In Memory | 2018: Summer (2024)

Laurence Crane Griesemer ’40

Larry died on July 6, 2017, at age 98, in Longmeadow, Mass. He graduated from the Pingry School in Elizabeth, N.J., of which he became a trustee years later. He donated a classroom-laboratory in honor of his former science teacher and mentor, Elliott Knoke, who inspired him to study medicine.

At Amherst, Larry was a member of Phi Gamma Delta and the pre-medical, golf and outing clubs.

After receiving his M.D. from Temple Medical School, he completed his internship at Lenox Hill and his residency at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

During World War II, Larry served as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. In 1945 he was in the Pacific theater in the invasion of Okinawa.

His love of fly fishing took him to rivers worldwide. He was never happier than when he had a fly rod in hand, or when he was on the golf course, skiing or climbing Mt. Fiji in order to view the sunrise from the peak the following morning.

Larry practiced ophthalmology for 45 years in Elizabeth, N.J. He was on the staff of the Elizabeth General Medical Center (now Trinitas Regional Medical Center). David Fletcher, the hospital’s former president and CEO, said, “Larry was a quiet leader and held in high regard by all.” His skills in ophthalmology were well-recognized.

Larry’s true character and soul live on in the memory of his loving wife, Ottilie; his three children, John, Jeff, and Sara; his four stepdaughters, Robin, Stephanie, Bertie and Sarah; and eight great-grandchildren. —Ottilie Griesemer

Robert E. Preston ’49

Bob died Nov. 29, 2017, at age 90.

He came to the Fairest College expecting to major in math or physics—until he took his first course with Prof. Henry Mishkin in his sophom*ore year. That did it. He took every course in music we had and a few at Smith. This was to be his life.

After Amherst, he received his M.A. in music history from the University of Michigan, along with his Ph.D. in 1959. Waiting for an appointment took longer than he expected, and he turned to selling silverware door-to-door to survive! Hard to believe for a professor whose dissertation on Jean-Marie Leclair established him as a world authority on the composer. A-R Editions published Bob’s complete edition of all 49 Leclair sonatas for violin and basso continuo. Much of his work was published here and in France.

Bob taught at the University of Oklahoma and Boston University before finding a home at Tulane, where he taught for 33 years. His most significant contribution there was the creation of courses that each focused on two composers—Bach and Beethoven, Handel and Mozart, Wagner and Stravinsky. He received five awards for “excellence in teaching” from the honor society.

A certified alcohol and drug counselor, Bob arranged his teaching schedule so he could spend two days a week at the oldest and largest facility for the indigent in New Orleans—one of his most rewarding activities. This multi-talented academician was also an accomplished pianist, a certified scuba diver, a mountain guide, fisherman and boater.

He was predeceased by his wife, Mary Joanne, and is survived by her daughters, his sister and two generations of family members. As one whose entire post-college effort was in the commercial field, I found Bob’s life to be inspiring and noteworthy. Another big plus for the “’49-ers.” —Gerry Reilly ’49

Horace Seldon ’49

Horace died Aug. 17, 2017, at his home in Wakefield, Mass.

Following Amherst, he attended Andover Newton Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1953. Horace served in World War II before college and, after completing his education, became a reverend and activist. He served parishes in Beverly, Mass., and Andover, Mass., and then was a minister of Christian education for the Massachusetts Conference of Congregational Churches.

He had an epiphany driving home after preaching an Easter morning service one week after Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. From that day on, he devoted his life to working against racism. He founded a nonprofit anti-racist organization, Community Change, which still operates in Boston. He created and taught the “History of Racism” course at Boston College. Additionally, he was a national park service ranger at the Boston African American National Historic Site.

Horace created and worked on many boards and attended many marches. He was also one of the world’s pre-eminent citizen scholars of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. His work on Garrison is considered one of the most robust compilations available and can be seen at www.theliberatorfiles.com (along with a video of Horace).

A list of his awards and related activities would fill two pages. I cite just some of them: Earl Douglas Award and life membership, City Mission Society; Beyond War Foundation; Political Research Associates; Boston YMCA; Metropathways; Boston Police Department; Massachusetts Teachers Association; American Association of University Women, Diversity Award; and very many others, culminating in “Horace Seldon Day” in 2017.

To my sincere regret, I did not get to know Horace while at college. His life work was most inspiring, so timely, so selfless. His family and community can be so proud of him. Speaking for the class, he was exemplary, and we too are proud he was one of us. —Gerry Reilly ’49

John P. Butler ’50

Jack, or “Butts,” as he was known, died Sept. 3, 2016. He was a Psi U brother, while I resided at Phi Gam.

We were good friends throughout our time on “the Hill.” In Australian terms we were mates. We were both members of the freshmen and varsity soccer teams for four years and the squash team for three years. In fact, he and I were either “on” the squash team as the ninth player or “out” as the 10th, so it was a great rivalry. Our 1950 soccer team was undefeated, and we were the New England Intercollegiate champs.

For years I had hoped to see him at reunions, but it never happened. Classmates to whom I spoke had not heard from him either.

Jack wrote in our reunion album: “After Amherst, I headed back to the Midwest and four years of graduate school at Iowa State University. I spent four of the toughest years of my life there and received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in analytical chemistry.”

Jack was with American Can Co. for 25 years, eventually becoming director of technology planning before retiring. He continued with several jobs, ending up with James River in 1995 in Cincinnati.

Summers were spent in Eagle River, Wis., fishing and hunting small game. In Cincinnati, he played tennis and enjoyed good health.

In 1955 Jack married Dolly Brown, and they had three children. Seven grandchildren followed.

I remember him with great affection. —Paul Griffiths ’50

Don Denton Canfield Jr. ’50

Don Denton Canfield Jr. died Oct. 2, 2017. After graduating from Amherst in 1950, he entered the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and retired honorably with the rank of commander. He is survived by his wife, Janet; sons W.O. #4 Frank R. Stoecker Jr., U.S. Coast Guard, Don “Skip” Denton Canfield Ill (and wife Kathy, grandchildren Hayley, Heather, Kelly and Reece) and Barrett C. Canfield (and wife Liz, grandchildren Lily, Grace, Jane and Rhodes); and daughter Betsy T. Canfield (and partner Andrew Hunt).

He resided in Sarasota, Fla., and was formerly a longtime resident of Port Washington, N.Y., and a member of Manhasset Bay Yacht Club. He was an avid sailor, an accomplished salesman and loved by all. —Janet Canfield

D. Paul Cooney ’50

Paul died Sept. 27, 2017, of prostate cancer. How we’ll miss his broad grin and lively words at our reunions.

Before Amherst, he attended 11 different schools while his dad worked in varying communities around the Midwest, which means that Paul reached our circle with a knack quickly to befriend! He worked on The Amherst Student and fraternity business management; his chemistry major prepared him for Northwestern University med school and two Philadelphia hospital jobs, where his specialty was internal medicine and hematology. As an Army draftee, he continued work in medical research, launching into space two monkeys, Abel and Boker.

After 1960–65 at Stanford University Medical Center, he entered private practice and continued working at the university’s hospital and medical school, helping cancer patients take advantage of the facilities and staff. With his wife, Ursula Witte, he raised four children and had eight grandchildren.

Retiring in 1997 from private practice, as a professor emeritus at Stanford’s Medical Center, he continued teaching and consultation for Community Oncology Centers. Now free to pursue his passion for the history of San Francisco, he joined the San Francisco City Guides. Having traveled throughout the United States in his youth, Paul, with Ursula, enjoyed visits to Israel, Egypt, Thailand, and Kenya, as well as skiing and keeping up with Yeats, Frost and other readings.

As his son Chris ’97 wrote at Paul’s death, “At his core, he was a man dedicated to humanity: as a physician, he saved lives; as a professor, he educated generations of healers; as a friend, he was loyal and always stayed in touch; and as a family man, he had an endless love for Ursula [and] instilled in his children lofty ideas, noble principles and generosity. He was also a very devoted and selfless grandfather full of love. In his passing, a guiding light left the world.” —John Priesing ’50

Walter D. Draper Jr. ’50

Walt died on July 28, 2015. He grew up in Illinois, graduating from New Trier High School.

After Amherst, he became a teacher, following receipt of a master’s in teaching from the National College of Education. Teaching took him to Florida and Hammond, Ind., as well as Illinois.

Then Walt opted to get a master’s in library science from the University of Wisconsin, graduating in 1965. He retired from the Gary, Ind., public library in 1990. Eight years later, he decided to go back full time to the Gary library. On this he reported in our 50th reunion book, “Modern technology has taken over. What a shock.” Walt loved to travel, sometimes with an Amherst alumni group. —John Priesing ’50

G. Yale Eastman ’50

Yale died Sept. 27, 2017, at the age of 89. He went to the Clark School in New Hampshire.

At Amherst, Yale was quiet, studious and viewed as a good guy. He was very bright and graduated with a B.A. in mathematics.

Yale had a highly successful business career, first with RCA and then as the entrepreneurial founder of Thermacore, a manufacturer of heat pipes—metal clad pipes for transferring heat efficiently and evenly. Yale’s initial job at RCA was helping to set up, in Lancaster, Pa., the first color tube factory for TV. He worked on many technologies. In 1966 he wrote a cover story for Scientific American on heat pipes. He became a recognized world expert. Over his lifetime, he was awarded 21 patents. In 1970 he decided to take this relatively new technology and commercialize it in Lancaster. Thus began Thermacore. It grew into more than 200 employees with operations in five countries. Yale sold it in 2001.

