By Jared Stark '01
“I will make you a fisher of men.”
Associate Professor of Accounting, Nick DiToro, is facing his next chapter in life, retirement. When asked what retirement holds for him and his wife of nearly 46 years, Deb, he says they have “one big ask of God” and that is for God to continue making them fishers of men.
Perhaps no student more fully grasps this facet of DiToro’s service at York than Maria Geesaman who said, “To say that I am grateful for Nick DiToro is an understatement. The love and care he and his family have shown me has been nothing short of amazing. He brought me to Christ and helped me grow in my faith and in my journey as a student at YU. Nick was a major part of my growth at YU and he was a major part in helping me find a career path that I love.”
Matthew 4 says, “As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
A fitting scripture to define DiToro’s career at York University, especially considering he’ll use up many of his retirement days fishing on the family lake in Indiana. He has been exactly that on the YU campus for 15 years, a fisher of men. DiToro said, “Our biggest ask of God as we move to this next chapter is to help us find a body of believers looking to serve Him. We are confident He will make that clear. After that, to be hospitable; to travel some; to enjoy family as much as we can, to live a life that honors Him to His glory and not ours, and of course, to do some fishing.”
DiToro, hasn’t always been a college professor, but he’s always been a fisher of men. At least since he came to know Jesus shortly before his first year at York University in the fall of 1976. DiToro said, “I got a phone call from Dale Hukle, who worked in admissions. I was actually sitting on the back step of my house thinking the next day I would go into the military. That call was God seeking me. It changed my entire journey in life.”
Nick, Deb and Maria fishing.
Along the way, DiToro has mentored many students and benefited from mentors himself.
People like his college baseball coach, Steve Small, for whom he was an all-conference
catcher before moving to shortstop his sophomore year. He said, “What I witnessed
in Coach Small, David Reppart, and Ken Dowdy made a difference. Then there were my
fellow college students, that's where the biggest impact happened for me. I saw young
men and women like me truly trying to figure out this God thing. We weren't perfect,
but I can honestly say because of those students, York College was where my real walk
with God started.”
DiToro came as a student out of Davenport, Iowa, as excitable then as he still is
today. The son of an Italian immigrant who worked as a men’s tailor in Cincinnati,
Ohio, Nick has always had a zest for life. His mom was a housewife who never learned
to drive, and DiToro says, “I actually remember my dad being taught to drive by my
sister’s husband. This would have been approximately 1963 when I was 6 years old.”
In high school, DiToro excelled in baseball which earned him a scholarship to attend York College. His first semester, he lived in Middlebrook Hall, which held the campus cafeteria in the lowest level and he says he “could smell breakfast cooking from his third floor window.” Second semester he moved to Thomas Hall and roomed with a fellow baseball player, a left-handed pitcher named Jay Groves from Overland Park, Kan., with whom he would form a special bond.
Nick and Deb at YC in 1978
Characteristic of York College back in those days, excellent athletes were talked into competing in other sports. While he did not play soccer in high school, Coach Small (who coached several sports) and Harold Tandy asked him to join the team. They said, “Where do you want to play?” to which DiToro replied, “Coach, I’m a catcher; I don’t want to run but I am good at stopping things. Put me at goalie,” and they did.
When asked about his most important day while a student, DiToro does not hesitate.
October 14, 1976, was the day fellow freshman Debbie Bertsch asked him to escort her
to a Sadie Hawkins Day bonfire. “I am really grateful to God for bringing me my wife.
She is truly my soulmate,” Nick said.
Deb was diagnosed with cancer in 1992, which changed their journey in life. DiToro moved out of the corporate environment and both moved into ministry, serving troubled teenagers at Shults-Lewis Children’s Home in Valparaiso, Ind.
After earning their associates degrees from York in May 1978, Nick and Deb continued their education at Oklahoma Christian and were married that winter. Graduating with his accounting degree in December 1980, Nick took an audit job with Price Waterhouse where he interned for one of his most important mentors, Don Millican. From that point on he would spend many years in the business world working in real estate as an accounting supervisor for an oil and gas company.
