By Hailey MacDonald, Editor-in-Chief
Proud. Thoughtful. Trustworthy. Honest.
Co-worker. Friend. Husband. Father.
On January 28, 2021, a beloved member of the Western New England University Community was lost after a courageous fight with Stage IV Colorectal Cancer. David Stawasz battled this debilitating disease for two years, continuing to work and provide for the University until the end.
Most recently, Stawasz was the Assistant Vice President for Marketing Communications at the University. He had been a member of the community since 2004, where he had made an abundance of different professional and personal relationships for more than sixteen years.
In his most recent role, Stawasz directly oversaw all of the marketing and publicity done by the marketing department. This included all advertising, social media, and web efforts that would contribute to the public internet presence of the University.
After graduating Syracuse University and before his time at the University, Stawasz worked as a News Producer at WWLP and WFSB where he worked behind the scenes in the field of broadcast journalism.
Brenda Garton-Sjoberg, a faculty member in the Department of Communication, had the pleasure of working with Stawasz for nearly a decade at WWLP. Garton-Sjoberg herself was a News Anchor for the evening news, and Stawasz specifically produced the 11:00 p.m. news each night. The two of them worked closely together and developed a strong relationship that they carried on for thirty years.
Garton-Sjoberg speaks highly of Stawasz and his time as a News Producer. “When we were at the TV Station and breaking news happened, those of us on camera were pleased Dave was the producer of the newscast calling the shots behind the scenes,” reflects Garton-Sjoberg. “You knew the nightly broadcast was in good hands when he was producing, especially during stressful situations. Dave always provided a sense of calm and trust during the most hectic times.”
Garton-Sjoberg also worked with Stawasz when he came to the University in 2004. At the time, she was the Director of College Relations. A longtime friend of hers, she will miss Stawasz dearly.
Another member of the University community who shared a friendship with Stawasz is Gina Lovotti, the Director of University Events. “Dave and I essentially worked together within the Division of Marketing and Communication for the entire 14 years I’ve been here at Western New England,” said Lovotti, who had nothing but kind things to say about her time working under and with Stawasz.
Lovotti and Stawasz worked together on a variety of different promotional projects ranging from highway billboards, ads in local newspapers, and television commercials to promote the University to prospective students. In regards to his day to day tasks, Lovotti mentioned that he was a very intelligent and creative individual and really understood “what it is to be in the marketing and public relations business.”
While being her supervisor and working together for so many years, Stawasz taught Lovotti things that she still carries with her today. “I know sometimes if you’re a younger person starting out in your career, it takes time to learn things, and Dave definitely was one of those people who taught a lot of useful things to me about working in higher education,” she says. “But more so, he was one of my biggest cheerleaders.”
Aside from the years of work together, however, Lovotti had a close personal relationship to Stawasz. For nearly a decade and a half, the two of them worked closely on work business, which transformed into a terrific friendship outside of work, too. “We had a great working relationship, but I was even more lucky to be able to call Dave my friend,” she says. She said that Dave even attended her wedding, and the two of them would go out to lunch together with friends on their birthdays, too.
Lovotti shared that Stawasz was also quite the jokester, and the two of them had a mutual prank battle on each other’s birthdays. She specifically reflects on the time when Stawasz and a few others caution-taped the entire inside and outside of her car in the parking lot, and then a group of them stood around to watch from the windows of the Welcome Center while she struggled. She looks at these memories with a full heart.
Lovotti could not stress enough that Stawasz had a big heart and cared deeply about others. He was always the person to send a text to check in with you after a long day or if you were sick, up until the end, even when he was going through his own treatment.
“I’m just so grateful that I was able to call Dave my friend and that we were able to spend some extra time with him than what we originally thought,” laments Lovotti. She looked at Stawasz not only as a friend, but also as a father figure.
“He will forever be a part of me,” Lovotti concludes. “It won’t be the same without him.”
Shaun McGrady, the University’s Director of Digital Strategy, knew Stawasz since the mid-2000s. The two of them worked together on the University’s website and also on the rebranding process with Western New England transitioned from a College to a University. They would also occasionally occupy the Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center and play pick-up basketball games during lunchtime.
McGrady shares a lot of similar sentiments about Stawasz’s kind heart and soul. “Dave was awesome. He would always take the time to ask you about your day, how the weekend went, or if anything important was happening with you or your family,” reflects McGrady. “He was the kind of person you could strategize about important University initiatives during the day, and exchange text messages about why the Red Sox made a pitching change later in the evening.” Like Lovotti, their relationship ran deeper than just working together.
It’s clear that Stawasz was an avid sports fan. “We’d talk about sports a lot,” says Rebecca Turner, Digital/Social Media Specialist, who also developed a close relationship with Stawasz over the last two years.
It was clear that Stawasz valued relationships with his coworkers, especially those in the Marketing Department. “He was always up for getting lunch at Hot Table or in the Bear’s Den in the University Commons,” says Turner. “A handful of us from the department would go to the Bear’s Den on the days they were serving Rueben sandwiches, Cuban sandwiches, or pierogies.” He didn’t view coworkers as just that — to him, those he worked with were dear lifelong friends.
Bryan Gross, Vice President for Enrollment Management & Marketing, worked with Stawasz for the last six and a half years, most recently as his direct supervisor for the last three years.
Gross also stressed how important personal and professional relationships were to Stawasz. “He really prided himself heavily on the relationships he had with people in the community. Professionally, those relationships were so strong,” he says.
Another commonality that those who had personal relationships with Stawasz shared was how much he loved his family. “Dave always spoke highly of his two daughters, and you could really tell he was so proud of them,” Turner says.
Gross echoed that statement. “He was a family man. He always talked about his daughters with pride, and often shared things he was doing with them, specifically with the Westfield High School Band.” Stawasz’s daughters are both college students, and “he was just so proud of both of them when they made their college decision,” remembers Gross.
“He loved his daughters so much and was so proud of them, and also deeply cared about the students at Western New England University, too.”
David Stawasz left a big impact on the University, and therefore the University is planning to do their part to honor his memory. “As friends and colleagues, we are working on some events to raise awareness of his type of cancer (March – Colorectal awareness month) and fundraising to support his family (April),” says Judy Curran, Associate Director of Public Relations.
So far, there has been a “Steps for Stawasz” fundraiser for Dave’s family that will run through the month of April. Those who want to take part in the fundraiser can log their walking or running miles and collect donations for the Stawasz family. More information can be found at runsignup.com/Race/MA/Springfield/Stawasz, where you can also sign up to partake in the fundraiser.
“Steps for Stawasz” is not directly sponsored by the University, but as stated by Curran, the University is in the process of planning events in his honor.
Another fundraising initiative for Stawasz will kickstart on Friday, March 5, which is “Dress in Blue Day.” Because March is Colorectal Awareness Month, wearing blue not only raises awareness for the disease, but also honors all that have been lost. For the rest of the month of March, the University community will be encouraged to wear jeans on Fridays and donate to the fund.
There will be a few more memorial events throughout the remainder of the semester, and a few different departments are working on different initiatives. There is also an on-campus walk being planned in his honor.
Stawasz will never be forgotten, especially by his close friends and coworkers. “He will be truly missed in the department and on campus,” says Turner.
“The plan is for his memory to live on here,” says Lovotti.
