Hall of Fame
Head Equestrian Coach
Inducted October 15, 2010
Carole Gerrity was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She was educated at St. Vincent Elementary School and Catherine McAuley High School before attending Molloy College. Carole graduated in 1960 with a bachelor of science degree in Education. Carole continued her schooling receiving a master’s of science degree in Education from Fordham University. Carole’s dedication and passion for Molloy College began as a member of the second graduating class and has spanned six decades. Carole’s legacy lies in her loyalty to her former students and riders.
Upon graduation from Molloy, Carole began teaching in the New York City Public School system at P.S. 71. She took a one year absence from P.S. 71 to teach in the Lakenheath Dependent School in Lakenheath, England. She later taught at the Roger Ludlum School in Norwalk, CT and the St. Vincent Ferrer Elementary School before returning to her alma mater in 1968. She remained as a Professor Emeritus in the Education Department until 2003 when she retired from full time teaching. Carole continues her work in the Education Department as the Coordinator of the Education Department Computer Lab.
Carole has been the recipient of many Molloy honors including the Veritas Medal in 1986 as an outstanding alumnus, the Faculty Council Award for outstanding contribution to the faculty in 1985 and 2003, the Distinguished Service Award in 1988, the Twenty-five Year Service Award in 1993 and the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Class of 1999.
Carole’s position as Head Equestrian Coach at Molloy College began as a volunteer instructor in 1969 when three Molloy Students started a team. They held their first college sponsored horse show in 1971. Upon their graduation the team disbanded until 1974 when Carole again took over a new group of interested riders. In all but one year Carole has had riders qualify at the regional level as well as many at the zone and national level. She has served twelve years on the Board of Directors of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. Carole was the first recipient of the Coach of the Year at Molloy in 1980.
Carole has been most proud of the fact that many of her former riders have continued to remain involved with horses as dressage and hunt seat instructors, horse trainers, parents of riders and life time riders themselves. One former rider founded Horseability Therapeutic Program, Hypotherapy Program and Summer Day Camp in 1993 and another is the head of the Long Island Horse Show Series for the handicapped. Carole has been a riding instructor at Camp Horseability since 2005.
Carole’s volunteer work continues in the community as well. She has been a religious educator in both the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre and has served as a Eucharistic Minister in St. Edward the Confessor Parish for Syosset Hospital. She received the Mother Elizabeth Seton Award for twenty continuous years of service in 2002.
She retired from Molloy at the end of the 2019-20 academic year.
Carole resides in Syosset, New York.