In 1989 DiToro passed the CPA and obtained an MBA from Indiana University in 1990. These credentials would later serve him well as a professor. When God called them back to York University in March of 2009, he was working in a real estate partnership. He says, “God just began opening doors and we tried to stay out of the way.”
God’s providence has been a theme throughout DiToro’s life and a theme he carries into the classroom. Junior Britney Schroer, who is a double major in business administration and accounting said, “His humility comes from a place of complete gratitude for God's timing. God was actively working in my life through Professor DiToro by helping guide me to a career path where I feel confident. In a conversation with DiToro, he once told me, ‘Nobody is at York University by accident.’ DiToro is not only full of wit and humor, but also full of compassion and motivation to do his best for his students and everyone around him and he gives all glory to God.”
DiToro’s return to York didn’t immediately begin in the classroom. He served as a development officer from 2009-2015 before taking on a faculty role. In 2017 he was named Faculty Member of the Year and also received the David and Nellie Reppart Service Award in 2015, awarded to a staff member who goes above and beyond to serve the institution. DiToro said, “I think my favorite classroom memory is when a student in Accounting I realizes they get it and they can actually do this; you can see it in their eyes. Encouraging them to consider more is amazing. I truly believe I get more out of that moment than they do.”
Former President Steve Eckman handing Nick DiToro the Reppart Service Award
It would be a mistake to think DiToro’s influence ends in the classroom. He is one of the many faculty members whose greatest impact is felt as they build relationships beyond the classroom. Devon’dre Mayfield, a junior accounting major on the basketball team said, “One thing I’ll always appreciate about Mr. DiToro is that he is real and honest with you. If you have a bad presentation, he’ll let you know to try again. It’s about how highly he thinks of your abilities. My time with him always included a film breakdown session; he would have a detailed description of stats and our game performance. I really appreciate Mr. DiToro. He helped me achieve goals that will take me far.”
YU graduate Diego Korol said, “Mr. DiToro opened the doors of his house and gave me a home during the pandemic. I want to say thank you for showing me what it means to be a good professor, husband, dad, and Christian. The first time I met Mr. DiToro was after a soccer game; he was speaking with a player about being a leader and how a leader steps up in the good and bad moments. He said wearing a Panther uniform is about more than playing a game, but representing the school. Also, thank you for attempting to teach me how to fish. I’m still working on that.”
As he steps away from his days in front of the classroom, his greatest wish is that
God will continue to be honored on York’s campus. As he passes the baton to the next
generation, he has confidence God will continue to work to transform lives here —
but no doubt he will be missed by his students and colleagues who have become friends.
YU praying over the DiToros
Reflecting on DiToro’s influence on campus, Provost Shannon Leinen said, “Nick has not only been a professor; he is a beacon of wisdom, a mentor, and friend to many. He always has snacks and patience for anyone who comes to visit him. He has the gift of gab and networking and has provided dozens of students with internships and jobs due to his connections. Professor DiToro has high expectations for his students because he knows they can meet them. No late work. Come to class. Be on time. This is because he knows the real world will hold students to these standards. And last he will bond with anyone that loves fishing...because at his core, that is who he is — a fisher of men.”
DiToro was honored with a special retirement chapel on March 20. Due to the generosity
of his mentor, Don Millican and his wife Donna, during Homecoming 2024, his service
to York University will again be recognized with a classroom in Hulitt Hall being
named in his honor, “The DiToro Learning Center.” Homecoming 2024 is scheduled for
October 18-20.
Nick and Deb have three adult children: Jessica Smith of Franklin, Tenn., Troy and
Sarah (Elmore ’09) DiToro of Joplin, Mo., and Nicole Winterrowd of York. With seven
grandchildren, the couple is sure to factor somewhere in their retirement plans, many
opportunities of teaching them to fish.