In Memory
Ed Migdalski, founder of the Yale Fishing Club and a leading proponent of outdoor education and club sports at Yale and elsewhere, passed away on Friday, December 4th, 2009 at age 92. The Fishing Club owes a tremendous debt to Ed. Without him, we simply wouldn’t have the many opportunities he created to learn about and participate in the Great Outdoors as Yale students. Ed’s contributions, however, reach far beyond Yale. Below is Ed’s obituary, published in the New Haven Register. “Edward C. Migdalski of Hamden, Connecticut, passed quietly on Friday at age 92. Born in New Haven, he served in the Air Force in the Second World War, and was educated in the natural sciences at Yale and Cornell universities. In addition to founding the Club Sports program in the Yale Athletic Dept. and pioneering the concept of club sports nationally, Ed founded the Yale Outdoor Education Center in East Lyme. He was Yale’s Skeet & Trap team shooting coach and fishing club advisor for 30 years. Ed also worked for many years at the Peabody Museum, and was responsible for collecting many of the research and display specimens in the museum. Ed authored 10 books and approximately 100 magazine articles about the outdoors. His most recent book, Lure of the Wild, a collection of stories about his worldwide expeditions for the museum and the Bingham Oceanographic Laboratory, was published in 2006. In 2001, Yale recognized Ed’s lifelong contribution to the university by awarding him the Yale Medal, the highest honor presented by the Association of Yale Alumni. Ed was also the last surviving founder of the Hamden Rod & Gun Club and a member of the Explorer’s Club of New York.
You may make donations in Ed Migdalski’s memory to the Yale Outdoor Education Center, which will be used for renovations of the Yale Rod & Gun Clubhouse. Make check payable to “Yale University – Outdoor Education” and mail it to: Yale Outdoor Education Center, c/o Tom Migdalski, P.O. Box 208216, New Haven, CT 06520-8216. Or you may use Yale’s secure online donation system by clicking on “Donating” on this website.