John D. Cordner ’39
My mother said it was hard to imagine the world without my father, but even the strongest oak tree eventually falls. His body showed the wear of 99 years, but his mind was sharp and clear—his ready wit and sense of fun as well as a love for serious discussions never failed him. He always appreciated the classical education he received at Amherst and shared with his family a love of learning and a respect for Amherst’s founding seal and motto, picturing a sun and open Bible illuminating a globe, with the words “Let them enlighten the lands.”
Dad shared many memories of his college years. The one I remember most was his going alone in the evening to the music room to listen to the power and beauty of favorite composers. A week before he died, I brought Brahms’ First Symphony over for us to listen to, one of his most loved during those evenings of solitude. As he closed his eyes and hummed along, I saw tears and knew he was moved by the music and feelings of those youthful days now gone.
My beloved dad was a professor and C.P.A. in his professional life. He preached God’s Word, and it was his love and devotion to Jesus that will be remembered by those who knew him. His wife and my cherished mother, Doris, didn’t live to see the world go on without him, but his son (recently deceased and with them) and I did, and he is sorely missed.
In the mid-1980s they moved to Seattle (near me) and in 2001 moved to Sun Lakes, Ariz., where I also had a home. Home was where they hung their hats, but a part of them remained on the East Coast and with their dear son and his family. I was blessed to have had them nearby for many years. —Nancy Cordner
Richard Purdy Wilbur ’42
Sadly, one of our most distinguished classmates in the “Hurricane” class of ’42 has left us. Richard Purdy Wilbur, the illustrious poet and translator, passed away Oct. 14 at the age of 96. Born in New York City, he was the son of Lawrence L. Wilbur and Helen Ruth (Purdy). Dick came to Amherst from Montclair High School in New Jersey. At Amherst his talents in English were immediately evident. He assumed a leading role in the Amherst Student (the college newspaper), Touchstone (the literary magazine) and, later, the honor societies Scarab and Sphinx, and the Political Union. His fraternity was Chi Psi. During World War II, Dick served in Italy and France, after which he earned an M.A. at Harvard (1947).
In the celebrated career that followed, Dick taught at a succession of colleges—Harvard, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Smith and finally back in Amherst—while at the same time writing and publishing multiple collections of poems, from The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems (1947) to Anterooms (2010); translating Molière, Corneille and Racine; and writing lyrics for the theater (Candide). His work brought him increasing renown and numerous honors, including Poet Laureate of the United States and two Pulitzer Prizes for poetry. Equally important in his impact on those who knew him was the generosity, civility and graciousness that infused his relationships with students and colleagues wherever he lived and worked.
His wife of 65 years, Charlotte Hayes Ward (Smith ’43), died in 2007. Supported by his children—daughter Ellen and sons Christopher, Nathan ’73 and Aaron—Dick continued to live and work in his Cummington, Mass., home. This summer, he moved to a nursing home in Belmont, Mass., to be nearer his children. There, he quietly came to the end of his rich life. —Richard Ward ’42
Edward Wallace Jellison ’48
Edward Wallace Jellison was born in Freeport, Maine, on Aug. 16, 1926. He attended Freeport High School and graduated from Admiral Farragut Academy. At Amherst he belonged to Theda Xi. He was employed at Honeywell as manager of budgets and measurements and from 1976 to 1982, he was in the finance department. From 1950 to 1976, he was the accounting liaison at General Electric. Edward and his wife, Cynthia, retired to Pinetop, Ariz. —Celeste Ringuette W’48
Andrew M. Linn Jr. ’49
At age 92, after a lifetime of contentment, teaching and humanity, Andy passed away on Oct. 19 in New Hampshire. He suffered congestive heart failure for four years, was diminished physically but was still sharp as a tack, Janet told me, until the end, composing letters to the New York Times, planning to teach another course and enjoying his granddaughter’s wedding in September.
After two years at Washington & Jefferson College, he came to Amherst, where he studied philosophy and Greek, joined Beta and soon began a lifetime of teaching, mostly mathematics. He taught at all levels, fifth grade to college freshman. He and Janet were married in 1954 while teaching at Hamden Hall in New Haven and then were at Miss Porter’s School in Connecticut for 20 years. Andy was a frequent speaker at math teachers’ meetings and authored several articles in journals.
His interests included classical piano, guitar and recorder. Active in scouting, he joined a troop in 1937 and held most of the possible positions for volunteers, serving as scoutmaster of seven different troops in four states, only retiring at age 70.
Not surprising was his everlasting love of the outdoors. He considered nature study his principal “hobby” and was a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club. Since moving to New Hampshire, he was an enthusiastic attendee at the Learning Institute at New England College in Henniker, where he taught courses in philosophy and art history.
Anchoring this wonderful life was his Quaker faith and his participation on boards of historical societies in the state, working with a homeless shelter and food bank. Those of us who have spent our careers in the field of commerce look upon Andy’s life with true admiration—an inspiring Renaissance Man. What a credit to our class. —Gerry Reilly ’49
Nicholas B. O’Connell Jr. ’49
Nicholas “Nick” Brown O’Connell Jr. passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Aug. 11 at age 88. He will be remembered as a loving husband, devoted father, terrific friend and a fair, judicious attorney and judge.
He enjoyed a long, productive and immensely interesting life. He was born Aug. 19, 1928, to Nicholas Brown O’Connell and Janet O’Connell in Brooklyn, N.Y. His father took him to Dodger games at Ebbets Field, igniting a lifelong love of the team.
Nick was graduated from Amherst in 1948 and said of the college, “Attending Amherst helped me hone an already inquiring mind and to broaden my intellectual curiosity. Professors Salmon and Packard instilled a passion for military history. My Amherst education opened up many vistas of interest and inquiry. It forever changed me and expanded my horizons.”
He went on to graduate from Columbia University Law School (L.L.B., J.D.) in 1953. On June 6, 1953, he married Marie Kearney of Boston. In 1955 Nick and Marie set out for the Pacific Northwest and settled in Seattle. Nick was a member of the New York State Bar Association and the Washington State Bar Association. He was recognized by the Washington State Bar for 55 years of distinguished service in the legal profession. He served as a U.S. government lawyer for the Federal Trade Commission. Washington State assistant attorney general, private practitioner, corporate counsel for the Boeing Company and judge pro tem for the King County Superior Court. He also served in the U.S. Naval Intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency.
He will be remembered for his love of family, keen intellect, courage, integrity, honesty and lively, acerbic wit. He is survived by his wife, Marie; children Catherine, Nicholas III ’80, Anne and Richard, all of Seattle; and 11 grandchildren. —Nick O’Connell ’80
Nathaniel Restcome Potter Jr. ’49
Nathaniel “Nat” Restcome Potter Jr. passed away peacefully at his home in Honolulu on Oct. 29, in the company of his wife, their daughter and two sons. He was 93.
Nat is remembered fondly for his commitment to family, church, community and his profession as well as for his wit, sense of humor, love of language and genial, generous and fair-spirited nature.
Born Aug. 27, 1924, in Rochester, N.Y., Nat graduated from Phillips Academy Andover 1943. He then entered the U.S. Army Air Force, got his wings and served two years with time as a flight instructor. A member of Psi Upsilon at Amherst, he majored in English and minored in architecture. Nat was ever faithful to his dear Amherst and for many years aided in recruitment of new students and in alumni initiatives.
While at Amherst Nat met “the love of his life,” Gail Caricof, a Hawaii girl attending Bennington College in Vermont, and they wed in September 1948. The two moved to Hawaii, where they built a house on a mountain overlooking Honolulu. This is where they had kids and where Nat forged a successful career in the cement business and a life based on service to the things he held most dear and important.
Nat was a community leader and community builder. He was pillar of the Cathedral of St. Andrew, serving under six bishops as senior warden, board member and lay reader; he served on the boards of numerous professional organizations, his business club and several nonprofits, doing stints as president on most.
Words that Nat wished to be remembered by: “Thank you, Lord, for my wonderful life!”
See the online In Memory section for a longer remembrance. —C. Barton Potter
Theodore G. Walker III ’49
I am very sad to report that our ever cheerful and official head cheerleader, Ted Walker, passed away on Aug. 26 after a battle with Alzheimer’s complications. Ted came to Amherst after a challenging youth wherein he moved 32 times before he was 21! He served in the air force as pilot and second lieutenant from 1943 to 1946.
A member of Psi U at Amherst, he was on the swimming team and Student Council and began a lifetime love affair with the small dimpled ball and the broad green fields. For a bit of adventure one day, he took Doc Tingley ’49 and Woody Kingman ’49 for a ride in an AT-6 from Westover Air Force Base. The two passengers barely survived. But all remained good friends, as Woody, along with Linn Perkins ’49, were ushers at his wedding to Pat in 1951, and Kirk Munroe ’49 was best man. Fraternity bros all the way.
Ted and Pat had four children, the usual array of grandchildren and traveled whenever they could. The British Isles were a particular favorite, and they also enjoyed a college trip to Provence and a three-week “People-to-People” golf trip to Australia and New Zealand. He topped this with a three-week “Grand Tour of Europe,” covering 10 cities three years later. For 35 years he labored in the paper and packaging industry.
I caught up with Pat and Ted in Vero Beach, as he was one of a half dozen from our class who moved to this lovely spot in retirement. He played tennis for many years and then got really serious with his golf. He and Chuck Winans ’50 were mainstays on the alumni gold team for the annual match against Williams in Vero Beach, which I believe we usually won. He was a true delight to be with, both in college and the later years. —Gerry Reilly ’49
David H. Judge ’50
David H. Judge died at the age of 89 on Nov. 15. He was born and raised in South Hadley, Mass. He was the son of Gerald A. Judge ’20, and brother of Robert S. Judge ’46. Dave and Bob were proud of having followed in their father’s Amherst footsteps.
After graduation Dave went on to study at the University of Chicago, where he received a master’s degree in education.
He was employed for four years by Travelers Insurance Co. in Hartford, working in its publicity and methods department. He then moved to West Springfield, Mass., having changed employment to the Eureka Blank Book Co. (now Eureka Lab Book, Inc.), a paper converting firm in Holyoke, Mass. He became treasurer of the company in 1964 and held that position until he retired in 1996.
Dave was a member on the Town Finance Committee in West Springfield. He was a charter member of the West Springfield Kiwanis, serving a term as president. He also served on the town’s Library Building Committee.
After Dave’s brother Bob died in 1971, Bob’s son, who is also named Bob, and Dave became very close. Bob wrote, “My Uncle Dave was like a second father to me. When my father died many years ago, my Uncle Dave and I developed a close relationship that lasted until the night he died. He gave me sound advice over the years, but never unsolicited. That was one of his many good traits.” Bob went on to write, “He never sought attention for himself, but only for the many people who have loved him. I will miss him every day until I see him again.”
Dave is survived by two daughters, Elizabeth “Betsy” Weldon and Patricia Amy Judge, and two granddaughters, Laura Weldon and Amy Morris. —Andy Scholtz ’50
John R. S. Shrewsbury ’50
John was a family man first and foremost. His advice was sound, supportive and given with his trademark wit. That loving, dry sense of humor was in full force right up until the last few days of his life. His passions for hiking, boating and friendship are ingrained in all of his family. He was the salt of the earth, an old-school gentleman and true to his word … always. John died Oct. 29 in Connecticut Hospice: “No pain and no dementia, for which we were grateful,” writes Joan, his wife of 63 years.
After a brief spell in the Midwest, they chose a happy lifelong residence in Guilford, Conn. John sold insurance and real estate before commuting to Hartford to sell municipal bonds at Hartford National Bank. For more than 40 years John had a series of boats docked at the Guilford marina, whence they all fished and swam in Long Island Sound. He and Joan traveled throughout the western states and Europe during the ’80s and ’90s, but a special fraternal mobility was described by John at his 50th Amherst reunion: “Several years ago I was invited to join a retired—male only—hiking group that hikes the Blue Trails of Connecticut every Wednesday all year, with only heavy rain canceling a hike. Occasionally we stray a bit—we have hiked in Staten Island, downtown Manhattan …, taken the cliff walk in front of the great mansions in Newport, R. I., and once a year hike a short distance on the Appalachian Trail in northwest Connecticut, crossing into New York and Massachusetts the same day.” Frank discussion among this fraternal group covered a lot of ground too.
