Tim Mains

The president of the Jamestown Public Schools Board offered kind words regarding former Superintendent Tim Mains at a meeting this week.

“I think what I’ll always remember about Tim is the positive attitude he brought to work every day,” Paul Abbott said. “I remember from the very beginning when we were searching for the superintendent to replace Mr. Kathman and just how quickly the community embraced Tim really at every level. Everybody loved Tim.”

Mains, who died Dec. 30, served as superintendent in Jamestown from 2013 until 2017. He later accepted a position with Pine Bush Central School District, which is located about 75 miles north of New York City.

In a statement, the district said: “We are deeply saddened to pass the news that Superintendent Tim O. Mains has passed away. Please keep Mr. Mains and his family in your thoughts and prayers.”

Abbott said Mains impressed him with his “tireless enthusiasm for what he did.”

“The irony and one of the things I remember about my first conversation with Tim is that he told me he wanted to be the Betty White or education, which really kind of pulled at my heartstrings this weekend,” he said. “He had such a passion for education and that was a man who I think wanted to connect with every student in our district or make sure that every student in our district felt a connection. This was not his career — this was his passion.”

Abbott said he understood the impact this would have on the Pine Bush district as well, and he felt the loss for them.

“I’d had a couple of conversations with the president of the Pine Bush district before and then after Tim was hired — it’s a very sad day for them,” he said. “It’s a sad day for everyone when someone with that kind of passion for education is gone.”

Mains was honored along with Alexis Hughan in a moment of silence during Tuesday’s board meeting.