Deceased January 5, 1966

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 In Memory

Peter Kuhn was born in St. Louis on April 4, 1939, son of Mr. and Mrs. Francis A. Kuhn ’27, but he had lived most of his life in Bermuda and attended Kent School in Connecticut prior to coming to Amherst.  At Amherst he was a member of Theta Delta Chi and a stalwart of the varsity soccer team.  After graduating with a degree in English, he worked six months in Rhode Island as a reporter for the Providence Journal Bulletin.  He then attended the U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School in Newport and served three years on an amphibious ship, emerging from the Navy a Lieutenant Junior Grade, in the spring of 1965. 

On January 5, 1966, Peter was killed near Montreal when the Volkswagen he was driving collided with a Greyhound bus from New York.  Two hours earlier that morning he had left Trois Rivieres, about one hundred miles north of Montreal, where he had spent the Christmas holidays with his fiancée, Janet Dunlop, and her family.  He was returning to Salisbury Connecticut to resume his first year of teaching English at the Salisbury School.

Usually happy and easy-going, though occasionally intense, Peter is remembered by those who knew him for his sense of humor, devotion to friends, and interest in life.  His death came at an especially poignant time, about two months before he was to be married and shortly after he had embarked on a promising teaching and coaching career.

Sophomore roommate Bob Fulton remembers, “Peter was a genuinely sweet friend.  He thought a lot, to himself and out loud.  He asked a lot of big "why?" questions.  But he was physically tough, for sure.  He played soccer well (varsity) and seemed to have little regard for what might happen to his body.  I remember him airborne a good deal of the time he was on the field.”

Salisbury School annually presents to a member of its varsity soccer team the Peter P Kuhn Award,  “Awarded to that student who best exemplifies the character and courage of Peter Kuhn, Soccer Coach and teacher at Salisbury School from September 1965 to January 1966.”  The school’s athletic director, Tim Sinclair, says of Peter, “From what I have been told, he was passionate and well respected as a coach while on the Hillltop.  He was able to relate to his players and encourage them to reach their greatest potential.”