Bronx Academy of Health Careers teacher
and Co-op City resident dies of coronavirus
BY JASON COHEN
He was a husband, pious,
kind-hearted, generous,
a colleague and a
friend. Dr. Noel Lawson,
teacher of Bronx Academy
of Health Careers, died
May 4 from COVID-19 at
the age of 67.
Lawson of Co-op City
and a native of Jamaica,
left a lasting impact on
his school and community.
He leaves behind
his widow, the Reverend
Karen Davis-Lawson, rector
of St. George’s Episcopal
Church in Astoria.
“He wanted to help
people achieve as much
as they could be,” Davis-
Lawson said.
Davis-Lawson told
the Bronx Times she had
COVID-19 and the day
she left the hospital, Lawson
was admitted. He had
diabetes, which made it
worse and he spent three
weeks there before succumbing
to the illness.
She recalled that even
while sick he was grading
papers.
“He knew they were
due and he did it,” Davis-
Lawson said.
Lawson, who taught in
Jamaica for eight years
before immigrating to
the United States in 1993,
had taught at BAHC since
2005. He was proud that
during his tenure, all but
two of his students graduated
with either a Regents
or high school diploma.
He regularly mentored
new teachers and gave
workshops on classroom
management, student engagement
and strategies
for working with students
with disabilities.
At the time of his
death, he taught computer
research and coordinated
programs to assist students
with transitions to
careers and occupational
studies. He also chaired
the school’s leadership
team and led a travel club
BRONX TIMES R 18 EPORTER, JUNE 5-11, 2020 BTR
for students, teachers and
parents.
In 2016, Lawson was
awarded the Fulbright
Award in teaching and
spent fi ve months in Singapore
investigating the
transition of students with
disabilities to post-school
activities. He returned
to Singapore in 2017 as a
guest speaker at the Special
Educational Needs
Education Forum, where
he made a presentation on
preparing students with
disabilities for college.
Lawson held a B.A. and
M.A. in education from the
University of Nebraska at
Kearney and an M.S. in
management information
systems and an Ed. D. in
instructional technology
and distance education,
both from Nova Southeastern
University in Fort
Lauderdale, Flordia.
A gifted musician, he
played the piano, organ,
guitar, keyboard and tuba,
among other instruments
and was a member of the
choir at Grace Baptist
Chapel. At the church, he
was also youth fellowship
co-director and a Sunday
school teacher for teens.
Davis-Lawson, 59, is
sad she met her late husband
so late in life. The
couple fi rst spoke on the
online dating site eHarmony
in 2005.
“We hit it off from the
fi rst phone call,” she said
emotionally. “It was really
easy to get to know
him. He was very welcoming
and warm. We talked
on the phone for a while
before we met.”
The couple was married
12 years, eight
months and 22 days. She
cherished every moment
of it and shared that they
complemented each other
well.
While they never had
children, his students
were his “kids,” she said.
He always made sure they
were prepared for college.
When they found out he
died, some of them posted
things and one shared a
quote that Lawson always
said, “time is money, don’t
waste it.”
Another noted that if
it wasn’t for his encouragement,
she never would
have become a doctor.
Davis-Lawson said
her late husband had
a good sense of humor,
cared about people, loved
to travel and was devoted
to his family and church.
Every Sunday, both sides
of the family got together
in person or virtually.
Over the years they
went all over, including
the Caribbean, Australia,
Malaysia, Singapore,
Greece and Italy.
Julianne Bridge, a
math teacher at Bronx
Academy of Health Careers,
only knew him for
four years, but considered
him a mentor. While he
was about twice her age,
the two shared a connection
as they were both
from Jamaica.
“One of the things
that brought us closer is
we both shared the same
background,” she said.
“Personally, he taught me
the importance of being
a great role model for the
students.”
When the news broke
of his death, she shared
that not only did it shake
her, but the students
as well. They were in a
Google classroom when
someone posted a crying
emoji about Lawson.
“One of the students
said ‘what do you mean
Mr. Lawson is dead,’” she
recalled. “It was like time
stopped at that moment.
I just became a person. I
cried in front of my class.
I did not know how to tell
my students.”
Dr. Noel Lawson, Bronx Academy of Health Careers teacher, dies of coronavirus Courtesy of Kara Davis-Lawson