Dr. David Pettigrew, CSU Professor and chair of the Philosophy Department at Southern Connecticut State University, is leading a statewide effort to ensure the legacy of Varian Fry — a Connecticut resident and World War II hero — is never forgotten.
Pettigrew is collaborating with Connecticut lawmakers to designate October 15 — Fry’s birthday — as “Varian Fry Day.” The proposed observance would fall during the school year, creating an opportunity for educators across the state to teach students about Fry’s heroic actions and moral courage.
Fry, a journalist turned humanitarian, helped orchestrate the rescue of more than 1,500 Jews, artists, and intellectuals from Nazi-occupied France. Despite aiding luminaries such as painter Marc Chagall, writer Hannah Arendt, and artist Marcel Duchamp, Fry’s story remains little known — something Pettigrew is working to change.
Fry witnessed the violence in Germany firsthand and immediately committed himself to saving as many victims as possible, Pettigrew said in an interview with WTNH. “He later wrote in his book that he resolved at that moment to do anything he could to save even one life,” Pettigrew said.
“He uprooted his life and headed right toward the danger zone and put himself in the thick of it to save hundreds of people,” James Fry, Varian’s son, said. “So, I think, if that’s not worth honoring, then there’s not much that is, I guess.”
Student Keana Criscuolo, a first-year at Southern, first learned about Fry in Pettigrew’s Holocaust history class and later submitted testimony in support of the bill. “I thought it was very interesting how I’ve never heard of Varian Fry, being a Connecticut resident and going on this heroic mission, and we were just never taught about it.”
To read the full WTNH story, including the interview with Pettigrew, visit: WTNH.com – Get to know the Connecticut man who saved hundreds from the Holocaust
