Rev. James E. Fitzgerald, S.J., the 4th President of Fairfield University (1958-1964)

In this photograph, Father Fitzgerald stands in Bellarmine Hall next to a large rendering of the Fairfield University charter. A native of Providence, Rhode Island, Father Fitzgerald had been at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts for many years, ten of which he spent as their Dean of Arts and Sciences before coming to Fairfield. Accomplishments during his tenure as President from 1958 to 1964 include the establishment of a Graduate School of Education; the construction of Campion Hall and the Alumni Hall gymnasium; and the establishment of the Development Office. Other events worth noting include the New York Giants using Fairfield for summer training for several years starting in 1960; an impromptu student boycott at dinner of cafeteria food (resolved peacefully) in 1962; Fairfield’s win over Clemson and two other universities on national television competing in the General Electric College Bowl in 1963; and lastly, the celebration of Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary with a special festival held during commencement in 1964.https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/image-archive/1177/thumbnail.jp