Theresa Patnode Santmann '69

Dear Colleagues:

It is with sadness and profound gratitude for her many contributions to FSC that I inform you of the passing of
Theresa Patnode Santmann on March 11, 2025.

Ms. Santmann received her nursing degree from our College in 1969, launching her career in the healthcare
industry. She was the first woman in New York State to obtain an FHA-backed loan, building a 160-bed nursing
home. This was the start of one of the most successful nursing homes on Long Island. Ms. Santmann used her
ingenuity to invent and patent a unique walker.

A longtime friend of FSC, she was a member of the Farmingdale Foundation board from 2004 to 2019 and
endowed scholarships for underrepresented students and nursing faculty. In addition, she helped beautify our
campus through her support of landscaping improvements, design projects, and a 9/11 memorial on campus.

In 2011, Santmann donated the first seven-figure gift in Farmingdale’s history—$1 million to support the nursing
and bioscience programs. To honor this support and her confidence in our health degree programs, the College
named the Theresa Patnode Santmann School of Health Sciences. For her work at Farmingdale and in local
communities, she was recognized as Alumna of the Year in 2005, a March of Dimes Woman of Distinction in
1998, and was inducted into the Long Island Business News Hall of Fame.

Ms. Santmann's generosity and contributions to her alma mater and her community were deep and meaningful
and will not be forgotten.

Robert S. Prezant, PhD
President
Professor of Biology