History professor George Schiro of West Haven, Conn., died on Sept. 15 at the age of 66.
He suffered from a rare respiratory disease that affected his lungs, said close friend and colleague Professor Ronald Heiferman.
Schiro was born and raised in New York City, on the West Side of Manhattan. He joined the Quinnipiac faculty in September 1967.
“George was a wonderful colleague with a very good sense of humor, and that included the ability to laugh at himself,” said Heiferman. “Although George was very learned, he was also humble, and that may have been one of the secrets of his success in dealing with colleagues and students.”
In addition to his long career at Quinnipiac, Professor Schiro was a Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church, and for more than twenty years he ministered to the needs of the congregants at St. Paul’s Church in West Haven.
“He was as much beloved by members of that parish as he was by generations of Quinnipiac students,” said Heiferman.
Schiro was also a professor at Albertus Magnus College and an adjunct professor at the University of New Haven.
He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. In the last years of his life, he took particular pleasure in playing with his grandson, Ian Schiro, who lived just around the corner in Northford, Conn.
“I have only heard the most wonderful things about Professor Schiro’s dedication to his Quinnipiac students,” said Hans Bergmann, dean of the College of Liberal Arts “He was thought an inspiration and a model for many, many students over the years.”
Bergmann said Schiro was a great teacher, a great adviser and a great member of the College of Liberal Arts faculty.
“He lived the difficult last years of his life with great courage,” Bergmann said. “He will be deeply missed.”
Kathleen McCourth, senior vice president of Academic Affairs, said the death of George Schiro affects the entire university community.
“Professor Schiro was highly regarded by his colleagues and beloved by many of the students that he taught over the years at Quinnipiac,” she said.
Schiro was buried on Sept. 19 in Oak Grove Cemetery in West Haven.