Deceased July 16, 2019
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In Memory
Harvey Yaverbaum ’65 recalls that, even 58 years ago, John seemed like an adult among us adolescents. Pat Murray ’65 reminds us that John was the only member of our class to receive a bid from all 13 fraternities.
John passed away due to a cardiac event this July. A dozen years ago, he’d suffered a heart attack; John and Nancy then turned to a vegan diet, and John remained active. There were two memorial services, one Buddhist, the other Quaker.
John came to Amherst from Longmeadow High School. Dale Richter ’65, a teammate back then, reminds us that John quarterbacked their high school team to an undefeated season; he was one of the many, many freshmen who lined up for the position at first practice in the fall of 1961.
John enlisted in the U.S. Navy, then received his D.V.M. from the University of Pennsylvania. He established a large-animal practice among the dairy farms of Berks and Lancaster counties. He became a volunteer Buddhist mentor for the Berks County prison system.
John raised three children and two stepchildren. He is survived by his wife, Nancy; his brother Phillip; and his children. The class of 1965 extends sympathy to John’s family but could use sympathy ourselves for the loss of John, a classmate both modest and accomplished.
Paul Ehrmann ’65