Fr. David Tyson, a Holy Cross priest who served as the president of Holy Cross College from 2017 to 2022, died on Saturday. He was 78.
Holy Cross President Marco Clark shared news of his death in a message on Saturday, but did not note the cause of death.
He earned a bachelor’s in sociology in 1970 and a master’s in theology in 1974, both from Notre Dame. He was ordained a Holy Cross Priest in 1975 and pursued a postgraduate degree in education from Indiana University in Bloomington.
Tyson worked in executive leadership at Notre Dame, serving as executive assistant to former University President Fr. Theodore Hesburgh as vice president for student affairs and within what is now the Mendoza College of Business.
He also served as President of the University of Portland in Oregon and as provincial superior for the United States Province of Priests and Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
University of Portland President Robert Kelly shared a reflection on Tyson on Saturday, noting that “his thirteen-year tenure on The Bluff will be remembered as among the most successful in UP’s history.”
The presidents of Holy Cross and Notre Dame shared high praise for Tyson.
“Drawing upon a lifetime of experience in higher education and Holy Cross leadership, he brought stability, vision, and renewed confidence to our community,” Clark’s message read. “I inherited not only an office, but a mission he had helped preserve, strengthen, and clarify during a pivotal chapter in our history.”
University President Fr. Robert Dowd said in the press release, “Father Dave devoted his life and ministry to advancing Catholic education and to serving the Congregation of Holy Cross. His example as a wise and generous leader, pastor, friend and mentor is an inspiration to all who knew him.”
Tyson served on Notre Dame’s Board of Fellows, the University’s highest governing body, from 1993 to 2012. He was also a Trustee Emeritus and became a Hesburgh Trustee in 2025.
“Trustees and Trustees Emeriti may be elected Hesburgh Trustees in recognition of their service to the University and to the Board. They will not attend meetings of the Board but from time to time they will be invited to attend official ceremonies of the University,” the bylaws read.
According to University bylaws, ratified by the Board of Fellows on Feb. 6, 2025, Trustee Emeriti attend regular meetings and participate at the discretion of the Chair of the Board, but do not have a vote.
Tyson was also a member of the Holy Cross Board of Trustees and the U.S. Air Force’s Air University Board of Visitors.
A wake is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on June 9 at Moreau Seminary and Scholasticate, followed by a livestreamed funeral mass at 9:30 a.m. on June 10 in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
