Stacey M. Fink ’72, ’77M, MD, PhD & Karen L. Ketner-Fink
FIAT LUX SOCIETY MEMBERS
As steadfast champions of Millersville University, Stacey M. Fink ’72, ‘77M, MD, PhD (1950-2025) and his wife, Karen L. Ketner-Fink, have demonstrated exceptional dedication to advancing the University’s mission and enriching the lives of its students. Their longstanding generosity has left an indelible mark on campus, particularly through their meaningful support of the Marauder baseball program and the College of Science and Technology.
In 2019, they established the Stacey M. Fink, MD, PhD Academic Achievement Award, a scholarship given to an exceptional third-year baseball student-athlete who holds the highest cumulative GPA at the end of the fall semester. Beyond athletics, they have made significant contributions to the University’s Cadaver Lab, enhancing hands-on learning opportunities for students in the sciences, and have contributed generously to the Robert V. & Virginia K. Brown Endowment for Health and Wellness, which supports the Elsie S. Shenk Center for Health Education and Promotion. Through their continued generosity and vision, they have helped shape a stronger, healthier, and more dynamic future for Millersville University and its students.
Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Stacey grew up in Hershey where his parents were houseparents at the Milton Hershey School for 31 years, guiding 288 boys. His experience of living in their group home, where teamwork and giving back were part of everything they did, was an important lesson that he carried on through his life.
Beyond his philanthropic support, Stacey made an impression at Millersville University through decades of active involvement and leadership. He was featured in “150 Years of MU Faces: Commemorative Publication 1855-2005,” Chaired the Student Health and Wellness section of the “We Will Soar” Capital Campaign and served as a board member of the MU Alumni Association and the MU Advisory Board for the School of Science and Mathematics.
In his academic pursuits, Stacey graduated from Millersville State College in 1972 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and a Master’s Degree in Biology in 1977. As a student-athlete at Millersville, he played baseball for three seasons, was a member of the Mu Alpha Kappa Fraternity, president of the Interfraternity Council, and was listed in “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.”
In 1978, Stacey entered the University of Louisville’s PhD Anatomy Program with a focus on breast cancer research and earned a Doctorate Degree, which was awarded in 1982. Stacey subsequently attended medical school at the University of Louisville and completed his MD degree in 1985. He pursued further training in Pediatrics and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia, which he completed in 1990. Stacey’s distinguished career in the medical field included his work as an Attending Neonatologist caring for the premature and sick newborn, practicing in the Southeast for most of his career and finally at Lancaster General Hospital’s Women & Babies Hospital, retiring in 2013.
Following Stacey’s diagnosis with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2008, he underwent chemotherapy that provided short-term remission. In 2011, he received a Stem-Cell Transplant from an anonymous donor through the Be The Match organization. Throughout his journey, Stacey’s positive "Get the Hell Well” attitude propelled him in living life to the fullest for another 14 years.
Stacey's wife, Karen, also shares a deep commitment to supporting the Millersville University community and making a difference for students. Born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Karen spent her high school years in Harrisburg. In her academic experience, she graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Sciences in 1973. Her professional career path included teaching secondary education mathematics and serving as a coordinator at a Pennsylvania-funded mathematics research project for elementary school children. Through her career in the corporate sector, she held positions at Hershey Foods Corporation in Hershey, Pennsylvania, as an Investor Relations Assistant and a Marketing Research Analyst. Karen also served as Secretary, Treasurer and Business Manager for her husband’s medical practice, Stacey M. Fink, MD, PC.
At Millersville University, the exemplary generosity of Stacey and Karen establishes a lasting legacy that inspires student excellence in academics, athletics and beyond.