Robert J. Gillis

Class of 1968

Mount Wachusett Community College’s proximity to his home in Leominster and the chance to improve his academic standing brought Robert J. Gillis to The Mount in 1966. He found much more: inspiration from his professors and a sense of community among his peers.

John Awdycki, a retired accounting professor, was a great role model for Gillis. “He was a teacher who cared about kids,” he recalled. “He always wanted to know how we were doing, not only in his class but outside in other classes.”

Jack Leamy, a retired English professor, was a mentor to many students, including Gillis. “He taught me a lot about life, not just what we did in the classroom,” Gillis said.

The dean of students at the time, John Hogan, also was influential in Gillis’ life. “You felt like he was watching out for you,” remembered Gillis, who hitchhiked along Route 2 to get to and from MWCC and his home in Leominster.

“The teachers I had at The Mount really influenced me to want to become a teacher,” he said.

Gillis graduated from MWCC in 1968 with an associate’s degree in business administration, earned his bachelor’s in business education from Salem State College and later received a master’s degree in school administration from Fitchburg State College. He taught business at Gardner High School from 1971 to 1991, when he became the school’s assistant principal. He was the principal of Lunenburg High School from 1996 to 2000. He became the principal of Gardner High in 2000, and retired in June 2005.

Gillis’ experience at The Mount “was really valuable for me to grow as a student, to mature as an individual,” he said.

He participated in the extracurricular activities, including playing on the college’s basketball team. “There were a lot of kids from Lowell and the Lawrence area, Chelmsford, Fall River. I was able to meet them through classes and on the basketball team,” he added. “It was a great community.”