But his career was not over. He started up StarH, an antenna company for high-end communications. From 1980 on, Yale took an active interest in promoting technology in central Pennsylvania through professional groups and angel investing. The Eastman Partnership was formed to provide management and technical advice to entrepreneurs. Yale was also prominent in supporting the greater Lancaster community.

Yale is survived by his wife, Jane; two sons, Peter and Roger; and three grandchildren. —John Priesing ’50

Terrence D. Garrigan ’50

Terry left us on Jan. 3, 2018, after a long illness. He grew up in Akron, Ohio, and received a scholarship to Western Reserve Academy before matriculating at Amherst.

Terry was modest, friendly and always had a twinkle in his eye. He played varsity soccer and was news editor of the News Bureau. He dominated the bridge games at Alpha Delta Phi and cost several of us a lot of money.

The college achievement we admired most was his election to Phi Beta Kappa his junior year. He became the undergraduate president.

After Amherst, he pursued his academic interests, graduated from Yale Law School and also received an M.B.A. from Stanford. In between graduate schools, he served as an officer in the Coast Guard.

For a number of years, Terry practiced law with the prominent Cincinnati law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister. When he became more intrigued by businesses and projecting their values in the stock market, he joined Scudder, Stevens & Clark, investment counsel, becoming a vice president. In 1980 he left to form his own firm, managing money.

Terry was predeceased by his wife, Jane MacRae, and a son, Douglas. He is survived by five children: Kimberly MacNeille, Katy Price, Timothy Garrigan, Mac Garrigan and William Garrigan; 13 grandchildren; and a sister, Kathleen Unger. —John Priesing ’50

Holsey G. Handyside ’50

Holsey passed away June 29, 2016, in Bedford, Ohio.

He came to Amherst after Western Reserve Academy and the Air Force. Holsey was in just about everything musical—band, glee club and choir. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Then
he received a Fulbright Fellowship, studying in France, prior to obtaining a master’s in public
affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton.

In 1955 he became a Foreign Service officer. For 30 years he was an Arab language and area specialist, serving in embassies in Cairo, Baghdad, Beirut and Tripoli. The high point of his career was his appointment as U.S. ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in 1975.

There also were many interesting assignments in Washington. For example, he was the State Department’s action officer on nuclear weapons and proliferation—as he put it, “wrestling with Defense and the Atomic Energy Commission.”

Holsey co-chaired a $100 million joint U.S. and Saudi Arabia research effort on solar energy. He managed foreign policy multilateral agreements on nuclear fusion and biomass. Holsey wryly pointed out in our 50th reunion book that he was not prepared for his scientific work because “Professor Stiffler’s Physics 1 didn’t cover atomic fusion, while Professor Kidder’s Biology 1 only focused on plants and frogs.”

After retiring in 1986, he worked seven years as a contractor on complex issues of diplomacy and science and technology at the State Department. Then he went back to Ohio.

He was predeceased by a brother and sister. —John Priesing ’50

Leesley B. Hardy ’50

“Buzz” Hardy died Nov. 8, 2016.

Buzz and Joanie Hardy welcomed us to Tucson with open arms when we moved there as snowbirds fleeing Aspen winters. Then for many years, we enjoyed their hospitality and many of their Wisconsin friends.

After attending Deerfield, Buzz became a prominent member of the class as president of Psi Upsilon and a member of Sphinx. Buzz was a great class agent and never allowed a penny to drop through the cracks when he was collecting funds for Amherst.

Following graduation from Northwestern Business School, he became an officer in the Navy during the Korean War. He and Joanie were married at Pearl Harbor; John Priesing ’50, also there in the Navy, attended the wedding.

After the Navy, Buzz had a distinguished career as a fourth-generation Waukesha, Wis., resident. He ran the family abstract, real estate and insurance business. He became an environmentally conscious real estate developer, creating subdivisions and commercial sites.

He founded the Wisconsin chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He was a lifetime trustee of Carroll College, a board member of the Waukesha Memorial Hospital and past chair of the Waukesha United Way, while Joanie served on the board. He was also a board member of the Ice Age Trail and a fundraiser for Three Chimneys Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood, United Community Center, the Land Conservancy and the Democratic Party.

Buzz left his mark on his community, classmates and friends, and we miss him.

His son, Jim, and a daughter, Anne, as well as his sister, Sally Eager, predeceased him. He is survived by his wife, Joanie. —Lloyd Schermer ’50

Donald S. Linton Jr. ’50

Don died Sept. 8, 2016. He enjoyed a long retirement in Sanibel, Fla., beginning in 1992.

Don attended Shaw High School in Cleveland, where he met his wife, Mary Ann. After Amherst he received his medical degree from Ohio State University.

Military service in the late 1950s was spent as a base physician with the U.S. Air Force at Loughlin AFB in Del Rio, Texas. Then it was back to the Cleveland area, where he was a radiologist for several Cleveland hospitals.

His wife died in 2014. Don is survived by three sons, Donald III, Jeffrey and Mark; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. —John Priesing ’50

David H. Marsh ’50

Dave died Oct. 30, 2015, in Raleigh, N.C., where he and his family had made their home for 50 years. After the Kent School, he entered Amherst and was proudly the third generation to attend.

Dave and I (along with Cal Reynolds ’50) escaped from the crowded confines of Morrow to a comparatively luxurious two-room suite in Stearns our sophom*ore year.

Dave was always upbeat, great fun to live with, to be with—at meals, social occasions, football games, the Phi Psi house. I don’t recall him having a harsh word to say about anyone. There was the car trip to Florida spring of junior year—Dave and I and Bob Freeman ’50 and Spike Beitzel ’50, as I recall. Eighteen hours on the road—before the interstates—and six hours in a fleabag motel. Then it rained for the seven days we were in the Sunshine State.

When not in the physics lab, Dave devoted his extracurricular energies to the Glee Club and the newly organized rowing program.

Following Amherst, Dave went to the RCA Institute and worked as an electronics engineer. After a period working on government contracts in Alexandria, Va., he moved to Raleigh and became an instrumentation laboratory manager for IBM.

Dave loved boating on Albemarle Sound and being at his family farm in Virginia. He was dedicated to refugee resettlement issues and to Elder Hosteling with his wife, Ruth.

He was a regular at reunions and homecomings. We were fortunate to connect on a few other occasions to recall the special times of the Amherst years.

Dave is survived by Ruth, son Kenneth, daughters Jean and Ellen and two grandsons. He was predeceased by his daughter Constance. —John Esquirol ’50

William M. McCormick ’50

William Merrill McCormick, 88, of Warwick, R.I., passed away peacefully on Jan. 4, 2018.

Willie was a graduate of the Moses Brown School, Amherst (Chi Phi) and Wharton Business School. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve, retiring as a commander after 20 years of service. Later in life he earned two additional master’s degrees, one in counseling and one in religious education.

Willie devoted his career to business and was employed by several companies in Rhode Island, including Brown and Sharpe and A.T. Cross Co. He also taught at Johnson & Wales University.

Throughout his life, Willie was a dear friend, mentor and pastoral counselor to many people, guiding them in career choices and life decisions, and sharing in their spiritual journeys. He also served as a volunteer chaplain at Kent and Miriam Hospitals for more than 15 years, offering comfort to thousands of patients.

With great wit, wisdom, a phenomenal memory and a love of English, Latin and Yiddish turns of phrase, he entertained and supported all who were fortunate to know and love him. In addition, Bill possessed a passion for photography and Porsches. —Ed Rowen ’50

C. Edwin Meyer ’50

Ed died on Nov. 4, 2017, with his wife, Ruth, at his side. The cause was complications from a fall that occurred during his daily walk.

Born in Flushing, N.Y., Ed grew up in the Great Neck area of Long Island. He graduated from St. Paul’s School in Garden City, Long Island. At Amherst, he majored in history and belonged to Phi Delta Theta. He then served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1950 to 1952 as a first lieutenant in the field artillery.

He began his professional career in 1953 at Harris, Kerr, Foster & Co., an accounting firm specializing in the hospitality industry. At night he attended New York University, earning an M.B.A. in 1957. During this time he also became a certified public accountant. In 1965 he joined Eastern Airlines as assistant treasurer. Three years later he joined Trans World Airways as assistant treasurer and was promoted to senior vice president of finance in 1971. In 1975 he was promoted to president and CEO until 1985, when Carl Icahn, known as a corporate raider, gained control after a bitter fight. Ed left TWA and became president and CEO of Hilton International until retiring in 1988. In general, Ed was known for a quiet, unassuming style.

Throughout his career, he served on numerous corporate, government and public boards. He loved golf and was an avid bridge player, which he learned at Amherst. His greatest passion was spending time with his family, friends and many pets at home or at his summer home in Southhold, N.Y. He is survived by Ruth, his wife of 60 years; two sons; and four granddaughters.

Certainly one of our most illustrious class members—hats off to him for such an amazing career! He will be missed by many. —Dave Sinclair ’50

Charles F. Penniman Jr. ’50

Cholly Penniman was born in Meridian, Miss., in 1928 and died in Philadelphia on April 22, 2017, of a blood disorder. He went to Friends School in Wilmington, Del., where his father was rector of Trinity Church. He and I met freshman year when we served in the Christian Association—partly, we admitted, to meet girls, but also because we admired our chaplains, John Coburn and Robert Brown; they and Cholly’s father influenced me to decide on the ministry. We both pledged Kappa Theta and were roommates for two years.

We had kept in close touch ever since as loyal and supportive friends. He served in the Army Ordnance Corps in Korea in 1952–53 and then followed me to the Virginia Theological Seminary, where I was class of ’56 and he was ’57. He was a pastor in parishes in New York and Philadelphia, and then joined the staff of the Franklin Institute from 1972 to 1993, where he was a skillful and prolific craftsman of historical exhibits, most notably restoring what he described as “a unique antique,” the 19th-century Maillardet automaton.

He married Annette Eckert, who was a director of Christian education and became his partner in many ministries with the Diocese of Pennsylvania, sharing her poetry and his drawings and photography. They led the Church Without Walls and worked for the Church’s companion Diocese of Guatemala. Annette died just a month after he did; their ashes are buried at his family’s cemetery in Culpeper, Va.

He is survived by two nephews; Annette’s daughter; Lynda; and their families, and he is warmly remembered by Breezy and me, and by a host of people from many walks of life who appreciated his droll humor and, as the old Bibles put it, “deep loving-kindness.” —Kingsley Smith ’50

Burton E. Randall Jr. ’50

Burt died of Alzheimer’s on March 4, 2017, at his home in Austinburg, Ohio. He was born in Easthampton, Mass., in 1929 and went to Williston Academy. At Amherst, he played varsity soccer, was literature editor of Touchstone and my brother in Kappa Theta. He was magna cum laude in English and Phi Beta Kappa.

His passion for literature was manifested in two ways: a lifelong talent for bawdy poetry (never, alas, published) and a gift for teaching, first at Western Reserve Academy and then for 31 years at Shaker Heights (Ohio) High School. There he was known as a brilliant, enthusiastic and strict mentor for his students, many of whom testified to how they were inspired by him; he was a true product of the Eng Lit team of Baird, Elliott, Brower, Barber and Craig.

Burt, who was in my 1951 wedding to Breezy Evans of Shaker Heights, met her friend Jean Ossman (Wellesley ’51) and married her in 1952. They both taught at Shaker until retirement in 1982 and then moved to a country home in northeast Ohio to raise vegetables, but Jean contracted cancer and died in 1984. Burt carried on alone, specializing in prize-winning elephant garlic, a good totem for a man of pungent tastes and a private lifestyle. —Kingsley Smith ’50

G. James Roush Jr. ’50

Jim died on Feb. 10, 2016, from heart failure. He came to Amherst after prepping at Western Reserve Academy in Ohio.

Jim joined Alpha Delta Phi, won his letter “A” all four years in both football (running back) and wrestling (captain 1 and 3) and even added another “A” in track. He was elected to Sphinx and Scarab. Clearly, he was an unusually fine athlete. In wrestling, I marvel that he reached the 175-pound semifinals at the national NCAA tournament, which included the major universities.

After Amherst Jim graduated from Harvard Business School and later received a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Washington.

Jim had two great passions in life, apart from his family. One was flying, which he learned courtesy of the U.S. Navy from 1952 to 1956. The other was conservation of our lands. Following a stint as an Aspen ski instructor, he was a founding board member of Light Hawk, a conservation effort in the West that utilized aircraft in their work. Jim, with a Beech Baron, was the pilot.

He climbed all 53 peaks in Colorado with heights of 14,000 feet or more. For 47 years he explored the West annually with the same three friends.

Jim was on the board of Roadway Express, a national trucking company founded by his family. He also served on the Sierra Club Foundation board. He believed in the work of the ACLU and Earth Justice and enjoyed Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

Jim leaves his wife, Cynthia Wayburn; two children, Wil and Molly; a grandson; and two brothers, Tom ’66 and George ’68. Through an earlier marriage, he had three adopted children—Mary, James and Thomas—and seven grandchildren. —John Priesing ’50

J. Kellum Smith Jr. ’50

Kell died at his home near Saranac in the Adirondacks on April 7, 2017. His father, James K. Smith ’15, was the college architect who, in the 1930s and 1940s, designed many of our Federalist Revival buildings, notably Valentine, Kirby and the Alumni Gym.

Kell was a graduate of Exeter in 1945 and served in the U.S. Army. We were roommates at James and Stearns for two years. He was a member of Chi Psi and the Glee Club, on the varsity soccer team and on the executive committee of Sphinx. He was Phi Beta Kappa in Greek and Latin.

In 1953 he earned an LL.B. from Harvard and settled into a long career with foundations, first the Guggenheim, then the Rockefeller and, for 25 years, the Mellon, where he retired as a senior fellow in 1999. In New York City and, after retirement, at the old farm he purchased upstate, Kell continued his energetic and generous cultural, educational and charitable efforts, like “Hill and Hollow Music.”

He is survived by his wife, Angela; four children, Alison, Timothy, Jennifer and Christopher (as he pointed out, “all dactylics,” perhaps in tribute to John Moore, the classics professor he and I “sat under” for three years); and seven grandchildren. Kell was a man of a Jeffersonian breadth of talents and tastes, with grace, wit, wisdom and generosity, whose entry in our 50th reunion album ended, “Never take the word retirement literally.” He is missed by his family and his Amherst friends. —Kingsley Smith ’50

Craig Bell ’51

Craig Bell died July 27, 2017, a victim primarily of long-standing COPD. He came to Amherst from Deerfield Academy and the small community of Piqua, Ohio.

Following Amherst, Craig spent almost 30 years in the retail automobile business selling Chevrolets at his Grand Rapids, Mich., dealership. He sold that in 1981 and moved to his family’s cattle ranch near Patagonia, Ariz.

For the rest of his life Craig followed the same annual routine—summer months in the lovely home his parents had built on Crooked Lake in Oden, Mich., just east of Lake Michigan, and the balance of the year at the Patagonia ranch. During a severe drought in the late ’90s, Craig sold off his livestock, and for the rest of his life, he enjoyed Arizona as a gentleman farmer.

Craig married several times and had more children and then grandchildren than he could recount! For the past 25 years, however, Craig lived with Maureen O’Brien, the love of his life (Smith ’54, known there by Craig’s sister, Kitty, also ’54). Craig and Maureen were both devoted bridge players, and the game bonded their relationship. They left us almost at the same time—Maureen in May 2017 and Craig two months later. Craig is remembered as a loveable fellow, generous, compassionate but, yes, with a unique marital style! —Everett E. Clark ’51

Reginald R. Frost Jr. ’51

Our friend, classmate and Theta Delta Chi fraternity brother Reg Frost died Nov. 4, 2017. Reg spent his pre-Amherst years mostly in New Jersey, where he was raised by his medical doctor uncle. Reg graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1947.

He entered Amherst as a pre-med student but convinced himself and his uncle that he didn’t want to be a physician. He wanted a career in the Foreign Service. Shortly after graduation, Reg began his 27-year career as a CIA agent in Europe and Japan.

Reg met his wife, Evelyn Comey (Smith ’51), on a tennis court in Washington, D.C., where they both were working in 1952; they were married a few weeks later. They immediately moved to Germany, courtesy of the CIA, and their two children were born in Europe. Reg didn’t divulge his CIA duties but did comment that he’d had a “fascinating career, always challenging and with few dull moments.” In his long retirement in Exeter, N.H., he kept busy with charitable activities, tutoring children with learning disabilities and renovating his 250-year-old house.

We remember Reg as an active participant in all our fraternity activities and a tremendous spiker on the volleyball team. (He was always the tallest man on the court.) On behalf of the class, we convey our deepest sympathy and condolences to Evie, his wife of 65 years, and his two children, Michael Frost and Karen Smith. —John E. Kirkpatrick ’51 and Charles A. Tritschler ’51

James A. Gast ’51

Jim Gast passed away Dec. 11, 2017, at a care center for those with dementia near his home in Arcata, Calif., a town just off the Pacific Ocean and just north of Eureka.

Jim spent his high school years near Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, worked there during summers and developed what was to be a lifelong devotion to matters arising from the seas.

He joined our class in the fall of 1947 but spent two years with the Marines in Korea and graduated with the class of 1953. Jim then drove his 1928 Franklin cross-country to attend the University of Washington, receiving his master’s and then, in 1960, his doctorate, both in oceanography.

In 1961 he began his teaching career at Humboldt State University, the northernmost arm of the 23-unit California University System, located in Arcata. During his years at Humboldt, Jim was involved in the design and construction of its Trinidad Marine Lab and served as its founding director. He was the first professor in the newly established oceanography program and was mainly responsible for obtaining and operating vessels with seagoing capabilities that took students of various disciplines out to sea for study and research. Jim also participated in many Arcata civic and social activities and, after retirement, helped establish its community college.

He is survived by, and we extend our condolences to, Thea, his wife of 62 years; three sons; and two grandchildren. As you might expect, Jim had his ashes scattered at sea. —Everett E. Clark ’51

John F. Keydel ’51

John Keydel, my classmate and fraternity brother, was, in my friendship with him, the epitome of a good man, the kind of person from the outset that you are pleased to know and, with more time and experience with him, even more glad that you have him as a friend and can rely on that friendship when you are in need.

John was good-humored, reliable and generous, always good company, never harshly critical. If you needed help, whether to solve an algebra assignment or write a history paper, John’s intelligence and good judgment, generously given if asked, could help. As a fraternity brother, the key word was brother; he was like a brother. —Chuck Longsworth ’51

Stuart E. Methven ’51

Stu Methven was one of a kind—in the words of his wife, Nicole, a “raw diamond.” While most of us spent our years in offices and playing golf, Stu was recruiting montagnards in Cambodia and Vietnam or competing with the KGB in various Asian and African nations.

At Amherst, Stu was a member of Chi Phi, and with John Purcell ’51 and Skip Hunziker ’51 founded the Amherst Decency League, an organization whose mission was suspected to belie its name. His senior history thesis was on Civil War espionage. Stu later earned his master’s in history at MIT.

Following Amherst, Stu joined the CIA. A fellow agent described him as “a hard-charging field officer, most at home in the third world and decidedly not a Washington bureaucrat.”

