Catherine "Kitty" Cantwell

College of Arts & Sciences

Tell us about what you're doing with your life
I work full time as an OB/GYN in Canandaigua NY. A few years ago we sold our private multi specialty group to our community hospital.

What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found most useful?
I loved developmental psych and abnormal psychology (though I’m sure the title of that class has changed—appropriately). I liked my accounting course in the Hotel School and intro to economics courses.

What is your favorite memory of your time at Cornell?
Fondue parties at Donlon co hosted with Ellen Strauss. Tacky Club at Seal and Serpent, my college boyfriend’s (and now husband’s) fraternity. Winter training with crew in Florida and the Head of the Charles in the Fall.

Which Cornell classmates do you keep in touch with?
Kevin McCormick, Janet Insardi, Karla and Don McManus, Ellen Strauss and some other folks in the class council

How has your time at Cornell influenced you since you graduated?
There was never been a time in my life that Cornell didn’t play a role. My father was a Cornellian so I grew up attending his Cornell reunions. An aerial photo of Cornell was in my father’s office! He started teaching in the Hotel School when I was 12. I had a whole new appreciation for Cornell and the opportunities afforded me when I attended as a student. I think the prestige of Cornell is what got me into medical school. My career has been a joy.

Cornell runs in our family. My sister, husband and 3 kids are Cornellians!

What extracurricular activity or hobby from your time at Cornell was most meaningful?
Crew and working with alumni affairs as a reunion clerk and eventually as a head clerk.

If you could change anything about your Cornell experience, what would it be?
I would have taken American history and Western Civilization

What does being a Cornell alumnus mean to you?
My father was an orphan and left high school to join the Marines and fight in WW2. When he returned and got his GED he applied and got into Cornell. He attended on the GI bill. Cornell became his home and his refuge. It changed the trajectory of his life. He never forgot that and instilled that reverence for an institution that gave so much to our family.

What advice would you give to a student starting at Cornell?
Take classes outside of your major and outside your college. Go to guest lectures of the world leaders and thinkers that come to campus. Join a club, sport, intramural to get your brain away from class work. Use the connections you form at Cornell for not just your benefit but the benefit of others. Mentor Cornell students in your chosen field after you graduate.

What are you most looking forward to at Reunion 2024?
Seeing classmates, reunion row and reunion run