Nancy Duffy
Encyclopedia
Nancy Duffy was a longtime newspaper/television personality and co-founder of the Syracuse St. Patrick's Parade, Syracuse, New York
in 1983.
in Scranton, Pennsylvania
. After college, she took her vows as a Catholic nun and was known as Sister Jude Michael before leaving the convent after a year.
Duffy worked at newspapers in Scranton and Cortland, New York
before moving to Syracuse to work for the Herald-Journal, where she was a police beat reporter. She left that job in 1967 to work as a reporter at WHEN-AM and WHEN-TV (now WTVH
).
She took a year off from reporting in 1970, when she became press secretary for Syracuse Mayor Lee Alexander.
She then returned to WTVH, where she worked as a reporter for six years before going to work at WIXT
. For years, she anchored brief local news and weather reports that aired during breaks in ABC's Good Morning America. While she often covered breaking news, she once said she favored the lighter stories. She filed features at WIXT billed as "Duffy's People", which were gentle profiles of ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
In the early 1990s, Duffy hosted "The Irish Connection", a half-hour public affairs show than ran on Public-access television
. She was president of the Syracuse Press Club from 1991 to 1992, and was honored by the club in 2000 with induction into its Wall of Distinction located at the John H. Mulroy Civic Center.
After Duffy resigned in as president of the parade, she continued as president-emeritus, where she shouldered the bulk of the work in organizing the event for several more years.
Surplus earnings from the parade over the years were donated to one of Duffy's favorite causes, Project Children, an organization that brings children from Northern Ireland
to Central New York
for six weeks.
, wrote poetry, created charcoal and chalk drawings, lead a campaign to save the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
, and volunteered for a wide range of civic organizations and causes, often with links to her Irish heritage.
In 1995, the Barnes & Noble bookstore in DeWitt hosted an appearance at which Duffy read some of her own poetry, which was inspired by events she covered in Syracuse TV. She also led at least one poetry workshop for children.
Duffy also created numerous charcoal and chalk drawings, many with Civil War
or Catholic
themes. In recent years, several local public libraries exhibited a collection of Duffy's drawings entitled "Native American Faces."
Nancy had established close ties with American Indians during her coverage of the 71-day armed standoff in 1973 between federal authorities and American Indians at Wounded Knee
in South Dakota.
Because of her close ties to the Onondaga Nation, Duffy was invited to deliver a walking stick to President Clinton on behalf of the six-nation Iroquois
Confederacy after his round of golf in 1999 at LaFayette Country Golf & Country Club.
In 1985, The Post-Standard honored Duffy with one of its annual Women of Achievement awards, which has since been renamed The Post-Standard Achievement Award. Among the numerous other honors she received was the Trailblazer in the Media Award in 1984 from the Central New York Chapter of the National Organization for Women
.
Divorced she raised two sons, Matthew, a lawyer in Cleveland, and Peter, a journalist and author living in New York City.
Nancy Duffy died Friday, December 22, 2006, after a long illness.
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
in 1983.
Journalism
Duffy graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1961 from Marywood CollegeMarywood University
Marywood University is a selective, coeducational, Catholic liberal arts university located on a campus in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and currently enrolls approximately 3,500 students on a national award-winning campus...
in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
. After college, she took her vows as a Catholic nun and was known as Sister Jude Michael before leaving the convent after a year.
Duffy worked at newspapers in Scranton and Cortland, New York
Cortland, New York
Cortland is a city in Cortland County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 18,740. It is the county seat of Cortland County.The City of Cortland, near the west border of the county, is surrounded by the Town of Cortlandville....
before moving to Syracuse to work for the Herald-Journal, where she was a police beat reporter. She left that job in 1967 to work as a reporter at WHEN-AM and WHEN-TV (now WTVH
WTVH
WTVH is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central New York State licensed to Syracuse. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 47 from a transmitter in LaFayette. The station can also be seen on Time Warner and Verizon FiOS channel 5. There is a high definition feed...
).
She took a year off from reporting in 1970, when she became press secretary for Syracuse Mayor Lee Alexander.