During the Vietnam War, Stu recruited Montagnard tribes, most notably the Hmong, to fight the Viet Cong. His book, Laughter in the Shadows (well worth reading), describes hair-raising landings behind enemy lines. He later helped many Hmong settle in Montana.

Following Vietnam, Stu served in Indonesia and later Africa. He was chief of station in the Congo and Angola. Stu retired from the CIA in 1980 and settled in Brussels. In “retirement” he served as a consultant for the Hudson Institute and for the Center for Naval Analyses and wrote his book.

In his senior year at Amherst, Stu married Joyce “Joy” Buckminster, the ceremony taking place in a well-decorated Chi Phi house. He and Joy were later divorced. In 1978 Stu married Nicole Lermusieau of Brussels. He is survived by Nicole, four children from his first marriage (Laurie, Megan, Kent and Gray), 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. (Wow!)

His classmates join his family in mourning for Stu, whose life and adventures testify to his living the liberal arts mission. —Van Tingley ’51

John I. Dickinson ’52

John Dickinson (aka “Georgia”) crossed the river from this life in November 2017, following a too-long episode of severe dementia. In fall 1948, John joined the special group of fourth floor Stearns (remember the stairs?) of Amherst ’52, well-prepared by Deerfield Academy. He had strong ties with Amherst town through his uncle, Roy Blair. We had special Sunday breakfasts with Uncle Roy. Another good friend was Cliff Allen, clothier.

John was an active member of Chi Phi. His interests and capabilities, in addition to pre-med challenges, included squash, tennis, Ping-Pong and bridge—all at competitive levels. He created his own flies for fly fishing. Annual trips to a Canadian hideaway gave us a chance to meet. If you ever traveled with John to within 100 miles of Atlanta, you will know that a strong southern drawl suddenly appeared. He claimed that only then could he return home.

He completed five years of surgical training at Grady Hospital. He then spent two years in the Navy as a lieutenant commander, including during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

John and Sara raised five children during their 24 years together, before Sara died of cancer. Paula and her two sons joined John’s family for the next 38 years.

John and Paula have been very active in their local Episcopal church. He also headed several professional and local community boards.

He and Paula covered many miles in his Cessna T210, visiting family and friends and special vacation destinations.

Our thoughts of sympathy are with Paula and her extended family.

John was ever-faithful to mammoth Lord Jeffery Amherst! “Strangers once …”

With fond memories, —Harry Wilson ’52

Robert H. Stackpole ’52

The death of Bob Stackpole is an irreplaceable loss to the class of 1952, his family and his legion of friends, personal and professional. We are deeply saddened for his wife, Cookie; his four daughters; and his grandchildren. Two of his daughters are Amherst graduates—Sarah ’84 and Betsy ’86.

I met Bob in first grade, and we were close friends and neighbors through elementary school, junior high, high school and Amherst. Until we arrived at the Fairest College, we walked to school and back together almost every day for 11 years. Bob was always the smartest kid in the class, and I struggled mightily to catch up (unsuccessfully) with his very large intellectual classroom footprints.

As a student at Cornell Medical School, Bob met his wife-to-be, Cookie. They courted, married and lived as medical students in an apartment near the school. My wife, Bix, and I met them there frequently. Bob and Cookie became distinguished physicians, with their home base in Elizabeth, N.J. Bob’s specialty was gastroenterology, and he was successful in practice and as a leader of the regional medical profession and his specialty.

All of us in the class of ’52 have been most fortunate that Bob was president of the class for many years. He was masterly in promoting harmony and joie de vivre amongst his classmates as the College confronted a series of potentially divisive issues. His classmates are grateful for his unflappable patience, good humor and virtually unflappable judgment. Bob Stackpole will be greatly missed by all of us. —Bill Smethurst ’52

David B. Wray ’52

My family and I are sad to report the passing of my dad on Dec. 22. Dad graduated from Harvard Business School in 1955. The previous year he was introduced to Patty Bundy (Smith College); they were married in 1955. I came along a year later, joined by sisters Susan and Betsy. Except for two years in New York City, we were based in Boston.

Dad started his post-HBS career at New England Life in 1955. Lazard took him to New York in 1971–73. He then returned to Boston to the Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada as chief investment officer for the United States. He retired in 1996. He served on the board of directors for the Cambridge Trust and the National Grange and on the board of trustees of the Dexter School and the Chestnut Hill School.

Although Dad said he “majored in movies” at Amherst, I’m sure that wasn’t entirely the case. He played on the club hockey team and remembered that he and his teammates often had to shovel the outdoor natural-ice surface before practices and games. He was a member of Beta House; one of his fondest memories was playing on the Beta touch football team along with Korean War veterans well into their mid-20s and uninterested in playing varsity football. That team ruled Amherst’s touch football fields. He developed a strong game of duplicate bridge, which he played enthusiastically and successfully until a few days before he died.

Dad was the son of Charles G. Wray ’24. Brothers Peter ’57 and Michael ’58 followed him to Amherst. I graduated in ’78, my cousin Charlie in ’86 and my son, David III, aka Trip, in 2011. Dad also leaves four great-grandchildren. My wife, Deidre ’81, and I will ardently cheer that Amherst will continue as the “family school” for at least one of them. —David B. Wray Jr. ’78

Alexander S. Breed ’53

Alex Breed, who led a life devoted to early music as a teacher, performer and arranger, died Jan. 31 at the age of 87 in Port Elizabeth, Maine.

Alex was born in New York City, grew up in Lynn, Mass., and prepared for Amherst at St. Mark’s School. He began with the class of 1953; left to serve in the Army as a radio repairman in Linz, Austria; and returned to graduate in 1957. He majored in political science and was a member of Delta Upsilon. He married Phyllis Klein in 1958, and they settled in Watertown, Mass.

The Portland Post-Herald reports: “Throughout his life, music was central. Alex was a teacher and performer, specializing in music composed before 1750. He taught children and adults to play recorders and other Renaissance and Baroque instruments and for more than 40 years coached private ensembles in greater Boston.

“His arrangements of music for student groups were published by the Oriel Library in England and have been circulated widely in the United States and Europe. He was a founding member of the Boston Recorder Society and performed with LaFontegara and other early music consorts.”

Alex and Phyllis retired to Port Elizabeth where he began to study jazz piano. He was especially interested in similarities between improvised styles in modern jazz and those of Renaissance and Baroque music.

Alex is remembered as a man of modest, reserved demeanor that belied a sharp mind and generous heart. He is survived by friends, cousins and his wife. —George Gates ’53

Gomer S. Rees Jr. ’53

Many class of 1953 members attending our reunions remember Gomer Rees and his sidekick, the late Frank Ryan ’53, reading a series of Gomer’s witty, pithy epigrams as part of our entertainment. Few, if any, knew he had written about 12,000 of them, including some made into songs and presented in concerts.

Belatedly, we have learned of Gomer’s death on Jan. 20, 2017, at the Wartburg senior care center in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. Gomer was 89. Prior to Wartburg, Gomer had lived for six years with the household of his beloved cousin, Rosalind Rees Smith, in Yonkers.

Gomer was born in Allentown, Pa., and graduated from Allentown High. He spent a year at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md., joined the Army for service on a hospital ship and entered Amherst in 1951, majoring in history.

Gomer’s career centered on music. When he was 16, he became the youngest organist admitted to the American Guild of Organists. He served as organist for several churches in and around New York City, the last being the French Church du Saint-Esprit, where he worked as music editor for a new Huguenot hymnal.

Gomer also produced numerous concerts. For 40 years, ending in 2013, he produced, promoted and managed performances by the Gregg Smith Singers, headed by his cousin’s husband and including her as one of the singers.

Epigrams—also called Gomerisms—began to flow in quantity in the late 1970s. Gregg Smith set nearly 20 of them to music and used the result in national tours. Nearly 25 wound up versified in a cabaret show called Pretty Good Company, presented by a quartet of singers.

Closing with a sample: “You’re told about the shortness of life when you’re young, but it takes a long time to learn about it for yourself.” —George Gates ’53

Seward Smith ’53

In February 2017 Seward Smith struggled with a bout of the flu that led to “a steep decline” in his health, according to his daughter Alison Vollweiler. Eventually, it resulted in Seward being moved from his beloved waterfront home (with access to the Gulf of Mexico) in Osprey, Fla., to live with Alison in Bethesda, Md., where he died Feb. 4 at age 87.

Class Agent Sandy Strait recalled Seward as “a genuinely nice guy.” Many others will agree.

Seward prepared for Amherst at Stuyvesant School in Warrenton, Va. At Amherst, he was rushing chairman of Chi Psi, participated in several sports and was sports director for WAMF. He majored in psychology.

Seward did an Army stint working on training research at Fort Benning, Ga., and went on to earn a doctorate as an experimental psychologist at the University of Rochester.

His career included basic research for the Human Resources Research Office and the Naval Medical Research Institute, man-in-space research at Boeing, teaching and research at Florida State and heading the Army Research Institute’s field unit at Fort Benning.

Seward’s first marriage (to Marilynn) ended in divorce. He was predeceased by his second and third wives, Virginia and Jacqui. He is survived by four children, three stepchildren and seven grandchildren.

Seward was a fine athlete who enjoyed tennis, running, senior softball and power boating well into his retirement years. Tennis was his first love, and he was an active member of the Plantation Tennis Club in Florida. In addition, he and Jacqui took advantage of the many cultural offerings in the Sarasota region, including theater, opera and symphony performances.

