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Fr. Joseph T. Durkin
Father Joseph T. Durkin (May 17, 1903 - May 31, 2003) was a prolific author, scholar and historian who as a professor of history at Georgetown (1944-1972) was regarded as an inspiration to many. He...view moreFather Joseph T. Durkin (May 17, 1903 - May 31, 2003) was a prolific author, scholar and historian who as a professor of history at Georgetown (1944-1972) was regarded as an inspiration to many. He was credited with a major role in establishing the program in American Studies, and even after his formal retirement continued to advise students and to give tutorials until 1994.
He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Weston College in Massachusetts and studied theology at Woodstock College in Maryland, where he was ordained in 1933.
He obtained his PhD in history at Fordham University in New York in 1942 and taught at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania before joining Georgetown in 1944.
During World War II, he was disappointed when a superior informed him that he could not be spared from teaching to become an Army chaplain. That ambition was reflected in his work with Georgetown’s ROTC program, for which he was named an honorary chaplain. The document proclaiming the honor was a prized possession.
Fr. Durkin died shortly after his 100th birthday in 2003.view less