LEWISTON, Maine — John Jenkins struggled academically at Bates College — at one point his grades were so poor, he was temporarily expelled.
Grades never defined him, though, and his warmth, humor, and outgoing personality made him one of the most popular students on campus. On graduation day, as Jenkins stepped up to accept his diploma, there was no question about the deep affection the Bates community felt for him.
"Oh, my gosh, it was like a rock star was getting the degree," former classmate Chuck Radis said with a smile. "Standing ovation! And John just soaked it up."
Radis, a physician who lives on Peaks Island, wrote a book called "John Jenkins – Mayor of Maine," a project that came about after Jenkins died of cancer in 2020.
Radis was part of a group of Jenkins' friends from Bates who wanted to celebrate his life and create a scholarship in his memory. After volunteering to collect stories and edit them, Radis realized he had a book on his hands.
Jenkins lived a rich life. A world champion in martial arts, he served as the first Black mayor of Lewiston and the first Black state senator in Maine. When he moved to Auburn, voters elected him mayor and gave him a second term as a write-in candidate.
It was a remarkably successful political career, not necessarily what one would have predicted for a Black man from New Jersey who settled in a heavily Franco-American community in an overwhelmingly white state.
"He was a very engaged mayor," Radis said. "He loved ceremony, but at the same time, I think he really loved being a symbol of optimism and progress for the city."
Wherever Jenkins went in life, he made friends. Harold Williams, a retired security guard at the college, summed up his gift for winning people over: "John Jenkins could say 'Go to hell!' in such a manner that they would look forward to the trip."
Another friend is James Reese, an associate dean who has worked at Bates since 1977.
"If I meet a Bates graduate and I have an inkling that they might have known John," Reese said, "I always say, 'Do you know John?' The [answer] is always yes. 'Do you have a story?' They always have a story. It’s a powerful story, whatever the examples are."
What might Jenkins think of this book that tells the story of his life? Radis laughed as he answered, "He would have said, 'It should have been longer—thicker and longer.'"