Campus News

Martha-Ann Alito to Speak at Singletary Oct. 2

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 24, 2010) − Martha-Ann Alito entered a whole new world after her husband's U.S. Supreme Court appointment in 2006. The Kentucky native and University of Kentucky graduate will talk about her experiences at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 at the UK Singletary Center for the Arts Recital Hall for the annual lecture of the Hellenic Ideals Program of the Bluegrass. Alito's lecture is free and open to the public. 

The talk is entitled "One Letter Home" and will focus on Alito's life and the changes her family experienced after moving to Washington, D.C. following Justice Samuel Alito's appointment. Justice Alito will also be in attendance Oct. 2 to hear Martha-Ann Alito's lecture.

Martha-Ann Bomgardner Alito was born in Ft. Knox, Kentucky. Her father's Air Force career took her to Azores, Texas, France, Maine and New Jersey during her childhood. She completed a B.A. in comparative literature in the UK
 College of Arts and Sciences, and an M.A. in library science in the School of Library and Information Science. She worked as a reference librarian at Neptune Public Library in Neptune, New Jersey; a librarian at the United States Attorney's Office in Newark, New Jersey; Head of Reference at the U.S. Department of Justice; and Library Director at Congressional Quarterly.

The Hellenic Ideals Program of the Bluegrass is a local organization that began in 1980 to promote
 ancient Hellenic principles such as the importance of the individual, the concept of freedom, and the value of seeking the truth. Each year, the Program sponsors an annual lecture related to Greek ideals, Greek history, or how these ideals are manifest in the world today. The organization also honors an individual from the Bluegrass area who exemplifies the Greek ideals of citizenship. This year's honoree, Deputy Chief Justice Mary Noble of the Kentucky Supreme Court, chose Alito to deliver the annual lecture.

"I thought it would be interesting, if we were talking about judicial people, to hear from the family, instead of the judge," Noble said. "My husband often tells me that the perspective of the family members of a judge is often overlooked.

"Then I learned that Martha-Ann Alito is from Kentucky, and that she got her undergraduate and graduate degrees at UK," said Noble. "I thought it would be very interesting to hear from a fellow Kentuckian about her life, and about how she moved into the fishbowl of Washington, D.C."

Noble said Alito enthusiastically accepted the invitation to return to Kentucky and deliver the lecture.

"What really resonates with me about Martha-Ann Alito is that she is a woman from Kentucky who, by the permutations of her life, has entered into the center of the public eye," Noble said. "And I just think that journey is very interesting, and I’m really looking forward to hearing about that."

A reception for Alito and Noble, hosted by the UK College of Law and the Hellenic Ideals Program, will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1 at the UK College of Law Courtroom lobby. Those who would like to attend the reception should RSVP by Sept. 27, by e-mailing lawconnect@uky.edu.