He loved Amherst. The college had a “powerful and magnificent influence” on his life, Seward wrote in our 50th reunion book. —George Gates ’53

Bernard D. Wakefield ’53

Bernard Wakefield, known to one and all by his middle name, Dick, died Jan. 1 after a heart seizure followed by a fall, while visiting family in Hartford, Conn. Dick lived in his last years in Tonawanda, N.Y., outside Buffalo.

Dick was one of seven members of our class who prepared for Amherst at Nichols School in Buffalo. On campus, he was house manager for Phi Delta Theta and a member of the band.

Dick completed studies at the University at Buffalo Medical School in 1957 and served his internship and residency at Buffalo’s Millard Fillmore Hospital.

He conducted a private practice in nearby Amherst, N.Y., for 18 years, while also serving as an adjunct professor at UB, a doctor at the school’s health service clinic and a co-director of Millard Fillmore’s outpatient services.

He went on to serve as assistant director of family practice residency at Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital and medical director of skilled nursing at Millard Fillmore. He was a consultant and medical director at several Niagara Falls industries and retired in 1997 after a stint with the Health Care Regulations Division of the New York State Office of Health Systems Management.

In retirement, Dick used his hands-on talents working for Habitat for Humanity for 15 years and on the massive renovation of Buffalo’s classic movie house, Shea’s Theater, for 14 years.

Dick and his longtime partner, Cecelia Kohlmeier, traveled extensively. “We traveled all over the world. Dick loved to travel,” she recalled. Survivors also include two sons, Brian and Keith; two daughters, Tracy Cross and Shelly; and three grandchildren.

Dick was a good guy and good friend. He will be missed. —George Gates ’53

Scott Carter Lea ’54

Scott died Jan. 8, 2018. Scott received an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. It was his honor to serve in the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps from 1954 to 1957 and his good fortune to find his wife of 53 years, Marilyn Blair Lea, while they were both in Germany during this time.

He started his career in packaging in 1959 with Riegel Paper Corp., later to become Rexham, where he served as president, CEO and chairman of the board until retirement. During his career, he enjoyed relationships formed while serving on a number of boards of directors, including those of Quantum Chemical, W.R. Bonsal, North American Philips, PCA International, Wachovia, Speizman Industries, Cape Fear Rod Co. and Lance (for which he was board chairman from 1996 to 1999).

Twenty-five years on the board of trustees for Johnson C. Smith University, along with board service with the North Carolina Zoological Society and the CPCC Foundation, offered opportunities to share his experience with institutions he held in high regard.

His favorite role was as leader of his family. No athletic pursuit, academic endeavor, fishing trip or hunt occurred without adequate “coaching.” His philosophy of “work hard and play hard” resulted in fantastic trips. He and his family enjoyed decades of sport fishing on his boat. His motto of “If a little bit is good, a lot is better!” was a constant source of amusem*nt and fun.

He was predeceased by his wife, Marilyn, and is survived by the recipients of his love and guidance, Scott C. Lea Jr.,; Nancy Lea Williams and husband Richard; Mark S. Lea ’86 and wife Jennifer; and six grandchildren.

In remembering Scott, we honor a man of discipline, integrity and devotion to his family and friends, who was guided by his faith. —Mark Lea ’86

Eugene W. Friedrich ’55

Eugene died Jan. 8, 2018, from complications following a routine surgery. Eugene was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and immigrated in 1939 with his family on the steamship Vulcania. Eugene completed the five-year combined Amherst-MIT program in 1956 to earn his master’s in civil engineering through the Air Force ROTC competitively awarded scholarship program. He was a political science major at Amherst and a member of Kappa Theta.

After MIT, Eugene served three years in the Air Force, stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. He earned his pilot’s license and attained the rank of captain. During his military service, he earned two patents, the first on fusion bonding to non-metals and the second for NASA on the re-entry vehicle leading edge.

Always first and foremost an engineer, Eugene had domestic and international engineering projects over his career. Years later he took his engineering skills into real estate development. At his death, he remained self-defined as a self-employed engineer with no eye yet on retirement.

Eugene had a proud hobby of philatelic study of his birth country of Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). It held keen fascination, down to the smallest detail of a watermark. In recent years, Eugene lived in a historic home along the Cliff Walk in Newport, R.I. He enjoyed remodeling and owned and managed many rental properties in Boston and Newport, where he did much of the maintenance himself.

Eugene is survived by his wife, Kendra; their daughter, Whitney Wolf; his first wife, Gael Grant; and their three children: Susan ’80, Belinda and Scott. He is survived also by six grandchildren.

He rests at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, in Cambridge, Mass., and received full military honors at his graveside. —The Friedrich Family

Robert E. Grant ’55

Bob came up from Westfield High School with Earl Clark ’55, Dave Anderson ’55 and Bob Allen ’55. He brought with him his optimism, sociable outlook and gift in music. He invariably thought well of people.

In short time, he gained a place in the DQ. This opportunity to practice and perform with upperclassmen, he put to great advantage—making friendships and acquaintances at levels within and beyond the College. Through this, he transcended the ordinary life of a freshman. At graduation, he took honors in American studies. Along with Al McLean ’55 and Gordie Forbes ’55, he entered Yale Divinity School. Here was a triad of young men who had weighed, debated and found common purpose through intense discussion while in college.

After divinity school, Bob married Nancy Palmer, with whom he nurtured a family of two sons and a daughter. Bob held ministerial posts in Methodist churches in northern New Jersey and southern New York State.

As years went on, his painting claimed and deserved more of his time and attention. He attained recognition for his watercolors. His family’s summer place in Maine reinforced the continuity in his life.

At our 50th reunion, he posed the question, “What changes have there been since we were seniors?” It was a question that drew forth more responses—and stimulated more reflection—than anything else at the reunion.

What was the essence of Bob Grant? We think it was his conviction that life was good and that it was intended to be so.

Al McLean ’55 closed the prayer of thanksgiving at Bob’s memorial service: “O loving God ... , We rejoice in the legacy Bob leaves of a life well-lived, a life of faith and family, a life of service and sharing [and] the keen eye of his artistic vision.” —Bob Allen ’55, Gordie Forbes ’55. Al McLean ’55

Joseph Dunwoody Jr. ’56

Joe died Jan. 11 in San Antonio, of an unexpected heart attack.

He came to Amherst from Troy (N.Y.) High School. After Amherst he attended Naval OCS, serving a five-year career—two years aboard a destroyer, followed by teaching English at the Bainbridge Naval Preparatory School. On a 1964 trip to Mexico he became fascinated with the country and its culture, staying five years, first receiving a master’s in Spanish literature, then teaching English on Mexican TV and later playing the Ricky Ricardo role in a Mexican version of I Love Lucy.

He returned to San Antonio in 1968 and taught Spanish and ESL at San Antonio College for 30 years until retirement.

In 2001 he married Martha Tanner, a still-active state district judge, at a San Antonio landmark, the Spanish Governor’s Palace.

Retirement found him an outspoken activist for liberal causes. A Martin Luther King Jr. aficionado, anti-war letter writer, environmentalist and protest marcher at the 2004 Republican Convention, this past year found him joining more than 200,000 like-minded, protesting citizens in Washington for the People’s Climate March on Trump’s 100th day in office. As a Democrat and a passionate progressive voice deep in the heart of red-state Texas, he was an inveterate letter-to-the-editor writer, continually bombarding editorial pages. As recently as Dec. 2, the San Antonio Express News published his letter lamenting the potentially terrifying consequences of the president’s nuclear brinkmanship with North Korea.

Joe loved skiing, tennis, the piano, reading, travel and his Mexican dog, Pepito. He is survived by his wife, Martha, and several cousins.

In his will, Joe, a proud Amherst man, left a gift to the College to be used for need-based student financial aid and a second gift to the Benjamin DeMott Memorial Fund.

A life well-lived. —Peter Levison ’56

Lynn R. Henges ’56

Lynn Henges, 83, of Phoenix, beloved husband, father and grandfather, died Nov. 13, 2017. He was born in St. Louis, the son of J. Gordon and Vera Henges. He was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy. Survivors include son Andrew and his wife, Christy; son Terry and his wife, Kara; five grandchildren; and brothers Jay and Ron Henges.

Lynn came to Amherst from the St. Louis Country Day School. Sophom*ore year he transferred to the University of Arizona, where he received B.S. and B.P.A. degrees in 1956. Drafted into the U.S. Army, he was assigned to the finance department with the Army in Germany. He completed military service on Dec. 30, 1958, and returned to a former employer, Price Waterhouse & Co., in its St. Louis office. He later established Henges & Befort CPAs in Phoenix. —Peter Levison ’56

Donald L. Nathanson ’56

Brooklyn-born and barely 16, Don was the youngest member of the class entering Amherst in September 1952. In his own words, “To this newcomer, the world of Amherst was the epitome of smooth. I had no precedent for the style of my new peers. A few friends and roommates gave me pointers on smooth, and I watched, listened and learned for a time when I might be smooth. To my surprise a degree of smoothness crept into my ways. Amherst did its job to take me from where I started, that I might become myself.” Q.E.D. the following.

Peter Levison ’56

Don, a world-renowned psychiatrist, theorist, author, husband, father and grandfather, died Dec. 27, 2017. He was a vibrant presence, passionate about human psychology, winemaking, classical music, photography, antiques, writing, family and most of all, his soulmate, Roz.

A lifetime interest in the nature of emotion led him away from a promising academic and clinical career in endocrinology and toward psychiatry, his true calling. His Philadelphia-based private practice was a sanctuary and place of healing for the countless patients with whom he worked. He considered himself fortunate to know each one.

