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June 8, 2006

Obituary: Arthur H. Fedel

Retired Pitt faculty member and administrator Arthur H. Fedel died May 27, 2006, at his home in Plum of complications from diabetes. He was 81.

After earning a bachelor’s degree at Pitt in 1950, Fedel completed his graduate work in Anglo-Irish literature at University College Dublin.

He returned to Pittsburgh in 1953, joining Pitt as an assistant to the provost.

Fedel held an appointment in the English department teaching Irish literature and, in 1954, he helped found the “Bloomsday” celebration, held annually on June 16, where locals read sections of James Joyce’s “Ulysses.” He also was a board member and president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Irish American Cultural Institute.

In 1970, Fedel served as acting dean of the then-School of General Studies. Following the appointment of a permanent dean, Fedel was named executive associate dean of general studies in 1971. Later he held other administrative posts, including assistant to the provost for program development. He retired from Pitt in 1989.

According to files from the University Archives, Fedel also worked as a technical writer, editor and consultant at the Aberdeen (Md.) Proving Ground, a military post founded in 1917, and for military service personnel who engaged in advanced research.

He also provided technical writing consulting services for numerous U.S. industries, including Westinghouse Educational Center, Bettis Atomic Power Labs, Fisher Scientific and Bell Telephone.

In World War II, Fedel served as a Seabee attached to the Sixth Marine Division and fought in the Battle of Okinawa and throughout the Pacific Theater.

Following his discharge from the service in 1946, Fedel, who grew up on Pittsburgh’s North Side, entered Pitt on the G.I. Bill. He was awarded a graduate fellowship for study in Ireland.

Fedel is survived by his wife, Rita Tedesco Fedel; daughter Sabrina Wojnaroski; son Charles Fedel; five grandchildren, and two brothers, Oscar Bruno Fedel and Clarence Geno Fedel.

—Peter Hart


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