in 1941, lyon was appointed president of pomona college. he helped shape pomona as a leading liberal arts institution. lyon’s presidency was turbulent as it extended from the second world war to vietnam. he led pomonathrough the birth of the civil rights movement and the assassinations of john f. kennedy, martin luther king, and robert kennedy. at pomona, students demonstrated protest directed at both institutional and national issues. during his term, the school's endowment rose from $3.5 million to over $22 million and the student body grew from 790 to 1,200.