Bob Lynch celebrates 47 years at Marist
In 1971, Bob Lynch stepped onto the Marist campus for the first time. This fall, Lynch returned for his 47th year affiliated with the school.
Throughout his tenure at Marist, Lynch has held a multitude of different positions. First and foremost, he was a student. Lynch lived in Champagnat Hall for four years, an unimaginable feat for current Red Foxes.
“I had the greatest teachers here,” he said. “My science teachers were absolutely incredible.”
In his senior year, he served as an Assistant RD in Champ, his first position of responsibility associated with the college.
Bob Lynch has been a large part of the Marist community for decades. Credit: Marist Archives
In his early years at Marist, Lynch recalls that the school wasn’t all that it is today. “We weren’t in the best shape,” he said. He remembers playing intramurals in the old gym, where Marian Hall stands today.
When he played basketball there, he knew where he could bounce the ball and where he could not, because of the inconsistent flooring. This December, the new $2 million McCann Arena will be completed, a far cry from what Lynch called a “need-based” gym.
Lynch also recalls having Culinary Institute of America students live in residence halls at Marist. While it may seem odd to some, Lynch had no problem with it for one reason: the food they brought back. “It was so great when they were on the dessert course. Blueberry pie, custard cream pie, lemon meringue, Boston cream – you name it, we had it. We would love that,” he said, chuckling.
While he was a student, Lynch saw how much of an impact the Marist Brothers had on the school. He would commonly see the Brothers doing construction on the college during the summer.
“The greatest story I ever heard was the procedure of taking these gigantic beams that you see in the chapel, and all the brothers would put their shoulders underneath it and bring it across Route 9,” he said. “The Marist Brothers here gave this institution a wonderful gift of what it meant to stay with a mission.”
Lynch urges students to be more knowledgeable about how important the Brothers are to the history of the college.
Lynch graduated with a degree in biology in 1975 with a class of about 300 other students. He immediately started teaching the sciences at St. Mary’s, a grammar school in Poughkeepsie. While teaching at St. Mary’s, Lynch also served as a freshman mentor at Marist.
Lynch noted that the freshman mentor program at Marist was one of the first of its kind in the nation. Today, we the program is known as “First Year Programs.” Lynch taught at St. Mary’s for eight years until returning to Marist full time. From there, Lynch took up many jobs on the path to his current position, director of Student Activities.
“I really don’t want to retire. But if I do retire, I want to make sure the shop is left in good shape.”
Lynch worked in the original McCann Arena, was the coordinator of intramurals and also helped out with summer camps with the youth of Dutchess County. Finally, in the 1980s, he joined Student Activities as the coordinator of activities and eventually worked his way up to director in the mid-90s.
“I really was attracted to this type of work,” he said. “Bringing in great talent, entertainment, lectures.”
In his two decades as the director of Student Activities, Lynch has brought in some huge names to the college for lectures and concerts. Marist has seen talents such as Busta Rhymes, Third Eye Blind, Sammy Adams, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Hunter Hayes and Train come for concerts.
In terms of lectures, Lynch has coordinated events with former presidential candidate George McGovern, host of “America’s Most Wanted” John Walsh, poet Maya Angelou as well as politician Ted Kennedy.
Lynch says that the “newness” of Marist has never gone away for him. “When a new class comes in, we get to recognize that newness and to help our kids make good decisions and to follow that path to success.”
This is what keeps Lynch coming back year in year out.
Retirement is in Lynch’s sights, although he is reluctant about it. “I really don’t want to retire,” he said. “But if I do retire, I want to make sure the shop is left in good shape.”