Deborah Ciresi: Gifting Lifelong Dreams

A Childhood Spark

Ciresi grew up in a working-class family in a Coney Island public-housing complex. From her bedroom window, she could see the ocean, a reminder that beauty and wonder existed beyond her immediate world. Her love for ancient Egypt was sparked early, “at the age of four, I fell in love with Pharaonic Egypt and longed to become an Egyptologist. I visited the Egyptian wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art whenever I got the chance, and I would come home and draw the Eye of Horus that I had seen.” She remembers the time her parents took her to the marvelous United Arab Republic Pavilion at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair. “The director, an Egyptian, was bowled over by how much this little American girl knew about ancient Egypt. My parents bought me a print of the King Tut mask: I treasured that print for years and years.”

Her father, a World War II veteran who had sacrificed much for his family, instilled in her the values of generosity and perseverance. Despite financial hardships, Ciresi recalls how her father never complained about having had to support his family or having had to sacrifice some of his childhood years. “He continued to support his mother until she died and gave to others in need throughout his life, even when he had little to give.” That spirit of giving would stay with her throughout her life. 

Rekindling Her Passion for Egyptology

Ciresi’s dream was to study Egyptology at AUC, but financial constraints led her down a different path. She attended Hofstra University, where she excelled, eventually becoming one of the few female attorneys of her time. Her legal career took her from entertainment law to family court, where she worked alongside the future Judge Judy, and later into civil practice. Along the way, she met and married a fellow attorney, building a life filled with both professional success and personal fulfillment. She later turned to fiction writing after moving to a town in Westchester County, north of New York City, a place that inspired her first novel, a satire of suburban status-seeking in the style of P.G. Wodehouse.

Yet, her love for Egypt never waned. Years later, attending a lecture by renowned AUC Egyptologist Kent Weeks — fresh from his discovery of the monumental KV5 tomb — she realized she could still contribute to the field that had captured her heart as a child. “I spoke with Kent right after his presentation and realized at once that the best way I could aid Egypt and fund Egyptology would be through a gift to AUC.” 

Why Give to AUC?

“For one thing, AUC does such wonderful work in Egyptology under Professor Salima Ikram and others. For another, after learning more about the University and its operations, I believe that AUC will be a responsible steward of my funds, so I feel secure leaving a bequest to the University.”

Determined to give others the opportunity she once longed for, Ciresi included a bequest to AUC in her will. Her gift will establish two endowed funds: one to provide scholarships for students from Egyptian public schools and another to support Egyptology at AUC. 

"Endowed funds last as long as the University does, and they grow over time, increasing the good they can do. I will name one of the endowed funds after my wonderful father. How appropriate that is: My father taught me the meaning of philanthropy.”

For Ciresi, this gift is more than a donation; it’s the fulfillment of a childhood dream. “It gives me great joy to be able to make such a gift to AUC, especially given the straitened circumstances of my childhood. I am making possible for others what was not possible for me: I am giving others my lifelong dream of being an Egyptologist.”