Science instructor was 65 years old; remembered at graduation
By Peter Schworm and Jack Nicas, Globe Staff | Globe Correspondent | June 5, 2010
FITCHBURG — When he heard shouts and sounds of a scuffle, Douglas Vaughn Lloyd rushed to intervene, dashing from his classroom into the school hallway. A couple who had recently ended a stormy relationship were fighting on the floor, and the 65-year-old biology teacher at Fitchburg High School dove into the fray to pull the male student off the girl.
The 16-year-old boy writhed furiously to get away, according to a classmate who witnessed the incident yesterday morning. But Lloyd would not let go, even as his face flushed with exertion.
Moments later, Lloyd collapsed. Medical personnel rushed to his side, but could not revive him. A short time later, he was pronounced dead at Leominster Hospital.
“He was just trying to help,’’ said Natalia Quinones, a junior who witnessed the fight that broke out around 7:20 a.m., just before classes began.
Family, colleagues, and students remembered Lloyd as a talented teacher who worked tirelessly to help struggling students pass the MCAS exams and earn their high school diploma. His rush to help a student in need signified his commitment, they said.
The two students, who were not named because they are juveniles, were arrested and arraigned on charges of domestic assault and battery. Authorities said they will need to determine the cause of Lloyd’s death before deciding whether to charge the students in connection with it.
“We want to evaluate what his medical situation was,’’ said Joseph D. Early Jr., the Worcester district attorney. Detectives and forensics specialists will investigate.
Lloyd’s grief-stricken family said that they believed he had died of a heart attack and that they did not want to see the students punished.
“They should not be taking the fall for a guy doing what he loved, with whom he loved, and doing his job,’’ Lloyd’s brother-in-law, Wesley Price, said as he fought back tears. “He would not want to hurt any kids.’’
Lloyd had a history of asthma, Price said. Authorities said he complained of shortness of breath before he collapsed.
Price, 61, said Lloyd was an outdoorsman who loved flowers and gardens, trees and birds. Most of all, he said, he loved his wife, Susan.
“They loved each other genuinely,’’ he said. “She’s hanging in there. Better than I think I could. She’s a strong woman.’’
Lloyd had a knack of getting through to troubled teenagers, colleagues said, and drew immense satisfaction from seeing them succeed. The night before he died, Lloyd beamed as he watched more than 60 of his students graduate from an alternative high school in the city where he also focused on MCAS issues.
“He had pride and joy on his face,’’ said Andre Ravenelle, superintendent of Fitchburg schools. Many of the students, he said, would probably not have graduated without his individual attention.
“There were a lot of students who owed him a great deal,’’ Ravenelle said, his voiced choked with emotion. “He will be sorely missed.’’
Lloyd’s death cast a pall over the school as it prepared for the evening’s graduation ceremonies. Many students and teachers wept after hearing the news.
“A lot of tears,’’ said Krysten Jordan, a 16-year-old sophomore. “It’s strange, so strange. This is a lot for all of us to handle.’’
At graduation, Fitchburg High principal Richard Masciarelli said: “Vaughn touched many. Vaughn was an amazing classroom instructor, having made the transition from a successful chiropractor to his dream profession of teaching. Vaughn did not need books. He simply relied on his passion, his ability to engage, and his ability to enlighten.’’
Lloyd had worked at Fitchburg High School since 2008 through a college preparatory program offered by Mount Wachusett Community College. In a statement, the college’s president, Daniel M. Asquino, said Lloyd’s colleagues were deeply saddened over his loss.
“He was a very popular and passionate educator who cared deeply about his students,’’ he said. “As always, he was acting in the best interest of his students today, and what happened was an unfortunate tragedy that no one could have predicted.’’
After intervening in the fight, Lloyd said he was having trouble breathing. The school nurse quickly arrived and found Lloyd to be unresponsive, blue in the face, and lacking a pulse.
The nurse, along with an emergency medical technician and a Fitchburg police officer assigned to the school, performed CPR and used an automatic defibrillator, but could not revive the teacher.
Students said the two sophomores involved in the fight had dated and were often engaged in heated confrontations at school. Quinones said that the pair had recently broken up and that she was walking with the girl when she walked past and ignored her former boyfriend. He responded by throwing something at her, Quinones said, and after a brief shouting match, ran at the girl.
“He, like, attacked her and put her on the floor,’’ Quinones said. “We were trying to get him off of her.’’
Lloyd was able to free her, but gasped as he struggled to hold back the flailing boy. “He was turning red, because he kept trying to get away,’’ Quinones said. “He was trying to get at her.’’
Brian Ballou of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com; Jack Nicas at jnicas@globe.com.
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