Faculty, Alumni, Staff and Family Honor the Life of Late Professor Emeritus

When Dr. Leslie Arthur Lewis passed away in April, York College promised to celebrate his life at the appropriate time and did so to great effect this week.

^{Faculty, friends, and family of the late Dr. Leslie Arthur Lewis gather in the faculty dining room to pay their respects and celebrate his life.}

Emceed by Dr. George White, interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, the October 16 event both poignant and joyful as president, alumni, former colleagues and one of his daughters spoke of Dr. Lewis in the way they knew him: parent, mentor and scholar, respectively.

“When Dr. [Jack] Schlein suggested that we gather to celebrate Dr. Lewis, it was yes,” said Dr. Claudia Schrader, interim president of York College. “It’s only been nine months for me, but I already know what a special place York is.  Special because of the students who call and have called York home, and extra special because of the faculty and staff who make it home.”

President Schrader added, “This is indeed a homecoming, a celebration of the life, work and impact of Dr Lewis.  From what I have learned about him, he was a teacher at heart, but his greatest lesson was that of the kind of legacy you can leave for others to celebrate and emulate. Clearly his greatest accomplishment, the lives that he impacted, were his family, his friends and his students. I didn’t know Dr. Lewis, and some others here didn’t either, but we now know him because of the footprint left at York, and for that we are honored.”

Amongst those honoring the Lewis legacy, were his former York colleagues, who doubled as his dear friends. They included Dr. Robert Parmet, Dr. Jack Schlein, the retired former pre-med advisor; to students such as Angelo Gousse MD, a renowned urologist and professor, who flew in from Florida for the day; and former Hempstead, Long Island Mayor Wayne Hall, a Laboratory Science Technology (Lab Tech) graduate, who enjoyed a successful career in that field before turning to politics.

To donate visit the Leslie A. Lewis-Jack Schlein Professorship in Natural Sciences, established in honor of two of York College's early Biology professors.

^{Interim York College President Claudia Schrader and Dr. Angelo Gousse ‘86 pause to reflect on the late Dr. Leslie Arthur Lewis, following a profound celebration program held in his honor.}