www.BXTimes.com BRONX WEEKLY June 7, 2020 2
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 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
Dr. Noel Lawson, Bronx Academy of Health Careers teacher, dies of coronavirus
Courtesy of Kara Davis-Lawson
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.”
Bronx Academy of
Health Careers teacher
and Co-op City resident
dies of coronavirus
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