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In
Memoriam
Dr. Lawrence J. McGarry, professor of sociology
Dr. Lawrence J. McGarry, professor of sociology,
died peacefully in his home on Nov. 29 after a six-month illness. He was 79
years old. Dr. McGarry is survived by his brother, David McGarry, and seven
nieces and nephews.
Dr. McGarry joined the sociology department in
September 1963. After serving in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World
War II, he earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Denver. He then
returned to his native New York City where he earned a master’s degree in
1962 and doctorate in philosophy in 1965 from Fordham University. His
specialties were the sociology of religion and sociology of the community.
He was an active member of the American Catholic Sociological Association.
Dr. McGarry was a relentless advocate for social
justice. Each year he made significant contributions to a number of
non-profit organizations, including Saint Francis Indian Mission, S.D., the
Sacred Heart School, N.J., and the Tutwiler Medical Clinic, Miss. A reviewer
of his 1968 monograph Human Kindness and Human Nature commented that
it was a valuable analysis of a capitalistic system that values production
and profit over the common good. His colleagues in the sociology department
honored him for his commitment to his students and the less fortunate by
establishing the Lawrence J. McGarry Award, which is presented to the
graduating student who best combines “academic excellence and a commitment
to social justice.”
Dr. McGarry’s memorial mass was held on Dec. 3 at
the St. Thomas of Villanova Church. |