Joan generously shared several documents with me for this In Memory piece, which, Joan adds, “we always fought over when it arrived!” —Edge Quaintance ’50
G. Alan Steuber ’50
Al Steuber died from complications of prostate cancer on Feb. 19, 2017, at the age of 88. Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, his moving memorial service in Savannah, Ga., was available online.
Al came to Amherst from Brighton High School in Rochester, N.Y. He joined Alpha Delta Phi and had many friends in the class. Al was a fine lineman on the Amherst football team. He was good enough to be drafted by the Baltimore Colts.
Al, the late Fred Hollister ’50 and I toured the West one college summer in an old car with sleeping bags and little money. You could not have had a more companionable traveler than Al. After Amherst he went to Harvard Business School and served as a gunnery officer on a destroyer in the Navy.
Following stints with GE and IBM, Al joined Bankers Leasing, which was subsequently bought by Prudential Insurance. The name was changed to PruLease, where Al functioned as president as well as vice president of Prudential. He first retired to Cape Cod and then moved to Savannah. He enjoyed woodworking in a completely outfitted shop, plus golf. In his mid-40s Al became very interested in Christianity. Later he helped found a new church in Savannah. He also served as a reader for the blind on Georgia Radio Service.
After his first date with Jane Fraser in 1954 (a blind date, I might add), he knew she was the girl he was going to marry. Throughout the years they celebrated the day they met in contrast to their wedding day. Al is survived by Jane; brother Harry ’56; three children—Harry Steuber, Laura Dalton and Amy Jablonski; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. —John W. Priesing ’50
Dean Blanchard ’51
Dean passed away on June 8 after battling kidney problems for some three years. His wife, whom he married in 1953, and one of their two daughters, predeceased him.
His surviving daughter and her family live in Brooklyn, Conn. Dean took up residence in the house next door for the last years of his life, thereby enjoying his daughter and her family, which he stated was a big plus for him.
While at Amherst, Dean kept a low profile but was a dependable friend for those he could help in any way. In hindsight he appreciated the “New Curriculum” but struggled, as did most of us as freshmen, with English 1. He questioned history 101 but excelled in and majored in math. After two and a half years in the Army and several jobs he found unsuitable, Dean turned to private school teaching—four years at the Tilton School in New Hampshire and then 32 years at St. George’s School in Rhode Island. Math was his specialty. He picked up a master’s along the way, and as computers became the rage, he tried to keep one lesson ahead of his computer students, budding with future programmers.
Dean also coached three sports for many years. His teaching and school obligations left little time for other interests during the school year, but in the summer, he and his wife traveled, and he could devote time to furniture woodcraft—corner cabinets, slant-front desks and smaller items—his favorite hobby, pursued until his final illness.
Ironically, in retirement, Dean’s reading turned to historical subjects. (Lawrence Packard had it right after all!) Helping others in their lives seemed to be his specialty.
—Everett Clark ’51, Charlie Chapin ’51 and Chuck Longsworth ’51
Donald W. Smith ’51
Don Smith passed away on March 1, 2016. His death was unknown to the College until early last fall.
Born on May 16, 1926, in Highlands, N.J., he graduated from high school in 1944 and immediately joined the Navy to serve for three years or so before matriculating in 1947 with the class of 1951. Like some other vets in our class, Don decided to forgo the fraternity lifestyle. He and his wife, Shirley, an R.N., lived and worked up and down the New York Hudson Valley area. They had a vacation condo on Jupiter Island, Fla., and retired to Arlington, Vt., where they lived for many years—just over the Saratoga Springs, N.Y., border.
Don was stepfather to Shirley’s three children. He was remembered for his quiet, gentle nature, his marvelous quick wit and his talents as pianist, magician and mathematician. —Everett E. Clark ’51
Norman Doelling ’52
Norman Doelling, 86, died on March 30, 2017, at his home in Newton, Mass. Entering Amherst in 1948, Norm was one of a handful of Amherst students who took advantage of the Amherst-MIT “3-2 Plan,” emerging in 1953 with degrees from both institutions. With a master’s from MIT in 1955, Norm remained an ardent supporter of both his alma maters throughout his life. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Jean Macmillan Doelling (they had met again, 25 years after they had dated at Amherst and Smith), and three sons: Peter, Kurt ’78 and Eric. He also had four stepchildren.
Norm worked for Bolt, Beranek and Newman and then Digital Equipment Corp. and founded Doelling Associates, enabling alliances between Japanese and American companies. A skier while in college, he took to the water after college, rowing his Alden scull in the Head of the Charles regatta and spending the last 20 years of his MIT career with the Sea Grant Program. And then there was sailing, as he competed several times in the Newport to Bermuda race. Sailing became a passion for Norm and Jeannie, as they explored the New England coast in their 38-foot sloop. During winter months, it seemed that their wonderful, rambling home (Jeannie’s ancestral home) was often literally in the shadow of their dry-docked boat, waiting for the coming of another season of sailing adventures.
What a lively mind Norm had! Organizing the speaker program for the MIT Club of Boston, Norm not only invited the speakers but became educated in their accomplishments before introducing them. He was always interested in new things, from the latest astonishing developments in biology and low-temperature physics to the current activities of my grandchildren as well as his own. He will be missed. —Robert H. Romer ’52
Robert K. Chipman ’53
In the class of 1953’s 50th reunion book, Bob Chipman wrote: “I have had a lot of fun, and I would categorize myself as having lived a good life.”
In the years following 2003, Bob continued to enjoy life accompanied by Edie Leckey, his partner and “soulmate,” until early September when tests showed he had developed terminal brain cancer and lung cancer. Bob was immediately moved to a hospice facility in his hometown of recent times, Fernandina Beach, Fla., where he died on Sept. 28.
Bob was born in New York City and grew up in Connecticut and New Orleans. He came to Amherst from Newman High School in New Orleans. At Amherst, he was treasurer of Phi Delta Theta and majored in biology.
His education continued at Tulane, where he earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in zoology, preparing him for a teaching career that included stints at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, the University of Vermont and the University of Rhode Island. At URI, he was zoology department chair.
Upon retirement from teaching, Bob operated the Green Frog Garden Center in Bradford, Vt., a business he later restricted to growing perennials for the wholesale trade.
Bob loved to take long trips around the country in a large trailer, heading south to avoid Vermont winters. In Edie, he found the perfect companion for his many travels. After some searching, they settled happily in Fernandina Beach at the Georgia border.
Late in life, Bob developed a new hobby—creating stained glass windows.
Bob was twice a widower. He is survived two sons, Robert Jr. and Clay; a brother, David; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
He was a free spirit determined to enjoy his life. He succeeded. —George Gates ’53
Bertram W. Justus ’53
My father, Bertram W. “Bert” Justus ’53, passed away on May 5 after complications following surgery.
Dad came to Amherst from St. Louis, where he attended John Burroughs School. He majored in organic chemistry, going on to medical school at Washington University School of Medicine. He did his internship at New York Hospital in New York City, where he met and married my mother in 1959. After his stint as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps (including a year in Korea), our family settled in California in 1962. He completed his residency at UCLA and moved to Fullerton (north Orange County) where he joined a new group of internists that subsequently grew into the largest internal medicine clinic in the county.
Dad practiced internal medicine and hematology for the next three and a half decades. He served as chief of medicine for the area’s major hospital and was instrumental in establishing hospice care in Orange County. He retired in 1990 to spend more time with family, read (he loved history and science fiction), travel and garden—especially tending to his vast collection of orchids, which he began cultivating in the 1970s.
Amherst always evoked fond memories for Dad, and he was proud to be a Lord Jeff (I’m not sure how he would have felt about the Mammoth …) and was even prouder when both my sister and I went to Amherst.
He is survived by Ellen, his wife of 58 years; son Brad ’82 and Wendy Justus; daughter Andrea ’85 and Greg Kann; and four grandchildren. —Brad Justus ’82
Joseph “Hank” Carter ’54
During his career at York Hospital, Hank Carter held and welcomed thousands of babies into the world, and so it is with profound sadness that we report the passing of Dr. Joseph Hankinson Carter Jr., who died on Oct. 19 following a 10-month battle with squamous cell carcinoma.
Hank Carter adored Amherst College. He was a member of Chi Phi and loved telling his children stories about life at the fairest college. After graduating in 1954 and marrying Tracey Cushmore in 1955, he served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps and was stationed in San Antonio, Texas, during the Korean War. Hank graduated and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Hahnemann Medical School, and in 1970 he opened a private practice in York, Pa.
Hank served as the medical director for Planned Parenthood for 25 years. He retired from private practice in 1998. Most recently, he worked as an attending physician at Wellspan ob-gyn clinic from 1999 to 2017, where he dedicated his time to teaching residents and seeing patients, something he loved best.
A compassionate physician, Hank was a staunch advocate for women’s reproductive rights. He loved to travel but always found himself back on Long Beach Island for a few weeks in the summer, where he listened to the waves and read spy novels. He loved going fast in cars with big engines. He enjoyed wildlife photography and collecting African masks. A passionate gourmand, Hank adored tasting, sharing and buying wine.
Hank was predeceased by his wife, Tracey. He taught all his children that the greatest gift is in caring for others; he is survived by his four children and nine grandchildren. And so we “raise the rosy goblet high” to toast a life well lived. He will be missed. —Christine Carter ’85
John T. Ewing ’54
Labeled “a Vermont treasure” by numerous people in the Green Mountain State, John Ewing died on Nov. 25 after a lengthy battle with bone marrow cancer. He came to Amherst from Rydal, Pa., after graduating from George School. He joined Chi Phi, received his ’54 in swimming and majored in political science. He was president of the Prelaw Club and active in debating societies and on the Student. After Amherst, he attended Yale Law School, graduating in 1957, and settled in Vermont.
After a stint in private practice, John served in the banking industry from 1972 to 1995, rising to become president of the downtown Burlington Savings Bank, which had several incarnations, finally becoming part of KeyBank. During his banking career, John was very supportive of community-based projects and was called “a banker with a conscience.”
As a result, Vermont’s then-governor, Howard Dean, appointed John as member and chair of the Vermont Housing Conservation Board and chair of the Vermont Environmental Board, where he served from 1998 to 2013. Furthermore, he was an early supporter of the Vermont Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, helped found the Lake Champlain Land Trust and was a founder of the Vermont Forum on Sprawl.
He received the Arthur Gibbs Award from the Vermont Natural Resources Council in 2012 for individual leadership as the longest-serving member of the Two Boards.
Comments from John’s peers extolled him “as a thoughtful, kind, gentle person with a great deal of humility” and, as one said, “He may be gone now, but his legacy will live on in our communities and in the beauty of our state.”
In all his activities, he was supported by his second wife, Jane, who was a commissioner of the City of Burlington. Between them, they had eight children and 12 grandchildren. —Hank Tulgan ’54
Jefferson Ward Keener ’54
Jeff died on Sept. 8 in Akron, Ohio. For the past several years he courageously managed a busy life despite the dual challenges of Parkinson’s disease and lung cancer. Born in Akron, Jeff went to Western Reserve Academy, later serving on its board for nearly 30 years. At Amherst, Jeff majored in economics. He earned an M.B.A. at Case Western Reserve University. While still at Amherst, Jeff joined the U.S. Naval Reserve and after graduate study was called to active duty. After attending OCS at Newport, he became a lieutenant on destroyer duty, including a six-month cruise in the Pacific. At the end of that cruise, he married Kathleen Cullinan, his wife for 55 years, who predeceased him. Jeff is survived by three daughters, a son, four grandchildren and two brothers.
Returning to Akron after the Navy, Jeff began a career in the rubber tire business and in 1978 struck out on his own, purchasing the Chardon Rubber Co. He ran the company with great success for more than 30 years.
Jeff and I met early in our freshman year, when we played on the freshman football team and competed for a share of the 167-pound class as frosh wrestlers. We both pledged Psi U and enjoyed a friendship deepening there and continuing after we graduated. One of our last Amherst exploits was a group “borrowing” of the clapper from the Johnson Chapel tower. In his notes for our 50th reunion book, Jeff claims credit as the instigator of that nefarious plot.
