John McDonagh, director of facilities operations at Lincoln Center, said Higgins was a natural-born leader who possessed a broad, expansive knowledge of the construction trades that he eagerly shared with others. 

“He always took control of a situation—emergencies, anything. If you had an issue, you called him, and he’d get it taken care of,” he said. 

“The guy knew everything from carpentry and plumbing to electrical and welding. His skill set was unrivaled.”

Higgins was born on October 27, 1970, to Tom and Gail Higgins and grew up in the shadow of the Throgs Neck Bridge in the Bronx neighborhood of Silver Beach. He graduated from Monsignor Scanlan High School in Throgs Neck in 1988. 

He trained as a plumber and worked in maintenance and facilities positions for Maritime College and Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf. He came to Fordham in 2016 after two years working as a plumber mechanic for the Hicksville School District in Long Island.

Just three years later, he was honored with a Sursum Corda award at the University’s annual convocation. He was lauded as one of the most valued members of the Facilities Department “because of his energetic approach to sharing his skills and knowledge with his colleagues.”

“Over the past few years, Jimmy has been at the forefront of several significant and unforeseen plumbing incidents, and it was his problem-solving abilities that were instrumental in helping the department in resolving those events,” his citation read. 

Higgins met his wife, Christine, a teacher at Mill Neck Manor, while supervising the construction of a new building there. She said she was attracted to him because of his troubleshooting skills, his sense of humor, and his “honest, true love of kids and people.” 

“He was a quiet genius when it came to fixing and building anything imaginable,” she said. “He was always kind, always helpful, and went out of his way for others.”

True to his maritime roots, Christine said he enjoyed fishing and relaxing with friends and family on boats, as well as bow hunting. Colleagues might not know that he was also an avid reader, she said.

She said she’d always treasure their time trekking up to a cabin in knee-deep snow in Hancock, New York, listening to Irish music on Sundays on WFUV’s Ceol na nGael, and listening to John Denver.

“He was a mentor to so many people without realizing it,” she said.

McDonagh, who attended high school with Higgins’s older brother Tom, considered him a friend for the past 30 years. He said he will miss the daily morning meetings where they’d discuss how to tackle the pressing project of the day on campus.

“Jimmy was a person who I could walk through campus and bounce technical ideas off of him,” he said.

“In our field, it’s a very precious thing to be able to trust somebody and have these conversations. That is something I’ll miss more than anything. I looked forward to those sessions every day.”

Higgins is survived by his wife, Christine, his first wife Karen, his brother Tom, his sister Ellen, and his children James and Jamie.

A wake will be held on Thursday, Jan. 16, from 3 to 7 p.m. at  Schuyler Hill Funeral Home, 3535 E. Tremont Avenue in the Bronx. A funeral Mass will be held on Friday, Jan. 17, at 10 a.m. at St. Frances de Chantel Church, 90 Hollywood Avenue.

That’s the message of the University’s latest climate action plan annual report.

“As a University, we’re working toward a more sustainable world and doing the part that we can do here, both in the physical plant, as well as the academic realm and the relationships to the community,” said Marco Valera, vice president of administration, who issues the report annually as part of the University’s commitment to sustainability.

The latest report details not only strides that the department of facilities made in 2021—such as converting 90% of the lights in the Rose Hill Gym to LEDs—but also Fordham’s plans for the future and the efforts it has made since 2007, when the University joined the NYC Carbon Challenge and committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2017. Fordham extended that commitment in 2017 by pledging a 40% reduction by 2030; to date, Fordham has reduced its carbon emissions intensity by 31.77% and its energy consumption by 16.64% from its 2005 base-year levels.

“We think we’re in a good place; we’re getting closer to our 40% target to reduce those gases by 2030. We continue to roll out projects that will achieve that,” he said, noting that he’s working in conjunction with Fordham’s Center for Community Engaged Learning, which just issued the University’s Laudato Si’ action plan. That plan, he said, covers the broader sustainability efforts of the Fordham community, while his plan focuses primarily on the bricks-and-mortar realm.

Some facilities projects, such as the installation of 2,790 solar panels on the Rose Hill parking garage, are well known, but other less-obvious ones detailed in the report are no less important. In 2015, for instance, Fordham completed two strategic Light Emitting Diode (LED) re-lamping initiatives on the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, thus conserving 712,000 kilowatts of energy annually, and installed its first fuel cell powering the Walsh Family Library, with several more similar installations planned for the Rose Hill campus.

