October 21, 2022

CONCORD—It is with heavy hearts that NHTI – Concord’s Community College recognizes the life and tenure of Dr. David E. Larrabee, who served as president of the college from 1973-1995. With news of his recent passing, Dr. Larrabee’s 22-year term serves as a lasting legacy of accomplishments during the very formative years of the college as it grew from a 300-student institute into the robust community college it is today.

Dr. Larrabee was appointed as president in 1973 to a college vastly different than the one that exists today. The New Hampshire Technical Institute, as the college was known until 2008, had only 5 buildings and 414 students. The bulk of campus life and classes took place across Little Hall, MacRury Hall, and Farnum Hall. Larrabee was the second appointed president since the college opened its doors in 1965.

“Dr. Larrabee was remarkable for both the leadership he provided and the stability that his exceptional tenure afforded to NHTI in those formative years, allowing the college to establish itself as pathway to opportunity for students and as a resource for the community and for the State of New Hampshire,” said Dr. Mark Rubinstein, chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire, of which NHTI is one of 7 sister colleges, and interim president of NHTI. “We are grateful for his term as president and know that his legacy is woven into the very fabric of the college.”

Larrabee earned his undergraduate degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Maine in 1959. He went on to graduate from the University of New Hampshire with a Master of Agricultural Education degree in 1967 and from Pennsylvania State University with his doctorate in Education in 1969. Prior to his 22-year term as NHTI’s president, he worked for the University of Minnesota Technical College, Pennsylvania State University, UNH, and the Colebrook School District in Colebrook, N.H.

Over the course of his 22-year career, Dr. Larrabee oversaw many changes at NHTI, including:

  • The replacement of college deans with vice presidents in charge of academic- and student-specific areas. To this day, NHTI’s vice presidential structure remains in place, aiding students through unique areas of expertise to ensure individualized attention and assistance.
  • The establishment of many teams within the Athletics program. In 1976, NHTI added baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, golf, hockey, skeet, skiing, soccer, men’s and women’s softball, and tennis. When he retired in 1995, NHTI’s Athletics teams included baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, golf, hockey, skeet, skiing, softball, soccer, track, co-ed volleyball, men’s and women’s volleyball, and aerobics.

He also had a known sense of humor in his administration, once writing that anyone caught violating a mandate on removing objects from rooms without documentation would be “asked to crack rocks for about three days.”

Dr. David Larrabee’s funeral service will be held at Trinity Baptist Church, 80 Clinton Street in Concord on Monday, Oct. 24, at 10a.m. There will be no visitation offered. The memorial service will be livestreamed here: https://youtu.be/xzP9DcGUKto. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that donations be made to Samaritan’s Purse. For additional information, please visit the funeral home’s website at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/concord-nh/david-larrabee-10973821.

 

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NHTI – Concord’s Community College

NHTI is a dynamic public institution of higher learning that provides accessible, rigorous education for students, businesses, and the community. We create pathways for lifelong learning, career advancement, and civic engagement, offering 80+ academic programs to 4,600+ students annually. NHTI is a member of the Community College System of New Hampshire and since 1969 has been accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, a nongovernmental, nationally recognized accrediting agency.

Press Contact           Amber Gavriluk  |  603-230-4001  |  [email protected]