A memorial Mass will be held for Rev. Edward T. Dunn, S.J., Jesuit priest, retired scholar and educator at Canisius College, on Thursday, May 9 at 4 p.m. in Christ the King Chapel. Born on October 18, 1925, Father Dunn died March 24, 2013 at Murray-Weigel Hall in the Bronx, New York. He was 87.
A native of Orange, New Jersey, Father Dunn attended Our Lady of the Valley High School from 1939-1942. He transferred to St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, NJ for his senior year, graduating in 1943. He entered the Society of Jesus in the summer of 1943 at St. Andrew-on-Hudson in Poughkeepsie, NY. Father Dunn received a Master’s degree in Education from Woodstock College in Maryland and then taught English, Latin, and German at Regis High School in New York City before returning to Woodstock to study theology. Ordained a priest in 1956, Father Dunn came to Canisius College in 1958.
He originally taught theology when he came to the college. He earned a master’s degree in history in 1964 and a PhD from the University of Rochester in 1969. He joined the college’s History Department faculty in 1968. Father Dunn retired from teaching in 2000.
Father Dunn’s specialty was American History. He taught courses in the history of Canada, the Age of Jackson, America between the Wars (Civil and World War I), Colonial History, the American Revolution and the American Railroads. “Ned was an extremely engaging writer and lecturer,” said Larry Jones, PhD, professor of history, who served as department chair during Father Dunn’s tenure. “He blossomed as a published historian. He was also a good story teller and had a crusty sense of humor that many people didn’t realize.”
Father Dunn was also actively involved in the college’s student organizations and served as moderator of Little Theatre and as faculty advisor for the Canisius College Republicans.
Father Dunn published many scholarly articles as well as several books through Canisius College Press, including Buffalo’s Delaware Avenue Mansions and Families (2003) and A History of Railroads in Western New York (2000).
A member of the Canisius Jesuit Community, Father Dunn was admired as a priest and scholar. “Ned will be remembered in the community as an enthusiastic reader, teacher, published scholar, and preacher,” said Rev. Michael F. Tunney, S.J., rector of the Canisius Jesuit Community. “To this day, people around town always ask about Father Dunn. They are quick to share favorite stories of him from the classroom and pulpit. Jesuits are meant to care for peoples’ souls. Father Dunn made sure to shape their intellects as well.”
For more than 20 years, Father Dunn said Mass every other Sunday at Christ the King Parish in Snyder. Father Dunn had an extensive model train collection. An avid sportsman, he was a fierce competitor on the golf course and tennis court.
In addition to this memorial Mass, a wake and Mass of Christian Burial were held on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 27 and 28 in Murray-Weigel Hall. Father Dunn is interred at the Jesuit Cemetery in Auriesville, New York.
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