Among his more than 100 publications in the realm of emotion, he was most proud of his books, The Many Faces of Shame and Shame and Pride: Affect, Sex and the Birth of the Self. He gave several hundred public presentations of this material all over the world, teaching a new way of understanding the biology and psychology of emotion.

Don is survived by his wife, Roz; a daughter, Julie Nathanson Holcomb; a grandson, Henry Holcomb; and a sister, Nina Birnbaum. He leaves behind a legacy of kindness, intellect, compassion, humor and connection—all of which he shared with every person he encountered.
—The Nathanson family

Bernard E. J. Robart ’56

Dad was born in Maisnil Les Ruitz, a small town in northern France, not far from Dunkirk. Early in World War II he learned English from a British soldier assigned there. Later, from nearby, the Nazis launched V-2 rockets towards London.

Graduating in English from Lille University with a Fulbright scholarship to Amherst, he arrived in America on the Queen Mary in 1954.

After Amherst he returned to Lille, studying Russian and Finnish. In 1961 he married Michèle Bernadette. Their first child, Philippe, was born 1962 near Biarritz. Now fluent in seven languages, Dad joined the French Foreign Service, first in Finland, then in Tunisia, Chad (1962–64) and then in Ghana (1964–68), where Christine was born.

Escaping the ever-escalating Ghanaian strife, the family left hastily for Chile, where Anita was born just before the election of Salvador Allende. More unrest. Late in 1971 we left Chile after just one year. After a short two months in France came a reassignment to Turkey. Again the pattern of unrest was followed by another quick move when the Turkish military seized power. On to Nigeria, already among the world’s most dangerous countries. After three years of almost daily fear, we literally fled overnight, leaving everything behind. Assigned next to Uruguay, we made a short stop in Buenos Aires, just as Isabel Peron was kidnapped by the Argentine military junta. After only a short delay, we continued on to Uruguay, finally a peaceful paradise, staying for nearly seven years.

In 1986, after 32 years mostly far from home, Dad settled in Biarritz, a French paradise in the Basque country. He retired in 1994 and died Jan. 7, 2018, leaving Michèle, his wife of 57 years; three children; and five grandsons.

Of his Amherst experience, he said, “It was a true passport to life.”

He gave us everything we could dream of. No regrets, only smiles. Thanks, Dad. —Anita, Christine and Phillipe (class of ’84) Robart

Harold C. Haizlip ’57

Harold’s father, a Pullman porter, died when Harold was 10. That same year Harold’s grade school teacher, the sister of Dr. Charles Drew (Amherst ’26 and for whom the Phi Alpha Psi house was renamed) told Harold to think about Amherst. And he did.

Class valedictorian at the all-black Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., Harold was one of two black students in the class of ’57 and one of only eight black undergraduates.

At Phi Psi he gave many of us insight into the black experience in America—with compassion and, often, forgiveness.

He graduated cum laude in Greek and Latin. A Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Harvard, he earned a master’s in classics and education and a doctorate in education policy and management.

His life was devoted to helping young people realize their full potential—particularly the marginalized. He was a teacher and educator, working with schools and foundations on both coasts. For eight years he was commissioner of education in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Retired, Harold organized a free after-school arts program for more than 50,000 lower-income Los Angeles students—and was named a Purpose Prize fellow, “a MacArthur genius award for retirees.”

Harold married Shirlee Taylor, Wellesley ’59—very much Harold’s equal. She was an author (including of The Sweeter the Juice, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year), a teacher and an arts administrator. Daughters Deirdre and Melissa sadly chose Yale.

In our 50th reunion book, Harold wrote, “At some future time I will think seriously about retiring. But not today, not this week, not this month. I have too much yet to do. And so does America.”

Harold died of heart failure, in his sleep, on Jan. 31, 2018. He was 82. —John Thompson ’57, Tom Herzog ’57

Stanley C. Lipton ’57

Stan Lipton died in December. He is remembered as a young and vibrant friend while at Amherst. He won a varsity letter and proudly wore his letter sweater as part of his daily attire. Besides taking really good care of his hair—he never went bald—he had an infectious giggle and a bright, smiling visage.

Stan attended Harvard Law School. After graduation, he volunteered for six months of active duty in the Air Force Reserve. He went to work as a lawyer after his release, and his career was progressing nicely when, in May 1963, his father, also a lawyer, suffered a stroke. Stan immediately left the firm he was with and rescued his father’s solo practice.

Stan’s secretary recalls that he lived alone in Great Neck, N.Y., and was happy to tell her many of his life’s stories. His fondest memories were of Amherst. He treasured his Amherst days and saved all the memorabilia from each reunion. He was quite upset to miss the 60th reunion, having attended a family wedding that weekend. She is certain that he was looking forward to attending the next one.

Through the years Stan loved the theater and saw many Broadway shows. He had an extensive collection of all varieties of music. He loved to travel and did so frequently. He was cultured and visited museums and attended concerts and ballets throughout the world. He attended a concert a few days before his death.

Stan is survived by a son and a daughter. —Ed Gilbert ’57, Bruce Watson ’57

Charles A. Wells Jr. ’57

Charles died on Oct. 31, 2017. He was one of my dearest friends. We met at Amherst during the 1958–59 academic year. Charles had taken off a semester, so, even though he was class of ’57, he was still on campus in 1958–59. We hit it off immediately, mostly getting together over reading Finnegans Wake aloud to each other.

We both went to New York City after graduating and continued getting together there. We would go out, wandering around the dock area, sometimes in the vicinity of the meat wholesalers and their trucks, loaded with whole carcasses. Very surreal. I recall once standing with him near a pier containing trash that had been collected in the city, waiting to be taken by barge to be dumped somewhere out in the ocean. It was about 100 yards on a side, and easily 30–40 feet high. We were astounded at the enormousness of it all.

Our conversations quite often became almost a trading of free associations. One thing would touch off another, and we’d go long hours bouncing off each other’s minds.

Charles and his wife, Diana, lived at the family home in Washington Crossing, Pa., with quite a few acres. There were lots of his statues and sculptures spread around the place and a large barn that he used as one of his sculpture studios as well as an indoor studio in the house.

As one can read online, Charles was a well-known graphic artist (etchings, lithographs, etc.) and sculptor. He was meticulous in his work, and it is amazing and beautiful. His art is exhibited in many collections.

Charles is survived by his wife, Margaret Diana Greig Wells, and five children. —Peter Strauss ’58

William C. Hannemann ’58

Bill Hannemann—smart, handsome, funny—died Dec. 7, 2017.

My initial memory? Beanie clad at a fat rope’s end, the sophom*ore class promptly dragging us into the pond. Our friendship—Hannemann’s and mine—lasted more than 60 years.

With Patterson and Zinner, we roomed together sophom*ore year. We sang and sang, harmonizing Hannemann’s cowboy songs in the Pratt common bathroom. We were good!

Rooming together at Chi Psi senior year, we hardly saw one another. He’d built a study cubicle in the attic and disappeared there for great spans of time, but he became well-educated—Sphinx Society, honors thesis, etc. (At times he’d head off to Harvard’s Widener Library or D.C.’s Library of Congress and, when asked why, offered his finest Willie-Sutton-inspired “That’s where the books are, dummy!”

Hanneman’s successful career included a Stanford M.B.A., a stint as director of admissions at the graduate school of business there, manager of a diamond company and senior management of Adidas and Gyro.

Early on, we shared Christmases and each other’s weddings. I “borrowed” a fighter jet to get to his and Judy’s; he met me at the airfield, promptly thanked me for the wedding gift but complained the single seater would not accommodate his bride! He and Judy had three kids together, and he never lost his taste for Wild Turkey. Rumor had it he was athletic too, but when teaming up on the links for member/guest tourneys, we’d always come in last!

Classmates may want to dip back into our 50th reunion volume, in which Hannemann shared his six “Lessons Learned” as a successful businessman. The sixth, harking back to Stanford admissions, was that it was fun playing God, but “only if you never run into those you rejected!”

Hannemann—smart, handsome and funny! —Frank Leftwich ’58

Ronald Edward Ohl ’58

Ron Ohl died suddenly and peacefu1lly, of a stroke, on Dec. 27, 2017. He came to Amherst from Warren, Ohio.

Ron’s activities at Amherst, where he is remembered for his gracious and friendly ways, included the Phi Gam fraternity, crew, chapel choir, glee club, Harlan Fiske Stone Law Society, prom committee and class choregus. He had an accomplished tenor voice—and indeed after graduation studied opera in Rome for a year on Amherst’s Edward Poole Traveling Fellowship.

Ron loved academia and the challenges of studying and learning. After studying opera, he returned to the United States, receiving a master’s in medieval history from Columbia. He then went on to study theology, graduating from Union Theological Seminary with honors in 1964. He later earned a Ph.D. in Renaissance history from the University of Pennsylvania.

Upon being ordained by the United Church of Christ in 1965, Ron continued in academia but as staff/faculty rather than student. He went on from positions at Colorado College and Fairleigh Dickinson University to become president of Salem College/Teikyo University (1983–2001), where one of his great loves was creating opportunities for Japanese students to achieve the benefits of American education. He wanted to build bridges between the two countries.

Community activities included service on various boards and membership in a number of clubs.

Ron was felled by a stroke in January 2010, from which he never fully recovered. His stroke probably would have been fatal had his faithful dog, Duffy, not alerted family members, enabling them to get prompt medical attention. Ron was a model of good cheer, patience and perseverance in the years following the stroke as he gradually improved. He stands as an example for all of us.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Joan Eschenbach Ohl. —John E. G. Bischof ’58

Barrett “Bill” Sanders ’59

Bill Sanders passed away Aug. 28, 2011, in Vermont after an accidental fall, but the College did not become aware of this until recently. He was 74.

