Paul Michel Lion III

Paul Michel Lion III, 89, of Gainesville, Virginia, passed at his home early in the morning of November 3, 2024. Mike, as he was universally known, was born in Washington, DC, the only child of Paul Michel Lion Jr. (USNA 1925) and Louise Chandler Lion. Growing up in a Navy family, Mike attended the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, from kindergarten through 6th grade, when they moved to Westchester County, New York. He graduated from White Plains High School in 1952, then competed for and won a Presidential appointment to West Point, entering just eight days after his high school graduation. Mike excelled at West Point, achieving a standing of 12 of 480 on the graduation Order of Merit List. Mike was active in the Debate Council and Forum, the Russian Club, and as a staff member of the cadet magazine, the Pointer. Two weeks after graduating from West Point in 1956, Mike married his beloved Jane Sanford in her hometown of Mount Vernon, NY. After a training at Ft Belvoir, Mike and Jane moved to Germany where they began their family of four sons: David, James, Thomas and William. Mike served in Germany until the end of his commission in 1959. Upon returning to the US, Mike worked a short time at the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. He and Jane then relocated to Princeton NJ, their home for over 20 years. Mike entered the graduate school in Princeton University, achieving a Masters in of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1963, a Master of Arts degree in 1964 and a PH. D. in 1965. Mike was named a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Princeton, also working as a consultant for Systems Technology. In 1966 Mike was named an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering, initially teaching courses in optimization theory and stability theory while also serving as principal investigator for a NASA contract on optimum space trajectories. In 1970 he advanced from Assistant to Associate Professor, then in 1974 to full Professor of Civil Engineering. Intrigued by changes in society circa 1970, Mike looked to apply his research to less esoteric and more practical optimization challenges that would directly benefit people. In 1972, Mike developed the concept of a graduate program in Transportation, to be jointly supported by the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Public and International Affairs, and the School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Upon approval from the Board of Trustees, he obtained start-up funding from the Ford Foundation, and the Transportation Program accepted its first graduate students in the Fall of 1972. The program continues as one of the University's most respected interdisciplinary programs. Upon his handing over the reins of the Program to his former grad student and hand-picked successor, several of his students created a scholarship fund in his honor. Mike left the University in 1979 to continue putting his technical skills and theoretical knowledge to practical use. He served the US Railway Association, Snavely King & Associates, and the Technical Resources Center of Arthur D. Little Inc., with a focus on improving the efficiency of the USPS. He closed his career as Vice President of Washington Operations for ALK Associates, a firm producing software for the transportation industry, retiring in 1999. During their Washington years Mike and Jane lived in McLean, Virginia. Mike was a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington DC. They also had a cottage in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard, where they summered. They moved to Gainesville in 2005, where they gained many friends in a senior-focused community. Mike's friendships from West Point were precious to him and Jane, and they were prime movers of his class's biking group, organizing annual outings to pleasant venues from Massachusetts to North Carolina. Mike enjoyed a Perfect Manhattan, and rooted for his Redskins, the Yankees, the Princeton Tigers, and especially, his alma mater. "Go Army!" was a common call on fall weekends in the Lion's den. Mike was a brilliant technical analyst, professor, and mentor. He launched hundreds of students on their careers, teaching them to use what he taught to define and solve the problems in transportation, logistics, and other applications of operations research. He was a broad and deep reader, ever-expanding his knowledge, in order to understand the world, and then to apply that understanding to help someone or solve a problem. But more than that, he was a friendly, funny, charming man who took serious interest in others, and in sharing what he knew, what he thought, and what he found humorous. He was a champion of puns and of "Dad jokes" to his boys. In their youth he acted as an Indian Guide chieftain, their little league baseball coach and a very vocal advocate for their academic and athletic endeavors. His Grandchildren called him Pops. Mike was predeceased by his son, William. He will be deeply mourned by his wife of 68+ years, Jane, and three sons, David, James (Aisha), and Thomas (Cynthia); a granddaughter, Alexa (Andrew) and a great-granddaughter due in December; a grandson, Nicolas, and a number of cousins and their families. Services will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at 2 PM at Greenwich Presbyterian Church in Nokesville, Virginia. Memorial contributions may be made to The P. M. Lion Senior Thesis Fund at Princeton University, or to the Generation to Generation Fund of the Greenwich Presbyterian Church. Please sign the Guestbook at www.legacy.com/washingtontimes