Harold Edward "Hap" Ridley SJ (June 20, 1939 – January 18, 2005) was the 23rd President of

Loyola College in Maryland Loyola University Maryland is a private Jesuit university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established as Loyola College in Maryland by John Early and eight other members of the Society of Jesus in 1852, it is the ninth-oldest Jesuit college in the ...

from July 1, 1994 until his death.

Early life and career

Born in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in 1969. Ridley was educated at

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

Woodstock College Woodstock College was a Jesuit seminary that existed from 1869 to 1974. It was the oldest Jesuit seminary in the United States. The school was located in Woodstock, Maryland, west of Baltimore, from its establishment until 1969, when it moved to ...

and the Union Theological Seminary. He earned his Ph.D. in English literature from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. Before becoming president of Loyola, Fr. Ridley taught at Regis High School in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

from 1963 to 1966, and then at the

Maryland Institute College of Art The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a private art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of the oldest art colleges in the U ...

from 1967 to 1968. After MICA, taught at

Le Moyne College Le Moyne College is a private Jesuit college in DeWitt, New York.http://www.ongov.net/planning/haz/documents/Section9.7-TownofDeWitt.pdf It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1946 and named after Jesuit missionary Simon Le Moyne. At its fo ...

for more than 20 years, where he also served as English Department Chair and Chief Academic Officer. He took over as president of Loyola following the death of long-time president Fr.

Joseph A. Sellinger Joseph A. Sellinger, S.J. (January 17, 1921 – April 19, 1993) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit. He served as the President of Loyola College in Maryland from 1964 to 1993, making him the longest-serving president of any Jesuit unive ...

, SJ.

Service at Loyola

Fr. Ridley oversaw a period of rampant expansion for Loyola. During his tenure, annual admission applications rose from 4,500 to over 7,000. The facilities of the college were strengthened as well, with graduate centers opening in Columbia and Timonium, the construction of the

Sellinger School of Business and Management The Joseph A. Sellinger, S.J. School of Business and Management is the business school of Loyola University Maryland (formerly Loyola College in Maryland) and is located on the college's main campus in Baltimore, Maryland. Formally established in ...

, the renovation of Maryland Hall, and the opening of the Fitness and Aquatic Center. He died suddenly the night of January 18, 2005. He was survived by his mother, Mrs. Harold Ridley, his sister Judy and brother John. Dr. David Haddad served as interim president until the appointment of Fr. Brian F. Linnane, SJ as president.

Other affiliations

Fr. Ridley served on the boards of the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...

Crown Central Petroleum Crown Central Petroleum, commonly known as Crown, is an American oil company that has flourished in Baltimore since the early 20th century until its recent decline due to rebranding. History Crown Central Petroleum Company or Crown, first began ...

, the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies, Fordham University, St. Peter’s College, the

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...

Loyola Blakefield Loyola Blakefield is a private Catholic, college preparatory school run by the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus in Towson, Maryland and within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. It was established in 1852 by the Jesuits as an all-boys school f ...

, the

American Council on Education The American Council on Education (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) U.S. higher education association established in 1918. ACE's members are the leaders of approximately 1,700 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher education ...

, and the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

President’s Commission.

Notes

External links

Rev. Harold Ridley, S.J., President (profile) – Loyola College in Maryland Administrators.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridley, Harold 1939 births 2005 deaths Fordham University alumni New York University alumni 20th-century American Jesuits 21st-century American Jesuits People from Jersey City, New Jersey Presidents of Loyola University Maryland Loyola University Maryland Le Moyne College faculty Woodstock College alumni Catholics from New Jersey 20th-century American academics