A French major at Amherst, he was an attorney, linguist, historian and lover of music, not necessarily in that order.

His daughter Amy Massey recalls that he read history avidly and loved languages. He was fluent in French and German and late in life taught himself Italian. After graduation from Amherst, he spent a year studying at the University of Bordeaux in France.

He came to Amherst from Great Neck High School on Long Island, in the footsteps of his brother Tim ’57.

Bill obtained his law degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where he met his future wife, Barbara McMillen, a graduate of Lake Forest College, who was studying for her master’s degree in education at the University of Illinois. They married in 1970.

Throughout his professional life, Bill practiced real estate and mortgage law and had been living near Miami since 1996.

While at Amherst, Bill was an independent and played football during his freshman and sophom*ore years, as well as rugby.

Although his major was French, he took multiple history courses, a subject that held his interest throughout his post-college life.

Wondering about what Bill might have been like at Amherst, Amy said she pictured him as probably having been “an introverted academic type.” And that’s pretty much how I remember him.

Bill’s wife, Barbara, died of cancer in 1983.

In addition to daughter Amy, Bill’s survivors include his son, Robert; five beloved grandchildren; and his longtime dear friend Pauline Watson. —Claude E. Erbsen ’59

William W. Goodhue ’61

Will Goodhue died peacefully in his sleep on Dec. 20, 2017, after a long illness. Will, also known as Bill, is survived by his wife, Rogette, of Campobello, New Brunswick; a son, David; three daughters, Stephanie, Noelle and Mignonne; and a brother, Douglas Goodhue.

Will majored in English at Amherst. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi and played football for Amherst, starting in his freshman year. Later he went on to row crew in seat four of an eight-man boat, a position referred to as “the engine room.” He never lost his love for Amherst football, following the team until he died, calling his brother after each game to give him a play-by-play account. Brother Doug tells me that Will’s Amherst connection was one of the mainstays of his life. Even though Will went through numerous transitions and changes in his life, Amherst remained his lodestone.

Will had a successful career in the insurance industry, eventually becoming a chartered life underwriter. In retirement at Campobello Island, he was active at St. Ann’s Anglican Church, alternately serving as senior warden, lay reader and bell ringer. Will was known for his love of animals. He was a vinyl connoisseur with an extraordinary collection of jazz recordings and stereophile equipment. He was also known for his frequently bizarre sense of humor, which his brother says Will inherited from their father. This trait is evident in his profile in our 50th reunion book and in class listserv posts. —Ted Ells ’61

Robert T. Abbott ’66

Bob “Pete” Abbott died July 3, 2017, in Philadelphia, after an ongoing struggle with heart disease. Born and raised in West Islip, N.Y., Bob came to us from the Hill School. At Amherst, he played freshman soccer and was one of the Morrow Singles.

Bob pledged TD and then roomed in the brand-new social dorms with fellow pledges Punky Mudge ’66, Keith Shahan ’66, the late Schuyler Pardee ’66 and John MacLennan ’66 and Jon Huberth ’66 (Phi Gam). Abbott’s real love was sailing off southern Long Island. I had the privilege of spending the summer after sophom*ore year living with the Abbotts, working at a fence company, going to Yankees games (and legally drinking Ballantine Ale in the bleachers) and joining him on sailing weekends.

He continued his teenage romance with Barrie Lin Grimes (Garland ’65), and they married after his junior year; at the end of the reception, the couple sailed off into the sunset.

Bob first worked at Burlington Industries in New York City from 1968 to 1989 as an assistant treasurer; afterwards, he moved to different companies, as the CFO or business manager, before retiring to Barrington, R.I., in 2004, where we enjoyed going to PawSox baseball and Amherst basketball and association meetings.

Bob and Barrie had two children, Gordon and Katheryn; with his second wife, Enid Orlans (CCNY; married 1981), he had two more children, Elizabeth and Sam. Each child was born in a separate decade.

It was a real adjustment for him when his second job was in the interior of Pennsylvania, away from sailing. Bob was a gentle soul who accepted his progressive health limitations with grace and dignity. He was a very close friend to Punky and me. Bob is survived by Enid, his four children and sister Joan Hawkins of Harwich, Mass. —John MacLennan ’66

George Brown Leach Jr. ’66

We mourn the passing of our classmate and friend Brown (“Brownie”) Leach, who died Dec. 14, 2017, from complications of heart disease. Brown and I became friends on a fall afternoon freshman year, just walking and talking. The walk was a long one and the talk was wide-ranging. Brown was a master of talk. That day he talked about Milton, the Mighty Clouds of Joy, horseracing and the South.

Al Powers ’66, an annual visitor to England for decades who knows a thing or two about walking and talking, says no memory of England is more vivid for him than walking the grounds of Ben Jonson’s Penshurst with Brown and his first wife, Pru, just talking.

Brown graduated from Louisville Country Day School. After Amherst, he obtained an M.A. and Ph.D. in English from Indiana University. He taught at universities in the United States and China, where he met and fell in love with Swallow Liu. Forbidden by local authorities to marry, they fled China and settled in the United States. Swallow has described Brown as “a man of faith and noble heart, a true intellectual with superb taste” but one who “did not fit the world.”

Brown liked the gospel quartet the Mighty Clouds of Joy. This stanza from their song “Walk Around Heaven” seems a fitting epitaph.

One of these mornings won’t be very long

You will look for me and I’ll be gone

I’m going to a place where I’ll have nothing, nothing to do

But just walk around, walk around heaven all day

The angels are in for a treat: to walk around heaven all day with Brown, just listening to him talk.

He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Swallow Liu Leach, and a son, Edward Miller. —Robert Hornick ’66

David Williamson Smith ’67

David Williamson Smith of Scarsdale, N.Y., died peacefully surrounded by family on Dec. 1, following a battle with cancer. He was 71. He is remembered as a caring, funny, witty, upbeat, at times mischievous but always thoughtful person who was a loving and passionate father, grandfather, mentor, friend and professional.

David was raised in Yonkers, N.Y. Because of his mother’s job as an administrative assistant for the Scarsdale Board of Education, David had the opportunity to attend Scarsdale High School, where he was class president and graduated in 1963.

Having received a scholarship from the Scarsdale PTA, David matriculated to Amherst, from which his father had graduated in 1931. David was an active member of the College community, including Phi Gamma Chi. He served as a class agent for more than 30 years, reunion chair for his 30th and class president from 1997 to 2002. In May 2017, David attended his 50th reunion with his wife, Cheryl, and son Todd ’97.

David had an illustrious career as a manager, executive and lawyer, including a 20-year stint as president and CEO of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals. He was recognized as one of the “One Hundred Most Impactful Leaders in Corporate Governance.” Colleagues described him as innovative, entrepreneurial, thoughtful, honest, kind and considerate of those he worked with.

David was virtually inseparable from his wife of 36 years, Cheryl. His favorite role was as a doting husband, father, grandfather and uncle. For David, family always came first, and he delighted in time spent on holidays and at the family’s home in Chatham on Cape Cod, always surrounded by his children and grandchildren. David could often be found laughing and reminiscing about experiences accumulated during a life very well-lived. —Todd Smith ’97

John Gary Lawlor ’69

Gary Lawlor died Sept. 14, 2017, following a long illness. He missed graduating with the class of 1968 because of surgery to repair a congenital lung problem. After Amherst, Gary devoted an incomparable year to travels on a shoestring throughout Europe.

I met him years after that as a philosophy graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh. He was friends throughout his life with Emmanuel Aronie ’68, who visited him frequently in Pittsburgh. Gary had a yearning for adventure that he sated with collections of artifacts, colorful stories and voracious reading. He studied African art and surrounded himself with a wonderful array of masks and statues. Gary earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Although this led to rewarding positions in the county’s judicial administration, he found more gratifying several guardianships assigned to him to care for disabled individuals.

Gary engaged in creative work of all kinds. He culled his poetry into bound sets for his friends and delighted in themes for short stories, painting and sculpture and assemblages of visual arts too numerous and quirkily wonderful to categorize. One of Gary’s Pittsburgh friends was the late Frank Trapp, the well-remembered professor of arts and humanities at Amherst.

Gary was challenged by a bipolar disorder that upturned his professional and personal affairs over and over. In his last year he struggled with COPD and Alzheimer’s. He was never afraid of his dying, for he knew there was no gift greater he could give than this, and that as he put it, “the world’s best libraries, best books will not prepare us to pass this membrane, to make this transit to slip unnoticed beyond.”

Gary’s friends understand, and grieve deeply, that there will be no one in their lives like him again, but they rejoice in how much larger their lives are for having known him. —Edward L. McCord

James M. Shook ’71

Jim Shook died Dec. 20, 2017, after a short bout with cancer. He and I shared many interests during our senior year and then shared an apartment in Cambridge, Mass., while we took a break from academia and attempted to transition into the “real world.” My lasting gift from Jim is that he introduced me to a friend from work at Widener Library, the woman who became my wife, Stephanie Daniels.

Tom Smith ’71 writes: “Jim Shook came to Amherst with his ideas, personality and tastes already fully formed, or so it seemed. He enjoyed absurdities, and a lot of them came his way. He was a fount of esoteric information about art and books. In Intro to Geology, when Professor Foose explained the theory of continental drift, we looked at each other as if to say, ‘Of course. How could it be otherwise?’ We thought Foose’s skepticism of the theory dunderheaded.”

After graduation, Jim moved to Cambridge and lived there for most of his adult life. His career path included teaching at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and at Harvard. Jim worked in animation and computer graphics in the Boston area as well.

