SUNY Old Westbury Remembers Former President Reverend Calvin Butts

OLD WESTBURY, NY — Prominent Harlem religious leader and President Emeritus at SUNY Old Westbury Calvin Butts died on Friday at age 73. Long Islanders and college officials remembered Butts' career, life and legacy at the school.

Butts was SUNY Old Westbury's longest-serving president, from 1999 until 2020, the school said in a statement after Butts death on Oct. 28.

“I was, and always will remain, impressed not only by his love for this institution and its people, but for his belief in the powerful role SUNY Old Westbury must play in providing access to a high-quality education and for its historic commitment to social justice,” Timothy Sams, current SUNY Old Westbury president, said.

The school's statement recounted Butts' accomplishments during his tenure at Old Westbury, including growing student admissions by 56 percent and the introducing graduate programs. Butts was also credited with maintaining the school's reputation for diversity, civic engagement and community involvement.

Butts led Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church as pastor and served as a political and religious leader for Black New Yorkers. Flags at city buildings were flown at half staff on Saturday to honor the influential New Yorker.

On Long Island, Butts was also involved in community groups, SUNY Old Westbury said. He was on the boards of The Long Island Association, the Boy Scouts of America-Theodore Roosevelt Council, The Long Island Housing Partnership, and the Community Development Corporation of Long Island.

“His was life lived in the service of others," Sams remembered.

"While his loss is saddening, I hope we can all use it also as a call to continue the life-changing work he did on so many important issues.”