Award Recipients
The Lawrence G. Haggerty Faculty Award
for Research Excellence recognizes scholarly distinction at
Marquette University. In 1998, Haggerty Enterprises, Inc., announced
the endowed award, established to honor Lawrence Haggerty.
Lawrence George Haggerty graduated summa
cum laude from Marquette’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 Mr. 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 Company, 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,
Mr. Haggerty was president of the Illinois-based Lawrence G. Haggerty
and Associates, Inc., an international merger and acquisitions
consultant to top management. Thereafter, he founded Haggerty
Enterprises, Inc., in 1978. In addition to his own ventures, the
successful entrepreneur maintained affiliations with approximately
ten other corporations, among which were Medequip and Management
Resources. While active with his many professional interests,
Mr. 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, Illinois, and Saint William’s
Parish in Naples, Florida. 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, Lawrence Haggerty
was a devoted family man. He and Mary Ellen raised nine children
at their Winnetka home:
Michael E., Catherine (deceased), Eileen
(AS ’69), Patrick B., Margaret E. (L ’89), Sheila
B., Maureen E. (AS ’79),Timothy J. (B ’85; MBA ’91),
and Monica L. (C ’ 95). While five of his children graduated
from Marquette, Mr. Haggerty had other family connections with
the university, including sons-in law John F. Mundy (AS ’68)
and William E.Warmuth (PT ’84). A brother, the late Patrick
E. Haggerty was a 1936 graduate of the College of Engineering
and was a co-founder of Texas Instruments. Patrick and his wife,
Beatrice, are recognized names throughout the Marquette 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— has generously supported
Marquette’s mission of excellence.
The Haggerty family’s strong bond
with Marquette University also includes Lawrence Haggerty’s
service to his alma mater. From 1968 to 1968, he was a member
of the Board of Regents—the first university governing body
to include both lay and Jesuit representatives. Thereafter, he
served as one of the first lay trustees from 1969 through 1988,
after which he was trustee emeritus until 1994. This role as a
trustee partially coincided with the presidency of the Reverend
John P. Raynor, S.J., to whom Mr. Haggerty was a dear friend,
trusted advisor, and mentor. Marquette recognized Lawrence Haggerty’s
association with the university, his extraordinary commitment
to serve, and his illustrious career by honoring him with the
Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award in 1970.
In addition, Lawrence Haggerty was the co-founder
of the Marquette 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, Mr. Haggerty generously
supported this commitment in an educational sense at Marquette
through various initiatives. Among these was sponsorship of the
Reverend John P. Raynor, S.J., Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence,
which he established. Thus, it is only a fitting tribute that
the Lawrence G. Haggerty Faculty Award for Excellence in Research
complements, in the name of scholarship, Lawrence Haggerty’s
all-encompassing belief in excellence.
