Vernon F. Gallagher
Encyclopedia
Vernon F. Gallagher, C.S.Sp. (born September 14, 1914) is an American
Roman Catholic priest
. He served as the eighth president of Duquesne University
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, from 1950 until 1959.
on September 14, 1914. He was an altar boy
at his home parish of St. Mary's, where he was first introduced to the Holy Ghost Fathers
who administered the parish. He later entered the Spiritan novitiate himself, and was ordained a priest in 1939. As a seminarian, Gallagher was noted for his musical talent; he played piano
and organ
, and even composed an operetta
.
Following his ordination, Gallagher earned a master's degree
in English at the University of Pennsylvania
and served as a professor at Duquesne University. He rose in the university faculty, being appointed Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
, then vice president, and finally university president in 1950.
Gallagher studied Latin and Ancient Greek in the course of his education, and learned German
, French
, and Slovak
on his own.
in 1952; his dissertation
was on the poetry of John Lydgate
.
Gallagher had a high profile as president, and was featured in a June 18, 1953 special edition of the Pittsburgh Press
as one of 100 "outstanding leaders of the future—young men most likely to write exciting new chapters in our city's progress". He also served on the steering committee for Pittsburgh's new public television station, WQED
. He eventually became so widely known that he was invited to deliver the opening prayer for the 84th Congress
in 1955, and met with President Eisenhower
in Washington
. Gallagher used his numerous speaking engagements as a way to increase the public reputation of Duquesne, and later stated that he "never turned down an offer of a speaking engagement."
Although student enrollment during Gallagher's tenure suffered from the Korean War
draft, after the war's conclusion in 1953 the population of the student body rose by a predictable six percent every year for the rest of his tenure. This reliable growth allowed for prudential planning for the expanding university. Gallagher's first priority was a renewal of Duquesne's campus, and he rallied support for what would become the "Master Plan" for redeveloping and consolidating the university's property on the Bluff
.
Although Gallagher initially thought that Duquesne should move from its downtown location to the suburbs—Bethel Park
in particular was considered—that opinion put him in the minority in the university's administration. It was decided that Duquesne should stay on the Bluff, as the area had easy access to public transportation and the university had already made significant investments in the area.
Under Gallagher's administration, the university constructed Trinity Hall, the community residence of the Holy Ghost Fathers on campus, as well as Rockwell Hall, nowadays home to Duquesne's School of Business, and Assumption Hall, the first student dormitory constructed for resident students at Duquesne. Gallagher also made inroads in purchasing land in the area surrounding Duquesne's campus, allowing for future expansion. In fact, Assumption Hall's location, near Mercy Hospital
, several blocks away from Old Main, was intended to demarcate the extent of expansion intended for the university's campus. One minor, but lasting contribution that Gallagher made to the campus was personally designing and constructing the Our Lady of Lourdes
grotto
behind the "Old Main" Administration building in 1954. Gallagher's finished Master Plan covered an area of 28.5 acres (11.5 ha) at a projected cost of $13 million. Fundraising toward that goal continued throughout Gallagher's administration, and Gallagher himself was aware of the long-term nature of the project, announcing, "It is not a job for today or tomorrow, but for the years to come."
Duquesne also made accomplishments in racial integration under Gallagher, who was a staunch supporter of the cause. Duquesne crowned an African-American woman "Duquesne Darling" in 1953, and it was noted that her mother had also attended the university. In addition, the university celebrated Carver Day
and founded a scholarship for African-American students.
.
Gallagher continued with his life as a Spiritan priest after Duquesne. In 1971, he became pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Emsworth, Pennsylvania
, and was named director of the Holy Childhood Association
in the United States a year later in 1972.
In 2005, Duquesne established the Vernon F. Gallagher Chair for the Integration of Science, Philosophy, and Law.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Roman Catholic priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
. He served as the eighth president of Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, from 1950 until 1959.
Early life and education
Vernon F. Gallagher was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Sharpsburg, PennsylvaniaSharpsburg, Pennsylvania
Sharpsburg is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, northeast of Pittsburgh, along the Allegheny River. In the past, it had a rolling mill, foundries, machine shops, and manufacturers of varnish, brick, glass, lumber products, wire, hair, felt, and lubricating oil. In 1900, 6,842 people...
on September 14, 1914. He was an altar boy
Acolyte
In many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone who performs ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles. In other Christian Churches, the term is more specifically used for one who wishes to attain clergyhood.-Etymology:...
at his home parish of St. Mary's, where he was first introduced to the Holy Ghost Fathers
Holy Ghost Fathers
The Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests, lay brothers, and since Vatican II, lay associates...
who administered the parish. He later entered the Spiritan novitiate himself, and was ordained a priest in 1939. As a seminarian, Gallagher was noted for his musical talent; he played piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
, and even composed an operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
.
Following his ordination, Gallagher earned a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in English at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and served as a professor at Duquesne University. He rose in the university faculty, being appointed Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts
The McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts, part of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was founded as the College of Arts and Letters, part of the "Pittsburgh Catholic College" in 1878. The College was incorporated in 1882 with the authority to grant degrees in the arts...
, then vice president, and finally university president in 1950.
Gallagher studied Latin and Ancient Greek in the course of his education, and learned German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and Slovak
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
on his own.
