Mount bids a fond farewell to three retiring faculty
With the Spring 2025 semester at an end, Mount Saint Mary College bids a fond farewell to three outstanding faculty members with nearly a century of service to the college community between them.
The Mount thanks each of these professors for their many years of dedication to the college.
William Lahar – 50 years
Photo Provided
William Lahar, served as a professor of Chemistry for five decades, inspiring countless Mount students in both the Natural Science and other majors.
Lahar received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Stonehill College and, after serving two years in the United States Army from 1969-71, earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Inorganic Chemistry from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
His research interests include investigating metal ion binding in biological systems using fluorescence spectroscopy and metal ion binding in substituted porphyrins.
Along with Biology professor Thomas Sarro, Lahar helped to create the Athletics Department at the Mount, shaping the department into what it is today.
They started the Men’s Basketball program with just a handful of male students and coordinated an intramural program without a gym facility on campus. Lahar served as a Co-Athletic Director alongside Sarro, and served as the men’s basketball coach from 1976-78.
For their efforts, both Lahar and Sarro were inducted into the Mount’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.
Monica Merritt – 17 years
Photo by Lee Ferris
Merritt, an associate professor of Education, has an extensive background in her field, including nearly two decades as a mathematics teacher in elementary, middle, and secondary schools.
She earned a Doctor of Education from Columbia University, a Master of Science from Bank Street College of Education, and a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University.
Her research interests include problem-solving and problem-posing in mathematics, rehumanizing mathematics, and storytelling in mathematics.
Glenn Reynolds – 17 years
Photo by Lee Ferris
Reynolds, a professor of History, enjoys research in the field of African Film Spectatorship.
He has published three books: Colonial Cinema in Africa: Origins, Images, Audiences (2015), Africa's Last Romantic: The Films, Books and Expeditions of John L. Brom (2014), and Images Out of Africa: The Virginia Garner Diaries of the Africa Motion Picture Project (2011).
He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in History from SUNY Stony Brook and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley.