Renowned equity money manager Peter Lynch to deliver Fairfield University's Charles F. Dolan Lecture April 17 | Press Releases

Peter Lynch, quite simply one of the world's most successful equity money managers, will deliver the annual Charles F. Dolan Lecture, on Tuesday, April 17, at 8 p.m. at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. It is presented by Fairfield University's Charles F. Dolan School of Business.

Norm Solomon, Ph. D., the dean of the Dolan School, said Mr. Lynch has been a pivotal figure and important voice in the financial industry for the past several decades. "He is an exceptional person, not only because of his track record as one of the greatest mutual fund managers overseeing the Fidelity Magellan Fund, but due to his life's work outside of Wall Street. His involvement with an array of civic and not-for-profit organizations exemplifies his commitment to social justice and Jesuit ideals. Our students and the public will certainly find this an enriching learning experience."

The lecture is complimentary and open to the public, but reservations are required. Please contact the box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396 for tickets.

Mr. Lynch's successful career working for Fidelity Investments Inc. began in 1969. He is now vice chairman of Fidelity Management & Research Company, the investment advisor arm of Fidelity Investments. He is also an Advisory Board Member of the Fidelity Funds.

His many achievements at Fidelity include overseeing the Magellan Fund. Mr. Lynch was portfolio manager of Fidelity Magellan Fund, which was the best performing fund in the world under his leadership from May 1977 to May 1990. When he took over Magellan Fund, it had $20 million in assets. By the time he retired from the fund, it had grown to over $14 billion in assets and had over a million shareholders. Magellan became the biggest fund in the world in 1983, and it continued to outperform all other funds for the next seven years.

Before embarking on his 38-year career with Fidelity, Mr. Lynch, who was born in 1944, served as lieutenant in the U.S. Army for two years, and received a B.S. from Boston College in 1965 and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1968.

Mr. Lynch joined Fidelity as a research analyst and was later named director of research. Over the years with the company, he has served as a managing director of Fidelity Investments, an executive vice president and director of Fidelity Management & Research Company, and a leader of the growth equity group.

Writer (with John Rothchild) of the bestsellers "One Up on Wall Street," "Beating The Street," and "Learn to Earn," a beginner's guide to the basics of investing and business, his books have been translated into several languages including Japanese, Swedish, Korean, German, Spanish and French. He has spoken of investment strategies, such as investing in what you know, diversification being a key component of investing wisely, and investing for the long-term, meaning 5, 10, 20 years. He once said, "The bottom line is to have a responsible plan for your investments and know what you own and why you own it. There's too much at stake not to."

Mr. Lynch is committed to many philanthropic endeavors and charitable and cultural organizations. His involvement includes serving as a trustee of Boston College, heading the Catholic Schools Foundation of Boston, and being on the board of trustees for Special Olympics International. He has received more than 15 honorary degrees from colleges and universities, including an honorary doctorate from Boston College.

He has been recognized with numerous awards for his efforts, including the National Catholic Education Association 1992 Seton Award, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children 1993 Family Award, and the 1997 United Way Bay Leadership Award. Mr. Lynch has been chairman of the Inner City Scholarship Fund for 16 years, raising over $100 million for partial scholarships for children living in the inner city of Boston and attending Catholic schools.

In 1994, he was named Outstanding Alumnus by The Wharton School. Mr. Lynch is a fellow with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member and former director of the Boston Society of Security Analysts.

The Charles F. Dolan Lecture series, featuring highly accomplished, visionary and internationally recognized business leaders, was named after Charles F. Dolan, founder and chairman of Cablevision Systems Corp, who is also a longtime friend and trustee of the University. It was inaugurated in 2001 with Jack Welch, then-chairman and chief executive of General Electric. Featured speakers have included C. Michael Armstrong, then chairman and chief executive of AT&T; Alan "Ace" Greenberg, chairman of the Executive Committee of The Bear Stearns Companies Inc.; Karen Katen, then president of Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals and executive vice president of Pfizer Inc.; Anne Mulcahy, chairman and CEO of Xerox Corp., and Jeffrey R. Immelt, the chairman and chief executive officer of General Electric.

This event cannot be audio-taped or videotaped.