This month, the university dedicated and renamed its former West Hall as McCarthy Hall, in honor of the late Richard ‘Dick" McCarthy, St. Ambrose Class of 1946. Constructed in 2008, McCarthy Hall is a 57,700 square-foot, combined-use facility providing three floors of apartment-style residential living space, and two floors of academic space, including an 80-seat lecture hall.
"On behalf of the entire St. Ambrose community, we are pleased to dedicate and rename this building in honor of Richard W. ‘Dick' McCarthy, St. Ambrose Class of 1946," said Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, the president of SAU.
"Dick McCarthy was a common man but was possessed with superlatively high standards, complete integrity, and boundless enthusiasm for whatever task he took in hand," said John Callas, trustee of the Richard W. McCarthy Charitable Remainder Trust. "We hope the students who pass through the doors of McCarthy Hall will understand that success in life has everything to do with a genuine connection with people, loyalty, honor, and putting your head down to do the work. That's who Dick was."
A 1946 alumnus of St. Ambrose University, McCarthy was awarded a Purple Heart and four Bronze Stars for his World War II service at Utah Beach and the Battle of the Bulge. He received his law degree from DePaul University, Chicago, Ill., later founding the law firm of McCarthy, Callas, Fuhr & Ellison, P.C. McCarthy enjoyed a long and distinguished career in private practice.
McCarthy's financial gifts to St. Ambrose-in excess of $2 million-came as legacy gifts, which he planned for in his trust. Besides assisting the University grow, McCarthy's contributions will provide financial assistance to veterans from Rock Island who wish to attend St. Ambrose.
"Legacy gifts allow the donor to shape how they want to leave a mark on a community-it can be for an academic program or scholarship or for a building," said Sally Crino, assistant vice president for advancement. "In Dick's case, he was interested in helping the university grow, while also offering financial assistance to veterans from Rock Island interested in attending St. Ambrose."
Education Together
We are pleased to announce that St. Ambrose University has signed a new joint agreement with Mount Mercy University as we explore a potential strategic combination. We celebrate this exciting news not only for each of our universities and our communities, but also for the region.
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