David A. Fedo, a longtime Dean of Curry College, died on December 1, 2022, in Melrose, Massachusetts, from complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 79. He was Curry's chief academic officer from 1990 until his retirement in 2007, with responsibilities for undergraduate and graduate programs and faculty. During his tenure, he helped initiate several new degrees and programs at the college; he also served as Professor of English.

He was born in Duluth, Minnesota on April 15, 1943, the second of three sons of Michael and Ramona Fedo, who were public school teachers. He graduated with honors from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, in June 1965. While at UMD, he edited the school's weekly newspaper and also worked part-time covering sports and writing features for the Duluth News-Tribune. He also met his future wife, Susan Randall, and they married in 1966. She survives him, as does their daughter, Dianne Collazo, of Malden, MA. Other survivors include his brothers, Michael (Judith), of Minneapolis, MN, and Stephen (Ann Speltz), of Chicago, IL.

He attended Boston University on an NDEA Fellowship, earning an A.M. degree in English and American literature in 1966 and a Ph.D. in 1972. His doctoral dissertation, on the plays of William Carlos Williams, embraced two of his life-long passions: poetry and theatre. A poet throughout his life, David published his work in numerous journals and magazines, and a collection, Carrots and Other Poems, was published by Ethos Books in 2009. His articles on higher education, literature and travel appeared in both academic and popular publications

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Prior to joining Curry College, in Milton, MA, he chaired the Humanities Department, directed the Liberal Arts Division, and taught English—and also initiated a popular extracurricular theatre program—at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, in Boston, from 1971-80. He served on the College's Board of Trustees from 1980-90. In 1980, he was appointed Associate Undergraduate Dean and Professor of English at Bentley University, in Waltham, MA, serving for more than ten years.

Throughout his academic career, he served as a member and periodic chair of college accreditation visiting teams, including for the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

After his retirement from Curry, David accepted a two-year appointment as Executive Director and Visiting Scholar of the Wheelock College Center for International Education, Leadership and Innovation, at Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore, and his wife Susan was appointed to the faculty there. Their two-year contract extended to five, and during their time in Singapore they travelled extensively in Southeast Asia and were active in Singapore's literary, cultural and educational communities. In 2012, they returned home to Medford, MA, where they were active volunteers with the Medford Historical Society & Museum, and moved to Melrose in 2021.

A memorial celebration of David's life will be scheduled at a later date. Gifts in his honor to the Greater Boston Food Bank are deeply appreciated.