Philip J. Faccenda Sr., retired general counsel and Trustee Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, died Wednesday (Jan. 11). He was 87.
“Phil’s contributions to Notre Dame have been critical: He played an important role in the late ’60s in the transfer of governance to a Board comprised both of lay persons and members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, served for a quarter century as the University’s General Counsel, and he was a confidante and adviser of three university presidents,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president. “We join with his family and friends in mourning the passing of a good man, and we are deeply grateful for his life. God rest his soul.”
A graduate of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Faccenda joined the Notre Dame administration in 1967 as a special assistant to University President Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., assisting with the transition from the Congregation of Holy Cross to a two-tiered, mixed board of lay and religious Trustees and Fellows.
Faccenda was appointed general counsel for the University in 1970 and to the Board of Trustees three years later. He also served as vice president for student affairs and on the faculty of Notre Dame Law School.
“Phil Faccenda was a jack of all trades in the life of Notre Dame – legal counsel, investment adviser, student affairs administrator, active alumnus and longtime Trustee and benefactor,” said Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., president emeritus of the University. “At the same time, he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and a generous participant in the life of his city, state and country. He will be deeply missed.”
Marianne Corr, the University’s current general counsel, added: “Phil was a wonderful man who was brilliant both as a lawyer and a business man, and he cared deeply about people and his community. He set the standard we aspire to maintain in the Office of General Counsel.”
Faccenda earned his law degree from Loyola University School of Law in 1957. He was a partner in a Chicago law firm and served as counsel with the law firm Barnes & Thornburg. He concentrated his practice in the business area, specializing in nonprofit organizations.
Faccenda was a member of the board and past president of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce, a trustee of Project Future of St. Joseph County, a board member at St. Mary’s College and the University of Portland and a member of the President’s Council of Loyola University. He was a chairman of the Indiana Educational Facilities Authority and president of Friends of the College Football Hall of Fame. He also served on the board of directors of several corporations.
A wake is scheduled from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Monday (Jan. 16) and a funeral Mass will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday (Jan.17), both at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame.