WELLS — York County Community College has lost its “heart and soul.”
Dr. Charles Lyons, president of York County Community College, died Wednesday of cancer, according to a statement Wednesday from Dr. John Fitzsimmons, president of the Maine Community College System. Lyons was 68 years old.
Reached by phone Wednesday, YCCC Vice President and Academic Dean Paula Gagnon said Lyons was the “heart and soul” of the Wells campus. She said the college community was shocked and deferred further comment to Fitzsimmons.
In the statement, Fitzsimmons said Lyons was “a devoted husband and father who always put his family first. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loving wife, Barbara, and their children.”
Lyons had served as president of the college since being appointed in August 2006. He worked in higher education in various leadership positions for 22 years and served as a university and college president in Maine for 17 years, Fitzsimmons said.
“He was recognized as an advocate for students and a cheerleader for the importance of higher education in the lives of the people of Maine,” he said. “Today, a family lost a husband and a father, and the State of Maine lost a great leader. We will all miss the energy and joy he brought to anyone in his presence.”
Others had similar sentiments about Lyons.
Sanford Town Councilor Joseph Hanslip worked with Lyons as a trustee of the Maine Community College System Board of Trustees from 2007-11.
“One of the things that struck me about Charlie was the energy, enthusiasm and gusto that he brought to the table,” said Hanslip Wednesday. “He was a tireless cheerleader for YCCC and the community college system.
“He was in his 60s, but when he’d talk about YCCC, he had a glow, a bubbliness that you’d expect to see in an 18-year-old freshman.”
Hanslip said he last spoke with Lyons about three weeks ago, and though he knew Lyons was sick, he didn’t give any indication that his condition was worsening.
Hanslip noted that Lyons oversaw much growth at YCCC and the community college system, as well as its foundation. He reached out to municipal leaders for support and connected with the business community, too, he said.
During his tenure, Lyons oversaw the construction of a new nursing lab and culinary arts lab, creation of criminal justice and health information management degrees, increasing enrollment, and just last month, Lyons spoke animatedly about the integrated manufacturing program set to begin next summer.
“He loved it, he believed in it, he saw the positives that a community college education had in so many peoples’ lives,” said Hanslip. “He was just a great guy. It’s a huge loss for YCCC, for the community college system and for York County. I’ve lost a good friend.”
Geoff Titherington, president of Literacy Volunteers of Greater Sanford, said Wednesday he is saddened by Lyons’ death. He offered this memory of Lyons’ support of the LV program:
“At our Literacy annual meeting several years ago, Charlie attended as our guest. He sat near the back, taking in the many stories of courage and success told by our students and their tutors. At the end of the evening, as we thanked the crowd for attending, Charlie stood and asked if he could speak. ”¦ So we told him we were pleased to hear his comments.
“”˜Sitting here this evening, listening to the stories told by these brave people who have come to the Literacy Volunteers program to better themselves has really moved me,’ Lyons said. ”˜On behalf of York County Community College, I am going to offer a scholarship to one student who has moved through this program for a year’s tuition at YCCC.’”
The crowd erupted with applause for his gesture, Titherington said, and the scholarship has continued since.
“He was truly one of a kind,” said Titherington. “I will miss him greatly.”
Dr. Scott Knapp, president of Central Maine Community College in Auburn, was named interim president of YCCC on Aug. 20, after Lyons told the college system he would be taking some time off due to his illness, according to Karen Hamilton, spokesperson of the Maine Community College System.
Knapp will now split his time between CMCC and YCCC.
— City Editor Robyn Burnham can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 329 or rburnham@journaltribune.com. Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 322 or kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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