Thomas A. Lyson, 58, Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Development Sociology at Cornell, died of cancer Dec. 28 at the Cayuga Medical Center. He had battled the disease for about a year.

Lyson's research focused on community, civic engagement and problem-solving approaches to development, as well as local and global aspects of agriculture, food, nutrition and health. In his recent work in the sociology of agriculture, he played an important role in coining the term "civic agriculture," which proposed that greater linkages between local agricultural production and local food consumption would benefit communities in a variety of ways. He had recently published a widely cited book, "Civic Agriculture."

One recent study by Lyson found that on almost every indicator of economic and social well-being, rural communities with their own schools fared far better than rural communities that had lost their schools. He had been quoted as saying, "When a school goes in a rural community, it's a death knell."

He earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees in sociology at West Virginia University in 1970 and 1972, respectively. He earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Michigan State University in 1976 and became a faculty member at Clemson University the following year before joining Cornell's faculty in 1987.

"The department is shocked at his passing as he played a central role in the teaching and research of the department for so long," said Max J. Pfeffer, chair of the Department of Development Sociology. "His passing is going to leave a huge gap in our program."

Among other activities, Lyson served as director of Cornell's Farming Alternatives Program, as a researcher for the Center for Economic Studies of the U.S. Bureau of the Census and as a senior Fulbright research fellow in sociology at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

He is survived by his wife, Loretta Carrillo, and two daughters, Mercedes and Helena.