|
Longtime Irish history expert. Dr. Thomas
R. Greene, dies at age 70
Dr. Thomas R. Greene, emeritus professor of history, died on Thursday,
July 29, at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Coatesville, Pa. He was
70 years old.During his 37 years at the University,
Greene taught an extraordinarily broad range of courses, from Irish history
to a course on the American home front during World War II, which he
developed shortly before his retirement in 2001.
Trained as a medieval historian, Greene proved his
scholarly versatility by becoming a specialist on Irish and American
archives and libraries; he published many articles based on his research of
these archives and libraries. He was a mainstay of the Irish Studies
program at Villanova, and of the graduate program in history. For many
years, he also served as editor of the journal, the Records of the
American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia.
According to Dr. Adele Lindenmeyr, chair of the
Department of History, Greene devoted countless hours and energy to the
service of the University and its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He
was particularly active in faculty affairs. “He is fondly remembered for his
gracious manner, kindliness and consideration, devotion to Villanova, and
unflagging intellectual curiosity,” Lindenmeyr wrote in announcing his death
to the University community.
Dr. James Murphy, director of Villanova’s Irish Studies
Program, said: “Tom was an important presence in Irish Studies from the
beginning because he gave the program a needed voice in the History
Department. His course in Modern Irish History was, and still is, a core
requirement for all students completing a Concentration in Irish Studies.”
Thomas R. Greene was born in New York City on Oct. 17,
1933. He earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Francis College, Brooklyn,
N.Y., in 1958. He received both his master’s degree (1961) and his doctorate
(1967) from New York University.
He is survived by his wife, Eileen (nee Cahill);
by three sons, Dennis ’88 CE, Lawrence and Francis
93 CE, ’96 MCE; a daughter, Jeanne Dougherty ’91 A&S; three grandsons,
Thomas, Brendan and Joseph Dougherty; and a granddaughter, Katherine Rose
Dougherty. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Aug. 3 in
St. Thomas of Villanova Church, Villanova, followed by interment at
St. Agnes Cemetery, West Chester. |
|
