George was in full agreement. We both want to help deserving students who will give back to society as we have done — that is why we started the Marcia and George Hillock Scholarship.”

In addition to this annually funded scholarship, Marcia was excited about the idea of setting up an even more enduring way of supporting future educators who go on to impact countless lives. That is where Medaille’s Sister Alice Huber Society, focused on legacy giving, came into place.

“Because I will always be grateful to Medaille for the education I received, I have included Medaille University in my estate plan,” she says. “My will outlines the creation of a scholarship that will be called the Jo and Eddie Argenio Scholarship, in honor of my parents, who helped spark my love of learning.”

Once an educator, always an educator. Marcia remains committed and inspired at the idea of fostering a love of learning in college students and elementary students alike.

It brings her joy to know that she can help encourage and cultivate future teachers through her annual and legacy gifts.

“I would encourage anyone to pursue a scholarship for a Medaille student if they could,” she says. “It is more intrinsically rewarding than words can express.”