Deceased August 30, 2019

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In Memory

One spring evening in 1955, Marsh and classmate Mike Sisk ’57 decided to take their junior year abroad, choosing the University of St. Andrews. On checking with Dean Scott Porter about transferring credit back to Amherst, the answer was “No way.” They were then summoned to see President Cole. He said Amherst students should spend all four years at the College and that no transfer credit would be offered. Marsh and Mike went to Scotland anyway. (In a happy ending, the College later relented, giving half a year’s academic credit at Amherst for the year at St. Andrews. With summer courses at the University of Rochester and extra senior year courses at Amherst, Marsh was able to graduate with his class, as did Mike.

Marsh was an economics major, played varsity baseball, announced basketball and football games over then college station WAMF and was a member of DKE.

After graduation, Marsh joined the air force, followed by a career of nearly 30 years in the Central Intelligence Agency. He served in nine countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America. In seven of these posts, he was the CIA chief of station. Along the way, he received an M.S. in international affairs from George Washington University and spent a year at the National War College in Washington.

Marsh met his artist wife-to-be, Uschi (nee Ursula Hinsch) in Baghdad, and they were married in Jerusalem.

After retiring from the CIA, he established a consulting firm, Greymen International, with interests both in government and the private sector.

In 1991, Marsh and Uschi moved from Bethesda, Md., to Hilton Head Island, S.C., and started spending summers in France. They bought a 200-year-old barn in the Burgundy countryside, evicted the residents (Charolais cows) and began renovations. Using this as their base, they later organized “en plein air” painting trips to the area for artists coming from the U.S.

In addition to Uschi, his wife of 56 years, Marsh is survived by two daughters, Bettina Kehoe of Bloomington, Ind., and Regina Conley of Boston; and five grandchildren.

Marsh was born Sept. 14, 1935, in Washington, D.C., to Arthur M. and Viola (Weller) Nine and died Aug. 30, 2019, at home in Hilton Head.

Marsh Niner ’57