More seriously, Jeff praised the Amherst faculty and our treasured core curriculum for the depth and range of the education that served him so well throughout his life. He remained deeply engaged with the College, never missing a reunion, and meeting often with his Psi U brothers of ’54. —Thomas H. Blackburn ’54
William Grimston Mead ’54
Another of the 10 Brooklynites who entered Amherst in September 1950 has died.
Bill Mead, who grew up and lived for years in the same Brooklyn Heights Willow Street house as Henry Ward Beecher, class of 1834, passed on Oct. 14, 2017.
Bill attended Saint Thomas Choir School and Trinity Pawling. At Amherst he majored in history and joined Chi Phi. We served on the Intramural Council together. Not surprisingly, he became a member of the Zumbyes. He served three years as a U.S. Army Ranger, rising to the rank of captain.
Bill received his law degree from the University of Virginia using the G.I. Bill and practiced for more than 35 years in the corporate arena in New York City and abroad. In New York, he was a member of the University Club. He continued singing for many years in the Brooklyn Heights Grace Church choir. He also was a skilled guitar player and prided himself on speaking four languages, as noted in our 50th reunion yearbook, Strangers Once.
In 1959 Bill married Mary-Chilton Winslow, known as Mimi, a Radcliffe graduate, journalist, syndicated columnist and director of corporate communications for the Dreyfus Corp. Mimi predeceased him in 2014. They traveled extensively around the world and lived for two years in Brussels, Belgium. In addition to their Brooklyn home, they had one that they enjoyed in Stillwater, N.J.
I recall Bill’s coming to homecoming with his daughter shortly after Mimi’s passing. I don’t believe that he had further visits to the campus. She (Elizabeth) and her husband, William Stowell, and his two sons; Malcolm and his wife, Kathleen; and George and his wife, Jane, and six grandchildren, Eleanor, William, Angeline and Nathaniel Mead and Carl and Timothy Stowell, survive him. —Hank Tulgan ’54
Lewis C. Cuyler ’55
When he came to Amherst, Lewis Carter Cuyler was known as “Kiko,” a nickname given at South Kent School after the cartoon character “Kiko the Kangaroo.” He joined Theta Delta Chi freshman year. In his autobiography, he wrote that he loved his years at Amherst. He became a member of the Amherst crew, continuing a sport which he had begun earlier and which became a stable part of his life for many years. As a senior, Kiko served as coach of the freshmen crew. The social scene was different from prep school, and his humor and gift for storytelling made him a welcome companion. His very presence lit up a room, and his singing capped a joyful evening.
Following two dreary years in the Army stationed in Germany, Kiko found his future in the newspaper business, a career that took him to Western Massachusetts and marriage to Jane Warren, whose brother was fellow Theta Delt Bill Warren ’55.
After a short detour working for the secretary of Amherst College, he joined the North Adams Transcript and moved with Jane and their two children to Williamstown, Mass. As time went on, Kiko became city editor of the paper.
On New Year’s Eve 1974, Kiko met Harriet Buechner, whom he married in 1975. Together they survived his sudden resignation from the Transcript when he declined to cut his staff in half. He began to enjoy rowing, skiing and freelancing. In 1999 they formed Berkshire Sculling Association, sold shells and competed in many regattas here and abroad. He wrote books and eventually returned to newspapering as the Berkshire Eagle business editor.
Always enthusiastic, Kiko worked hard, played hard and loved life. Unique and admirable, he was a wonderful friend. —Jan Farr ’55 and David Mermelstein ’55
Holcomb B. Noble ’55
Holcomb B. Noble—Hoc, to all who knew him—was a distinguished journalist. As science and health editor for the New York Times, he shared in two Pulitzer prizes—one on Star Wars, the other on the space shuttle Challenger. He authored dozens of other stories, including many on Lyme disease. In addition, he wrote obituaries of such notables as C. Everett Koop, Milton Friedman and John Kenneth Galbraith, often after having interviewed them in person. He also authored Next, the Coming Era in Medicine and Cheney’s War Crimes: The Reign of a De Facto President.
Music was an important part of Hoc’s life. He not only sang in the renowned University Glee Club of New York City but also was a trustee of the internationally acclaimed Young People’s Chorus of New York City. When Amherst groups visited him at his apartment, he would soon sit down at his piano and get everyone singing.
Hoc was an avid skier and an excellent tennis player. David Mermelstein ’55 can attest to his tennis prowess, having lost to him regularly, first near his earlier home in Pelham and then for many years at various courts in New York City after he moved there.
Hoc entered Amherst in the class of 1955, but since he spent his senior year in France, primarily skiing, so he once said, he graduated in 1956. Ever loyal to Amherst, he attended reunions of both classes and developed close friendships with members of each class, bringing them together in an enduring camaraderie.
He is survived by his first wife, Clue; their children, Carolyn and Jon “J.H.” Holcomb ’89; three grandchildren; and his second wife, Lindsay Davidson.
Hoc was spirited, youthful (navigating Manhattan on roller blades in his 60s), engaging, witty and thoughtful—a wonderful friend. —David Mermelstein ’55 and Tom Spencer ’56
William B. Funnell ’56
Al: Rusty was my freshman roommate. For hazing I was driven blindfolded and dumped in the Athol woods. I called Rusty. He came in a “borrowed” car. I doubt the owner knew his car had been borrowed! Rusty knew my wife before I did. He was fetching Sunday dates from Smith, and I suggested Willa, whom I’d spied among the freshmen. When we got married, Rusty couldn’t make it because of an accident, but he did visit us in Canada for our 25th. I am daily reminded of Rusty: he once rescued a “French gravure” entitled Naissance de la Voile, a gull morphing into a wind surfer, from a dump. This “garbage” hangs over my fireplace today.
Toni: Rusty loved cars, “borrowed” or not. In Borger, Texas (working at the JM Huber Carbon Black plant), Huck Finn Rusty “borrowed” a dump truck for a ride home from a bar one evening. “Home” was the JMH guesthouse. I told him he’d better disappear it fast!
His first car was a 1945 Ford woody. He sold to it me, then he bought a monstrous green Buick—which he traded to me for his original Ford woody! His prize car was a 1937 Ford phaeton, which he charmed out of an older lady in Lakeville, Conn.
