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A longtime University of Maine public administration professor died on Jan. 8 as the result of injuries sustained in a car accident 11 days earlier.
James Horan, 70, was a passenger in the vehicle driven by his 73-year-old wife Sally. The accident occurred Dec. 28 on Route 2 in the western Maine town of Rumford.
According to Sgt. Daniel Garbarini, a detective with the Rumford Police Department, the couple’s 2004 Buick was traveling eastbound when a witness observed the vehicle drifting off the right side of the road. The car went down a slight embankment and traveled more than 400 feet before striking a pine tree.
The Jaws of Life were used to extract Horan from the vehicle, and he was taken from the scene to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston by life flight helicopter. His wife was transported by ambulance to Rumford Hospital and then to CMMC. She suffered a broken arm, broken ankle and cracked ribs and faces two more months of rehabilitation.
Garbarini said the accident is still under investigation but has shown no evidence of vehicle defect. He believes that Sally Horan may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Horan, a native of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., had been a UMaine professor since 1965, working in the political science department before transferring to the public administration department in 1997. He earned a Ph.D. in political science and international relations from the University of Connecticut.
In addition to his teaching duties, Horan served as university vice president for planning and public affairs, director of community relations, and associate to the president. Horan was also instrumental in the formation of the faculty and staff union in the mid-1970s.
Horan’s death came as a shock to many members of the UMaine community. In a statement, UMaine President Robert Kennedy said, “Jim was a real leader among our faculty and in our community. He leaves a wonderful legacy, having positively affected the lives of innumerable UMaine students and a great many colleagues. We will miss him.”
“He was a delight to be around. He was very sharp and very blunt. He’d do anything for you to help out if you came to him with a problem. As an individual he is irreplaceable,” said Thomas, Taylor, chairman of the department of public administration.
Taylor recalled how Horan enjoyed his tenure as union president. “Jim loved to negotiate, and he loved to be the deal maker,” said Taylor, noting how Horan fought to secure benefits for unmarried couples.
“If he was an advocate or defender, he’d take the shots that were coming. He had the moxie to take them or deflect them. He was a very good conflict manager.”
Horan was always willing to go out of his way to help his colleagues, according to Taylor. “He would meet with virtually anyone. He’d hold office hours and help anyone in any discipline in any college. Some of these things went well beyond union types of things. He did it because he was a good guy.”
Inside the classroom, Taylor described Horan as a caring teacher whose passion was teaching large, entry-level classes.
“He was an excellent teacher over the years, both in political science and public administration,” said Taylor. “Jim really cherished the courses he did in both departments. He loved the entry-level courses where he had students coming from different majors.”
Taylor said Horan hinted at retirement for the past few years, but his love of teaching always brought him back. “He talked about it during the year, but when it came around to fill out the paperwork he never did. He always changed his mind.”
Horan was an ardent supporter of the New York Yankees and enjoyed bantering with his colleagues who were Red Sox fans. Taylor remembered he was surprised about Horan’s reaction after the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004.
“We weren’t quite sure how he was going to react, but he came in and said, ‘I can be gracious. The Yankees have won 26 times, the Sox have won once over the past 50 years.’”
Outside the classroom, Horan was a familiar face in Orono town government. He served on the Orono Town Council from 1975-84, including seven years as mayor, and assisted the town in the transition from a selectmen form of government to a town council method.
Madeline Freeman, who served on the board with Horan from 1975-79, said Horan’s expertise was vital during that period.
“He was a very active member of the council. His political science and public administration background was very helpful,” she said. “He served in a period during which there was a lot of transition in the town. His teaching and his background was what the council needed.”
Funeral services were held on Jan. 13 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Orono.
