Stephen Mahan never stopped moving. Whether it was leading whitewater rafting tours around the world or spending hours in the photography lab helping students, those who knew him well said that Mahan was always lively and bursting with passion.

The Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts professor, a mentor to high school and college students alike for more than a decade, died July 26 in a motorcycle accident. He was 61.

Mahan led the university’s Photography and Literacy Project, a program that allows SU students to work with Syracuse high school students to foster self-expression and literacy skills through photography.

Adam Lutwin, a high school English teacher, met Mahan at Fowler High School in 2007. That’s when SU launched the Mobile Literacy Art Bus, a gutted 1984 American Eagle RV that served as a transitory photography workshop. The university eventually discontinued the project, but Mahan kept coming back to Fowler and other city schools.

“He would just float down the hallways,” Lutwin said. “He was one of those great human beings, and everything he touched turned to gold.”

Courtesy of Light Work

Mahan would give out cameras and guide students through the process of taking photos. The students would then sign out the cameras to use on weekends and come back to talk and write about their photos, which numbered in the thousands.

The educator often invited students to come to his lab and would give tours of the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, a renovated building in downtown Syracuse that houses SU’s School of Design and several galleries. He hosted an exhibition for the students’ work four times per year, and he funded buses for the students to get there. Some students had their work purchased off the gallery walls, Lutwin said.

After Fowler closed in 2017, Mahan continued to work with Lutwin, who now teaches at the Institute of Technology at Central Syracuse. When classes ended in June, they made plans to do more photography sessions with Lutwin’s students in the fall.

“The kids just thrived on sharing those experiences, and it brought everyone closer,” Lutwin said. “When the kid sitting next to you is going through the same stuff as you are, it is easier to just exist, to just live with it. He taught these kids how to be human, how to connect, how to appreciate and how to look at things differently.”

Jeffrey Hoone, executive director of the Light Work photography center and SU’s Coalition of Museum and Art Centers, helped Mahan set up the gallery at the Warehouse. They met 30 years ago, when Mahan began using Light Work’s darkroom at SU to work on his photography projects.

“He was always able to connect with (the students) to teach them about themselves, about how they could be expressive, how they could use photography to become better writers,” Hoone said.

Hoone described Mahan as a “renaissance man” because of his varied talents and interests. Mahan was a skilled musician and whitewater rafting guide. Rafting led him to regions around the world, including Canada, Tibet, China and parts of South America.

Doug DuBois, chair of SU’s transmedia department, knew Mahan during the 10 years he taught a class which brought SU students into the city’s schools, which tend to have graduation rates below the state average. DuBois said he recommended Mahan to almost all his students and constantly relied on him in the department.

“I was always trying to get students to him because that course changed so many students’ lives and pointed them in directions they hadn’t imagined prior to taking it,” DuBois said.

DuBois said Mahan was dedicated to the Photography and Literacy Project and “put in time above and beyond, making a magical space in the Warehouse.”

Mahan often stayed in touch with the students he worked with well after they graduated, helping them get internships and scholarships and forming rich friendships, Lutwin said. One of those students was Muke Heri, who was once in Lutwin’s English class at Fowler.

Heri said Mahan helped him get a scholarship to attend Cayuga Community College. Without Mahan, Heri said he wouldn’t have had money for groceries or school supplies.

“You could see his love and compassion for these kids,” Heri said. “You could see that he wanted to be there. He wanted to help us improve, to help us see the big picture.”

When Heri started thinking about becoming a Syracuse city police officer after college, Mahan encouraged him to pursue the job. Heri was sworn in as a police officer in July, but he wasn’t able to tell Mahan before he died on July 26, the day Heri and Lutwin share as a birthday.

The two men both said that despite the tragic loss of Mahan, they look forward to remembering him each year.

“I’m gonna remember the man who helped me so much in my life that I cannot repay him,” Heri said.

Published on August 20, 2018 at 8:31 pm

Contact Casey: casey@dailyorange.com | @caseydarnell_