Ellen Catherine Gstalder C'98 Memorial Lecture Fund

The Ellen Catherine Gstalder C'98 Memorial Lecture Fund was established in July 2007 by Herbert W. (C'65) and Barbara E. Gstalder, in memory of their daughter Ellen Catherine Gstalder C'98. It supports an annual lecture on social issues of current significance in America. Through the lecture, speakers and attendees engage with issues like poverty, food insecurity, racism, migration, LGBTQ rights, and the #MeToo movement.

From an early age, Ellen Gstalder gravitated toward helping others. Her father Herb recalled that in first grade she was held in from recess for not completing her seat work—but investigation revealed that Ellen was spending her time comforting a classmate who had difficulty adjusting to school.

In high school she volunteered with Midnight Run, which distributes essentials like food, clothing, blankets, and personal care items to people experiencing homelessness in New York City, but also meets those people and builds connections with them as individuals. After graduating from Georgetown, she taught at Orr Elementary School in Washington as a Teach for America member. At the time of her passing of leukemia in May 2004, she was preparing to pursue a master's degree in public health at New York University. The lecture series remains a tribute and memorial to her deep concern for others.

Ellen Gstalder in her Georgetown graduation cap and gown in 1998.