Committed, dedicated, extraordinary, optimistic and visionary were the words others used Sunday to describe former Bates College Dean and Lewiston City Councilor James Carignan.

We will add a few adjectives of our own: determined, stubborn and emphatic about the many things he felt passionately about.

And yet, even when Carignan strongly disagreed with something or someone, he always did so after a thorough hearing, and with a wide smile and a tone of friendly respect.

Carignan, who spent his professional life trying to improve the lives of others in his adoptive city, died Sunday at 71 after battling heart and renal failure.

Although he had retired to Harpswell, Carignan will be remembered for his untiring work at Bates College and in the Lewiston-Auburn community.

If anyone had an excuse to become cynical or bitter, it was Carignan. He was shot in 1985, which ultimately led to two difficult heart transplants.

Instead of bitterness, Carignan emerged with his faith in human nature intact and with a sense that every day was precious and that life has to be lived to the fullest.

He served two terms on the Lewiston City Council, was a member of the State Board of Education, the Maine Learning Results Taskforce, and was chairman of the St. Mary’s Health Care System Board, among other ventures.

He was a good man who will be missed by all who knew him.

rrhoades@sunjournal.com

The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and editorial board.