Rufus Henry Fitzgerald (November 20, 1890 – April 11, 1966) was the eleventh Chancellor (1945–1955) of the University of Pittsburgh.
He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1919. He became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity as an undergraduate.
His administration is best remembered for its smooth ten-year tenure: reinstatement of athletic scholarships at the university, expansion of the student body, especially returning veterans after World War II, and the worldwide success of Jonas Salk's polio vaccine developed at Pitt's medical center.
Fitzgerald Field House, an athletic venue on the Pitt campus which opened during his tenure, is named in his honor.
References edit
- Alberts, Robert C. (1987). Pitt: The Story of the University of Pittsburgh 1787–1987. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-1150-7.
External links edit
- Kasica, Marianne (July 2010). "Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, Rufus Henry Fitzgerald, Administrative Files". University of Pittsburgh. Files of Fitzgerald at the University of Pittsburgh