PORTLAND — Professor John Joseph Margarones, 87, of Old Orchard Beach, formerly of Lewiston, died Nov. 15, at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Dr. Margarones was born May 4, 1923.

He was a Professor Emeritus of Bates College, where he was Chair of the Department of Education. He immensely enjoyed education from both sides of the learning/teaching spectrum. As a student, he obtained two bachelor’s degrees, two master’s degrees, and a doctorate. As an educator, he taught at secondary schools in Skowhegan, Cape Cod, Beirut (Lebanon). At the collegiate level; he was a professor at the University of Connecticut, Hartford University, and Bates College. He was the first president of the Maine Chapter of the Association of State Teachers and New England Colleges, as well as President of the Maine Teachers Association.

John enlisted in the Army Air Corps and proudly served his country as a bombardier with the 8th Air Force 392nd Bomb Group in World War II. He completed 35 successful combat missions. As a young man, he utilized his tonsorial skill as a barber in Old Orchard Beach and on weekends he continued to help his father until 1971. A successful businessman, he and his wife, Viola, were the proprietors of West Surf Apartments, a long-time beachfront hotel in Old Orhard Beach.

One of his greatest passions was his home town. He chronicled the history of Old Orchard Beach in the 1930s and 1940s for educational research. Copies of his works are available at the Edith Belle Libby Memorial Library and Harmon Museum’s Historical Society both in Old Orchard Beach. He was recently inducted into the Old Orchard Beach High School Alumni Hall of Fame.

He was a Free Mason, a member of the American Legion, and a lifetime member of the American Psychological Association.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Viola; children Estelle, Joseph, Margot, Katherine, and Melissa; grandchildren, Everett, John Michael, Hannah, Noah, Chloe, Jocelyn, Nikolas; and sisters, Clara and Bessie.