USA > New York > Genesee County > History of the Genesee country (western New York) comprising the counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates, Volume III > Part 4
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Thomas C. Forrester, superintendent of the Western New York Institution for Deaf Mutes: "Mr. Lyon's death is a great blow to everyone connected with the school. Mr. and Mrs. Lyon have been like father and mother to all the children here. Mr. Lyon had devoted much of an active life to the welfare of our institution, its children and its teachers and would readily lay aside other business. no matter how important, if he thought by so doing he could contribute anything to the happiness and well-being of the children. We all loved him more than words can tell, and we shall miss his kindly smile, his hearty handclasp, his warm friendship and his deep interest in all that we are doing. His going will make Mrs. Lyon doubly dear to us."
James S. Havens of No. 1370 East avenue, friend and neighbor: "Mr. Lyon was a good neighbor and a true friend. He lived nearly all his life in the house in which he died. and above all else he was fond of his home. He was always generous in his hospitality and he shared a remarkably beautiful home life with his neighbors. His sudden death has been a great shock to all of us and a distinct loss to the entire community."
Rev. Frank M. Weston, pastor of Brighton Presbyterian church: "Mr. Lyon was a unique man: Kindly, thoughtful, helpful. good. He was every inch a man. a true and loyal friend, a great democrat and public servant. He was identified with and active in Brighton Presbyterian church from his earliest childhood, beginning as a little boy in the Sunday school. He was always in the church and served there throughout his whole life."
At the funeral services the Rev. Mr. Weston said: "For thirteen years and a fraction it has been my high privilege to be Mr. Lyon's nastor. I can tell to a dav because I remember he was at Brighton church the first Sunday of mv ministrv. He was in that church sixty-five years. When he came first he was carried in bv his parents. Sixty-five years old and he never left it! First he was there as a learner and later as a worshiper. There needed to be no special days for him to be at service. When he was in town we always knew that Edmund Lyon and his family would be in church. On the coldest day of the past winter-January 18, 1920, and this was typical of him-when a corporal's guard would have been a good audience. he was there and brought a friend with him. He brought a beautiful basket of flowers, wrapped up in a blanket that they might not freeze. It was not too cold for him to come, and he was going to make sure that something beautiful was in the house of God. For years he was one of the church's most valuable members. He was big enough and brainy enough to have served as director of a college, and still he was big enough and good enough and generous enough to serve on any committee in our church. Some time a monument will mark his last resting place in Riverside. but a greater monument is the stone church of the Brighton Presbyterian church parish. He gave sixty-five years of service to the God he loved."
Dr. Rhees also, saying that he was "one of that wide circle of Mr. Lyon's friends", continued: "In the presence of this great mystery more than ever we are
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sure that the triumph of immortality is a necessity. The material things which we see about us here are an expression more of our friend's spirit than of his worldly possessions. There are friends of Mr. Lyon who are not here today. If they were they could not hear what has been said. They are the persons who by infirmity were handicapped, and to these Mr. Lyon's heart went out. Not in the spirit of sacrifice, but with the zest of joy he has provided the opportunities for them to be better equipped on life's way."
At a special meeting held Tuesday, April 27, 1920, the following resolutions were passed by the board of trustees of the Rochester Dental Dispensary: "The trustees of the Rochester Dental Dispensary record with deep regret the death of their esteemed and well-beloved member, Edmund Lyon. It is difficult at this time to express adequately our appreciation of the splendid qualities of mind and heart of this broad-minded, sympathetic and generous friend. Those who were associated with him in the many business enterprises in which he was engaged understand to the fullest extent his keen foresight, wonderful ability and power to grasp the many intricate problems that were brought to him for solution. To the interest, energy and enthusiasm which he displayed in the various undertakings with which he was connected was due the success which crowned his efforts. Without regard to his per- sonal comfort he gave unstintedly the best that he had in him for the benefit of the various and many enterprises in which he was engaged. Without doubt his most lasting and enduring monument will be the recognition of his splendid services and large and generous-hearted sympathy in improving the conditions of the less fortunate not only in this but in other communities. His large and generous contributions to the many philanthropies in which he was interested were made in a most modest and unostentatious manner. His satisfaction was in the knowledge that he was doing good and contributing to the comfort and happiness of humanity. He early evinced a great interest in this institution, which he served as a trustee and vice president, and since its establishment has contributed greatly to its success. He exemplified in the fullest sense the characteristics which belong to a true gentleman and loyal friend. It is with most profound sorrow that we enter in the minutes of the trustees of the Rochester Dental Dispensary this testimonial of appreciation and regard."
