From Student to Professor: A Career in Psychology Born at Villanova
Joe Comaty ’71 CLAS and his best friends from Trenton, New Jersey, had such fun being together in high school that they decided as a group to enroll at Villanova University. Joe, Tom Dorner ’71 CLAS, James Romano ’71 CLAS, John Russo ’70 CLAS, Ron Tola ’71 COE and John Czarnecki ’71 CLAS (d. 2002) continued their high school connection, sometimes also as roommates, during their time at Villanova. For Joe, the other key draw to Villanova was studying chemical engineering, which was then considered to be a “hot” industry. As it turned out, engineering was not what Joe had thought it would be, and early on, he switched his focus to psychology. Joe believes that a degree in psychology from Villanova can prepare one for anything. Although he did not declare his major in psychology until his senior year, that decision became the bedrock on which Joe built his successful career in research, administration and clinical practice.
One of the most memorable aspects of Joe’s time at Villanova was enjoying the simple pleasure of spending time with people he loved. He fondly recalls “hanging out” with his beloved friends, frequenting a particular hoagie shop which was just off campus on Lancaster and playing the pinball machine. He also remembers well the Friday Night Fish Fry at the nearby Howard Johnson’s, where the cost of a very filling meal did not break the bank for hungry undergrads. Other memories are of heading down to the hallowed Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania for basketball games and, of course, downing Philadelphia cheesesteaks.
Classes were challenging, campus activities were plentiful, and the entire community was supportive. Joe and his buddies lived on campus their freshman and sophomore years. For his junior year, Joe became a commuting student, but he returned to live in an off-campus apartment with his Trenton friends for their senior year.
Byron Ward and Ingebord Ward, the husband-and-wife team of psychology professors, were influential in mentoring Joe and opening his eyes to numerous career possibilities. They were not only Joe’s professors—they became lifelong exemplars. After graduation in 1971, Joe remained at Villanova to complete his Master of Science degree in psychology. He left campus to take a research job, returning later to finish his degree in 1976. As part of his research, he had to check on the rats which were the subject of his thesis dealing with responses to stress. To support his scholar, Professor Byron Ward would frequently pop into the lab as Joe worked overnight, sometimes coming to see him at 3 a.m.
Joe’s research first took him to the New York State Research Institute, where he met his love and lifelong collaborator, Claire Advokat. The pair maintained a long-distanced relationship while Joe pursued his PhD in clinical neuropsychology at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago and Claire completed her postdoctoral research at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. They eventually married in New Jersey in an interfaith wedding presided over by a Catholic priest and a rabbi. For both Claire and Joe, their faith is a significant component of who they are and being married has allowed each to grow appreciation for the other’s faith. Claire especially has felt welcomed into the Augustinian community through her Villanova connection.
The Augustinian dedication to spirituality, integrity and to doing all things in a moral way, without regard to personal consequences, has shaped Joe’s personal theology and guided his life decisions. Claire sees Joe as embodying of the Augustinian charisms by the way he lives. Joe’s life is proof of his belief that one can be successful by doing the right thing.
Joe and Claire are now semi-retired and living in Louisiana. They still miss many people and things about life in the North, but they have built full lives in Baton Rouge. They return to Villanova when they can and maintain strong connections to the University. With deep appreciation to the Psychology Department (now called the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences) for having launched him, Joe, along with Claire, established the Dr. Joseph E. Comaty ’71 and Dr. Claire D. Advokat Endowed Fund. This gift will be realized in Joe’s and Claire’s estates to support ongoing research in cognitive neuroscience to study causes of, among other things, Alzheimer’s disease. For Joe and Claire, their decision to create the endowed fund was an easy one to make. When Joe reflected on what Villanova gave him, he simply wanted to give back to support the mission of the University, which he sees first and foremost as development of quality of character.
If you, like Joe, can trace the trajectory of your career as beginning at Villanova, and if you support the mission of the University, consider making Villanova part of your estate plan. For ideas and opportunities for charitable giving in your estate, please contact Tim McKinley at 215-240-0812 or timothy.mckinley@villanova.edu.