Dr. Frank Garrity

Frank Garrity enrolled at St. Dunstan’s University in 1959 and played varsity football and basketball each year until he graduated in 1964. As an exceptional athlete ― passionate and interested in whichever game he was playing ― he was intent on being the very best he could be in each sport.

As a football player, he played both offence and defence, which meant he played all 60 minutes of the game. In 1962 he won the Evening Patriot MVP. A confident player and leader, he showed great leadership, and was a mentor to younger players. During his final year as a player, he became a coach.

In 1960 the football team won the B-Division final and in 1962 they moved up to the A- Conference. While many thought it was a bold move, the Saints proved to be strong contenders, gaining respect from every team in the League. The well-conditioned players under coach Ed Hilton played much better than the score boards indicated and were a constant threat to the League leaders.

Frank, a multi-sport athlete, played basketball ― also under head coach Ed Hilton ― and the success of the basketball team was tremendous. In 1962 they won the NB-PEI championship in the expanded Intercollegiate Basketball League, and were runners-up for the second year in a row in their bid for the Maritime Championship. Frank was a consistent double-digit scorer for the Saints.

Frank graduated in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy) and after that proceeded to get an MSc in Parasitology and a PhD in Microbiology from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. In 1971, Frank joined the faculty at Brown University School of Medicine in Providence, Rhode Island, becoming the Director of Clinical Microbiology at Rhode Island Hospital (Brown’s principal teaching hospital). In 1984, Frank obtained his medical doctorate degree from Brown University. For the past 15 years he has been a forensic pathologist in Providence, Rhode Island, and Demoines, Iowa.

Frank is married to Patricia Poirier from Miscouche, PEI, and they have four children and six grandchildren. He and Pat have a small property in Clinton, PEI.