North Plainfield Resident Creates Alumni Wall for Caldwell College

Caldwell College chose Homecoming weekend to unveil its Veritas Wall, which celebrates the college’s alumni. The wall was designed and created by North Plainfield resident and Caldwell alumna Margaret Poltorak ’75, who was the first student in the college to receive a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree (B.F.A). The Veritas award is the highest honor the college bestows on its alumni for their professional excellence in diverse fields.

Poltorak, a graphic and architectural designer by profession, said the smooth and harmonized texture of the wall brings a sleek and sophisticated look to the interior of the Alumni Theatre building. A Veritas recipient herself, she pointed out that the wall is a beautiful addition to the building, which is a space where current faculty, students, and alumni, as well as outside visitors come for events. Poltorak said the wall will educate the public who will come into that space and do not know much about the school and will also allow undergraduates to learn where their peers have gone, what they have done after college and the value of a Dominican education.

Poltorak came up with the idea to use sepia, as well as black and white tones so that the piece would have a homogenized appearance. Each panel consists of a photograph, professional achievements and information on each of the recipients that have been honored. Although it may sound like a simple concept, Poltorak explained that this was the most difficult part. Most years, there are three recipients; however occasionally there have been one or as many as four.

Poltorak, who sits on the college’s Veritas Committee, was asked by the committee to create the piece in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Veritas awards. When asked about why she created the piece, Poltorak said, “Caldwell afforded me an experience I don’t think I would’ve been able to get anywhere else. It doesn’t matter what year we graduated, everyone had similar stories and backgrounds, and it really is a testament to the school, its mission, and the values they instilled. I think it was an important project to highlight where our awardees have gone, are still going, and what a small Catholic college can do for students. That to me was more important than being a recipient.”

A new panel will be created each year for the new recipients after the Veritas awards dinner in March. With this wonderful addition to the college campus, Caldwell will continue to celebrate the stories of past alumni honorees and of future Veritas award recipients.