The Fordham community mourns the loss of Donald L. Magnetti, who served on the Law School’s faculty for more than 25 years. He passed away on Saturday, Feb. 2 after a two-year battle with illness. He was 67.
“Donald was warm, kind and generous of spirit. In quiet and always discreet ways, he performed countless acts of kindness for all of us,” said Dean William Michael Treanor. “He was a giant in the classroom, who packed in students eager for the experience of studying with him. Named Teacher of the Year in 2003, he was truly the teacher of the year every year.”
Magnetti graduated from Fordham College in 1963 and earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from Johns Hopkins University in 1969. A Catholic priest, he held a degree from the Woodstock Theological Center. Magnetti returned to Fordham to earn his law degree in 1979. After two years of practice at the law firm of Coudert Brothers, he joined hte Law School faculty in 1981. In addition to being a brilliant teacher of torts, Magnetti was a legendary authority on trusts and estates, and an expert in Islamic law as well.
He is survived by his sister, Sister Joan Magnetti, R.S.C.J. The funeral mass will be held at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, Conn., on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 11 a.m.
