Lewis George John died suddenly on Nov. 6, 2017 at Kendal at Lexington.

Lew was born in Waco, Texas, on Nov. 25, 1936, and grew up in Olean, N.Y., but Lexington was really home.

He held a bachelor of arts in economics from Washington and Lee University (1958), was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Edinburgh (1958-59), earned a master of public administration from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University (1961) and a doctorate from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University (1973).

An ROTC graduate, Lew served in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1963, commanding the Nike Hercules Battery in Edgemont, Pa., protecting Philadelphia from enemy attack.

Lew returned to W&L in 1963 as assistant dean of students and director of financial aid. He served as dean of students from 1969-1990 when he turned to full-time teaching, focusing on American government and public administration and British politics.

He was a member of many professional and honor societies including Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa. He was a member of the Delta Upsilon social fraternity.

He was a member of the Lexington Presbyterian Church. He served on the Lexington School Board, on the Joint Committee for Control of Lexington High School, on the Rockbridge Area Drug Council and on the Planning District Drug Abuse Council and helped organize the original Lexington Lacrosse Club.

The Tuesday evening informal seminar on applied probability has lost a devoted member of 37 years.

Lew is survived by his wife of 56 years, Annette Church John; sons, Andrew and his wife, Amy of Baltimore, Md., and their children Kathryn and Michael and Christopher and his wife, Jill of Bucks County, Pa., and their children Jordan, Alexander and Kendall.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m. in Lee Chapel on the Washington and Lee University campus, followed by a celebration of his life at Washington and Lee’s Evans Hall.

The Washington and Lee undergraduate Class of 1958 established the Class of 1958 Lew and Annette John Honor Scholarship to provide scholarship support for eligible undergraduate students.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts to this fund in memory of Lewis John may be mailed to: Washington and Lee University, University Development, 204 W. Washington St., Lexington VA 24450.

Arrangements are by Harrison Funeral Home & Crematory.