Lifelong champions of St. Bonaventure University whose family ties to the institution span generations, Pat Doyle, ’81, and Mary Beth “MB” (Shea) Wells, ’76, will be honored with the 2026 William P. “Stax” McCarthy Alumnus of the Year Award.

Doyle and Wells will be recognized Saturday, June 27, at the Alumni Reunion Weekend celebration at Reilly Center Arena.

The award is named in memory of former Bonaventure Annual Fund and alumni director William McCarthy, ’72. It is presented each year to alumni who offer continued service to the university and capture the spirit of Saints Francis, Clare and Bonaventure.

“Pat and MB represent the enduring power of the Bonaventure family,” University President Dr. Jeff Gingerich said. “Their connections to St. Bonaventure span generations, but what makes them especially deserving of this honor is the way they have transformed their love for the university into decades of leadership, volunteer service and support for fellow alumni.”

Doyle earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 1981 and has remained deeply committed to the university and its alumni community throughout his life. A proud rugby alumnus, he has demonstrated longstanding service to his alma mater through his nine years of leadership on the Alumni Council, during which he served as chair and as a member of the Board of Trustees from 2022-2024. Doyle is also a longtime member of the 80s Weekend Volunteer Planning Committee.

The Doyle family’s commitment to St. Bonaventure is also reflected in its philanthropy. Doyle and his sister Sheila Doyle, ’84, have endowed the Barbara N. and James P. Doyle Memorial Scholarship, awarded to a student from Broome or Chenango county in New York based on financial need and academic merit. In addition, Doyle is an active volunteer fundraiser for his class and a rugby alumni group, particularly on Bona Giving Day and Athletics Giving Day.

Following a successful career as a sales executive with Kodak and Oracle, Doyle retired after decades of professional achievement and leadership.

Beyond his professional and university involvement, Doyle has remained dedicated to serving his local community as a board member and coach for the Lenape Valley Little League, reflecting the Franciscan values of service, leadership and family that continue to define his life and legacy.

Doyle and his wife, Joanna, live in Chalfant, Pennsylvania, where they have raised their three sons, including two fellow Bonnies: Kevin, ’17, and Tom, ’21.

Wells earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from St. Bonaventure in 1976.

As a student, she was active in the Bonaventure Accounting Association, Resident Assistant program and as president of the Women’s Council. She also holds an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University.

Her Bona legacy family began with her father, James Shea ’50, who instilled in her at an early age an enduring love of the university. He brought her to Olean for her first Bona game in 1967.  Her daughter, Maureen, ’11, ’12, followed in her Bona footsteps and was a member of the SBU softball team.

Believing strongly in the university’s Franciscan values, Wells continues to pay forward the gifts she received as a Bonaventure student. She has volunteered extensively for SBU, serving on the Athletics Advisory Board, Class Annual Fund Committee and as a Bonathon volunteer.  

More recently, she served on the Alumni Council for seven years, with the final two as vice chair.  She is also co-chair of the Central/South Jersey Alumni Chapter and is co-chair of the Class of ’76 50th Reunion Committee.

Wells retired in 2021 as the accountant at St. Paul Parish in Princeton, New Jersey. Her local activities include service as the Parish School Board chair/secretary, membership on the Parish Finance Council and St. Vincent de Paul Society, and, for fun, pickleball, painting and attending her grandsons’ sporting events.   

She has also found time to be a men’s basketball season ticket holder for the past five years, cheering for the Bonnies in the Reilly Center and at many road venues.

Wells and her husband, Gary, live in East Windsor, New Jersey, and are the proud parents of two children, Terence and Maureen, ’11, ’12, and two grandsons.

More than 650 alumni and guests are expected to gather on campus June 26-28 for the annual Reunion Weekend. 

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).