Deirdre Courtney-Batson

Class Year: 1972
Voice Part: Alto 1
Major: History
Current City: Katonah, NY
Job: Senior Adj. Asst. Prof of History, Pace University

After graduating from Cornell, Deirdre earned an M.A. in History from the University of Toronto, then returned to Ithaca to pursue further graduate work, earning an MA from Cornell in 1975. While in grad school she continued to sing with the Chorus. One of her proudest Cornell memories is being able to sing with the Chorus at her sister’s 1979 graduation - the first time the Chorus performed at a Cornell commencement. In 1981, she left Ithaca to take a temporary position as an Instructor of History at Oberlin. She and her husband, glee clubber Phil Batson (ENG ’70, PhD. ’76) moved to Katonah in 1983. In addition to teaching at Pace, Deirdre helps curate the Katonah Historical Museum and pursues research, writing and lecturing on local history. She is heavily involved in municipal affairs, having served for years on the Town of Bedford Planning Board, a body she now chairs. She also volunteers for her Cornell Class as a class officer and reunion co-chair.