Rusty and I used to watch Al play lacrosse, Rusty always in his brown-and-white saddle shoes and khaki raincoat. Then on to Barselotti’s for beer and pickled eggs. In the army one day, I was watching new guys arrive—among them, Rusty! We drank a lot of 3.2 beer, Rusty’s theory being that a waft of stale beer would convince the inspecting captain to move on. Rusty, with his placid nature, was a modern Good Soldier Schweik. Looked like him too!
We miss Rusty, a wonderful character and friend. —Al McLellan ’56 and Toni Huber ’56
Peter Gage Hindle ’56
Gage died peacefully in South Dartmouth, Mass., perhaps 10 minutes away from his birthplace in New Bedford. Prep school at Deerfield Academy, college at Amherst, a 44-year teaching career at Deerfield and retirement in 2000, which sent him back to South Dartmouth, probably keeping him in the Bay State for 99 percent of his life. At Deerfield he was a wonderful and popular math teacher and also coached both soccer and golf.
An Alpha Delt at Amherst, Gage played on the squash and golf teams, sang with the Zumbyes and was our class choregus. One of his passions was Gilbert and Sullivan, and indeed John Royse ’56, his good friend and roommate at both schools, recalls his stirring bass performance in the title role of The Mikado at Deerfield.
Upon retirement, Gage spent most of his time at the New Bedford Country Club playing many rounds of golf until his knees finally forced him off the course to the clubhouse. He rued the fact that, although he came within two or three strokes of shooting his age, his aging joints cut his playing days short of achieving that feat. However, as a life member of his club, Gage continued to dine and schmooze with his buddies four or five days a week. It is hard for anyone to think of him without recalling his biting wit, his booming voice and the distinctive pleasant aroma of his ever-present pipe.
He is survived by three nieces, Karen Donoghue, Gail Hindle and Susan Wilson of Massachusetts; two nephews, Russell Hindle of North Carolina and Gage Hindle of California; and a sister in-law, Sarah Hindle of Massachusetts, all of whom will miss Uncle Peter’s wonderful sense of humor and entertaining jokes. —Peter Levison ’56
Charles Klem ’56
Charlie Klem ’56 died peacefully in the early hours of Oct. 26, after struggling with bladder cancer.
Over the last two decades, many classmates visited with Charlie and his wife, Sheila, during reunions, in their “house on the hill” in Amherst on Plum Tree Road, and he regularly enjoyed watching the Jeffs, and then the Mammoths, play basketball.
Charlie also served as site supervisor for Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity projects in that time and actively participated in the area Learning in Retirement community.
Charlie leaves wife Sheila, of South Hadley; daughter Pamela Klem ’85, son-in-law Thomas Dubin ’84 and grandchildren Emma, Jonah and Stella Dubin; and son Timothy Klem, daughter-in-law Lynda Klem and grandchildren Caesar Sandt, Hadrian Sandt and Sarah Klem. His brother John and sister-in-law Elinor live in Armonk, N.Y. —Pamela Klem ’85
Alan Levenstein ’56
Alan Levenstein died of pancreatic cancer on Nov. 6, surrounded by his adoring family: Gail, his wife of 54 years, and children Miranda, Jessica ’91 and Tony.
His four years at Amherst shaped Alan in profound ways. An English major, he formed a lasting friendship with Professor Benjamin DeMott, for whom he wrote a senior thesis on the plays of George Bernard Shaw. Alan marked his gratitude by establishing the DeMott Lecture, an annual feature of first-year orientation at the College, emphasizing issues of social and economic inequality, racial and gender bias and political activism. Alan also sang with the Glee Club, pledged Beta Theta Pi, graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude and formed lifelong friendships. Especially dear to him were Ed Nygren ’56, Dick Pollak ’57 and Bill Salot ’56.
After Amherst, Alan embarked on a long career in advertising, creating award-winning strategic plans and advertising campaigns, including the marketing and communications partnership that resulted in the turnaround of Chrysler Corp. When he retired as vice chairman and chief strategy officer at Bozell Worldwide in 1999, Alan devoted himself to public service and teaching, establishing the American Musicals Project at the New York Historical Society and teaching at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
A diehard liberal in Saville Row suits, Alan cut a dashing, unforgettable figure. He was a consummate New Yorker and an enthusiastic aficionado of literature and the performing arts, but his deepest passion was for his family. He and Gail were a perfect match, both witty, warm and charming, and they entertained often and traveled widely. Alan was an active, devoted father to Miranda, Jessica and Tony, and was besotted by his granddaughters, Willa and Alice Davis. His intellectual curiosity, civic engagement and loving relationships characterized a life lived to the fullest. —Jessica Levenstein Davis ’91
Stephen B. Flood ’57
Steve Flood died July 23. He had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for 34 years. His survivors include his wife, Cynthia; daughters Dr. Pamela Flood-Shafer ’85 and Courtney Flood Bennett; and five grandchildren.
Steve majored in political science. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, and his extracurricular activities included football, the Outing Club, the Sailing Club, the Debate Council and the Rotherwas Society.
Steve graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1960 and practiced law for 30 years. He was widely respected and served as chairman of the Securities Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association. —Bill Patrick ’57
Douglas M. Gray Jr. ’57
Douglas Mintie Gray Jr. died peacefully on April 21. Beloved husband of Suzanne and adored father of Dana Gray Moodey ’84 and the late Deborah Gray Wood, he was loved and admired by his five grandchildren and recently became a proud great-grandfather.
Doug was born in Waterbury, Conn., and raised in Waban, Mass. He attended Rivers Country Day School. While at Amherst, Doug majored in economics, participated in the student council and was inducted into the Sphinx honorary society. He joined Alpha Delta Phi and enjoyed close Amherst friendships that continued throughout his life. In 1956, Doug married his childhood sweetheart, Suzanne Van Mater, and the couple moved to a small apartment in Amherst. Sue taught nursery school at the Little Red Schoolhouse while Doug finished his degree in 1957.
Following his graduation, Doug served in the U.S. Navy as an air intelligence officer stationed at Quonset Point, R.I., for three years. Doug and Sue moved to Duxbury to raise their daughters and remained as active members in the community for 55 years. Doug started his career at Smith Barney & Co., working for 18 years in Institutional Equity Sales. He then spent 18 years at Merrill Lynch as a director in Municipal Bonds Sales. He was respected by his colleagues, who admired his work ethic and the high moral standards that guided his business decisions.
