Montana KaiminFriday, February 20th 1998 Professor dies while joking with students
Kim Skornogoski
Kaimin Reporter
Professor Philip Maloney, 57, died Thursday night of sudden heart complications at the Press Box Casino while telling jokes to students in his Russian conversation group.Maloney, a UM foreign languages and literature professor for 23 years, was pronounced dead at St. Patrick Hospital at 6:35 p.m.
Approximately six students had gathered for the weekly discussion group to converse in Russian with Maloney. A student who witnessed Maloney's death said he was laughing and joking about the Irish bobsled team when he suddenly keeled over and never regained consciousness.
Press Box employees called the fire department and the ambulance. EMTs tried to revive him before taking him to the hospital.
Maloney arrived at UM in 1975. He taught humanities and Russian literature and language classes. This semester he was teaching Introduction to Humanities, Elementary Russian Literature and Elementary Russian Language.
Gerald Fetz, chair of the foreign languages and literature department, worked with and was friends with Maloney and his family for the past 20 years. Fetz described him as a quick-witted character, who was popular with both colleagues and students.
"He always had a quip or a funny, caustic comment to make that cut through the bullshit," Fetz said.
Maloney made frequent visits to Russia and took students with him every other summer. Many stayed in touch with the professor. Because he dedicated so much of his time to his students and his love of the Russian language, Fetz said it wasn't surprising that Maloney died while conversing with his students.
Zach Dundas, who is minoring in Russian, said Maloney was exhibiting his Irish pride, cracking jokes in Russian about the Irish bobsled team when he fell over.
"He was always laughing," Dundas said. "He was a colorful man. I don't think anyone that knows him will forget him."
Maloney often opened his home as a cultural gathering place and was very active in campus cultural events.
Maloney served on the executive committee of the University Teachers' Union and was on the Faculty Senate sporadically during his tenure.
Maloney went to the University of Moscow in 1975 as part of an exchange of language teachers. He later attended the American Institute of Foreign Study in 1985 and was the resident dean at the Moscow Leningrad campus in 1988.
©1996 Montana Kaimin Click here to return to the Phil Maloney Memorial Web Site