North Park University Mourns Loss of Crendalyn Fitzgerald
Associate professor of marketing in the School of Business and Nonprofit Management specialized in entrepreneurship and advertising
Chicago (February 18, 2015) — Crendalyn McMath Fitzgerald, known as “Cren” to her students and colleagues, passed away last Friday, February 13. As associate professor of marketing and advertising since 2002 in the School of Business and Nonprofit Management, Fitzgerald, 49, leaves a legacy of inspiring undergraduate and graduate students to be leaders in their communities.
“Cren was able to connect with her students because she taught from her own experience as a leader in education, marketing, and entrepreneurship,” said Wesley Lindahl, dean of the School of Business and Nonprofit Management. “She was also a mentor to her colleagues, modeling how to balance work and family life. It is difficult to imagine our faculty without her.”
Fitzgerald served as faculty lead in the undergraduate advertising major, challenging students to look beyond their own experiences and gain a broad understanding of the role culture plays in people’s decision making. Before coming to North Park, Fitzgerald served as the founding director for the Center for Urban Business at the University of Illinois at Chicago, founded and ran a television and video production company, and was president of Kennedy Taylor Corporation.
“Professor Fitzgerald was a very kind and attentive instructor,” said Colleen Atwell, one of Fitzgerald’s students in the graduate nonprofit management certificate program. “She showed a personal interest in our assignments, our places of work, and each of us as individuals. She was very interactive and always available to her students.”
Fitzgerald grew up in an Evangelical Covenant Church on the South Side of Chicago, learning her entrepreneurial drive from her family’s neighborhood restaurant. She went on to earn a bachelor of science in marketing and a master of business administration from the University of Illinois Chicago.
“The passion our faculty show their students is the heart and soul of our University,” said North Park University President David Parkyn. “Cren was a shining example of that, and our prayers and sympathy extend to her family and loved ones.”
Cren is survived by her husband, Ephriam, daughters Eren and Courtney, and her parents.
A visitation will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at Mt. Holy Rock Missionary Baptist Church, 11441 S. Wentworth Ave., Chicago, IL 60628, with the funeral service immediately following.
A memorial service for the North Park University community to celebrate the life and memory of Crendalyn will be held at 3:30 pm on Tuesday, February 24 in Isaacson Chapel. A light reception will follow in Olsson Lounge.
Messages of condolence may be sent to: Ephriam Fitzgerald, 8304 S. Calumet, Chicago, IL 60619.
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