Deceased August 27, 2018
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In Memory
Bruce D. Wickersham of Dedham, Mass., passed away suddenly Aug. 27. Born in Norristown, Pa., he was raised in Spring Mountain, Pa., and graduated from the Hill School in Pottstown, Pa. After Amherst, he earned an MBA from St. Joseph’s University, class of 1993, and a J.D. from Boston College Law School, class of 1996, where he received the McGrath Kane Award and an Outstanding Graduate Student award.
He was a partner at DLA Piper in Boston, where he represented institutional investors, real estate private equity funds and their sponsors and real estate investment advisers in real estate transactions, with a particular focus on joint venture transactions. Bruce was recognized as a Massachusetts Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine. He lived in Dedham for the past 18 years and was an avid boater and fisherman.
He was the brother of Mary Anne Migan, of Michigan; Susan Wickersham, of Washington; Laura Wickersham, of Pennsylvania; Louise Lagoy, of Pennsylvania; and Ronald Wickersham, of Houston. He is also survived by his longtime companion, Young Lee, of Illinois, and several nieces and nephews.
Jordan Lewis ’86
Bruce was both practical and smart, which made him successful in his endeavors after Amherst. His first position after graduating was managing his family’s printing business. As a sub-scale printer of cardboard packaging (think soft drink 12-packs), he turned the business around before selling it. He then attended law school at Boston College and spent the next 25 years at DLA Piper where he became a partner. While I do not know his rainmaking prowess, I know he liked taking his clients deep sea fishing.
Lefty lived life to the fullest. We would recruit two other people and go on 4-day/3-night golf trips—36 holes a day. His short game was annoyingly good. Our classic adventure was a road trip to Tom Peck ’84’s wedding. In the minivan went golf clubs and a beer-pong table. Drive a few hours, play golf, drive to a baseball game, play beer-pong in the parking lot, go to the game and get up and do it all over again the next day. I will never forget playing pong in 30 mph winds outside Cleveland Municipal Stadium. There is a reason it was called the Mistake by the Lake.
I would see Lefty every few years when business or family took me to Boston. The last time was in 2016 when we had dinner with Tom Peck ’84 and Mike Geiger ’85. After the meal, I marveled that no matter the number of days since I last saw a close friend, it takes a nanosecond to pick up where we left off. I am saddened that I will not get to experience that with Bruce again.
Derek Smith ‘85