When Totally Teal Day and the fight against ovarian cancer come up for SUNY Oswego, the campus draws inspiration from one of its most giving ever, the late Mary Gosek. Mary was a 34-year computer program analyst at the college and wife of SUNY Oswego men’s hockey coach Ed Gosek.
One thing Mary didn’t give was a single inch to the disease during her years-long battle with it. Mary was passionately devoted to the college’s annual Totally Teal effort, to Hope for Heather and to the annual Teal Night men’s and women’s hockey games.
In the years preceding her death in June, she worked tirelessly to found and see through the early development of Peaceful Remedies, a nonprofit provider of holistic therapies, education and support in a safe and pleasant environment for people dealing with life-threatening illnesses.
Tributes to Mary around the campus and the city of Oswego this fall have taken the form of charitable efforts, athletic competitions and other awareness-raising events that have drawn students, faculty, staff and community residents by the hundreds.
The Teal Night ice hockey games filled SUNY Oswego’s Marano Campus Center arena with loud and proud cheers. The men’s game celebrated a signature memory of Mary the hockey fan — it began with “Mary’s Minute,” the capacity crowd standing and cheering for the first 60 seconds of every period. Following his teal-wearing players’ come-from-behind win that night, The Palladium-Times in Oswego quoted an emotionally drained Ed Gosek, “In her own special way, Mary has influenced (the players) and helped them understand how to face adversity. They saw her at her worst with a smile on her face and she stayed positive.”
30 Days of Giving 2017:
- Day 1: Shopping with a Smile
- Day 2: Erie Community College Cook-Off for Kidneys
- Day 3: Stony Brook Medicine Helps in Puerto Rico
- Day 4: A Day of Service at Onondaga CC
- Day 5: New Paltz Students Make a Difference
- Day 6: Buffalo State College Dares to Care
- Day 7: Niagara County CC Students Lend A Hand for Thanksgiving
- Day 8: Old Westbury Helps Haiti
- Day 9: A Day of Service at SUNY Potsdam
- Day 10: Helping Animals at Hudson Valley Community College
- Day 11: FIT Students Help the Homeless
- Day 12: Morrisville Athletes Go Local For Service
- Day 13: SUNY Poly Gives Back Throughout the Region
- Day 14: SUNY Oswego Honors Those Battling Ovarian Cancer
- Day 15: Brockport Students Volunteer at Thanksgiving
- Day 16: SUNY ESF Sends Acorns to Action
- Day 17: Doors Open at the Columbia-Greene Community College Giving Closet
- Day 18: Monroe Community College Helps Walk for Water
- Day 19: SUNY Cortland Supports Crop Hunger Walk
- Day 20: Making Music at Farmingdale State to Help the Hungry
- Day 21: Increasing Food Security at Dutchess Community College
- Day 22: Addressing Food Insecurity On and Around SUNY Geneseo
- Day 23: Westchester Community College Plays the UnHunger Games
- Day 24: Binghamton University Builds University Assisted Community Schools
- Day 25: Mohawk Valley Community College Gives Back To Their Community
- Day 26: SUNY Oneonta Students Help Area Children Learn
- Day 27: Rockland Community College Comes Together to Aid Puerto Rico
- Day 28: Empire State College Donates to Caribbean Relief
- Day 29: Schenectady County Community College Students Provide Support to Foster Families
- Day 30: Raising Guiding Eyes at SUNY Delhi