One of Jim’s greatest pleasures and passions in life was world travel. He self-published several photography books inspired by his travels. Iceland was of particular interest, although he traveled the globe, and his ashes will be scattered there. He was committed to social justice and environmental causes and held a deep and abiding respect for all people.

In later years, Jim moved to a farmhouse built in 1800 in Bennington County, Vermont. He was also an avid gardener, raising organic vegetables. His sister Pat lovingly called him the “quinoa kid.” —Thomas Hoadley ’71

William D. Wooten Jr. ’73

Bill Wooten died of liver cancer Jan. 26, 2018, at Gilchrist Hospice, near his home in Baltimore. Born in Philadelphia, Bill came to Amherst from Lynchburg, Va. At Amherst, he majored in black studies and graduated magna cum laude. He was crackerjack smart, and he possessed an incredible wit. His marvelous storytelling was the envy and the delight of all who knew and loved him. At Amherst, he also met and married the love of his life, JoAnne Lyons (Smith ’74). Together they shared 43 wonderful years together.

Bill had a distinguished career as a human resources executive and management consultant in the retail, banking, telecommunications and nonprofit industries, having held senior posts with the Hecht Co., National Bank of Washington and MCI, among others.

Bill’s memorial service captured the spirit of our friend. There were jazz renditions and references to his love of African art and literature. Gurujodha Khalsa ’74 (the former Reese Couch) delivered a touching, funny, ecumenical eulogy that wove together the many strands of Bill and his love of life and family and friends and community. In addition to Gurujodha, Amherst friends at the service included Wil Grandy ’71, Napoleon Jasper ’72; George Johnson, Steve Keith and Bob Wilson, all class of 1973; Richard Ammons, Norman Coates, Charles Donaldson, Al Ryans and Terry Medley, all class of 1974; and Ron Bailey and Atif Harden, both class of 1975, along with a host of our sisters from Smith and Mt. Holyoke.

Bill’s death leaves a special void, especially among the Washington, D.C., area alumni. He was at the center of a special lunch group there, and Washington will never be the same without him.

In addition to JoAnne, Bill is survived by his daughter, Ayanna, and two grandchildren. —George
Johnson ’73

Carrie Jacobs ’91

Carrie Jacobs died Feb. 28, 2018, having fought bravely against a particularly aggressive lymphoma that was diagnosed last summer. She is survived by her children, Lily (16) and Dashiell (14); her mother, Lois; and a sister, Linda.

Carrie and I met when we were invited to join Rhythm & Shoes, a student-run organization that produced variety shows filled with song, dance, comedy and music. I loved performing with Carrie. She was a singular comic, she could dance like nobody else, and she had great style and taste. She eventually took over as the artistic director of Rhythm & Shoes and grew the organization—and its audience—tremendously.

Carrie went on to act and perform professionally, touring Europe with 42nd Street. She later married and had two wonderful kids. In recent years, she started teaching tap. When I was up for a big Broadway revival a few years ago, I had to learn a dance sequence and called upon Carrie for coaching. I didn’t get that job, but Carrie reminded me that something better was coming. And she was right. A year later I got another job that was, in fact, better. When I told her about the new gig, she was so excited for me. That was Carrie—encouraging, loyal, unfailingly loving, hopeful and usually right.

It seems right to close by sharing some uniquely encouraging, wise and hopeful words from her farewell blog post, in which Carrie asked friends and family to think about something they’ve always wanted to do—like learn to play chess or write a novel—and to go do it now.

So—in honor of Carrie—go do it now. —John Cariani ’91

Olga A. Zlotnik ’04

Olga Zlotnik died July 13, 2017, after a battle with pancreatic cancer, in Scottsdale, Ariz., where she had been living since 2009. Olga loved designer purses, lovely tailored clothes, Frank Sinatra and wrestling. She had a frankness and a unique sense of humor that left an indelible impression on those she met. Her passing was a shock to all who knew her, and she will be greatly missed.

Olga was born in Moscow and immigrated to the United States in 1989. After living in New York City, she moved to Arizona with her mother. During her time at Amherst, she received the Freeman scholarship to study abroad at Doshisha University in Japan. She actively participated in the school’s Russian community, had a deep respect for those who came from different backgrounds and was a friend to many of the exchange students on campus. Her empathy toward those so different from herself was wonderfully uncharacteristic of a typical college student. She graduated with a B.A. in Asian languages and civilizations in 2004, receiving the Doshisha Asian Studies Prize for her senior honors thesis.

After graduation, Olga moved back to Arizona and enrolled in the University of Arizona Law School, where she was a managing editor of their journal. In 2009 she opened her own firm.

Olga always wanted the best for herself and for those she loved; she never hesitated with a word of encouragement or a heartfelt expression of love. Her friends will forever miss her frankness, humor and ever-flowing generosity.

She is survived by her husband, Matt LaMotte; a son, Patrick; and her mother, father and stepbrother. To honor her life, her family established a memorial scholarship in her name for graduating seniors of Payson High School. —Rachael Whillhite Viehman ’04,
Fouzia Burtch-Khan ’04

Faculty

Jeffrey Ferguson

Jeffrey Ferguson, the Karen and Brian Conway '80, P'18 Presidential Teaching Professor of Black Studies, died March 11 after battling cancer for several years.

Among many other contributions to Amherst, Jeff designed the curriculum in Black Studies. “It was based on his commitment to providing students with a passion for learning,” wrote President Biddy Martin in a letter to the community, “and was constructed to offer students the essential transferable intellectual capacities that lie beneath the content of a course—close reading, persuasive writing, argumentation and research.”

Martin continued: “He believed it was important not only for students to acquire those abilities, but also to be aware of what they are gaining and cognizant of their own intellectual growth. He was committed to students’ success and knew from his own life experience what a great education can do to change individual lives and address societal ills. ”

A scholar of Black Studies and American Studies, Jeff was the author The Sage of Sugar Hill: George S. Schuyler and the Harlem Renaissance, as well as a volume for use in classrooms, The Harlem Renaissance: A Brief History with Documents. He had been working on a book-length study of resistance in African-American discourse. With Werner Sollers he was also working on a Norton Anthology of American literature.

While fighting cancer, he contributed to early discussions among members of the curriculum committee. And with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, he shared insights into teaching with a number of faculty colleagues interested (in Martin’s words) “in building courses that made critical, transferable intellectual skills the focus of their curricular and pedagogical work.”

He is survived by his wife, Agustina, their twin sons.

Members of the Amherst community gathered with Jeff’s family in Johnson Chapel on May 6 for a service to celebrate his life.

Students

Andrew Dorogi ’18

Andrew Michael Dorogi, of Fairview Park, Ohio, died March 16.

An economics major and a running back on the Amherst football team, Andrew was a member of the College’s Finance Club and Amherst LEADS. He studied abroad in Rome his junior year, traveling extensively through Europe with his best friends.

He had accepted a position as an investment banking analyst at Wells Fargo, to start this June.

“Andrew touched the lives of so many students, faculty, coaches and staff on our campus, and his sudden death is a profound blow,” wrote President Biddy Martin in a letter to the community.

Andrew was a 2014 graduate of University School in Cleveland, enrolled in an advanced STEM curriculum and selected to the Cleveland Leadership Academy. A member of the school’s football team, he was a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete. He was also a defenseman on its hockey team and was selected to the All Ohio hockey team. He was a member of his high school’s a cappella and glee clubs, and was a baritone in the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. He volunteered for Hope for Honduran Children Foundation and was a member of the St. Angela Youth Ministry.

He is survived by his parents, John and Jonetta (Kapusta) Dorogi; two siblings, Allison and Megan; grandparents Helen (John T., deceased) Kapusta and Mary Lou and Joseph Dorogi; aunts Janine (Scott) Pape and Mary (John) Christensen; and cousins John, Maria and Mark Pape and John, Laura and Jeff Christensen. He was preceded in death by uncles David and Joey Dorogi. His family will remember his wit, intelligence, athleticism and kind heart.

On Memorial Hill on April 17, Andrew’s parents gathered with the Amherst community to celebrate his life, share memories of him, honor his talents and contributions and reflect on his impact on those who knew and loved him.

Christopher Collins ’20

Christopher Collins, of Wakefield, R.I., died March 29. His immense love for his family and friends will be felt forever.

A mathematics major and a former member of the Amherst baseball team, “Chris was loved for his thoughtfulness and kindness, his genuine curiosity about others and his love of family, friends, music, baseball and writing, among many other qualities,” President Biddy Martin wrote in a letter to the community.

“You taught us how to be courageous,” wrote his baseball teammates. “When you confronted depression, you faced it with your best smile,” they wrote, and with an openness that “helped us better learn about being strong in the face of adversity and accepting vulnerability in a world that too often attempts to mask it.”

A graduate of South Kingstown High in Wakefield, Chris had a passion for music, baseball and learning. He loved his dogs, playing guitar and piano, hiking, climbing trees, the beach, getting coffee and spending time with family and friends. He had a bright smile and warm, gentle nature. He was considerate, sincere, loving and unselfish.

His family established the Christopher Collins Memorial Fund to shine a light on mental illness, noting that Chris battled anxiety and depression and that it is important that the societal stigma of the disease is washed away, that its prevalence is recognized and that we learn to identify and care for those who suffer.

Chris is survived by his parents, Mark and Elizabeth (Roberts) Collins; two siblings, Jenna and Taylor; and grandparents Randall and Margaret Collins and Sandra O’Brien and her partner, Ed Colby. He also leaves many uncles, aunts, cousins and friends.

His family and friends gathered with students, faculty and staff in Johnson Chapel on March 30 to remember his life and his impact on the community.