alumni events & news The Aquinas Hall of Fame was established in 1987 to honor Aquinas alumni, faculty, staff and special friends, who are distinctively dedicated to serving their community in a way that upholds the tradition and teachings of this Institute and its mission. The Hall of Fame awards look to honor these individuals who have significant lifetime achievement and service. Congratulations to all of our inductees and their families. We are deeply grateful for your continued representation of Aquinas, both in the past and in the years to come. 2026 INDUCTEES JURIJ Z. KUSHNER ’68 Distinguished Alumnus Jurij Zenon Kushner was born in Utica, NY, on June 18, 1950. His parents, Julian and Jaroslawa (Gloria) Kushner, had emigrated from Ukraine after World War II. He graduated from St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic School and entered Aquinas in September of 1964. During his four years at Aquinas, he worked on the staff of the Maroon & White, including serving as editor-in-chief his senior year. In addition, he was on the staff of the ARETE yearbook. He was also a permanent member of the St. Thomas Club. Jurij graduated number one in his class in 1968. After graduation, he attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and received a B.S. in economics in 1972 and an MBA in finance in 1975. He turned down several opportunities to pursue a Ph.D. in economics to begin his business career working for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in Admiral Rickover’s nuclear Navy. He worked on the Trident submarine project during his five years with the AEC. In 1977, he left that role to relocate back to Rochester and became Controller and Director of Administration at the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics. It was during his tenure there that the lab constructed and began operating one of the most powerful civilian lasers in the world, dedicated to proving the feasibility of laser fusion. He left the laboratory in 1981 after being introduced to Dan Gill, the CEO and Chairman of Bausch + Lomb. He started there as Corporate Manager of Financial Planning and, over the course of the next 10 years, was promoted to Director and ultimately to Staff Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis. He left the corporate offices for a few years to serve as Controller of the company’s Personal Products Division, as well as Vice President of Operations in that division. Finally, in 1994, he became Vice President and Corporate Controller of Bausch + Lomb. He served in that capacity for almost 15 years until his retirement in 2009. He has been active in the Rochester community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Rochester Ukrainian Federal Credit Union from 1980–2000, and has either been on the Board of Directors or the Finance Committee of the YMCA of Greater Rochester since 1995. He served as Chairman of the Board at the YMCA from 2001–2003. Currently, he is the chairman of the YMCA’s “Strengthening Our Communities” philanthropic campaign, as well as a trustee for the Aquinas Foundation. In addition, he recently termed out after 12 years as an Independent Trustee of the national YMCA Retirement Fund. This is a $10 billion retirement fund covering more than 110,000 YMCA employees. He also serves as Chairman of the St. John of Rochester Parish Finance Council. He is an active Master Gardener and is involved in many community gardening projects and lectures on various gardening topics. He also finds time to pursue a new late-in-life hobby: hiking. Since 2010, he has hiked to the top of Mt. Whitney and Mt. Kilimanjaro and across the Inca Trail in Peru, and he is planning to hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail later this year. He lives in Fairport, N.Y., with his wife, Marie. In recognition of their generosity and commitment to the community, they were named Outstanding Philanthropists by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Genesee Valley Chapter in 2015. Over the past 10 years, they have given or committed more than $12 million in estate giving. While their son, Steve (Class of 1996), attended Aquinas, they were actively involved with the AQ Music Boosters. JOHN A. OSTER, JR. ’68 Distinguished Career (posthumously) John Oster devoted his life to improving communities, building a distinguished career defined by professional achievement and a steadfast commitment to serving others. Guided by the values he embraced at Aquinas, he spent more than five decades creating opportunities for individuals and families through environmental advocacy, affordable housing, community revitalization, and compassionate leadership. After graduating from Aquinas in 1968 and later from Hamilton College, John began his career as a lobbyist for the New York Public Interest Research Group. In 1976, he headed up the Albany County Ecology Management Agency, where he helped establish land trusts throughout the Northeast to preserve natural habitats for communities. His expertise in legislative advocacy and familiarity with rural communities led him to become Executive Director of the Rural Housing Coalition of New York State in 1980. There, he played a key role in drafting and securing passage of landmark legislation, including the Private Housing Finance Law and the Rural Rental Assistance Program, laying the foundation for expanded affordable housing across New York. John went on to become one of New York State’s pioneers in affordable housing development. His career included leadership positions with New York State Homes and Community Renewal, Conifer Development, and Home Properties before he founded Edgemere Development in 2000. Over the course of his career, 2026 HALL OF FAME 20 AQUINAS LANDMARK | SUMMER 2026 Continues on page 21
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