Deceased August 29, 2018
View alumni profile (log in required)
Read obituary
In Memory
Cartan passed away on Aug. 29 at his St. Simons Island, Ga., retirement community.
He grew up in Katonah, N.Y., and attended Canterbury School and Deerfield Academy before joining our class in 1947. He roomed in Morrow near several of us our freshman year, then left, but kept in touch, attended several of our class reunions and remained a loyal alumnus. I recall that Cartan had an outgoing personality, always ready to meet people and be part of whatever was going on. Cartan told me in one of our phone conversations that English 101 was not his favorite class!
He joined Marsh & McLennan in 1949 and retired in 1992 after 43 years, starting at their New York City offices, and then working at their Buffalo, Minneapolis and Atlanta locations. He was one of the firm’s original group of managing directors.
He married Helen “Pat” Kennedy of Mt. Kisco, N.Y., in 1950. They had seven children, six of whom survive Carten, as does his wife, Pat. He is survived also by 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He was an avid golfer and enjoyed tennis and paddle tennis. Other related Amherst alums include Cartan’s father, Richard ’19; brothers Dick ’52 and Michael ’57; an uncle; and several cousins.
During retirement he served as head marshal for the 2001 Walker Cup, and, as he and Pat moved to various locations, Cartan was on the boards of various schools and a member of various golf clubs.
Everett E. Clark ’51