Joan Wolf '65 

Author 

For Joan Damarest Wolf, the choice to go to Mercy College was clear. In recruiting for the first baccalaureate class; the Sisters of Mercy offered a full scholarship to the most promising students from local schools. When offered the opportunity to be a part of the Class of 65, Wolf, a native of the Bronx, found it hard to resist. She majored in English, with a minor in History, and says Sister Joannes Christie had a huge influence on her choice of careers. Wolf said, "She imparted a feeling of love for literature to her students." As the author of 53 novels, this love of literature has remained with Wolf in the years since graduation.

 After receiving a master's degree in English and Comparative Literature from Hunter College Wolf began her career as a high school English teacher at Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx. With her doctoral studies interrupted by the birth of her son Jay, Wolf found herself at home and beset with boredom.

Fortunately for lovers of historical romances and mystery novels, Wolf missed the intellectual stimulation of teaching and soon began the challenge of writing a novel while Jay napped. Her love of history, instilled by her father and nurtured by Mercy history professor Dr. Wines, is woven into the tapestry of her popular novels.

Her time spent away from writing is dedicated to her family, husband, Joseph, and children, Jay and Pam Wolf is also passionate about horses. The Milford, Connecticut resident is also an avid fan of the University of Connecticut basketball program and a New York Yankees fan.

When asked what her most vivid memory of her time at Mercy College is, Wolf replied, without hesitation. "The day JFK was shot," she said. "I was in Mrs. Ellis's French class, and the announcement came over the loudspeaker. Mrs. Ellis looked at us, and said that we should all go over to the Chapel.” She recalls Mercy's then small student body watching the President's funeral together in the student lounge.