Kim Kozlowski

The Detroit News

Sault Ste. Marie — A few years ago, Lake Superior State University alumna Amanda Cady was walking from the library to the arts center in the pouring rain. She passed many people with umbrellas before running into LSSU President Thomas C. Pleger.

“Suddenly, it stopped raining on me,” Cady wrote Sunday on her Facebook page. “I turned to see an unfamiliar man to my left. ‘Would you like to share my umbrella with me?’ That was how I met President Pleger. It was a simple gesture but made a lasting impression. I'm in shock to learn this morning that he is gone.”

Cady joined many in the Upper Peninsula and beyond to mourn the unexpected death of Pleger, who died early Sunday, two days after undergoing brain surgery. He was 48.

A leader who was hailed as down-to-earth with a magnetic personality, Pleger went Wednesday to Sault Ste. Marie’s War Memorial Hospital, where an MRI revealed swelling in his brain and a growth wrapped around the right frontal lobe, officials said. He was immediately transferred to McLaren Northern Michigan hospital in Petoskey, where he was evaluated Thursday and underwent a several-hour surgery Friday.

He was in the intensive care unit with his family when he died early Sunday.

“Everyone is in state of shock,” said Jay Gage, special assistant to the president. “The outpouring of community support has been tremendous. Everyone is hurting because he meant so much to so many people.”

Discussions were underway about a candlelight vigil in the community, Gage said, as many were changing their profile pictures on Facebook to LSSU’s logo in honor of a president who tried to excite students about lifelong learning and encouraged people to call him, simply, Tom.

“Thank you President Thomas C. Pleger for the warm welcoming Freshman year,” Kali Fyke, a LSSU student, wrote on Pleger’s Facebook page. “You have made an impact on each student and Lake Superior State University as a whole. Entering my Senior year won't be the same.”

Interim Provost David Roland Finley, who will assume day-to-day operations of the school, extended his condolences to Pleger’s family.

“Tom was a tremendous leader and advocate for LSSU as well as a personal friend,” said Finley. “His time with us was cut short, but his legacy remains through the many lives that he touched. The positive impact he had on this campus will be felt for many years to come.”

Pleger was LSSU’s eighth president, arriving at the state’s smallest public university in July 2014 with his wife of 26 years, Teresa. He often posted personal photos on his Facebook page of the explorations the couple shared in the community, such as how they celebrated his birthday last month.

“Teresa Pleger and I went to Barsanti’s in Canada for a great fresh Lake Superior broiled Whitefish dinner,” he wrote. “It was a great way to celebrate my birthday together.”

Pleger held a doctorate in archaeology and anthropology, and was a licensed archaeologist specializing in the Upper Great Lakes region and in the use of copper technology by prehistoric Native Americans.

Before he came to Michigan, he spent 21 years serving the University of Wisconsin system, with his last post as campus executive officer and dean at UW Baraboo-Sauk County.

“Many family and friends of Thomas C. Pleger will surely miss him, and two great, state university systems have lost a champion of education,” Dixon Harvey Dudderar wrote on Pleger’s Facebook page.

During his tenure at LSSU, Pleger championed many campus initiatives, including the development of a One Rate tuition plan.

He also lead led the university’s work in gaining re-accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission.

On the state level, Pleger secured funding for the proposed Center for Freshwater Research and Education and served on Gov. Rick Snyder’s 21st Century Economy Commission, the only member from the Upper Peninsula.

Pleger often spoke of the importance of the public good of higher education in a variety of forums from mainstream and academic publications to his Facebook page, as well as emails he would periodically send out to the LSSU community.

In April, he wrote an opinion letter in The Detroit News about the value of a college education.

“College is a transformational experience,” Pleger wrote. “ A true university education exposes one to new ideas, new subjects, different people and perspectives, and develops the skills of critical thinking, an understanding of math and science, communication skills, information literacy, an appreciation and understanding of the human condition, an appreciation of the arts, and global awareness, and a thirst for life-long learning. These skills also enhance and foster empathy, creativity, curiosity and adaptability.

“The return on investment is a series of highly sought-after skills that lead to opportunity ... to greater earning power, greater employability, and flexibility when it comes to navigating changes in the economy.”

Officials said they will soon announce details on funeral arrangements and campus memorials. Donations to a fund in Dr. Pleger's memory will be coordinated through the LSSU Foundation, 650 W. Easterday Ave., Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783.

“President Pleger was a remarkably dedicated and compassionate person,” said Daniel Hurley, CEO of the Michigan Association of State Universities. “Those who were fortunate to have known him will miss the warmth, wisdom, passion and authenticity he demonstrated in his personal and professional life. He made the world a better place.”

kkozlowski@detroitnews.com

The Associated Press contributed to this report.