as head of the library. Rather than his clerical attire, Healy wore a business suit, as he had done at CUNY. He donated most of his $150,000 salary to the Jesuits, retaining a small amount for his living expenses. He also forwent the ample apartment on the Upper East Side that the library provided for its president, preferring to live in a more modest one in Midtown also owned by the library; he often spent time at America House. In correspondence, he adopted the style "Dr. Healy", rather than "Fr. Healy". As president of the library, Healy frequented traveled to Washington to lobby for additional federal funding of libraries in general and of the New York Public Library in particular. During his tenure, he increased the library's endowment from $170 million to $220 million. Like at CUNY, he sought to improve the library's service of the poor. Therefore, one of his main focuses was on the improvement of the library system's local branches (rather than the grand Main Branch), which were plagued by crime and open drug use, and on improving poor children's access to them. He also put into place a five-year plan for expanding the library system, which included establishing a new research branch, the Science, Industry and Business Library. In addition to his role at the public library, Healy continued to teach at Georgetown for the rest of his life and was an avid Latinist, particularly interested in Virgil. He also remained fluent in French and Spanish from his studies in Europe. In 1983, he underwent open-heart surgery. On December 30, 1992, Healy suffered a heart attack in Newark Liberty International Airport while returning from a vacation in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was taken to Elizabeth General Medical Center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he was pronounced dead. His funeral was held at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan, and his body was returned to Georgetown, where he was buried in the Jesuit Community Cemetery. He was succeeded as president of the public library by Paul LeClerc. References Citations Sources Further reading 1923 births 1992 deaths Religious leaders from New York City 20th-century American Jesuits Regis High School (New York City) alumni Woodstock College alumni Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni Fordham University alumni Alumni of the University of Oxford City University of New York people Presidents of Georgetown University Presidents of the New York Public