Vernon F. Gallagher (September 26, 1914 – August 14, 2014) was an American Roman Catholic priest who served as the eighth president of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1950 until 1959.
[1][3] Gallagher had a high profile as president, and was featured in a June 18, 1953, special edition of the Pittsburgh Press as one of 100 "outstanding leaders of the future—young men most likely to write exciting new chapters in our city's progress".
[1] Gallagher's first priority was a renewal of Duquesne's campus, and he rallied support for what would become the "Master Plan" for redeveloping and consolidating the university's property on the Bluff.
[1] Although Gallagher initially thought that Duquesne should move from its downtown location to the suburbs—Bethel Park in particular was considered—that opinion put him in the minority in the university's administration.
[7][8] Gallagher also made inroads in purchasing land in the area surrounding Duquesne's campus, allowing for future expansion.
[8] One minor, but lasting contribution that Gallagher made to the campus was personally designing and constructing the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto behind the "Old Main" Administration building in 1954.
The strain of commuting between Pittsburgh and Washington, in addition to the respective responsibilities of the positions, convinced Gallagher to resign as president.
In 1971, he became pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Emsworth, Pennsylvania, and was named director of the Holy Childhood Association in the United States a year later in 1972.
[15] Gallagher continued to be involved in higher education, serving as a professor, academic dean and vice president at St. Michael's College in Vermont.