DeSales University
Center Valley Campus
2755 Station Ave
Center Valley, PA
610.282.1100
Get Directions

Furphy Lecture

The Rev. Thomas J. Furphy Lecture Series

The Rev. Thomas J. Furphy Lecture Series was established in 1983, in honor of Fr. Thomas J. Furphy, OSFS, 1912 – 1982. Theme of the lecture series is “National and International Problems.” A native of Philadelphia, Fr. Furphy began his 38-year career in education in 1939, when he joined the faculty of Northeast Catholic High School where he distinguished himself as a teacher of “National Problems.” He also served as director of athletics from 1941 to 1960. After teaching political science for three years at the Salesianum School in Wilmington, Del., he joined the Villanova University faculty in 1964, before joining the DeSales University faculty in 1967. Fr. Furphy retired in 1977 and lived at Wills Hall at DeSales until his death in 1982. The lecture series was funded through the generosity of a group of Fr. Furphy’s closest friends whose lives he touched profoundly and most positively.

Furphy Lectures 1984-2009

year	speaker and introducer	title
2010	The Hon. Tom Ridge	Former Secretary of Homeland Security, and former Governor of Pennsylvania
2009	Dr. William Poole Introducer: Dr. David Gilfoil	Economist and Financial Scholar
2008	Trent Lott Introducer: Albert Sproule	US House of Representatives/US Senate, 1973-2007
2007	John Ashcroft Introducer: Chris Cocozza	Attorney General of the US 2001-2005
2006	Richard L. Armitage Introducer: Dr. Galen Godbey	Former Deputy US Secretary of State
2005	Archbishop Celestino Miglione, D.D. Introducer: Rev. Thomas F. Dailey, OSFS	The Holy See Mission Office in NY
2004	The Hon. William S. Cohen Introducer: Rev. Mark Plaushin, OSFS	Former Secertary of Defense
2003	General Barry McCaffrey Introducer: Dr. Andrew Essig	International Affairs Expert & Former National Drug Policy Director
2002	Benazir Bhutto Introducer: Dr. Mohamed Latib	Former Prime Minister of Pakistan
2001	Louis Freech	Former Director of the FBI
2000	George Mitchell	Former US Senator, Senate Majority Leader, Chairman of Inter-party negotiations with Northern Ireland
1999	Zbigniew Brzezinski Introducer: Rev. Thomas Ferguson '87	Analyst of US Foreign Policy and Consultant on International Affairs, Former National Security Advisor for President Jimmy Carter
1998	Shimon Peres Introducer: Dr. Kenneth Fifer	Winner of 1994 Noble Peace Prize
1997	Robert H. Bork Introducer: The Hon. William E. Ford	Legal Scholar, Author, Conservative Advocate, Supreme Court Nominee
1996	Mary Ann Glendon Introducer: Rev. Thomas Dailey, OSFS	Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Univ.
1995	His Eminence Pio Cardinal Laghi Introducer: Most Rev. Thomas J. Welsh, D.D., J.C.D.	Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education
1994	Dr. William J. Bennett Introducer: Edward A. McCabe Esq.	Co-director of Empower America
1993	Jack Kemp Introducer: The Hon. Curt Weldon	Co-founder and Director of Empower America
1992	Terry Waite Introducer: Dennis Campbell	Hostage Negotiator and Former Envoy for the Archbishop of Canterbury
1991	Vladimir Posner	Top Soviet Journalist
1990	George Will	Pulitzer Prize Winning Syndicated Columnist
1989	Antonin Scalia Introducer: Rev. Alexander Pocetto, OSFS	Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
1988	Lee A. Iacocca Introducer: Rev. Daniel Gambet, OSFS	Chairman and CEO of Chrysler Corporation
1987	Abba Eban Introducer: Dr. Kenneth Fifer	Well-known Statesman and former Israeli Ambassador to the US
1986	William Kolby	Former Dir. of Centeral Intelligence Agency
1985	Jeane Kirkpatrick Introducer: Rev. Bernard F. Donahue, OSFS	Former US Rep. to the United Nations
1984	Cardinal John O'Connor Introducer: Most Rev. Thomas D.Welsh

Copyright © 2010 - All Rights Reserved