Death of Professor Emeritus Maurice I. Hart Jr., Ph.D.

The following is a note from Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., University provost, senior vice president for Academic Affairs.

Dear Members of the University Community,

I am saddened to inform you of the passing of University of Scranton Professor Emeritus Maurice I. Hart, Ph.D., who taught in the Chemistry Department at the University for nearly 40 years. He died on Tuesday at his home in Dalton at the age of 85.

Dr. Hart joined the faculty at the University in 1963 and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in chemistry until his retirement in 2001. During his career, he served as department chair, published numerous articles in scientific journals and authored a textbook for the International Correspondence School on the computer programming language Fortran IV. His obituary recalls that he and a colleague set up the University’s first computer system in 1964. He was a member of the American Chemical Society, Sigma Xi and a charter member of Phi Lambda Epsilon. 

Dr. Hart earned his bachelor’s degree from Maryknoll College, and his master’s and Ph.D. from Fordham University. He also completed postdoctoral work at Boston University. 

Dr. Hart is survived by his children: Mary Anne Diamond and husband, John; Pegeen Sheakoski and husband, John; Patrick Hart and wife, Alissa; Susan Carey and husband, Will III; Katie Holzman and husband, Aaron; Maura White and husband, Charles; a brother, Joseph T. C. Hart, 18 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

A viewing will be held Sunday. Sept. 22, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Lawrence E. Young Funeral Home and Cremation Services Inc., 418 S. State St., Clarks Summit.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, Sept. 23, at 11 a.m. at the Church of St. Gregory, 330 N. Abington Road, Clarks Green.

The full obituary for Dr. Hart can be seen here

Sincerely,

Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D.