Statement from Governor Kathy Hochul

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, a tremendous leader who served our state, our city and our nation with grace, dignity and passion. Dr. Butts served as pastor of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, as president of SUNY Old Westbury, the founder of the transformative Abyssinian Development Corp., and as the visionary leader who helped establish the Thurgood Marshall Academy public school in Manhattan.

"Dr. Butts was a force for moral clarity, a voice for his Harlem community, a counselor to so many of us in public service and I was proud to call him a friend. Bill and I are praying for his wife, Patricia Butts, children, and grandchildren and for all New Yorkers who have felt the impact of Dr. Butts' visionary leadership. We will miss him greatly."