Deceased April 9, 2021
View alumni profile (log-in required)
Read obituary
In Memory
Retired Col. John Alan Richmond, M.D., of Concord, N.H., died peacefully on April 9 with his family by his side. He was born in Nagoya, Japan, in 1949, and grew up on Air Force bases around the world. He graduated from Goldsboro (N.C.) High School, Amherst College and the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine. He served in the U.S. Air Force as flight surgeon and as psychiatrist in the U.S. Army. Following his military service, John worked as a consultant for St. Paul’s School and in community mental health and prison settings in New Hampshire.
At Amherst, John was a proud and dedicated member of Psi U and the varsity crew team. He was equally known for cultivating a wide range of friendships off campus and for his spirited adventures (and occasional misadventures) around the Pioneer Valley. Friends remember him as indefatigable. Says his old buddy Dave Moriarty ’74, “He had an incredible gift for drawing out the warmth and enthusiasm in others.”
True to his Amherst education, John was a Renaissance man, with an appetite for literature, music, science, history, aviation and sailing. Throughout his life, he was at ease, engaging in spirited conversation with persons from all walks of life. A colleague noted: “John had a unique quality for bringing out the best in others without their being aware of it.” He enjoyed time with his family, backpacking, meditation, playing guitar and all things motorcycle.
John is survived by his wife, Claire; his children, Ellen ’12 and William; his sister, Ann Dulevitz, and brother-in-law, Alexander Dulevitz; his sister-in-law, Lourdes Jacob; his cousin, Alan; and many extended family members. He is preceded in death by his parents, Maj. Gen. Luther and Jean Richmond; his brother, Luther Richmond Jr.; and his nephew, Mark Dulevitz. He is greatly missed.
Ellen M. Richmond ’12