Remembering Fr. Raymond C. Baumhart, SJ

October 11, 2019

Dear Loyola Community,

Our community mourns the death of Rev. Raymond C. Baumhart, SJ, Loyola’s longest-serving president and an influential scholar of business ethics. Fr. Baumhart passed away early Thursday, Oct.10, at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Michigan at the age of 95.

Fr. Baumhart is warmly remembered by many in our community and by others positively impacted by his kindness and generosity around the world. He brought formidable expertise, keen vision, and compassion to his teaching and to multiple leadership roles. He oversaw the founding, building, and development of Loyola University Medical Center, built iconic Loyola facilities, and created vibrant academic programs that addressed real needs in the world. Many of Loyola's current operations and curriculum are a direct result of his vision, commitment, and leadership.

As professor and dean at the School of Business, and then as president, Fr. Baumhart was influential in opening the doors to students, academic and administrative leaders, and trustees.  His academic work revolved around business ethics, and upon his retirement from Loyola the university established the Raymond C. Baumhart Chair for Business Ethics in 1994.

Born and raised in Chicago, Fr. Baumhart had a deep commitment to the city and Loyola’s mission of educating future generations of ethical leaders.  His impact is memorialized in the Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility, which extends Fr. Baumhart’s legacy of infusing social responsibility and community good into business practice.

A memorial Mass will be held on Thursday, October 17 at 5:30 pm in Madonna della Strada. You can read Fr. Baumhart’s full obituary and more about his impact and legacy at Loyola in this digital exhibit.

We gratefully remember Fr. Baumhart, his family, friends and the Jesuit community in our prayers.

 

Sincerely,

Jo Ann Rooney, JD, LLM, EdD

President