In addition to adding space to the University’s footprint, new structures on campus are being constructed to achieve—at a minimum—the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) new construction Silver rating. The Joseph M. McShane, S.J. Campus Center, which was dedicated in April, was designed to follow the energy efficiency standard known as passive house. It features triple-glazed windows; automatic lighting controls; LED lights; recycled materials; and heat recovery mechanical ventilation wheels, which reuse the building’s heat in cooler months. When the final phase of construction is complete, the center’s Marketplace dining space will also be fully renovated and will include a new food composting initiative which is expected to reduce green house emissions by 876,000 pounds each year.

When it comes to future projects, Valera said that he expects that work on a new solar canopy array generating nearly one megawatt of electricity at the Westchester campus parking lot will begin within a year. The University is also committed to connecting one or several buildings on the Rose Hill campus to geothermal power within the next five years. In the meantime, projects like the replacement of lights in the Rose Hill Gym with LEDs and installation of new fuel cell plants will continue.

The Facilities Department is also conducting audits of the University’s most energy-intensive buildings, such as the Walsh Family Library, to make sure all their systems are in tip-top shape.

“Over time, building systems can have equipment breakdowns that you just don’t see. So, we’ll do an energy study on each major building and then out of that will come small projects that can be done. It can be anything from replacing elevator motors with more efficient motors to replacing small boilers,” Valera said.

“It’s just like you would do for a house. If you were intending to live in it for 100 years, you would want to go geothermal, you would want to get solar panels on the roof, and you might think about reinsulating your attic and exteriors a little better.”

Valera said the spike in energy costs triggered by the war in Ukraine has made the University’s past investments in energy efficiency even more fruitful. At Fordham’s London campus, the price of natural gas shot up 500%, while in the United States, the cost of electricity has risen 40%. At that rate, it becomes much more economical to pay the upfront costs of expensive equipment upgrades.

“We have a rule of thumb that we try to do projects that have a five-or-less-year return on investment first. It’s probably half that now,” he said. 

“We’re getting a huge increase in utility costs, and so that’s going to drive up the energy savings from replacing legacy equipment that’s inefficient.” 

“Patrick was a young man, and he was full of promise,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, in a statement emailed to the University. “He was a selfless, reliable member of the behind-the-scenes team that keeps the University running and enables the work of Jesuit education to continue, day by day.”

Howe started working at Fordham as a refrigeration engineer in 2014. He was responsible for installing and repairing heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems at the Lincoln Center campus. But his knowledge of the facilities at Fordham extended beyond his usual job capacities, said his manager, Jedd Applebaum, chief engineer and associate director of facilities operations. Howe was a “jack of all trades” who could run any piece of equipment or building, said Applebaum, and one of the best engineers at Fordham. 

“When I knew he was [here], it made my life 10 times easier. If I had something going on, even my boss would say, ‘Is Pat going to be there?’” Applebaum said. “The first person we would grab was Pat.”

Howe went above and beyond his responsibilities, said Applebaum. 

“He was already an established engineer, but he was going to the next level of trying to learn the programming of our building management system, which is completely another step. He took advantage of online courses [outside of Fordham]  to learn the actual programming,” Applebaum said, noting that he wanted to be able to move up at Fordham.

Howe was not only a hard worker but also a selfless colleague, said Applebaum. During the Christmas season, he signed up for work shifts so that his colleagues with children at home could spend the holidays together, said Applebaum. He was also a smart and confident engineer who taught new employees, but never put on any airs, said Applebaum. And during the height of the pandemic, he always came into work.   

“Fordham lost someone who would be here until he retired. He loved this University,” Applebaum said. “I have a 12-year-old, and I hope he grows up like him.”

Howe was born on September 28, 1981, in Valley Stream, New York. He was raised by his parents, Patrick Howe Sr., a senior service technician who worked for a boiler control company, and Donna Howe, a retired bookkeeper, alongside his younger sister, Mary Levin. As a child, Howe was inquisitive, honest, kind, and funny, said his sister. He loved skateboarding so much that when he accidentally broke his wrist while skating, he continued to skate—and coincidentally broke his other wrist just two weeks later, said his father. 