At a meeting of the board of directors of the North East Electric Company, April 26, 1920, the following resolution was adopted in memory of the recent death of their managing director: "In the death of our associate, Edmund Lyon, we have suffered an irreparable loss. The longer we knew him the more we were impressed with the many-sidedness of his character. The keenness of his mind made easy the solution of intricate problems. His long look ahead made for broadness in his deci- sions. His sense of absolute justice and fair play made his negotiations satisfactory to all concerned. For all of these things he had our respect and admiration. But there were other things in his character for which we loved him. His kindly consider- ation in his relations with others, his cheery greetings, his many quiet acts of kind- ness, the timely letter, the flowers, the word of sympathy all were a part of his daily life and revealed the generosity and tenderness of his nature. And now he is gone and we miss his presence and his counsel, and yet he is not gone; he is with us still, for 'his works do follow him'. We extend to his wife and family our deepest sympathy, and may the heritage left them in the memory of his noble life be their comfort through all their days."
At a special meeting held April 28. 1920. the following resolution was adopted by the board of directors of the Lincoln National Bank, of which Mr. Lyon was a member: "Again we are met to record our sorrow at the death of an associate. But a short time since Edmund Lyon sat with us. Today his place is forever vacant and the vacancy is large and grievous. but the memory of his many noble characteristics, his kindly ways, his loyalty to his friends and his charity for all will remain with us always. His sympathies were wide, his charities many. To all he extended a helping hand. In case of necessity he was quick to respond and always in a most liberal way. To those more intimate with him, he was a charming companion. always thoughtful and kind, a true man in every sense of the word. His sincerity, his sim- plicity, his inflexible honesty of both thought and deed were sure and unfaltering. We shall miss him from our council room and shall grieve because of the loss of his companionship. The community has lost a good man. To his family we extend our heartfelt sympathy in their great affliction."
At a meeting of the faculty of the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute the following resolutions on the death of Edmund Lyon, for some years a member of the executive committee of the board of directors. were adopted: "We, the mem- bers of the faculty of the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute, express our
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most sincere regret at the death of Edmund Lyon. A teacher himself in his early days, he came in closer contact with the teachers and students than almost any other member of the board of directors. It was no unusual occurrence to have Mr. Lyon drop into a class during a class exercise. His visits were always a source of inspiration to teachers and students alike. Endowed with an eternally youthful spirit and loving sympathy with all phases of student life, he took an active interest in the work of the institute and its plans for future development. He was a dreamer of practical dreams, a man of keen and farsighted vision who could see in the tomorrow the reward of the labors of today. His counsel was characterized by his strength and wisdom; his watchword was 'Service', his aim the uplift of humanity."
Alvin E. Pope, superintendent of the New Jersey School for the Deaf, Trenton, New Jersey: "In the death of Mr. Lyon both the deaf and the teachers of the deaf have lost a strong friend. He was always aggressive and progressive. His wise counsel and his strong leadership will be missed."
Miss Mary McCowen, the pioneer teacher of deaf children in Chicago: "Although I could claim only a casual acquaintance with Mr. Lyon, he always impressed me as a man of sterling worth, a rare combination of power and modesty. In presence so genial, in conversation so cheerful and kindly, always ready for an appropriate story or a fine bit of repartee that made his presence in any gathering a source of pleasure to all. The American Association to Promote the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf can ill afford to lose Mr. Lyon. The world has all too few of his kind."
