Edward M. Fitzgerald ’66, a prominent Colorado Springs orthopedic surgeon, died on November 20, 2008.
He was stabbed to death in his home by his son, Sean, who had suffered a brain injury when he was struck by a truck while bicycling several weeks earlier. He was born in Boston on November 26, 1944, and prepared for college at Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, Mass. He was a member of Zeta Psi fraternity and a star athlete at Bowdoin. As co-captain, he led the soccer team to its first state championship. He also was co-captain and high scorer of the hockey team. A Dean’s List student, was awarded the Andrew Allison Haldane Cup at graduation in recognition of “outstanding qualities of leadership and character.” He graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1970, interned at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, and served his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He was drafted into the Air Force in 1971 and served through 1973, achieving the rank of captain. He moved to Colorado Springs in 1979, and in 1981 opened his own scoliosis clinic there. For the past 10 years, he worked at Front Range Orthopaedics. He sat on a number of professional boards, serving as president of the El Paso County Medical Society, and helped write legislation on the care of dying patients. He gave freely of his time, working for no charge at an outreach clinic in La Junta and washing dishes at soup kitchens. He and his wife lived in a co-housing community, where residents share management and upkeep of the properties and regularly eat communal dinners. In addition to Sean, he is survived by his wife, Kim Fitzgerald, daughter Alison Andrews, son Ross Fitzgerald, and several grandchildren.