Mr. Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald III concludes his final year at BAHS after teaching here for 28 years. His current role includes teaching U.S. and AP Government classes, along with advising Model UN and B the Change clubs, and he has been the graduation coordinator for more years than he can remember.
Fitz recently announced his retirement and it has come as a shock to many students and staff at BAHS – even those students who are graduating this year. Senior Brady Miller is the president for Model UN and is the vice president of B the Change. Fitz has fueled Brady’s passion for government and leadership experiences throughout the clubs Fitz ran.
“Fitz has been an insurmountable influence on not just my life, but the lives of so many people around me,” Brady said. “Whether it was his antics playing ‘Devil’s Advocate,’ or his snarpy and of-ten hilarious remarks, the presence of Fitz will be missed.”
Fitz is a well-known teacher for his straight forward approaches, funny comments, and his love for election days and suspenders. He is a teacher with true pride and loyalty to his school, and his strong love for teaching is evident to everyone. While he is sad to leave, he looks forward to eating lunch whenever he wants to and spending more time with his family.
“I will miss everything. I still enjoy what I do. I still am passionate about what I teach. I wanted to end my career while I still felt that way. So, I will miss it all,” Fitz said.
Senior Devalyn Spicher was one of his students during his last year of teaching. She enjoyed how entertaining and energetic he was while teaching, and also enjoyed how he was always there for struggling students.
“He was a really good teacher. I am going to miss his teaching skills and how serious he would get on political topics. Though I typically hate history, I really enjoyed his class and it is bittersweet to see him retire this year,” Devalyn said.
The memories of Fitz span far beyond recent years. BAHS Principal Mr. Michael Fedisson has known Fitz since when he was a student at BAHS. He recalls Fitz organizing a memorial to honor the victims of Columbine.
“In the fall of 1999, he invited seniors from the graduating Class of 1999 back to the high school to plant columbine flowers and place a plaque in that area,” Mr. Fedisson said.
While Mr. Fedisson appreciates the serious side of Fitz, he also recalls a time that Fitz was chaperoning a Senior Picnic at Bald Eagle State Park. Mr. Fedisson and his classmates were throwing some of the adults into the water, and Fitz didn’t run or fight when they got to him.
“He merely allowed us to carry him to the water and toss him in. It was his style – it was going to happen, so just let it be and move on to the next thing,” Mr. Fedisson said.
Whether it’s his classroom debates, check-ins on colleagues, or his many “Fitzisms,” there is no doubt that his absence will be felt deeply by the students and staff of BAHS, who have grown to depend on Fitz to pull through for them.
“That’s what I love about him; he may be busy (and tell you he’s busy), he may be stressed (and tell you that he’s stressed) but he will always come through for you,” Government teacher Mrs. Allyson Durney said.
As a teacher in the Social Studies Department of BAHS, Mrs. Durney recalls reaching out to Fitz when she was first hired to gather ideas about the curriculum she’d be teaching. She didn’t hear back from him for a week, but when she did, his response read: “Greetings from a cabin in the woods. My house is flooded so my internet access isn’t as good in the woods.”
“I remember thinking ‘WHAT IN THE WORLD?!’ I still laugh when I think about that. After meeting Fitz – a greeting like that totally tracks,” she said.
While Mrs. Durney will miss having their partnership and mutual respect, Mr. Fedisson will most miss his leadership and care for attention to detail.
“He has a great work ethic and always wants things to be done right. He has a strong sense of pride in all that he does and that means a lot,” Mr. Fedisson said.
Retirement might present Fitz with a chance to partake in more of his hobbies, which include reading, skiing, swimming, and traveling. He currently lives with his wife, Julie, their cat, Hurricane, and their dog, Russo. He’s the proud father of his two sons, Eddie IV and Ryan, who both graduated from BAHS.
As Fitz starts to pack up his boxes and walk down the hallways of BAHS for the very last time, the student body would like to remind him of his own wise words: Mr Fitz, we hope that you “Go. Be good out there. Go learn something.” We’ll never forget you.
