Remembering Dr. George Larkin

It is with sadness that I share the news of Dr. George Larkin’s passing. George was the vice president for Student Affairs when he retired in 2004, after 35 years of service to New Hampshire College and then, when we were renamed, SNHU. Included in George’s duties was oversight of the Athletic Department and, as a former athlete himself, he was a champion of the program and we honored that passion by naming our playing field for him. While athletics was a passion for George, the care and welfare of all our students was his priority. He developed our counseling program, professionalized our student affairs operation and was instrumental in the opening of the new residential campus we now occupy. When I arrived in 2003, George greeted me by telling me he would be leaving in a year and that he would help me in any way I needed. As the new person trying to learn as much as possible, I frequently poked my head into his office to get some history, context or explanation. He offered all three with candor, thoughtfulness and a lot of humanity. George was a bear of a guy with a huge heart and he loved this place, working for three presidents and impacting thousands of students.

In the years ahead, there will be students and staff and faculty who walk across Larkin Field or attend a game there, and most will not pause to ask, “Who was George Larkin?” The world goes on, as it should, and we often don’t register the names of buildings in which we do the business of our busy lives. But we name things like buildings and playing fields to honor those who came before us and to remind ourselves that in the work of yesterday the achievements of today were made possible by great women and men who came before us. In the story we tell of SNHU, George Larkin was one of the greats and the next time any of us walks by the field, we might pause a moment and consider George. He will be missed by all those who knew him.

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