PDA was saddened to learn of the passing of longtime volunteer Edmund “Ed” Fitzgerald on April 11. He was 96 years old.
Ed made significant contributions to PDA during his time as a volunteer. He was a
member for more than 25 years, served on committees and presented papers. In 1988, he
helped spread the reach of PDA by founding the Canada Chapter, the Association’s first
chapter outside the United States. In his memoirs, penned in 2010, he wrote: “I organized
a committee with representation from Toronto and Montreal and held a number of
planning meetings in both cities. I visited a number of companies in Montreal and spoke
to many groups about a first ever chapter in Canada. I kept in touch with the PDA on
our progress. Within six months we pulled it off with the first meeting and attendance of
over 200 people.” He supported the new chapter by serving as Director-at-Large.
In 2001, Ed received the Distinguished Service Award from PDA. In his retirement, he
spoke of his pride in PDA and its contributions to the pharmaceutical industry by connecting
industry professionals around the world.
Ed retired following a distinguished career as a Microbiologist (Quality Control) at Ayerst
Laboratories (later Wyeth, Pfizer) in Montreal. Ed also served in the Canadian military in
World War II, participating in the liberation of the Netherlands.