Dr. Judith Chelius Stark (StFX honours B.A. 1967), professor of philosophy at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey was recently named to the Fr. Edo Gatto Chair in Christian Studies at St. Francis Xavier University for the fall semester 2010. 

The Gatto Chair was established in honour of the life and work of Fr. Edo Gatto who taught ancient and medieval philosophy at StFX from 1962 to 1991. He was killed in a tragic auto accident in 1991 and the Gatto Chair was established some years later as a tribute to his dedication to the life of the mind at StFX.

Scholars named to the Gatto Chair engage in research that investigates the role and contributions of the Christian tradition to the intellectual heritage of the west. 

While holding the chair for the fall term, Dr. Stark will continue research that she has been conducting on the philosophical and religious principles in environmental philosophy and the challenges women are facing around the world due to global climate change. She will deliver a public lecture during the fall semester on her research and will also teach an advanced seminar in the philosophy department on environmental philosophy.

Dr. Stark says she is honoured to hold this appointment, named as it is for one of "the outstanding undergraduate professors" with whom she studied at StFX.