The Lawrence G. Haggerty Faculty Award for Research Excellence recognizes scholarly distinction at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½. In 1998, Haggerty Enterprises Inc., announced the endowed award, established to honor Lawrence Haggerty.

Lawrence George Haggerty graduated summa cum laude from ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½â€™s College of Engineering in 1940, with a major in mechanical engineering. As a student, he became a member of several honorary, engineering and fraternal societies, including Alpha Sigma Nu, Pi Tau Sigma, Tau Beta Pi, the Knights of St. Patrick and Sigma Phi Delta. Indeed, the new Sigma Phi Delta house on campus bears Haggerty’s name. Professionally, the North Dakota native worked in the managerial and manufacturing sectors of various companies from 1940 to 1967. These included the Radio Corporation of America, F.L. Jacobs Co., International Telephone and Telegraph, Farnsworth Electronics, and Warwick Electronics, which was a manufacturing firm he owned with Sears and eventually sold to Sanyo.

Building upon his vast business experience, Haggerty was president of Illinois-based Lawrence G. Haggerty and Associates Inc., an international merger and acquisitions consultant to top management. He founded Haggerty Enterprises Inc. in 1978. In addition to his own ventures, the successful entrepreneur maintained affiliations with approximately 10 other corporations, among which were Medequip and Management Resources.

Haggerty was a devout Roman Catholic. He and his wife, the late Mary Ellen Sweeney Haggerty, were members of Saints Faith, Hope and Charity Parish in Winnetka, Ill., and Saint William’s Parish in Naples, Fla. They were honored through respective Papal appointments as Knight and Lady Commander of the Star of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre — the Roman Catholic unit that honors the chivalry of those who have defended Christ’s tomb in Jerusalem since before the Crusades.

In addition to being dedicated to the Church, Haggerty was a devoted family man. He and Mary Ellen raised nine children at their Winnetka home: Michael E., Catherine (deceased), Eileen (Arts ’69), Patrick B., Margaret E. (Law ’89), Sheila B., Maureen E. (Arts ’79), Timothy J. (Bus Ad ’85, Grad ’91) and Monica L. (Comm ’95). Haggerty had other family connections with the university, including sons-in-law John F. Mundy (Arts ’68) and William E. Warmuth (PT ’84). A brother, the late Patrick E. Haggerty, was a 1936 graduate of the College of Engineering and co-founder of Texas Instruments. Patrick and his wife, Beatrice, are recognized names throughout the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ campus. Patrick E. Haggerty Hall and the Patrick and Beatrice Haggerty Museum of Art stand as tributes to a couple who — similar to Lawrence and Mary Ellen Haggerty — generously supported ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½â€™s mission of excellence.

The Haggerty family’s strong bond with ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ also includes Lawrence Haggerty’s service to the university. From 1964 to 1968, he was a member of the Board of Regents — the first university governing body to include lay and Jesuit representatives. He served as one of the first lay trustees, from 1969 to 1988, after which he was trustee emeritus until 1994. His role as a trustee partially coincided with the presidency of Rev. John P. Raynor, S.J., to whom Haggerty was a dear friend, trusted adviser and mentor. ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ recognized Haggerty’s association with the university, extraordinary commitment to serve and illustrious career by honoring him with the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award in 1970.

In addition, Haggerty co-founded the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Club of Chicago, and the club’s Distinguished Alumnus Award is named for him. Such honors attest to the integrity of an individual committed to doing one’s best. Throughout his career and until his death in 1994, Haggerty generously supported this commitment in an educational sense at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ through various initiatives. Among these was sponsorship of the Rev. John P. Raynor, S.J., Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence, which he established.

It is only a fitting tribute that the Lawrence G. Haggerty Faculty Award for Excellence in Research complements, in the name of scholarship, Haggerty’s all-encompassing belief in excellence.