Deceased January 25, 2017
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In Memory
Stu, 88 years old, passed away in Portola Valley, Calif., in January 2017. He grew up in the Cleveland area and attended Western Reserve.
At Amherst, Stu was a varsity swimmer and cheerleader and pledged Beta Theta Pi. He served as our class president in the 1990s. He was also head of the Amherst Association of Northern California and an active fundraiser for the College.
Shortly after graduating from Harvard Business School in 1953, Stu decided to “go West” and strike out on his own in real estate rather than stay with the family business.
He became a successful developer of research and development buildings in Silicon Valley (e.g., for Intuit) as well as garden offices. He also had properties near airports, which tied in with his interest in flying small planes.
I lived in the Bay Area in the late ’50s and saw Stu a number of times. You could always count on good conversation, laughter and enthusiasm about the many advantages of the West.
He was involved in state Republican politics and served on the San Mateo Human Rights Commission. Skiing and scuba diving were major interests. He enjoyed homes in Palo Alto, Calif., and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he was instrumental in starting and funding a foundation for the local library.
But what gave Stu his greatest satisfaction was his involvement with and the presidency of Cedars of Marin, a residence for people with developmental problems. His daughter, Betsy, suffered from Down syndrome and died there.
Stu was divorced and is survived by son Jon, daughter Carrie, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
John Priesing ’50