Norwood Honors Retiring Senior Custodian M. Joseph Fitzgerald and Dedicates Prescott School Auditorium in Memory of His Late Son-October 14, 1982

In a moving community tribute that few retiring municipal employees ever experience, M. Joseph Fitzgerald was honored last night during a packed PTO meeting at the C.J. Prescott School, celebrating his remarkable 32 years of service to the Norwood public schools just a week after celebrating his 65th birthday.

Large, bold white letters on the Prescott School auditorium’s red curtain set the tone for the evening: “Joe, We will miss you.”

Fond Memories and Warm Tributes from Colleagues

Colleagues and administrators shared fond memories highlighting Fitzgerald’s dedication, humor, and quiet acts of kindness. Assistant Superintendent of Schools Umberto V.C. Napoleone recalled meeting Fitzgerald back in the fall of 1951 when Napoleone was a first-year teacher at the Balch School.

“One of the comforts I remember was to meet with Joe in the boiler room,” Napoleone said with a comedic pause, “and to sneak a smoke.” The audience erupted in laughter before Napoleone presented Fitzgerald with a special plaque honoring his distinguished service, a keepsake designed by retired superintendent Philip O. Coakley.

Prescott School Principal Alan R. Wonson praised Fitzgerald’s “positive, friendly attitude towards the children” and shared an anecdote illustrating Fitzgerald’s willingness to go far beyond his daily job description. When a teacher’s car broke down on the way to school, barely rolling into the lot, she mentioned it to Fitzgerald in passing. By the end of the school day, expecting to have to arrange a tow, she found the car fully repaired—Fitzgerald had replaced a faulty radiator hose himself.

A Deeply Emotional Dedication

Parents and teachers wanted to ensure Fitzgerald’s retirement was unforgettable, leading to the evening’s most profound gesture: the official dedication of the Prescott School auditorium to the memory of the Fitzgeralds’ only son, John F. Fitzgerald.

A chief warrant officer with the Army Air Command, John was killed under combat conditions in Vietnam in April 1968, just weeks shy of his 21st birthday. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the South Vietnamese Medal for Gallantry—honors that are permanently inscribed on a memorial plaque hanging in the newly dedicated auditorium.

“It just floored us,” Joe Fitzgerald said of the surprise tribute. “These people have been so wonderful. We didn’t know anything about it. It’s a great honor.”

His wife, Sandra, echoed his sentiments: “It’s a wonderful feeling he’ll be remembered in the school here.” Reflecting on the profound sorrow of losing their son 14 years prior, Joe Fitzgerald spoke with peace and pride: “I figured this was a tribute to him, too.”

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger