Marquette President Lovell dies, UWM chancellor remembers colleague
MILWAUKEE - The community continues to mourn the loss of Marquette University President Michael Lovell, who died Sunday after a years-long cancer battle.
"We are missing Mike already," said Mark Mone, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee chancellor. "I feel like Mike is a brother, and I feel like I lost one this weekend."
It was a friendship Mone said developed when the two worked together at UWM 14 years ago. Lovell served as UWM chancellor before assuming the Marquette presidency.
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"We worked out together, we enjoyed riding bikes together, running, swimming and just socializing in a lot of different ways," Mone said. "He really cared about people. He cared about his family. He cared about God. He cared about the academic environment, so much about students – that really drove a lot of things that he did."
The bond between the two university leaders grew stronger when they each learned of the other's battle with cancer.
Marquette President Michael Lovell dies after 3-year cancer battle
Marquette University President Michael Lovell died on Sunday, June 9 after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 57.
"Mike was important just as a friend. We had a lot of deep conversations about life and meaning, spirituality," said Mone. "I just admire so much how Mike was stoic through this, what he was going through in terms of leading a major university but having the personal, physical, mental challenges of having cancer. It's a difficult thing to do, and he did it with grace."
Mone said Lovell's drive, compassion, faith and love for life left an imprint on everybody who knew him.
"Mike is racing with angels, he's just out there really pushing the limits and bringing everyone else around him to higher levels," he said.