AUBURN – If you were a troubled kid thinking about dropping out of school back in the day, Roy D. Loux was just the kind of friend you needed.

Described as a man who cared about everybody, the longtime Auburn school superintendent died this week at the Hospice House.

“I’ve never known a man who was so principled in the way he dealt with people,” said Chip Morrison, who was Auburn’s city manager for a period when Loux was superintendent. “Whether it was a student who was having difficulty, whether it was a parent, whether it was the School Committee or the City Council.

“The prototype of a public servant was Roy Loux,” Morrison said. “He did it right all the time.”

Loux served as superintendent between 1975 and 1990. During that time, he developed an alternative education program for students as another way to keep kids in school and to keep them learning to their potential.

According to Morrison, Loux met with every student who was thinking about dropping out. He wanted them to remain in school and to continue learning. As an educator, Loux was dedicated to the people he served, Morrison said.

“When he gave you his word he was going to do something, he always did it,” Morrison said. “He was a great, great man who cared about education.”

Loux is also credited with passing along his knowledge and with training the next generation of educators.

Bonnie Hayes, who was chairwoman of the School Committee during part of Loux’s term as superintendent, said he would always take time out of his day to help a colleague.

“He taught us a lot,” Hayes said Friday night. “He always had a minute to tell you something, to teach you something, to show you something about the school system or about life in general.

“He was a very nice man,” Hayes said. “A very polite gentleman.”

After serving in the U.S. Corps of Engineers during the Korean conflict, Loux earned Master’s and Specialist of Education degrees from Rutgers University. He served as school superintendent in Highland Park, N.J., before moving to Auburn and taking the superintendent position.

Once there, Loux dug in. He served as president of the Maine Superintendents Association and was Maine Superintendent of the year in 1990. He also served as the executive director of the Western Maine Administrators Consortium.

“Even after he retired,” Morrison said, “he went on to consult for a number of school districts and helped them with educational programming.”

Not that it was all work and no play for Loux, who is survived by his wife, Bea, of 58 years, their children and 12 grandchildren.

According to his obituary, Loux built a summer home for his family on Thompson Lake; a home that became their permanent residence after Loux retired in 1990.

“Roy loved life on Thompson Lake,” according to the obituary. “Fishing, boat rides, taking his children and grandchildren water-skiing, and picking blueberries.”

The family will host a celebration of life for Loux on Sunday, Jan. 31. According to Morrison, there will be much to celebrate, both personally and professionally.

“I consider myself privileged to have been able to work with him,” Morrison said.

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