James V. Glynn, ’57, ’87 (Hon.), chairman and CEO of Maid of the Mist Corp. and Niagara University chairman emeritus, passed away on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, at home following a lengthy illness.
Mr. Glynn leaves an indelible legacy of faith and service that has transformed both his community and his alma mater.
Mr. Glynn’s 75-year tenure with Maid of the Mist began as a ticket seller in 1950, a job he took to help him finance his Niagara University education. The job quickly became a passion for him. After purchasing the company in 1971, Mr. Glynn led its expansion into one of the most iconic travel destinations in the world. Today, millions of riders board the Maid of the Mist’s fleet, which includes two environmentally friendly, fully electric-powered vessels, the first-ever passenger vessels of their kind.
His impact on Niagara Falls’ tourist industry is matched by his generosity to organizations within his community. His commitment to serving others was inspired by his parents, nurtured during his time at Niagara, and guided by the simple question, “If I don’t do it, who will?”
Mr. Glynn has impacted countless lives through his leadership of and philanthropic commitments to major educational, cultural, and healthcare institutions in the Niagara region and beyond.
He was a 22-year member of Niagara University’s Board of Trustees, where he became the board’s first lay chairman and chairman emeritus. He chaired the successful 1997 Catholic Charities of Buffalo Appeal, and in 2017, Catholic Charities named its location on Tronolone Place in Niagara Falls the Glynn Family Services Center.
Mr. Glynn served as a director for several leading organizations in the Buffalo-Niagara region, including M&T Bank, National Fuel Gas Co., Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Niagara Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, Catholic Health, and AAA of Western & Central New York.
Mr. Glynn and his wife, Mary, also supported numerous community service organizations, including Heart, Love & Soul; the Francis Center in Niagara Falls; and OLV Charities in Lackawanna.
Under Glynn’s leadership, Maid of the Mist has long supported the work of Opportunities Unlimited, United Way of Niagara Falls, Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, CARExpress Transportation Service – a van transportation service for medical appointments at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center – Summit Healthplex, and Hamilton B. Mizer Primary Care Center.
The Maid of the Mist also sponsors the Niagara University Vincentian Scholarship program; the Diocese of Buffalo’s Curé of Ars dinner, which supports priestly and permanent diaconate formation; and the James V. & Mary Glynn Endowment Fund for the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.
In addition to the organizations Mr. Glynn has supported over the years, his commitment to his alma mater, Niagara University, has been unwavering. In 2010, the 1957 graduate and his wife donated $2 million to NU to support the Vincentian Scholars program, which is designed to help meet community needs as part of a unique four-year curriculum intended to prepare students to assist local, regional, and national organizations that work with the poor and oppressed in the Western New York area. He and his family also established the university’s Bi-National Scholarship and the Vincentian Brothers Scholarship. Additionally, Mr. Glynn has consistently supported the university’s Holzschuh College of Business Administration, the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, and the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M. Institute for Civic Engagement, as well as many university events and programs. He also had a special commitment to helping students who were struggling financially to progress to graduation.
In 2021, NU dedicated the former St. Vincent’s Hall on the university’s Lewiston campus as Glynn Hall in recognition of the family’s philanthropic commitment and leadership.
Mr. Glynn has received numerous honors from religious, civic, educational, and professional organizations and institutions, including Niagara University. In 1985, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of commercial science and received the Alumni Award that same year. Mr. Glynn and his wife received the Caritas Medal in 1983 and were made affiliates of the Congregation of the Mission in 1986. Two years later, they were presented with the President’s Medal, NU’s highest honor. Mr. Glynn was also recognized as an outstanding alumnus of the Holzschuh College of Business Administration in 1990, and Maid of the Mist was honored by the college as 2013 Family Business of the Year.
“He’s just a great Niagara story because he came from Niagara Falls as a Niagara Falls boy, and he worked at the Maid of the Mist and he loved the Maid of the Mist and he loved the City of Niagara Falls,” said the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., Niagara University president. “He loved the majesty and the grandeur of the natural wonder we have in our backyard.
“He just had a life that was driven by incredible purpose,” Father Maher added. “He’s an example of a Niagara alum who never forgets where he came from.”
Glynn is survived by his loving, devoted wife of 67 years, Mary (nee Gallagher) Glynn. They were married Oct. 25, 1958, at Sacred Heart Church in Niagara Falls. He is survived by his five children: Mary-Jo (late Dennis) Farrell, Paula (Gary) Fiore, Christopher (Michelle) Glynn, Tricia (Patrick) Hanley and Elisabeth (Joseph) Ieraci; 18 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. He was predeceased by a grandson, James Fiore, who died in 2006 at the age of 17 from leukemia; and a brother, Leo Glynn. He is also survived by a brother, Don (Diane) Glynn; sister-in-law, Margaret Gallagher, SSJ; brother-in-law, John (late Patricia) Kinner; as well as several nieces and nephews. Glynn resided in Lewiston and was a member of St. Peter Roman Catholic Parish.
Born May 11, 1934, in Niagara Falls, he was the son of the late Vincent E. Glynn and Margaret (McCarthy) Glynn.
