The Fordham University community mourns the loss of Martin A. Hegyi, S.J., associate professor emeritus of biological sciences, who died on January 17, 2014.
Father Hegyi was a member of Fordham’s Department of Biological Sciences for more than 43 years. He came to the department in 1967 and retired in 2005 as Emeritus Associate Professor. His research specialty was in invertebrate zoology.
He was elected to the Fordham University Faculty Senate and served with distinction for several years. He served as associate chair for undergraduates within the biology department.
Father Hegyi entered the Jesuit order in Hungary in 1952. He studied philosophy in Rome as part of his Jesuit training, and was ordained into the priesthood after studying theology at the Jesuit’s Regis Univeristy in Toronto. Following his ordination, Father Hegyi enrolled in Oxford University, where he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in zoology. He received his doctorate degree in invertebrate zoology from the University of Tennessee.
In 2007, Father Hegyi earned his Bene Merenti Medal from Fordham, which honors faculty members who have been with the University for 20 or 40 years.
A wake was held on Monday, Jan. 20 for Father Hegyi at Murray-Weigel Hall in the Bronx. A Mass of Christian Burial was held Tuesday, Jan. 21 at the University Church on the Rose Hill campus. Interment will take place at the Jesuit Cemetery, Auriesville, N.Y.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
New York Province
Society of Jesus
39 East 83rd St.
New York, NY 10028
