Honoring Chad McArver
William "Chad" McArver
Sep 3, 1961 - Aug 6, 2025
William Chadwick McArver, ‘Chad’, 63, passed away Wednesday, August 6th, 2025 after a fearless 3-year battle with cancer. Chad confronted his illness with the same strength, resilience, and determination that had driven him to succeed in high-pressure situations throughout his career in theatrical productions.
It is difficult to capture the depth of this loss. Throughout his years at Fordham, Chad brought life, laughter, and—most fittingly—light to every space he entered, creating beauty and art in even the most unexpected places. Every fall for Fordham’s annual Crawl, he transformed Franny’s space with exuberant kitsch and rave-like dance light to welcome the students. For the holiday party each year, he spent an entire day remaking the mundane office suite of LL423 into a sparkling wonderland. Even in the hospital, he insisted on stringing lights in the corner of his room, delighting nurses and visitors alike. And beyond his artistry, it was Chad's own vivacious spirit and razor-sharp wit that truly illuminated every room he entered.
A brilliant artist, Chad’s work graced Broadway, Off-Broadway, international and regional stages, and our own Pope Auditorium. With an indomitable, irreverent and joyful spirit (and with that unmistakable Southern drawl), he fought fiercely for what mattered most—most often, his students. He loved teaching and took joy in revealing to them the magic and mystery of light, showing us all how to see the world anew. As he once shared in Inside Fordham profile:
“Above all, I want students to embrace the sense of wonder I remember when I first watched my grandmother combine blue and yellow finger paint to create green—something that can be done with lighting as well. I remember thinking, ‘What made that happen? How does this work?’ That kind of curiosity, I think, is what students need to really let loose. Don’t try to suppress that. Stay curious.”
That childlike wonder never left him. Along with his colleagues Elizabeth Margid and Matthew Maguire, Chad created the year-long Collaboration class—now a cornerstone of Fordham’s unique training.
His longtime friend and colleague, Associate Professor Elizabeth Margid, perhaps, said it best,
“It’s fitting that Chad became a lighting designer because he was a person so full of light—light, and warmth, and joy. A few years ago, he shared a dream he’d had about floating in space, playing with the planets and stars. That’s where I see him now, surrounded by light.”
As a way to honor his life and to gather the community that he loved so much, we will hold a celebration of Chad’ life at Fordham on Monday evening September 15th. In the meantime, we welcome you to share your memories and tributes to him. We will post on the Fordham Theatre website early this week. Please send these to theatre@fordham.edu.
Michael, Chad's brother, shared that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the theatre program—a cause Chad cherished deeply. He told me that Chad always held Fordham close to his heart. https://give.fordham.edu/campaigns/28164/donations/new?a=5516847
Notes of condolence may be sent to Michael at michael@mcarver.com
Chad's obituary can be found here which also has information about his memorial service which will be held on Sat Aug 23 at 1pm
https://www.jamesfuneralhomelkn.com/obituaries/william-mcarver