After completing his military service, Fay attended Seton Hall University where he majored in political history and science, and earned both a bachelor's and a master's.
[1] Fay drafted legislation that created the Office of the Ombudsman for the Institutionalized Elderly within the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate, which is responsible for investing claims of abuse of those over age 60 in long-term care facilities.
[1] The New York Times posted its regrets at his departure from the Senate, calling him "a man of sardonic wit and considerable erudition".
[4] After a fire in a home for the elderly in Bradley Beach killed 23 on July 26, 1980, advocated on behalf of new legislation to protect the residents of boarding and rooming houses.
[1] After Fay's death, McGreevey recalled him as "a tremendous friend, a role model, a mentor, a statesman... a person of uncommon decency, integrity and courage.