She then returned to WTVH, where she worked as a reporter for six years before going to work at WIXT
WSYR-TV
WSYR-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central New York State that is licensed to Syracuse. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 17 from a transmitter on Sevier Road in Pompey. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 9 and in high definition on...
. For years, she anchored brief local news and weather reports that aired during breaks in ABC's Good Morning America. While she often covered breaking news, she once said she favored the lighter stories. She filed features at WIXT billed as "Duffy's People", which were gentle profiles of ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
In the early 1990s, Duffy hosted "The Irish Connection", a half-hour public affairs show than ran on Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
. She was president of the Syracuse Press Club from 1991 to 1992, and was honored by the club in 2000 with induction into its Wall of Distinction located at the John H. Mulroy Civic Center.
Parade
Duffy helped revive and organize, for several years, Syracuse's St. Patrick's Parade, which had been discontinued during World War II. She, with the leadership of other Syracusians, helped led a small group of volunteers in putting together the first parade on March 19th, 1983. The parade remains a major annual event, typically drawing an estimated crowd of up to 10,000 marchers and 125,000 spectators gathering along South Salina Street each year on the usually cold and snowy Saturday in March. She considered her greatest legacy to be the Syracuse St. Patrick's Parade. Through the years the Parade has become Central New York’s largest one-day event, in fact “the largest St. Patrick’s Parade, per capita, in the world.” Nancy served as the parade committee's first co-president with Daniel F. Casey, and continued as a guiding force even after stepping down in 1997.After Duffy resigned in as president of the parade, she continued as president-emeritus, where she shouldered the bulk of the work in organizing the event for several more years.
Surplus earnings from the parade over the years were donated to one of Duffy's favorite causes, Project Children, an organization that brings children from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
to Central New York
Central New York
Central New York is a term used to broadly describe the central region of New York State, roughly including the following counties and cities:...
for six weeks.
Personal life
Duffy also taught at Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, wrote poetry, created charcoal and chalk drawings, lead a campaign to save the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra was a 79 member orchestra located in Syracuse, NY. In its time it was the 43rd largest orchestra in the United States and performed a variety of programs including the Post-Standard Classics Series and M&T Bank Pops Series....
, and volunteered for a wide range of civic organizations and causes, often with links to her Irish heritage.
In 1995, the Barnes & Noble bookstore in DeWitt hosted an appearance at which Duffy read some of her own poetry, which was inspired by events she covered in Syracuse TV. She also led at least one poetry workshop for children.
Duffy also created numerous charcoal and chalk drawings, many with Civil War
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
or Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
themes. In recent years, several local public libraries exhibited a collection of Duffy's drawings entitled "Native American Faces."
Nancy had established close ties with American Indians during her coverage of the 71-day armed standoff in 1973 between federal authorities and American Indians at Wounded Knee
Wounded Knee Incident
The Wounded Knee incident began February 27, 1973 when about 200 Oglala Lakota and followers of the American Indian Movement seized and occupied the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation...
in South Dakota.
Because of her close ties to the Onondaga Nation, Duffy was invited to deliver a walking stick to President Clinton on behalf of the six-nation Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
Confederacy after his round of golf in 1999 at LaFayette Country Golf & Country Club.
In 1985, The Post-Standard honored Duffy with one of its annual Women of Achievement awards, which has since been renamed The Post-Standard Achievement Award. Among the numerous other honors she received was the Trailblazer in the Media Award in 1984 from the Central New York Chapter of the National Organization for Women
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women is the largest feminist organization in the United States. It was founded in 1966 and has a membership of 500,000 contributing members. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S...
.
Divorced she raised two sons, Matthew, a lawyer in Cleveland, and Peter, a journalist and author living in New York City.
Death
Duffy had suffered from ill health for several years. In 1996, she underwent an operation in Cleveland to repair a leaking heart valve. At Duffy's invitation, WIXT sent a reporting team to tape the surgery for on-air reports.Nancy Duffy died Friday, December 22, 2006, after a long illness.