Celebration of Life Memorial for Dr. Nicholas Rinaldi

Event:  Celebration of Life Memorial for Dr. Nicholas Rinaldi

Date:    Friday, July 9,  2021

Time:  10:30 a.m.

Memorial Location:  Fairfield University Chapel and Livestream Zoom at   https://fairfield.zoom.us/j/99266291844

Memorial Parking:  At Bellarmine Hall or behind Donnaruma Hall 

Gravesite Location: Mountain Grove Cemetery 2675 North Ave. Bridgeport, CT 09904

Memorial Details:  The family of Dr. Nicholas M Rinaldi, Professor Emeritus of English invites you to join them in a Celebration of Life for Nick on Friday July 9 at 10:30 a.m. at the Fairfield University Chapel. The Memorial will begin with tributes to Nick from family, friends and colleagues, followed by a Mass of the Holy Spirit. Burial of Nick’s ashes will follow immediately after Mass at Mt Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, close to monuments commemorating PT Barnum and Tom Thumb — two legendary figures who lived for years in Nick’s literary imagination before finding their way into his final novel.

NOTE: If unable to attend but would like to view the event, a Zoom livestream of the service will be available at 10 am: https://fairfield.zoom.us/j/99266291844

Dr. Nicholas Rinaldi:Academic Life:  Nick began his teaching career at St John’s University in Queens shortly after completing his PhD from Fordham University. He taught there until 1965, at which time he joined a strike against the university for dismissing 31 faculty members without due process. And though this walk-out eventually led to the unionization of college faculty in the New York City area, Nick moved on to join the Fairfield University English department in the fall of 1966. 

A well-respected and much-loved professor, Nick taught and mentored students in both the undergraduate and graduate divisions throughout his 36 years at the University. During this time, he established a Creative Writing Program and served intermittingly as both English Department Chair and Acting Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In this latter role, Nick had the special honor of reading a poem he’d written for the 1979 Inauguration of the seventh University President, Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. Throughout his long teaching career, Nick also served as visiting professor at several near-by universities, including City College, Columbia University, and the University of Connecticut, and frequently offered readings from his literary works at museums, libraries and bookstores across the country and abroad.

Dr. Nicholas Rinaldi: Literary Life:  A prolific storyteller, Nick published four novels, three books of poems as well as numerous short stories and scholarly articles throughout his long career. His first collection of poems, The Resurrection of the Snails, appeared in 1977, followed by his second, We Have Lost Our Fathers in ’82. and in '85, published both his third book of poems, The Luftwaffe in Chaos, and his first novel, Bridge Fall Down. 

In subsequent years, three more novels came to life: The Jukebox Queen of Malta, Between Two Rivers, and The Remarkable Courtship of General Tom Thumb — all with glowing reviews and endorsements from prominent writers, newspapers, and magazines. In 2007, he was honored as Artist of the Year by the Fairfield Arts Council. Nick was a "writer's writer," in love with the written word and its power to engage the human heart and transform lives. When he died of Covid pneumonia in May 2020 the New York Times graciously honored Nick’s life achievements in their special series “Those We’ve Lost.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/11/books/nicholas-rinaldi-dead-coronavirus.html

Scholarship Fund in Honor of Dr. Nicholas M. Rinaldi: Nick's wife, Jackie and their four children —Tina, Paul, Steve, and David — have set up a Scholarship Fund in Nick's  name to support a student of color with demonstrated need who is pursuing an undergraduate degree in English. For those interested in contributing, donations can be made via check or directly online. Please provide a note that the gift is in memory of "Dr. Nicholas Rinaldi." Checks can be mailed to: Fairfield University Advancement Services Bellarmine Hall Room 220 1073 North Benson Road Fairfield, CT 06824,  Online gifts can be made at www.fairfield.edu/give.

For more information, contact:   Dr. Jackie Rinaldi at jrinaldi@fairfield.edu  or Tina Banas at tina.banas@gmail.com