Rufus Henry Fitzgerald (November 20, 1890 – April 11, 1966) was the eleventh

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

(1945–1955) of the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

. He graduated from the

University of Tennessee-Knoxville The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1794, two years before Te ...

in 1919. He became a member of the

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American social Fraternities and sororities, fraternities. The fraternity has 244 active undergraduate chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has ...

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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and the worldwide success of

Jonas Salk Jonas Edward Salk (; born Jonas Salk; October 28, 1914June 23, 1995) was an American virologist and medical researcher who developed one of the first successful polio vaccines. He was born in New York City and attended the City College of New ...

's polio vaccine developed at Pitt's medical center.

Fitzgerald Field House Fitzgerald Field House is a 4,122-seat multi-purpose athletic venue on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Fitzgerald Field House is named for Rufus Fitzgerald, a past chancellor (1945–1955) ...

, an athletic venue on the Pitt campus which opened during his tenure, is named in his honor.

References

External links

* Files of Fitzgerald at the University of Pittsburgh {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, Rufus 1890 births 1966 deaths Chancellors of the University of Pittsburgh Place of birth missing Place of death missing 20th-century American academics