Howe was not a big fan of school, said his mother. The only book he loved was Fight Club, a 1996 novel that was later turned into an American film, she said. (His favorite quote from Fight Club was “The things you own end up owning you,” she added.) But he was still a curious child who wanted to know everything about the world. 

“He was relentless with his questions. He would ask, ‘Why does it rain?’” his mother recalled. “Everything that he was interested in, he took to the nth degree.” 

Howe matured into a devoted son, brother, uncle, and friend who loved to be surrounded by people, said his family. His two nephews loved to wrestle with him and jump on a trampoline together, and they jokingly called him “Uncle Poopypants,” said his sister. 

His sense of humor translated to every part of his life, said his family. He was an excellent mimic who could retell stories with flawless facial expressions, and he had the ability to make people laugh, said his mother and sister. 

As an adult, he took pride in personal fitness and his tattoos, including a large koi fish on his arm. Howe was also a film buff who loved “dark” and “action-oriented” movies, including the Godfather series and Marvel and DC Universe films, said his family. He recently said that if he hadn’t become an engineer, he would’ve been a movie critic, his mother recalled. “He knew the director, he knew the way it was filmed, he knew what the ambiance was, what they were trying to say,” she said. “He was a lot deeper than most people realized.” 

Howe earned his associate’s degree in liberal arts and sciences and liberal studies from Nassau Community College in 2005. He graduated from the Turner Technical School in 2007, where he became certified in working as a refrigerating system operating engineer. 

Before he joined Fordham, he held several jobs, including a licensed maintainer at the New York Public Library, where he maintained the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. 

“He stayed there for a number of years, and then he went to Fordham, which he absolutely loved. His job was very important to him,” said his mother, adding that he treasured the friendships he made there. 

“He got along with everybody,” his sister said. “He didn’t see skin color or race or ethnicity or religion. He just saw people for people, and he loved everyone—and everyone loved him.” 

Howe is survived by his mother, Donna Howe; father, Patrick Howe Sr.; younger sister, Mary Levin and her partner, David Levin; and two nephews, Dylan and Brayden. A wake will be held on Friday, April 15, at the Lieber Funeral Home located at 266 N. Central Ave., Valley Stream, New York, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.

—Chris Gosier contributed reporting. 

“We know that 2020 has brought unprecedented challenges—but you have shown that your commitment to trees is unwavering,” Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation, wrote in a recent letter to the University. “Now more than ever, thank you for contributing to a healthier planet for all of us.” 

Fordham is among approximately 400 colleges and universities recognized for their commitment to trees in 2019 by Tree Campus Higher Education, a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation. Formerly known as Tree Campus USA, the program honors schools that meet five core standards: establishment of a tree advisory committee, creation of a campus tree-care plan, annual funding for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and sponsorship of student service learning projects. Fordham has participated in the program since 2015. 

The University is home to hundreds of trees, including one of the oldest American elm trees in New York City. For more than 270 years, the tree has towered over Cunniffe House at the Rose Hill campus. It lost a large limb after Tropical Storm Isaias swept across the East Coast, but the tree should heal normally, said Marco Valera, vice president for administration. The damaged limb was properly cut back, and the tree will be monitored more frequently. 

“You often think of coming to Fordham at Lincoln Center as an urban experience, and this gives you something of an agricultural experience in addition to the benefits of being in an urban environment,” said Leslie Timoney, associate director of campus operations at Fordham College at Lincoln Center. 

For almost a decade, the garden—a small plot with three wooden plant beds—had lived in a sequestered, sunny spot bordering the 60th Street side of the plaza, above McMahon Hall. It grew out of a sustainability project developed by the Lincoln Center student environmental club, known formally as the Fordham College and the Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center Environmental Club. 

Last April, the garden underwent a dramatic renovation. The environmental club e-board, with the help of facilities staff, doubled the original number of plant beds—each bed being roughly eight feet long, two feet wide, and 18 inches deep—and expanded the garden’s breadth of crops. 

“In the years prior to the renovations, there were a few short wooden beds for use, but with these new tall raised beds, they allow for more growing space and they add a more visually appealing factor to the garden,” explained Brittney Yue, president of the Lincoln Center environmental club. 