Upon retiring, Doug thoroughly enjoyed winters spent in Boca Grande, where he dedicated himself to perfecting his golf and tennis games. Above all, Doug was a family man. His loyalty and devotion to his parents, siblings, wife, daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren, great-granddaughter and close friends—many with connections to Amherst—were remarkable. —Dana Gray Moodey ’84
William M. Weiant ’60
William Morrow Weiant, 78, died on Sept. 24 after a short illness. Bill grew up in New Jersey, where he attended Metuchen High School. He received a B.A. from Amherst in 1960 and an M.B.A from New York University in 1964. He served in the U.S. Air Force.
He married Joan Eberstadt in 1967. The couple settled in Little Silver, N.J., an area he had fallen in love with when he spent two college summers there as an assistant club tennis pro.
An economics major, Bill started a 47-year career in finance at Eastman Dillon and then worked at First Boston, Dillon Read and Morgan Stanley, from which he retired as a managing director in 2007. He specialized in bank mergers and acquisitions and was ranked as one of the leading bank analysts on Wall Street.
Bill considered Amherst the most formative experience of his life and gave back generously to the College. He played squash, was captain of the tennis team, served as vice president of DU, was active in WAMF, Kirby Theater and Olio and was co-sports editor of the Student.
Bill was poised, almost unflappable, with a sharp intelligence and quick wit, and an easy, disarming laugh. He was a skier and golfer, loved the opera and symphony and enjoyed playing the piano, reading and traveling. He was on the board of the Riverview Medical Center, was active in various clubs and supported numerous causes.
Bill believed he had been fortunate in life but most importantly in marrying Joan and in the family they raised together. He is survived by Joan; two daughters, Callie ’90 (Fritz Holleman of Boulder, Colo.) and Pam (William Campbell of Honolulu); and five grandchildren, including Claire ’21. —Bob Steele ’60 and Dave Pennock ’60
Richard Wheeler Crosby ’63
Richard Wheeler Crosby, who stayed a bachelor all his life and loved to travel to visit friends, died Oct. 2 in Pozos, Mexico.
Rick began to spend time in Pozos a few years ago after living in Beaufort, S.C., and retiring from his job as administrator of Webster University’s extension division in Beaufort.
Rick “was very much his own person, who did what he wanted to do and always enjoyed what he was doing,” said his sister, Ruth Grayson of Greenville, S.C.
The son of Richard and Elizabeth (Wheeler) Crosby, Rick was born Nov. 15, 1940, in Ithaca, N.Y. He attended the Indian Springs School in Helena, Ala., south of Birmingham.
At Amherst, Rick majored in American studies. He taught political philosophy at Colgate in New York State from 1965 through 1979, and earned a Ph.D. in government studies from Cornell in 1970.
Rick’s passion for classical music led him at age 38 to leave his teaching job and move to Charleston, S.C., to open a shop to sell high fidelity audio equipment. This venture lasted only three years, after which he went back to academic life.
Rick retired around age 70 settled in Pozos, an old silver mining town about 170 miles northwest of Mexico City.
According to Ruth, Rick traveled the world. He especially enjoyed time in New Zealand, Wales and South Africa. On his travels, he made and often visited many friends. He maintained a condominium on Santa Helena Island in South Carolina.
He is survived by his sister, two nieces, four great-nieces and a great-nephew. There was no funeral, by Rick’s request. His ashes were scattered by friends in several places, including in Mazatlán on the west coast of Mexico, on the beach. —Neale Adams ’63
John Holmes Miller ’63
John Holmes Miller, a scholar of Japanese and East Asian history who served for 25 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, died April 5 after a lengthy illness. He was known by some at Amherst as “Holmes.” His interest in the Far East began at the College. Rick Fried ’63 recalls that John’s honors thesis was about a 1921 Washington Conference that dealt with naval power in the Far East. “That obviously helped set his course though life,” said Rick, who recalled that John “had a dry and ironic sense of humor about historical and other matters at Amherst.”
John—the son of Professor John C. Miller, a historian at Stanford, and Gladys Viola (Johnson) Miller—was born Nov. 21, 1941, in Bryn Mawr, Pa. He went to Punahou School in Honolulu and later to Menlo-Atherton High School near Stanford.
At Amherst John went out for baseball and crew. He was a rushing chairman one year for Kappa Theta.
After graduating, John went to Stanford for a master’s and on to Princeton for his doctorate in Japanese history. He joined the Foreign Service in 1975. He held posts in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Canada, and served as the Burma desk officer in Washington, D.C.
In 2000 he returned to Honolulu and the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, a U.S. Navy institution, where as an associate professor he specialized in Japan’s foreign relations and East Asian security issues. There he wrote two books: Modern East Asia: an Introductory History (2008) and American Political and Cultural Perspectives on Japan: From Perry to Obama (2014).
John is survived by his wife, Mioko; daughter Katherine; son John; two brothers; and a niece. A private family service was held last summer on San Juan Island, Washington State. —Neale Adams ’63
William R. Nadel ’64
Bill passed away on Nov. 25 in Summit, N.J., his family at his bedside. Born on June 15, 1940, in Irvington, N.J., he received his M.D. from Case-Western Reserve Medical School in 1968.
It was at Amherst that Bill met Virginia “Ginger” Bunzl, who would go on to be his life partner. Upon finishing his residency, Bill began work as deputy commissioner for the City of New York’s Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. In 1977, he moved with his family to Summit. After four years at Fair Oaks, Bill became chief of psychiatry at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield, N.J., where he worked until his retirement in 2006. He continued a private practice until shortly before his death.
Bill worked tirelessly to raise awareness about mental illness. He was a member of the American Medical Association and the New Jersey Psychiatric Association and was a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
He served on the Union County Mental Health Board and frequently lobbied both the United States and New Jersey legislatures to increase funding for mental health programming and care. More broadly, Bill witnessed growing health disparities as the medical field shifted from patient-focused care to a more business-oriented model. He noted in public hearings that this shift would have negative impacts on healthcare for all, but particularly for poor communities.
