Lehigh roots run three generations deep in the Delfini family. Ron Delfini ’65 ’88P ’91P ’24GP, a retired periodontist from Branford, Connecticut, started it all when he chose Lehigh instead of Georgetown for his undergraduate studies. His sons, Ronald ’88 and Brooke ’91 ’24P, daughter-in-law Lisa ’91 ’24P, and granddaughter Alex ’24 are all part of the Lehigh family, too.
Ron met his wife, Marcia, at a mixer between his fraternity and her cohort of University of Pennsylvania nursing students doing their psychiatric rotation at Allentown State Hospital. After earning his bachelor’s degree in international relations, Ron did head to Georgetown University after all, to the School of Dentistry.
Never underestimate the power of Lehigh football
It was attending a Lehigh-Lafayette Rivalry game that Ron believes impressed his sons so much that they decided to go to Lehigh. Alex, too, was influenced by Lehigh football — she remembers games against Yale as her early exposure to Lehigh.
“Whenever Lehigh would play Yale, we would wrangle our way into a really good spot inside Yale Bowl, and the whole family would go to the game,” Ron says.
“We live 15 minutes outside New Haven, Connecticut, so whenever Lehigh played at Yale, we’d fly all our Lehigh flags and invite a bunch of friends to a big tailgate,” Alex recalls. “Anytime the Marching 97 went by, my parents would get so excited, cheering them on. When the band was finished playing, they would invite them over to our tailgate and feed them hot dogs and hamburgers.”
Grandfather to the rescue
Even so, Alex hesitated to apply to Lehigh. “I’m the youngest of my cousins, who all applied and didn’t end up going here, so I was the last chance. I had applied to around 20 schools, and my parents said, ‘Enough!’ My grandfather wanted me to try applying to Lehigh, though, and said he’d pay the fee.”
“I think Alex might have been discouraged because of her cousins. But I told her, ‘Just send the application in — there’s no harm in trying,’” Ron adds.
“When I got the acceptance email, my mom was crying. We told my grandparents, and they were ecstatic,” Alex remembers. “They showed up at our house dressed from head to toe in Lehigh gear with this massive old watercolor painting of the campus from when my grandfather attended. This was during the height of COVID, so we had a little socially distanced celebration outside.
Lehigh success stories
Beginning their academic journeys at Lehigh has proven to be a recipe for success for all the Delfini family members. The elder Ron started his periodontal practice from the ground up and taught at Yale in the residency program and medical school. Brothers Ron and Brooke co-founded Engineering Specialties Inc., a metal stamping company. Lisa is CFO of pharmaceutical company Trevi. Even Alex co-founded a business, Swellish, that sells trendy apparel and jewelry that promotes marine wildlife and ocean habitat conservation.
No place like home
Alex says a big factor in her choosing to come to Lehigh was her family’s history here. “Knowing that it had been a place that made my family members so successful — a place that was home for them — I just knew it would translate into being a home for me, too.”
Ron loved the family feel when he was here, too, and has seen firsthand how well his granddaughter fits in.
“It’s not a huge school — even smaller when I was there — and the people I lived with and associated with, I’ve stayed in touch with over the 50-odd years since I graduated. Alex has fit into her product design major like she was born to do it. She gave her grandmother and me a tour of Building C, and we could see how enthusiastic she is.”
One of the things Alex loves about Lehigh are its traditions, and the Rivalry is number one on her list of favorites.
“I love all the traditions we have, especially because I can relate to them on a multi-generational level. The camaraderie around that, having family history here, and being able to share all the experiences I have with my parents and grandparents … it’s pretty special,”
Alex says.