Carole McNall: Class of '75

  "There are years that ask questions and years that   answer."
 -Zora Neale Hurston

          

Carole McNall

Class of ‘75

Akron High School is where Carole McNall first realized that her dream was to become a journalist. McNall had started looking into journalism schools in New York State, including Syracuse University, but soon came to realize that SU wasn’t her dream college. McNall’s guidance counselor then suggested St. Bonaventure University and the school’s journalism program. By the fall of 1971, McNall was starting her first college semester as a Bonnie.

McNall’s favorite memory was when her graduate student boyfriend, Steve, asked her to marry him in the De La Roche basement when she was a sophomore. They married during the winter break of her senior year and, to this day, are still happily married.

McNall graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 1975 with a Journalism degree and a world of experience ahead of her. Her career started in Olean, NY at WEBF, a radio station now called 95.7 WPIG.

“At first, I was offered a five-week position to fill in during someone’s vacation. My job was to manage the scheduling and write advertisements. At the end of five weeks, the station manager asked if I would take a position in the station’s news department, and I accepted the offer.”

McNall worked in the news department of the station for about two years until she decided to explore other career paths that would allow her to spend more time with her husband. McNall turned in her resume at the right place at the right time. She was contacted by the managing editor of the Olean Times Herald and, after turning in a sample news story for the interview, she was offered a job as a reporter and worked for the paper for almost 12 years.

Eight months after McNall left the Olean Times Herald and worked a couple of times for  St. Bonaventure University Relations, she found herself applying for, and being accepted into, the law school at SUNY Buffalo for her Law degree.

“My first year in law school, I found that I doubted myself a lot. I was wondering why I was living at my parents’ house during the week and coming home to see Steve on weekends. I was convinced that I wasn’t going back the next year until I came across an ad that was advertising a job at St. Bonaventure. I thought about applying for that job but then told myself ‘no.’ I was in law school and I will finish! My brother was a big help through the whole process as well because he went through law school. The Bonaventure ad, ironically, was my deal breaker.”

McNall graduated with Juris Doctor Degree in law in 1993 from SUNY Buffalo and passed her bar exam in July of that same year. McNall started her new career by working for a private law practice in Cuba, NY and eventually branched off into her own practice.

Later, McNall’s job path led her to Jamestown Community College (JCC) where she spent a semester teaching Constitutional Law. JCC then offered her the opportunity to teach Business Law. During this time, McNall ran into an old friend, Carol Fischer, who was the head of the accounting department at Bonaventure. “When Carol found out that I was about to teach a business law class at JCC, she was insistent on getting me to teach the class at St. Bonaventure, as well.”

McNall’s friend Carol succeeded in her mission. McNall started teaching part-time at both Bonaventure and JCC and began working at H&R Block. Later, when McNall’s friend, Dr. Mary Hamilton, was planning to retire from her position as a journalism professor, she recommended to the dean of the St. Bonaventure School of Journalism that McNall take over her position. McNall became a professor in the School of Journalism in the fall of 2003 and has been teaching full-time ever since.

When asked about some of her favorite memories as a professor, McNall said it was a couple of years ago when she was teaching two Introduction to Media classes.

“I brought in an article from Rolling Stone magazine that talked about the Boston Marathon bombing. I let the students read it and told them to come to the next class prepared to discuss the topic. The next two classes became two of my most favorite classes I have ever taught. There were strong debates along with heated opinions and it was then that I realized I really love what I do. I really felt like I was making a difference in the young journalism community.”