Mr. Fitz Gets Lasting Memorial at PHS

A man who left a lasting impression on generations of Portsmouth students for 20 years as arguably the best substitute teacher ever will get a permanent memorial at Portsmouth High School.

The late Col. Edward “Mr. Fitz” Fitzgerald became a fixture in Portsmouth High School life after he retired from a 31-year-career in the U.S. Marine Corps and started subbing in 1990.

It didn’t take long for his enthusiasm and dedication to capture the hearts and minds of his students and colleagues. And along with teaching, he chaperoned, was a club advisor and even organized a yearly field trip to the financial district in New York City.

“He bought every fundraising item or event ticket ever offered, and marked countless daily moments of effort and achievement with his signature reward - a stick of Juicy Fruit gum,” writes Ashley Rozes, a 2002 graduate of the school who has led a tireless effort to ensure Mr. Fitz gets his due with a lasting memorial.

Her words come from a book of fond memories of Fitzgerald’s breathtaking kindness and profound generosity.

She compiled the book before he died and it includes letters from former students who recount remarkable memories of Mr. Fitz showing up unexpectedly at funerals to offer condolences, keeping a notebook of student names who needed some “extra TLC,” buying flowers for some girls who might not get any, signed “from a secret admirer.”

The bench will be dedicated on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 11 a.m. outside the school’s main entrance near the flag pole.

The ceremony also serves as the launching pad for a new virtual Honor Run hosted by Rozes that councides with her running of the Marine Corps Marathon in his honor on Oct. 26.

She’s asking for others to join her that day to run any distance at any location for a small fee. In exchange, runners get a comemroative medal and the knowledge that their proceeds are going to support a scholarship fund set up in Fitzgerald’s name.

“I will be dedicating every mile of my marathon to the man who changed the course of so many of our lives. The man who selflessly served his country and the community of Portsmouth High School,” she said.

For more information, be sure to visit http://fitzgeraldhonorrun.weebly.com.