Peg Sweny Bly ‘70

Peg Sweny Bly was born in Erie, the oldest daughter of Herb and Audrey Emig Sweny. She and her six siblings grew up in northwest Millcreek. Peg characterizes her childhood as carefree, with many hours spent playing baseball and football with her sister, brothers, and the neighborhood kids. Peg attended Saint Andrew School through 2nd grade, transferred to Our Lady’s Christian School when it opened, and completed her grade school education there. When it came time to select a high school, Villa was a natural fit for Peg. She had many activities and interests throughout her years there, including intramural basketball and volleyball and ski club. Peg sums up her experience at Villa in these words, “Villa was always very welcoming and nurturing. There was something there for everyone. I loved Villa”.

After high school, Peg attended Hiram College in Ohio, graduating with a degree in Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology. Early employment brought her back to Erie and included Penn Advertising, Hoover Universal, and Johnson Controls. While at Johnson Controls, Peg returned to school and completed an accounting major from Mercyhurst College. Peg also met and began dating a coworker, Tom Bly, during this time. They were married in 1985, and Peg left the workforce a short time later to raise their family. Son Ted, a 2005 Prep grad was born in 1987, followed a year later by daughter Danielle, Villa class of 2006. Their family was completed with the birth of son Jonathon in 1990, a Prep grad from the class of 2008.

In 1998, with their children in school, Peg and Tom took a leap of faith and opened Accudyn Products. The family owned business started in a 15,000 square foot building and now fills one with four times that size. Peg credits the success of their business to plenty of hard work and the ability to enjoy the work she and Tom share.

When asked about the biggest influence in her life, Peg easily settles on her mother, Audrey. “My mother was a strong woman with a tight circle of friends. She had a very strong faith, and loved her alma mater, Villa. She encouraged me to take time off from my career to raise my children, telling me, ‘You have to be a strong woman not to work outside the home’.”

Over the years, Peg has been very involved in the Erie community. While her children were young, she spent many hours volunteering at Our Lady’s Christian School with the PTO, co-chairing the parish capital campaign, and serving as a Eucharistic Minister to the homebound. She currently serves on the Grant Review Board for the Erie Community Foundation and the Erie Catholic Preparatory School Board of Directors.

Peg is philanthropic towards Villa, not only because she has the ability to be, but because she wants to ensure that any girl that desires a Catholic secondary education can have one. She believes that Villa is well suited to shelter, nurture, and develop young women at a critical time in their lives.
When asked how Villa has influenced her life, Peg quickly says, “Villa enabled me. It was okay for everyone to be different, but we still shared in our Villa experiences such as Mary’s Day, Ring Ceremony, and Graduation. Villa prepared me well academically, but also instilled the sense that a girl could do anything.”

Pat Sweny & Peg Bly

Peg Sweny Bly, thank you for your belief in and support of Villa Maria Academy and the opportunity that it continues to provide for the young women of today. Congratulations on your induction into the prestigious Villa Maria Academy President’s Hall of Fame.