Inside the beds are roughly a dozen different plant strains. There are clusters of familiar crops—tomatoes, lettuce, garlic—among more unusual choices, like black beauty eggplants and pumpkins. The tomatoes are starting to ripen in the summertime heat, but it won’t be until early October that the pumpkin vines bear fruit. 

“We’ve never really had any sort of bountiful harvest until this renovation started,” said Yue. “This is the first time we’ve ever had a legit garden [at Lincoln Center].”

St. Rose’s Garden—a bigger version of the Lincoln Center garden—exists on the Rose Hill campus. Since 2012, members of the campus community have grown crops like collards, cabbage, and kale in the garden space behind Faculty Memorial Hall. 

Like its sister in the Bronx, the Lincoln Center garden gives much of its harvest to those who care for it, including student volunteers. Though anyone on campus is welcome to take a tomato here and there, said Yue, she hopes to increase community engagement with the garden. One possible plan is a campus-wide pumpkin carving event, given that the gourds grow to full size. Another idea is more academic. 

“One idea that our old [club]president had was to incorporate the garden into some classes,” said Yue, a senior psychology student at Fordham College at Lincoln Center. “If there’s any bio classes who do plant stuff or horticulture, we would love for them to be able to come out here and learn about the plants.” 

It’s something that, in a way, she already does. On a sunny July afternoon, Yue tended to the plants, particularly the tomatoes that had just begun to turn red. 

“That’s the great thing about fresh-grown gardens,” said Yue, smiling while washing a freshly picked cherry tomato with a nearby hose. “You can pluck them right off the vine.”

“He liked to work, work, work,” said his wife of 14 years, Kira Miller-Claytor. “He liked to work, no matter what job he was doing. He enjoyed it. The only time he would relax was vacation.”

Indeed, Claytor was known around Lincoln Center for his love of overtime, even going so far as to compete with colleagues to snag available shifts before someone else grabbed them, said Donna Vernicek, who supervised the night shift.

“We would always joke that his check was so heavy that we’d all have to carry it out for him,” Vernicek said with a laugh.

Vernicek said that Claytor’s enthusiasm was infectious for the entire crew; he lifted moral with the smile he wore nearly every day. He began at Fordham in 2016 after spending more than 20 years working nearby at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT).

“Derrick was always positive and he brought that out in everyone, nothing ever bothered him, he always put himself second, and whatever needed to be done he lent a hand,” she said. “Fordham was lucky to have him and I was grateful to work with him.”

Jennifer McCulloch, director of events and strategic partnerships at NYIT, said the NYIT team will also remember him for his hard work and his smile. He often spent long nighttime hours alone on their campus and even when he didn’t see colleagues from the daytime shift, he’d leave behind notes that included a smiley face.

“He was always very jovial and always he took a lot of pride in doing his job the best he could,” said McCulloch.

Vernicek said that whenever she had a new employee she sent them to be trained by Claytor. It’s an experience that Brian McCarthy recalls having when he worked at NYIT, before he and Claytor moved on to Fordham.

“He would always look out for the other guys and teach you the way to work smarter, not harder, because you’re in it for the long haul,” recalled McCarthy.

McCarthy said that Claytor kept his emotions in check and “played everything close to the vest,” except when it came to his family—and his 13-year-old son Derrick junior in particular. He had known his wife Kira for six years before they married and helped raise his stepson, Ricardo Nelson. But in Derrick junior he found a traveling partner. The two would travel the world together, from Egypt to Dubai.

“It was all about his son and his wife; they went on a lot of cruises. He was always dreaming for the next vacation because he worked so hard,” said McCarthy, noting frequent trips to the South to visit family he had there as well.

Born and bred in Brooklyn, Claytor was raised by his mother and stepfather. Each summer, he and his sister Kim Cummings-Reed were sent to stay with his maternal grandparents in West Virginia. He would later go on to attend high school in Albany, Georgia, and develop a love for football and the New York Giants. He eventually returned to Brooklyn and began his career.

After his NYIT night shift McCarthy recalled that Claytor would go back to Brooklyn to take Derrick junior to school, go home and rest, wake up, then go to pick his son up from school and spend a bit of time with him before reporting for the next shift.

“He would live at work if he could,” said McCarthy. “He was very loyal and it rubbed off on everyone else. It made you work harder. He was a presence, a great leader, a motivator.”