Malcolm W. Lewis Jr. (1925-2014) was born on November 14, 1925 in Cuba, New York. He was the son of Malcolm Sr. and Thelma (Windsor) Lewis. He graduated from Cuba High School in 1941 and went on to study at Ithaca College. His education was interrupted when he was drafted to serve during World War II in the 10th Naval Division in Puerto Rico. Honorably discharged, he returned to Ithaca College to complete his education, receiving his B.S. in Music Education and a B.M. and M.M. in Music Composition. He also studied composition with Robert Palmer at Cornell University. He continued his studies at the Juilliard School, New York University, and Eastern Montana College. Lewis lived and taught in Montana for nine years, where he was president of the Billings Art Institute and the music representative for the Montana Institute of the Arts. He also maintained a private piano studio. Upon returning to Ithaca in 1962, he began teaching at Ithaca College. He was especially proud of the two courses he designed and taught: “The Analysis of 20th-Century Music” and “Music Composition for Non-Majors.” From 1965 to 1969, he was the tour leader for the Ithaca College Study Abroad Summer Music Tours in Europe. He retired from Ithaca College in 1988 after teaching for 26 years.

Lewis was a commissioned composer for the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra and The Society for New Music in Syracuse, New York. He received Meet the Composer and National Endowment for the Arts Awards. His compositions for piano, orchestra, percussion ensemble, band, vocal and choral music, and chamber ensemble have been published by Dorn, Ensemble Music, Ansburg Press, and TAP (Trombone Association Publishing of Western Massachusetts), and have been recorded on Redwood, Golden Crest, and MMC records. His compositions have been performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. Alongside music, Lewis was also an accomplished artist who studied sculpture at the Clay Club (now SculptureCenter) in New York City, painting at Cornell, art at the Eastern Montana College of Education, and taught art at the Bozeman Central School in 1961. While on sabbatical in London in 1975, he studied at the Camden Art Center.