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A Celebration of Life for Charles F. Dolan

A speaker stands at a podium, addressing an audience with a large screen presentation in the background.

May 9, 2025 By Bella Podgorski

On Sunday, May 4, 2025, members of the Fairfield University community gathered to celebrate the life of Charles F. Dolan, P’86,’85, GP’16, an innovator and dynamic leader who passed away on December 28, 2024, at the age of 98.

A group of four individuals pose against a bold red wall, enhancing the scene's vibrancy. — (l-r) Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Marianne Dolan Weber P’16, Marianne Rose Driscoll ’16 and University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, at the May 4, 2025, Celebration of Life for Charles F. Dolan P’86, ’85, GP’16.

Those in attendance alongside the Dolan family included Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, who proclaimed May 4, 2025, “Charles F. Dolan Day."

At a Memorial Mass at the Egan Chapel of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Dolan was honored as a “man for others” in the Ignatian tradition. At the luncheon that followed, Dolan's daughter, Marianne Dolan Weber, P’16, and his granddaughter, Marianne Rose Driscoll ’16, shared remembrances about Charles Dolan’s remarkable life and legacy.

University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, spoke graciously about Dolan’s powerful leadership and generosity which has left an enduring impact on students, faculty, and staff at Fairfield.

Governor Lamont, who regarded Dolan as a mentor, proclaimed the day — May 4, 2025 — Charles F. Dolan Day, in commemoration of Dolan’s influence as a “trailblazing entrepreneur who profoundly transformed the television and media industries.”

In 2000, the Charles F. Dolan School of Business was named in recognition of the dedicated supporter's transformative gift to the University. As stated in Governor Lamont's proclamation, “his legacy also lives on in the scholarships that have made a Fairfield education accessible to students from around the world.”

Charles Dolan’s leadership and philanthropy cultivated lasting opportunities for business students and established a platform for the nationally ranked business school’s programs to flourish at Fairfield University. The University community proudly recognizes his achievements and celebrates his life.