Dr. Leslie Lewis, Professor Emeritus and Inspiration to Many at York College, passed away at age 84

York College Interim President Claudia Schrader and the York College family mourn the passing of Dr. Leslie A. Lewis, professor emeritus. A stalwart biology professor at York College/CUNY for nearly 40 years, Dr. Lewis “died in his 84th year,” according to his family. 

Dr. Jack Schlein, a fellow biologist and friend who served as the department’s Pre-Med advisor for many years, recalled his friend’s importance to York and the Biology department. “Leslie Lewis was totally dedicated to his students in a manner that inspired me,” said Schlein. “He did as much to inspire underrepresented students to pursue careers in scientific research as possibly any other academic in the country. [But] his dedication to his academic career paled in comparison to his care and love for his wife, Pam. I will miss him.”

One such former student, Dr. Andrew G. Campbell ‘81, Professor Emeritus of Medical Science/Division of Biology & Medicine/MMI at Brown University, recalled his professor’s influence. “This is so, so sad,” said Dr. Campbell. “He was an inspiration, a role model, a mentor, and if I might say, a model Black man. He played an important role in the lives of so many, and I, in particular, am grateful for all he has given me. His guidance contributed much to my professional success.” 

Dr. Lewis’ retirement party, held in York’s Faculty Dining Room, brought out numerous former mentees from across the country to pay tribute to him. Amongst them was Dr. Angelo Gousse, who said Dr. Lewis was like a father to him following the death of his own father, a physician in Haiti, while he was a student at York. Gousse, a highly respected urologist and former full professor at the University of Miami, now practices in Miramar, Florida. He was valedictorian of York’s Class of 1986 and earned his medical degree at Yale University, where he graduated summa cum laude. “Dr Lewis played an integral part in my personal development,” said Dr. Gousse. “I give him most of the credit for my academic success. I [have] carried his teachings and work ethic with me for the rest of my life. I love him like my own father. I will miss him. May he rest in Peace.”

Another distinguished graduate of the Lewis lab at York was Deborah Persaud, MD, famous for her award-winning research in pediatric AIDS at Johns Hopkins University. She served as keynote speaker at York’s 2023 Commencement, where former mentors Lewis and Schlein were there to greet her.

Born and raised on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, where his mother was a teacher and his father an attorney, Leslie Arthur Lewis got his middle name from his uncle Sir Arthur Lewis (1915-1991), a Nobel Prize-winner in Economics and professor of Political Economy at Princeton University. 

According to his curriculum vitae, Dr. [Leslie] Lewis’ research focused on “mechanistic studies of transposition within the IS3 family of Insertion sequences. Specifically, he explored a novel model of DNA/Protein interaction that sheds light on the basis of two distinct complexes crucial for the unique transposition pathway observed in this group of transposable elements.”