The Dinneen Hall cafeteria was packed with students on a December day in 1966 when Ralph Cicirelli ’68 first laid eyes on Phyllis Amoroso ’70. Phyllis, a Saint Dominic Academy graduate from Jersey City, was in the inaugural class of 100 women admitted to the Day Session that fall. When she stood up, “We kind of glanced at one another,” remembered Ralph. He immediately turned to his friend and
asked, “Who is that?”
The brief glimpse across a crowded cafeteria sparked a love story for the ages. Over the next 55 years, Phyllis and Ralph Cicirelli built a beautiful life together. They dated casually at first and then exclusively.
They became engaged and married in 1970, just as Ralph was called up for two years of active military duty.
Not long after Phyllis passed away in 2022, Ralph established The Phyllis (Amoroso) Cicirelli ’70 Memorial Endowed Scholarship at Saint Peter’s University to support education majors who may also be veterans. “It was something I felt the need to do,” he explained. Phyllis loved her profession. A kindergarten teacher in Middletown, N.J., for many years “she got a lot of joy from working with these kids before anyone else and instilling in them a love of learning before they moved on to other grades,” Ralph added. In addition to honoring Phyllis’ gifts as a teacher, the scholarship will help a new generation of education students achieve their goals, while recognizing the institution that meant a
great deal to the couple.
Phyllis was proud to be a member of the trailblazing class of women who changed Saint Peter’s for the better.
Read the full story in the Summer 2025 issue of Saint Peter’s Magazine