Miss Sarah Fuller, principal emeritus of the Horace Mann School in Boston and now pioneer of pioneers among oral teachers: "I gladly offer a word of love and admiration for a man in whom there seemed 'no guile'. His tender, solicitous care for his mother in the early days of my acquaintance with him was beautiful and I have remembered it with pleasure. We of the Association have suffered a great loss. Of all the admirable qualities of mind and heart possessed by Mr. Lyon, that by which I think he will be longest remembered was the natural, irresistible charm of his greeting that carried cheer and brightness to all whom he met. It revealed the man."
Dr. Harris Taylor, principal of the Lexington Avenue School for the Deaf in New York city: "I was greatly shocked to learn of the sudden death of our beloved president, Edmund Lyon. During all of the years I had known him, he was the per- sonification of physical and mental vigor. Mr. Lyon was a man of exceptional ability and versatility. I never knew a man who could do so many different things and do them well, a man who was successful in so many lines of activity. His interest in the deaf appealed to me very strongly. As a trustee of the school at Rochester, as a director in the American Association, as president of this organization and in other capacities his interest was always active and potent. Aside from a long and intimate professional association with Mr. Lyon, I was fortunate in having him as a personal friend. Common interest in the deaf has brought into close relationship many of the kindest and noblest men and women of our age. The death of anyone of these leaves a gap that is never filled. The world moves on and work must be done; but no good man or woman is ever fully replaced. Mr. Lyon's work and influ- ence will not be lost."
Dr. A. L. E. Crouter, principal of the Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf at Mount Airy: "Mr. Lyon was by profession a lawyer, but early in life became a scientific business man, amassing a very considerable fortune. Through the influence of his lifelong friend, Dr. Z. F. Westervelt, he early became interested in the educa- tion of the deaf, and invented and developed the Lyon Phonetic Alphabet, now ex- tensively used in the Rochester and other schools. Shortly after its founding he took an active interest in the American Association to promote speech teaching, an interest which he maintained with constantly growing devotion until the day of his death, becoming its president January 1, 1915. Mr. Lyon was a gentleman in all that he said and did; to know him was to admire and love him. He was generous, kind and charitable, and was actively associated with numerous humanitarian movements in Rochester. He was an active church worker and did much toward fostering all liberal activities in the Presbyterian church, of which he was a devoted member. In his death the deaf of the whole country have suffered an almost irreparable loss, and charitable and social organizations are bereft of a generous and loyal supporter."
T. C. Forrester, superintendent of the Western New York Institute for Deaf Mutes: "The death of Mr. Lyon is a great loss to the school and to the city of Rochester. Few schools for the deaf have had presidents who were as zealous in working for the interests of those committed to their care. Few have known to the extent that he did their peculiar difficulties; none could better appreciate their tri- umphs; none were ever more sympathetic and kindly and ready to help. The Lyon
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home was at all times open to those who were working for the welfare of the deaf; and the deaf well know what a friend and benefactor they have lost. The 4th of June was a memorable day in the history of the Rochester school, for this was Mr. Lyon's birthday, and never one passed when he with his family was not found spending it there, making everyone the happier at the evening supper and party by the abundance of the good things he himself provided. But he was the happiest of them all, for our children were his peculiar care; and because they knew it, their hearts went out to him. His home life in Rochester was as sweet and fragrant as the breath of our beautiful spring flowers. Edmund Lyon stood for something. He was heart and soul with everything that had for its object the real uplift and betterment of the human race; and in Rochester especially, by associating himself with all that had to do with the highest good of the community, he greatly helped to make Rochester in reality as in name 'The Flower City'."
