Dr. James Gallagher '52
Dr. James Gallagher '52—a poor kid from Staten Island—worked hard, graduated from Villanova University and had a successful career as a journalist, consultant and executive. His story is inspiring, but his dedication to helping countless others? That's just being a Villanovan.
As a student at Augustinian Academy on Staten Island, Dr. Gallagher earned a scholarship to attend Villanova but still needed to work a variety of jobs to pay for his room and board. One of those jobs was within the library, handling rare books for 25 cents per hour. He also joined the writing staff of The Villanovan, which helped him secure a summer position with the Associated Press as a weekend copy boy.
His time at the AP provided valuable experience and strengthened his writing skills. By the end of his junior year, Dr. Gallagher had taken over as editor of The Villanovan, but he had also run out of money. He reached out to College President Rev. Francis X.N. McGuire, OSA, and explained his situation—without the money to pay for his final year, he would be forced to leave Villanova without completing his degree. Father McGuire wrote an address on a slip of paper, and told Gallagher to take the train to Scranton to meet a man who was a successful business owner and a friend.
Dr. Gallagher didn't know what to expect, but he took the trip to meet the man. After speaking together, he offered to fund Dr. Gallagher's final year at Villanova. Dr. Gallagher thanked him profusely and assured him that he would reimburse him as soon as he could.
"There is no way you will pay me back," Dr. Gallagher remembers him saying. "But there will come a time in your life when you can do this for someone else, and I want you to do it."
Dr. Gallagher graduated from Villanova in 1952 and immediately volunteered for the Army. He was sent to North Korea where he served as a rifleman, but he quickly heard of an open reporter position. Without permission, he took an Army vehicle to division headquarters, interviewed on the spot and received the job.
Once he returned from the Army, he held jobs in both the newspaper and public relations industries. Eventually he took a role with a Jesuit organization, which led to him being named president of a small, innovative New Jersey private college.
After earning his Ph.D. in social psychology from New York University, Dr. Gallagher launched an executive career consulting firm. He grew the business and eventually sold it; the time had come to fulfill his promise.
In 2012, he established The Dr. James J. Gallagher '52 Arts Endowed Scholarship for Student Journalists in Support of the Luckow Challenge Scholarship Program. Each year, a rising senior with demonstrated need is awarded this scholarship. Each scholarship recipient also receives a note from Dr. Gallagher recounting his story and challenging them to pay it forward in the future.
"I was a poor kid from Staten Island," he says. "The priests took me under their wing and I have so much gratitude. The school still recognizes what their mission is, and students get a clear message of what it means to follow St. Augustine."
Dr. Gallagher's philanthropy to Villanova and other charitable causes he is passionate about comes in part through his donor advised fund. A donor advised fund combines the benefits of a tax-free charitable savings account, and the convenience of a charitable checking account, into a centralized "foundation." Donors, like Dr. Gallagher, can then make recommendations from the donor advised fund to execute their charitable plans and build a philanthropic legacy. As a member of the 1842 Heritage Society, Dr. Gallagher has named Villanova a beneficiary in his estate plans, and the support he is providing today will be amplified in the future—leaving a lasting impact on the University that he credits for much of his success.
If you need guidance to help you establish and execute a charitable giving plan to support Villanova and other charitable causes that are important to you, please contact Tim McKinley, at 215-240-0812 or timothy.mckinley@villanova.edu.