Service to Duquesne University
Duquesne University history professor Joseph Rishel describes Gallagher, who officially began his duties as Duquesne's president on July 1, 1950, as "[y]oung, handsome, insightful, and intelligent", and therefore posed to achieve great things at Duquesne. Gallagher was young, assuming his office at only 36 years of age, and was still finishing his education while serving as a university president. He earned a Ph.D in English from the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1952; his dissertation
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
was on the poetry of John Lydgate
John Lydgate
John Lydgate of Bury was a monk and poet, born in Lidgate, Suffolk, England.Lydgate is at once a greater and a lesser poet than John Gower. He is a greater poet because of his greater range and force; he has a much more powerful machine at his command. The sheer bulk of Lydgate's poetic output is...
.
Gallagher had a high profile as president, and was featured in a June 18, 1953 special edition of the Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh Press
The Pittsburgh Press is an online newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, currently owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Historically, it was a major afternoon paper...
as one of 100 "outstanding leaders of the future—young men most likely to write exciting new chapters in our city's progress". He also served on the steering committee for Pittsburgh's new public television station, WQED
WQED
WQED may refer to:*WQED , a television station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States*WQED-FM, a radio station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
. He eventually became so widely known that he was invited to deliver the opening prayer for the 84th Congress
84th United States Congress
The Eighty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1955 to January 3, 1957, during the third and...
in 1955, and met with President Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Gallagher used his numerous speaking engagements as a way to increase the public reputation of Duquesne, and later stated that he "never turned down an offer of a speaking engagement."
Although student enrollment during Gallagher's tenure suffered from the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
draft, after the war's conclusion in 1953 the population of the student body rose by a predictable six percent every year for the rest of his tenure. This reliable growth allowed for prudential planning for the expanding university. Gallagher's first priority was a renewal of Duquesne's campus, and he rallied support for what would become the "Master Plan" for redeveloping and consolidating the university's property on the Bluff
Bluff (Pittsburgh)
The Bluff or Uptown is a neighborhood in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the southeast of the city's Central Business District. It is bordered in the north by the Hill District and just a short trip across the Monongahela River is the city's South Side, which is home to a flourishing...
.
Although Gallagher initially thought that Duquesne should move from its downtown location to the suburbs—Bethel Park
Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
Bethel Park is a home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area, approximately 7 miles southwest of Pittsburgh...
in particular was considered—that opinion put him in the minority in the university's administration. It was decided that Duquesne should stay on the Bluff, as the area had easy access to public transportation and the university had already made significant investments in the area.
Under Gallagher's administration, the university constructed Trinity Hall, the community residence of the Holy Ghost Fathers on campus, as well as Rockwell Hall, nowadays home to Duquesne's School of Business, and Assumption Hall, the first student dormitory constructed for resident students at Duquesne. Gallagher also made inroads in purchasing land in the area surrounding Duquesne's campus, allowing for future expansion. In fact, Assumption Hall's location, near Mercy Hospital
UPMC Mercy
UPMC Mercy is a main hospital facility of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and is located in the Uptown section of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, adjacent to downtown Pittsburgh and a few blocks from the Mellon Arena...
, several blocks away from Old Main, was intended to demarcate the extent of expansion intended for the university's campus. One minor, but lasting contribution that Gallagher made to the campus was personally designing and constructing the Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes is the name used to refer to the Marian apparition said to have appeared before various individuals on separate occasions around Lourdes, France...
grotto
Grotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
behind the "Old Main" Administration building in 1954. Gallagher's finished Master Plan covered an area of 28.5 acres (11.5 ha) at a projected cost of $13 million. Fundraising toward that goal continued throughout Gallagher's administration, and Gallagher himself was aware of the long-term nature of the project, announcing, "It is not a job for today or tomorrow, but for the years to come."
Duquesne also made accomplishments in racial integration under Gallagher, who was a staunch supporter of the cause. Duquesne crowned an African-American woman "Duquesne Darling" in 1953, and it was noted that her mother had also attended the university. In addition, the university celebrated Carver Day
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver , was an American scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor. The exact day and year of his birth are unknown; he is believed to have been born into slavery in Missouri in January 1864....
and founded a scholarship for African-American students.
After Duquesne
Gallagher was elected provincial superior of the American Province of the Holy Ghost Fathers in July 1958. Although he continued in his responsibilities as a university president while accepting the new assignment, the office of the province was moved to Washington, D.C. in November 1958. The strain of commuting between Pittsburgh and Washington, in addition to the respective responsibilities of the positions, convinced Gallagher to resign as president. He announced his resignation on June 19, 1959, and it became effective on October 1 of the same year. He was succeeded as university president by another Holy Ghost Father, Henry J. McAnultyHenry J. McAnulty
Henry Joseph McAnulty, C.S.Sp. was an American Catholic priest. A Spiritan, McAnulty served as the ninth president of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1959 until 1980, and afterwards as university chancellor until his death.-Early years and education:Henry McAnulty was born on...
.
Gallagher continued with his life as a Spiritan priest after Duquesne. In 1971, he became pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Emsworth, Pennsylvania
Emsworth, Pennsylvania
Emsworth is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,449 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Emsworth is located at ....
, and was named director of the Holy Childhood Association
Association of the Holy Childhood
The Pontifical Association of the Holy Childhood is a Catholic children's association for the benefit of foreign missions.-Foundation:In 1843 Charles de Forbin-Janson, Bishop of Nancy, France, established the Association of the Holy Childhood...
in the United States a year later in 1972.
In 2005, Duquesne established the Vernon F. Gallagher Chair for the Integration of Science, Philosophy, and Law.