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Macomb, IL – Former Western Illinois University President Leslie Malpass died this week at his home in Durham, North Carolina. He was 88.
Malpass was WIU's seventh president. He took office in 1974 and spent the next 13 years leading the university.
Marlene Forman, who worked in the president's office during his administration, said Malpass always had time for people, despite the demands of the job.
"He would always look you in the eye and take the time to have a conversation with you," Forman said. "It was not a mere surface kind of conversation. He was very engaging in that respect."
She said Malpass had a lot on his plate, but "he seemed to pull it off in a first class way."
Malpass oversaw construction of WIU's library, which was named in his honor in 2001.
A news release from WIU said Malpass also helped create the Macomb Area Industrial Development Corporation (now MAEDCO), emphasized faculty research, and worked to increase the number of international students at WIU.
In addition, Malpass and his wife Winona helped start the hospice program at McDonough District Hospital and he was actively involved in the Salvation Army.
Forman, who continues to work for WIU as Assistant to the Academic Vice President for Budget and Personnel, said Malpass accomplished a great deal but was never one to toot his own horn.
"I think that he was a great president," Forman said.