LIVERPOOL/NORTH SYRACUSE SCHOOLS – Dr. Jerome F. Melvin, the longtime superintendent of both Liverpool and North Syracuse school districts, passed away on Thursday, Nov. 21 with his children at his side. He was 90 years old.
Melvin, who served as a school superintendent in four states over 40 years, came to Liverpool as superintendent in 1978, remaining in that role until December 1992 when he assumed the North Syracuse position. After first retiring as North Syracuse school superintendent in 2000, he was employed as an educational planner by a regional architecture firm, and later served as an interim high school principal as well as the interim school superintendent for five school districts.
In 2005, Dr. Melvin returned to North Syracuse as its superintendent of schools, where he served until 2011, finally retiring at 77 years old.  He loved being a superintendent of schools, which was evident not only in holding the position over parts of six decades, but in his constant dedication to students, teachers, administrators, and board members. He was especially known for encouraging and inspiring teachers and administrators to maximize their talents and advance their careers. He was a true gentleman with a keen sense of intellectual curiosity who held himself and others to high standards and expectations. In 2000, the North Syracuse School District named its district office building the Jerome F. Melvin Administrative Office Building.
Last week, the North Syracuse district issued a statement offering condolences to Dr. Melvin’s family and praising his dedication to the district and its students.
“During his tenure, he demonstrated exceptional leadership, compassion and an unwavering commitment to student success,” the statement read. “He guided the district through challenges and opportunities with a steady hand, creating a collaborative environment where staff, students and families thrived.”
Dr. Melvin was born on May 29, 1934, in Providence, RI, the son of the late Edward G. Melvin, M.D., and Veronica Melvin.
A graduate of La Salle Academy, Providence, RI, he received a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA; a master’s degree from Boston College; and a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. Following graduation from Holy Cross, he served on active duty with the United States Marine Corps.
Prior to coming to New York, he was school superintendent in Wallingford, CT; Exeter, NH; and Turners Falls, MA. He earlier served as an Assistant Superintendent, Essex Junction, VT; Junior High Principal, Keene, NH; Assistant Principal, North Smithfield Jr. Sr. High School, RI; and Social Studies Coordinator, Bristol, RI. A native of Warwick, RI, he taught in the Warwick Public Schools and also at the University of Connecticut’s E.O. Smith School in Storrs.
Dr. Melvin was a 55-year member of Phi Delta Kappa, an emeritus member of the American Association of School Administrators, a life member of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, a member of the Horace Mann League, and a former member of Phi Kappa Phi. He was also a lifetime member of the Marine Corps League.
He was president of both the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and the Liverpool Rotary Club, where he was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow. He was a past president of the OCM Superintendent’s Association and served as chairperson of the School Committee, City of Syracuse/Onondaga County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission. He was a corporator of the Meriden-Wallingford Hospital and served as division chairman for the United Way of Central New York. He also served on the board of directors of the Humane Association of Central New York; the Plank Road Chamber of Commerce; Hiawatha Council, Boy Scouts of America; the American Heart Association; Central New York Education Consortium; Partners for Education and Business, Inc.; Syracuse/Onondaga County Youth Bureau; and the Program on Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts, Syracuse University.
A New England transplant in Central New York, Dr. Melvin led with an unmistakable Rhode Island accent and a smile on his face. To keep the public informed, he would often write columns in the Eagle Newspapers offering his thoughts on district and community news.
“Dr. Melvin was not only the heart and soul of our district but also a guiding force who left an indelible mark on all of us – students, staff and families alike,” wrote North Syracuse Interim Superintendent Michael Schiedo. “He will be dearly missed, but his legacy will live on in the classrooms, hallways, and hearts of all those he touched.”
In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his first wife Cynthia P. Melvin. He is survived by his two daughters; Cynthia (Keith) Ballard of Wakefield, RI and their son William, Mary Katherine Melvin (Chris Weltzien) of San Francisco, CA and their children Katherine, Elizabeth, and Christopher; his son, Edward G. (Deborah) Melvin, II of Syracuse, NY and their children Daniel and Margaret. He was a loving father and grandfather, and he was deeply loved in return.
He is also survived by his former wife and companion Barbara Melvin, with whom he has spent the last twelve years in Royse City, TX, where he had many close and faithful neighbors and friends. He was a parishioner at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Rockwall, TX; he was deeply appreciative of the church’s Eucharistic ministers who brought him communion and companionship over the last couple of years, especially during his recent illness.
A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 259 E. Onondaga Street, Syracuse, where Dr. Melvin has been a parishioner since the early 1980s. Family and friends may call at the church starting at 9. a.m. He will be laid to rest in his family’s plot at St. Francis Cemetery in Pawtucket, RI.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to North Syracuse School District Dollars for Scholars, P.O. Box 5205, Syracuse, NY, 13220-5205, specifically to the Memorial Scholarship he established in honor of Catherine Cifaratta-Brayton, Liz Chisling, Sandra Di Bianco, and Dr. Kathleen Gramet.