When Karen Stuckey ’75 ’10P came to Lehigh as a member of the first class of women, Bethlehem greeted her with its steel-producing backdrop of cloudy skies that occasionally rained black soot.
She had earned a scholarship and planned to stay for a year before transferring to an Ivy League institution. But that changed when she found herself living in Carothers with a group of smart, talented, and driven women.
By the end of the first week, she didn’t head to the payphone in the hallway to call home, as was the plan she had created with her mother.
Stuckey was happy, and her Ivy League dreams evaporated. The bond formed over those first seven days not only lasted but also defined a life of success, connection, and generosity at Lehigh.
The Ladies of Carothers
There is a table in Linderman Library that bears that inscription. The ladies of Carothers were a force of nature, completely aligned with the ethos of Lehigh, despite being seen as different due to their gender.
They paved their way. Stuckey’s roommate, Judy O’Donnel ’75, was the founding member of the field hockey and lacrosse clubs, as varsity sports were not yet available. That quickly changed.
They taught their plebes. As sophomores, they took very seriously the education of a new class of first-year women students who had to learn the ways of Lehigh.
They took intramurals to heart. Their powderpuff football team was shellacked by Lafayette in their first year. The second year was a bittersweet battle. As juniors, they won. As seniors, they posted a shutout… thanks to the tight spiral of quarterback Pam Watson ’76.
They cared about tradition. A group of sophomores from Carothers won the Rivalry Week talent show … thanks to the perfect pitch of Nancy Davis ’75.
They pulled pranks. While the men might paint a rival fraternity’s stone or streak during a football game, the ladies had a doozy. To raise money for the Heart Fund, they decided to steal the composite from every fraternity and ransom it back for a donation. So they snuck into each house and pilfered the framed picture off the wall. It caused an uproar and many articles and opinion letters in The Brown and White.
“We developed the Lehigh spirit and tightly bonded ourselves to it and each other,” says Stuckey.
A Lifetime of Firsts
That spirit of hard work applied to academics as well. Stuckey took a circuitous route, studying biology, sociology, psychology, and Spanish before she settled in the College of Business. Her father was a banker who was surprised by her accounting major. As Stuckey explained to him, it was less about calculators and more about rules, regulations, and orders.
This route meant she had a dense course load during her senior year, but she didn’t mind. She was headed to PwC, where she remained for her entire 37-year career. Early on, she began to audit a client in New Jersey, spending long hours in the car with the other auditors, including Henry Seduski ’10P, the man she’d marry.
She became the first female audit partner in the New York office before she eventually moved to mutual funds.
But firsts seem to follow her around.
She was the first female class treasurer at Lehigh, working alongside the alumni association and other alumni leading the inaugural telethons.
In 1991, she became the first female president of the alumni association. Soon she was on the Board of Trustees, where she served for 14 years.
She was the first woman to deliver a winter commencement speech and the last recipient of the L in Life award.
She carried her class flag at Rally four years ago to adopt the Class of 2025, and she will ring the bell at the 2025 Commencement to welcome the graduates to the alumni association.
This lifetime of leadership began with a donation.
The Donation That Changed the World
She joined the Asa Packer Society in 1981, making the requisite gift in honor of her 10-year anniversary as a first woman of Lehigh.
“I earned a scholarship to attend Lehigh,” she says. “That meant a lot to me then, and I wanted to pay it forward.”
PwC made a matching gift so she could double her impact.
That gift started her on a pathway. From there, she and Seduski became members of the Tower Society, which recognizes individuals, alumni, and friends who have made a gift in support of Lehigh’s mission with a confirmed bequest, participation in the life income program, or through the creation of an endowed fund.
Over the years, they have used their philanthropy to make an impact across various programs through different gift vehicles, demonstrating opportunities for anyone who wants to make a similar impact honoring their own memories of Lehigh.
But that pathway was launched when she was a student. As class treasurer, Stuckey, alongside Tom Hirsch ’75 ’10P, urged members of the Class of 1975 to donate $20 a year for 20 years. By 1995, their class gift totaled over $700,000 and was distributed to Zoellner Arts Center, Taylor Gym, Packard Lab, a scholarship fund, and technology.
“Giving to your alma mater was a key indicator for success,” she says. “We wanted to get our classmates involved and illustrate the impact they could have over the years.”
Stuckey has made an impact, time and again. Despite being ready to give birth at any moment and going against the doctor’s advice to remain close to home, she made sure to be on hand when she was elected president of the alumni association.
“I waddled up to the front to accept the gavel and give my remarks,” she says. “Three days later, our son, James, was born, thankfully not at Lehigh.” Her second son, David, was in the Class of 2010 and has also made lifelong friends at Lehigh.
Together, she and Seduski participate in Lehigh events in New York City and Arizona. They also created a memorial fund in memory of their third son.
“The experience at Lehigh was transformative,” she says. “When I went back home after my first year at Lehigh, my sister said, ‘What happened to her?’ I went from quiet and shy to a woman who stood out and spoke up.”
Standing out makes sense for her and seems part and parcel of being a member of the first women of Lehigh.
