The Portland Public Schools expresses deepest condolences to the family and friends of Lado Ladoka, 44, a leader in Maine's South Sudanese community, who was killed Dec. 2 in an explosion while working on an oil burner in his New Gloucester home. After coming to the United States as a refugee from southern Sudan in 1995, he attended Portland High School before graduating from the University of Southern Maine and then going on to earn a master’s degree in development policy and practices from the University of New Hampshire, according to an obituary in the Portland Press Herald. He most recently was board president of Cross Cultural Community Services and was active in organizations that help immigrants. City Councilor Pious Ali described Ladoka as a person of compassion who worked to help Maine become a welcoming place for all.