Deceased September 20, 2010

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In Memory

Dwight Eastman died in a Skokie, Ill., hospice one day short of his 67th birthday. He had lived with brain cancer for three years.

Steve Rosenheck '65 was close with Dwight at the college and shares memories: “Throughout his life, Dwight felt thankful for the education given him by the English department at Amherst which gave him precise tools for articulating response to literary work. While Dwight exhibited little inclination for quantitative science at the college, in the ’70s, he found his way into the emerging field of information technology which formed the core of his career. Dwight became a serious athlete, maintained a rigorous training program and undertook level 5 rock climbing. Even when Dwight ran well in the New York marathons, he was without a trace of boastfulness at the finish line. Athletic accomplishment, like literature, was built into the fabric of his existence.”

Dwight’s spiritual search took him in many directions: Following graduation, he began attending Quaker meetings and then studied at the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago, which led to travels in India. In the ’90s, he became a member of an Episcopal church, sang in the choir, administered communion and made soup for the Sunday meals. In 2005, he returned to Zen Buddhism. A consistent theme of Dwight’s life was a commitment to non-violence. He participated in the march on Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King and then as a conscientious objector, he served Philadelphia’s inner city as part of VISTA.

Dwight is survived by children Larisa and Jason, two grandchildren and by sisters Anne Youmans and Susan Tilsch. 

The Class of 1965 sends sympathy to Dwight’s family, as we feel our own sorrow over the loss of a valued classmate.

Paul Ehrmann ’65