John B. Calvert, D. D., New York city: "The news on April 24th of the sudden death of Edmund Lyon, my friend since college days, came to me with the force of a shock. On his way from his winter home at Clearwater, Florida, he had called to see me in New York. He was full of the delightful and restful outing he had had and said that he never felt better in health and that he was returning to Rochester that night, eager to be in the thick of things again. Within a short week the wires brought the message that he was very ill, followed a few hours later by a message that he had gone. We hastened to the stricken home and the gloom and depression of the great sorrow are with us still. The sudden taking off of one of Edmund's capacity and manifold activities revealed as by a flashlight, in one complete picture, what long years of unwearying usefulness and helpfulness he had lived, how broadly and sympathetically he had touched his fellowmen and how universally he was es- teemed as a noble, high-minded, public-spirited citizen. A native of Rochester, he had received his preparatory training in Hale's Private School for Boys and was graduated from the University of Rochester with the class of 1877. He was a Phi Beta Kappa man. He studied law in New York, receiving his degree of LL. B. from Columbia in 1880. He returned to Rochester, and from that day, quietly and un- ostentatiously, he had gone in and out among the people, interesting himself in what would promote the highest welfare of the city, discharging with great fidelity the duty nearest at hand and voluntarily giving time, thought and means to the opening up of a new world to those whose inability to hear or speak sorely handicapped them in the battle of life. In his early professional career he devoted much effort to promoting the teaching of deaf mutes. He was as regular and faithful in his duties as teacher at the Institute for the Deaf as if he had been one of the faculty. In that period he compiled a textbook, 'The Lyon Phonetic Manual,' of which Alexander Graham Bell said: 'It marks an epoch in the history of articulation teaching in America.' Among the teachers in the Institution Edmund found his noble wife, a woman of rare loveliness and thoughtfulness and of attainments of a high order. Later he was chosen president of this Western New York Institution for Deaf Mutes, in which capacity he proved to be a wise counselor and efficient leader. His interest in the development of this Institution led him into wider fields of philanthropic endeavor. He was made president of the American Association to Promote the Teach- ing of Speech to the Deaf. In 1895 and 1896 he served as secretary to the state board of charities. He was vice president and trustee of the Rochester Dental Dispensary, acting president of the Rochester Friendly Home and the Infants Summer Hospital and member of the board of managers of the New York State Industrial and Agri- cultural School. He set a high value on education and was active in promoting it. He believed young men should be trained for their life work and gave substantial encouragement to those who had to make their way through college. In 1911 he was elected a member of the board of trustees of the University of Rochester. He ren- dered valuable service on the executive committee and contributed liberally toward the endowment. He was also trustee and treasurer of the Mechanics Institute, a notable institution in Rochester for promoting technical education. In the business world Edmund occupied no inconspicuous place. He was trustee and vice president of the Lincoln National Bank and a large stockholder in the Eastman and other well- established corporations. For the past seven or eight years he had been managing director of the North East Electric Company, whose rapid rise to the forefront under his supervising and organizing direction proved almost phenomenal. To few men of such varied interests and overtaxing responsibilities did the church signify as much as it did to Mr. Lyon. The whole of his life of sixtv-five years may be said to have been spent under the influence and in intimate fellowship with the church. As an infant his mother carried him to the Brighton Presbyterian church, and as he
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grew to maturity he became active in the Sunday school, a valuable member of the choir and for many years served as trustee. The new church edifice was made possible largely by his generosity. He was not a 'fair weather' Christian. If the day was stormy he felt it all the more incumbent upon himself to be in his pew or in the choir, often taking a friend to church with him. He sustained close sympathetic rela- tions with his pastor and gave him loyal support. He had an alert, inventive, inquir- ing mind, broad and tender sympathies, great persistence and remarkable poise. He was the soul of honor. His ready wit and his cheerful, optimistic nature made him the life of every circle. He had a remarkable way of turning perplexing questions and difficult situations into easy and possible solution by a joke or a hearty laugh. Thor- oughly democratic, he was always ready to help and was unusually considerate and kindly. He was a true and steadfast friend. He had countless friends because he knew how to show himself friendly. For the long period of forty-seven years our friendship remained unbroken. He was often a guest in our home, as we were in his. The pleasures of commencement week were greatly enhanced by the hospitality of his beautiful home. His family life was exceptionally Christian and his care and constant thoughtfulness of his dear wife very marked. His devotion to his only sister, Mrs. William W. Chapin, and her husband and family was as rare as it was beautiful. The affection between brother and sister made the relation of the two households like one big family. Our thought of him today is expressed in a paraphrase of James Whitcomb Riley's poem, 'Away':
"'I cannot say, I will not say, That Edmund is dead. He is just away. With a cheery smile and a wave of the hand He has wandered into an unknown land, And left us dreaming how very fair It needs must be since he lingers there.
