A memorial service for sociology professor Patrick McNamara, who taught at UNM for 27 years before retiring in 1998, will be held today at 10 a.m. at the Aquinas Newman Center.
McNamara died on Friday after a brief battle with brain cancer.
He was born in Merced, Calif., in 1929, and completed his bachelor's degree at Santa Clara University and his master's degree at St. Louis University. He then began study for the priesthood as a member of the California Order of the Society of Jesus. McNamara then pursued his doctorate in sociology at the University of California at Los Angeles, researching the relationship between the Mexican-American migrant worker community and the Catholic Church.
He left the Society of Jesus in 1968 and married Joan Vivian Foley. The couple moved to El Paso, where he taught sociology for two years at the University of Texas at El Paso.
McNamara then accepted a job in UNM's Sociology Department. He was chairman of the department and taught thousands of undergraduate and graduate students. McNamara was known for entertaining lectures on the history of sociology delivered in a French accent while dressed as Emile Durkheim.
He won teacher of the year award at the University in 1986. Throughout his career, he wrote several books and articles and won national awards for research on youth and the Catholic Church, the relationship between Catholicism and Mexican-Americans and trends in stewardship and giving in American churches.
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McNamara was a member of the American Sociological Association and the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. He also once was the president of the Association for the Study of Religion.
In his spare time, McNamara was an accomplished composer and musician, spoke five languages and won several bread-making awards at the New Mexico State Fair.
He is survived by his wife, Joan Foley McNamara, and daughters, Laura McNamara and Amy McNamara Furtado. He also is survived by his brothers, Stephen and Thomas McNamara, and numerous nieces, nephews, colleagues, friends and former students.
Following the service at the Aquinas Newman Center, 1818 Las Lomas Rd. N.E., McNamara will be buried at Sunset Memorial Park.
Staff Report
