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Adrienne O'Brien Obituary
A Memorial Mass will be planned for a later date in Canandaigua, N.Y.
Condolence contributions may be made to Finger Lakes Community College, 3325 Marvin Sands Dr., Canandaigua, NY 14424 or Cabrini High School, 1400 Moss St., New Orleans, LA 70119.
She was cared for by her sister, Madeleine O'Brien Guarnieri and her brother-in-law, Bruno Guarnieri.
Adrienne was born November 19, 1935, grew up in Manhattan, the daughter of the late John Robert O'Brien, Sr. and Regina Crescentia Murphy.
Adrienne attended Mother Cabrini Elementary School and as a scholarship student at Mother Cabrini High School. She studied at Hunter College of the City of New York, graduating with a major in History and as Student Body President in 1957.
The following fifteen years, as a Missionary Sister of the Sacred Heart, Adrienne taught at Cabrini High Schools in New York, New Orleans and Cabrini University in Radnor, Pa. Following Papal guidelines, she continued her work in research, university teaching, publication and administration. Adrienne completed two Master of Arts, one in Political Science and the second in Educational Administration at Villanova University. Dr. O'Brien received a NDEA award while pursuing doctoral work at the University of Southern California and completed her PhD at Syracuse University.
Adrienne retired after 37 years at New York Institute of Technology, as a Professor of Communication Arts. She served as the First Dean of NYIT's School of Media and Arts for more than a decade. She was recognized twice as a Long Island top 50 woman by the Long Island Business News in 2002 and 2009.
For two decades, Dr. O'Brien shared the companionship and love of her late husband, Dr. David Salten, expert on Desegregation issues, who passed away in 2006 at 96 years of age.
Adrienne's retirement in 2011, brought her upstate to the Finger Lakes and support of the Finger Lakes Community College, where she friended Donald Barton, who passed away at the age of 100, on October 7, 2021. They enjoyed thirteen wonderful years traveling the world together.
She was predeceased by her brothers, John Robert O'Brien, Jr. and Reginald Paul O'Brien.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Adrienne O'Brien
5 Entries
Victoria Sferlazza
February 13, 2024
When Dean Adrienne O'Brien extended her NYIT Art Department's Halloween party to me, an English Department instructor of Writing for the Arts & Architecture, I showed up as She-Ra, Princess of Power. I only wished I'd had some of her power. Respected and dignified, she fostered those qualities for Women at NYIT along with Marcia Singer, Dean of Students, at a time when there weren't many women associated and working with technology. Adrienne O'Brien afforded both dignity and respect to me, a fledgling instructor just graduated from one of her Alma Mater's, USC, empowering me for at least a day. It is she who's been invited by the almighty power. Thank you Dean Adrienne O'Brien. May you rest in peace and your family and friends be comforted with your attainment of spiritual life as others who encountered you were helped by your education and life experience.
Nadine Howard Gallo
November 13, 2022
Adrienne and Helen Delpar were the stars at MCHS. I was privileged to be in their presence. They both went on to academic careers and Helen wrote a lot of books about history and migration. She was a Latin Americanist and a history professor at the U. of Alabama. I wrote to her about Gee's Bend. (quilters) and she wrote back. I raised four children, was a teacher and writer, but no competition for these two women.
Nadine Gallo
May 17, 2022
Always admired Adrienne as a student at Cabrini H.S. Larger than life, smart as a whip.
Diane Ketcham
November 20, 2021
AOB as I called her was my mentor and my friend. Truly, the smartest woman I have ever known. I would not have had the career I did without her guidance and friendship. She was truly one of a kind and will be missed by so many...
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