"'And you, O you, who the wildest yearn For the old-time step and the glad return, Think of his faring on as dear In the love of There as the love of Here; Think of him still as the same, I say; He is not dead, he is just away.'"
Anetta T. Mills, School for the Deaf, Chefoo, China: "I first met Mr. Lyon when I was at home on a furlough in 1894. At that time our work for the Chinese deaf was in its embryonic stage. I was seeking to introduce the best in China and I did not want to teach signs, while using the ordinary finger alphabet was unsatisfactory, as it required the Romanization of the Chinese characters, the spelling of which was not settled, and there were sounds not represented by the letters. It was Miss H. E. Hamilton who called my attention to the Lyon Phonetic Manual, and Mr. Lyon gladly explained its scope and use, giving me my first lessons. As our oral work was based on Bell's visible speech symbols, I readily saw the advantage to us of linking up with a pure phonetic manual. Today we use only oral speech and the Lyon Manual, and feel that the work for the deaf in China owes a debt of gratitude to Mr. Lyon that will extend through time; besides this his deep sympathy and appreciation of the work in China has always been an inspiration. We think of him today as a man of nation- wide sympathies, but world-wide would be a truer word, and his loss to the cause of the deaf is an irreparable one."
The following resolution was adopted by the board of directors of the Rochester School for the Deaf: "The board of directors of the Rochester School for the Deaf meet today in the shadow of a great bereavement. Our strong, clear-visioned leader is not here to guide and counsel us. Our friend and associate of many years, whom we held in deep and abiding affection, has been called away. With a sense of loss that seems irreparable, we record in our minutes the death of Edmund Lyon, president of this board, which occurred April 24, 1920. Mr. Lyon occupied a large place in business affairs. His interest in public matters was broad and his philanthropies most gen- erous; but to the education of the deaf, and to the broadening of the opportunities in life for usefulness, culture and happiness of those who are deprived of the sense of hearing, he gave concrete and devoted and prolonged attention with results which are of most beneficial and enduring character. Over thirty years ago Mr. Lyon became a volunteer teacher at the Rochester School for the Deaf and continued that work for seven years. While serving from day to day with great acceptability as an instructor, he studied the problem of the deaf with the breadth of vision of the philosopher and the sense of values possessed by a man of practical affairs. He made
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a notable contribution, as one of the results of his study, to the science of teaching the deaf in the invention and exposition of the Lyon Phonetic Manual for use in promoting the teaching of speech to the deaf, which has been pronounced by most eminent authority to be epoch-making. In 1891 Mr. Lyon made an exposition of this method before the American Association to Promote the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf, of which association he subsequently became the president, holding that office up to the time of his death. The method thus devised has been in use for schools for the deaf, where oral instruction is imparted, throughout America and will remain as a fitting memorial to his work. In 1895, while Mr. Lyon was acting as secretary of the New York state board of charities, he became the state examiner of schools for the deaf, which position he occupied three years. The Rochester School for the Deaf received his greatest contribution, for here it was that he gave much of his time and direct personal attention. For many years he was a frequent visitor at the school. The pupils all knew him, and to the founder of the school, Dr. Westervelt, and to the superintendent, teachers and officers he has been a trusted and devoted friend. As director and president of the board he gave to us his business experience and his profound knowledge. He was more than an administrator; he inspired all who came within the radius of his influence. In the book of remembrance are recorded thousands of acts of kindness wisely bestowed and of service given out of genuine love. We record this inadequate tribute with most profound sorrow that here we shall not meet him again and with gratitude that for so long a time we were privileged to know him as a friend and to have the inspiration and the inestimable value of his leader- ship. We pledge to the school, its principal, its teachers, its officers, pupils and friends our best efforts to carry on his work."
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