Background

Maria Concetta Pastore Passaro was born on October 2, 1943 in Brienza, Italy; the daughter of Pasqualino Pastore, a tailor, and Carmela (Viscardi) Pastore, a homemaker. She arrived in the United States in 1958 and was naturalized in 1962.

Education

Maria Passaro attended Fordham University and Yale University. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Lehman College in 1974, a Master of Arts from Hunter College in 1980, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. Maria also got a Doctor of Medicine from Albert Einstein School of Medicine of Yeshiva University in 1996.

Career

Maria Passaro began her career at Mamaroneck Schools as a curriculum specialist in 1978. From 1981 to 1988, she served as a lecturer at Fordham University and as an adjunct lecturer at Lehman College. For a year Maria was a teacher of Italian language and culture at public schools in Yonkers. In 1984, she held the position of assistant professor at Central Connecticut State University, becoming an associate professor of Italian language and literature in 1994. Since 2015, Passaro has been the Director of the Italian Resource Center at Central Connecticut State University.

Maria is the author of several short plays and translator of Longfellow's Michael Angelo, Tusiani's Gente Mia and Other Poems, Rind and All, The Fifth Season, Tasso's King Torrismondo (1997), Tasso's Rhymes of Love (2011), and Pagano's Corradino(2014). She authored Representation of Women in Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Texts (2005), editor and translator of Selected Writings of Girolamo Savonarola: Religion and Politics 1490-1498 (2006), contributed three essays to the Encyclopedia of Italian Literary Studies (2006), and an essay to Guide to the Historical Reception of Augustine (2013).

She has lectured in several universities in the United States and Europe. Her essays, poems, translations, and other works have been published in national and international scholarly journals.

Achievements

• Maria Passaro has been successful in introducing the study of the Italian Language in some High Schools in New York State and in Connecticut. She has been listed as a noteworthy lecturer and translator by Marquis Who's Who. Maria received Academic Honors from NEH, Agnelli Foundation, NIAF, and US Fulbright. She was the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award at CCSU in 1994, Yale/Mellon grant in 1996, three CCSU/AAUP grants in 2000, 2001 and 2002, The Scaglione Publication Award for a Manuscript in Italian Literary Studies from the Modern Language Association of America, CCSU Service Award in 2010 and CCSU Graduate Grant in 2016. She was also nominated for CSU Professor in 2002.

Works

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  • Representation Of Women In Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Texts 2005

Views

Quotations: "I enjoy writing and doing research because it helps me to be a better teacher. It inspires me to bring new ideas to the classroom, and my enthusiasm becomes the enthusiasm of my students."

Membership

Maria Passaro is a member of Associazione Internazionale per gli Studi di Lingua e Letteratura Italiana, Modern Language Association of America, American Association for Italian Studies, American Association of Teachers of Italian, and Italian Historical Association.

Interests

• Medieval Art, Renaissance

• Writers

  Dante, Boccaccio, Tasso

Connections

Maria Passaro married Vincent J. Passaro, a safety engineer, on May 16, 1965. The marriage produced two children - Maria Antonietta and Susette Lucia.

Father:

Pasqualino Pastore

Mother:

Carmela Pastore

child:

Maria Antonietta Passaro

child:

Susette Lucia Passaro

late spouse:

Vincent J. Passaro

Vincent J. Passaro was a safety engineer.