Thomas Fitzgerald; led Fairfield school

March 24, 2004|Associated Press

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Rev. Thomas R. Fitzgerald, the sixth president of Fairfield University, died Monday in Washington, D.C. He was 82.

He served as president of Fairfield University and Fairfield College Preparatory School from 1973 and 1979. During that time, he oversaw the construction of the student recreational complex and the Center for Financial Studies.

Following his tenure at Fairfield, Rev. Fitzgerald served as president of St. Louis University until 1987, then taught classics and history of ancient art at Loyola College in Maryland until 1996.

Rev. Fitzgerald was born in Washington, D.C., attended Georgetown University, and entered the Jesuits order in 1939. He was ordained a priest in 1952 in Louvain, Belgium.

Rev. Fitzgerald received an advanced degree in sacred theology from Louvain and a doctorate in classical languages from the University of Chicago.

During the 1950s, Rev. Fitzgerald held posts at Georgetown, serving as dean of the college from 1954 to 1955 and academic vice president from 1955 to 1957.