There is little that Bill loved more than spending time with his family; his grandchildren have given him great joy. Bill is survived by his wife of 53 years, Virginia; a sister, Nancy Greenberg of Riverside, Calif.; a daughter, Helen; a son, Joshua; their spouses, Joel Zarrow and Evanthia Canoutas; and four grandchildren, Isabel Cayla and Felix Livingston Zarrow, and Sofia Ariadne and Rafael Nikolaos Canoutas-Nadel. —Vince Simmon ’64
Alan W. Havighurst ’67
Al Havighurst—the “Ghurst” to Amherst friends—died peacefully five days after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
A consummate raconteur, he regaled those of us from more humble backgrounds with stories of his beloved University School and Shaker Heights high society.
After Amherst, he taught at University School before starting a solo law practice in Cleveland specializing in taxes, probate and estate planning. Old-school Ghurst would make home visits to elderly clients.
Our longtime class secretary, he had a delightful sense of humor and an encyclopedic memory. His trivia quizzes were a reunion highlight. (“Quickly: Which U.S. president went to Williams? What was the probation in Animal House that Dean Wormer imposed on Delta House?”)
Rarely was he wrong, but he once thought the famous book was Twenty Years before the Mast instead of Two Years before the Mast. When shown the correct title, he exclaimed that it was the condensed version.
Al had an abiding love for Amherst and Beta Theta Pi, of which he was president. He was invaluable to his fraternity brothers, as he knew which classes required the least work.
An unflagging booster of Shaker Heights and Cleveland, he hosted two mini reunions there: In 2006 he showed us the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, gave an insider’s tour of the city and took us to an Indians game at Jacobs Field. In 1993 he hosted us at the soon-to-close Cleveland Stadium. One of his favorite stories was the arrest of one of us for scalping extra tickets.
Al was predeceased by his parents, James and Helen, and brother Bruce ’59. He is survived by brother Doug ’61; niece Lauren Havighurst Tackett ’96; nephew Bryan Havighurst; significant other/legal associate Martha Lee; and former wife, Julie Morse Havighurst. His late uncle Alfred Havighurst was an emeritus professor at Amherst.
Ghurst’s memory lives in the hearts of many who loved and miss him dearly. —Douglas Havighurst ’61, George Fleming ’67 and Michael Boxer ’67
Alan F Segal ’67
Alan died peacefully from complications of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which he had for several years. He was a scholar of the history of religions and was the Ingeborg Rennert Chair in Jewish Studies at Barnard College. He was the author of many books and articles that were scholarly in intent but nonetheless attracted a broad readership. His particular interests were the relationship between rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity, which he viewed as sibling developments from the same biblical tradition, as well as the life of Paul. His magisterial study Life after Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion has become the seminal text on this field.
Alan received master’s degrees from Hebrew Union College and Brandeis University and a doctoral degree from Yale. At Amherst he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. He served as president and board member for many professional societies and was the recipient of many honors, lectureships and grants.
Alan was born in Worcester, Mass., to Rose (Sadowsky) and Bennet Segal. He is survived by his wife, Meryl; sons Ethan ’99 (Kelly) and Jordan ’02 (Abbey); brother Eric ’71; and sister Carol Foxman. The Segal family has deep ties to the College including uncles Robert’36, Edward ’39 and Irving’42; cousin Terry ’64, nieces Jessica ’95 and Nicole Huvelle ’01; and nephew Adam ’03.
In the early 1980s the Segal family established the Segal family scholarship for residents of Israel and the Worcester region.
Alan also will be remembered for his kindness, humor and abiding friendships. His memory will be a blessing to all who knew him. —Terry Segal ’64, Michael Boxer ’67, Sumner Segal and Meryl Segal
Elliott S. Andrews ’68
I knew Elliott only slightly at Cranbrook and Amherst, but in the past 10 years MaryAnn and I became good friends with his wife, Jill, and with him.
We saw Elliott three times in the last couple of months, while he was in hospice. The first time, he was in his big barn and garage, working to get three motorcycles ready to take to a motorcycle event the next day in Battle Creek. He was having difficulty walking by then, but he could sit on a rolling seat and work. One of the cycles was giving him and a friend trouble until Elliott shot some silicone into a cable and freed the throttle. He smiled broadly when it fired up. The three of us wheeled the bikes into a trailer, and Elliott tied them down with bungee cords. They were ready to travel.
We saw him the last time just a few days before the donation of a 1911 Flanders 4 motorcycle to the Chelsea Historical Society. Read that story at chelseahistory.org/1911-flanders-motorcycle-refurbished.
Elliott transferred to Amherst from MIT in 1966, joined Phi Psi, ran track and cross-country and opened his own motorcycle shop while still at the College.
After graduating, he built motorcycles and raced professionally until 1982, when he joined the engineering division at Caltech as chief administrator and mechanical engineering advisor for the remaining 22 years of his work life.
Elliott was a terrific guy—smart, possessed of a wry wit, accomplished but modest and kind. A national class runner and marathoner, he exemplified the definition of a scholar-athlete-mechanical wizard.
Elliott’s legacy will be carried forward by his three daughters, Gillian Andrews, Sylvie Andrews and Ariel Andrews Raupagh, as well as his two grandsons, Nolan, 5, and Alex, 2. We should all hope to face the end with the grace and dignity that Elliott did. —Joe Kimble ’67
William Edward Burt ’68
Ending a nearly two-year battle with a particularly virulent cancer, Bill Burt passed away peacefully on Oct. 16 in Toronto, his adopted home since graduation. With him were his second wife, Judy Thomas, and his sons Steven and Geoff.
Several months before graduation, Bill told me that he wanted no part of the Vietnam War; before the ink was dry on our diplomas, he was in Canada, where he renounced his American citizenship. Ironic that the one Goldwater conservative among my friends was the one to do this, but Bill always marched to his own drummer. Politically he was more a libertarian, with a small ‘l,’ and once with a capital L, when he ran for Parliament and garnered a respectable 1 percent of the vote.
In 1978 he quit his stockbroker job to bicycle through the Himalayas for a year. Upon returning, he set two goals: to meet a girl who shared his love of running and to be retired by age 40. He achieved the first by starting a runners club, where he met his first wife, Michelle, and the second by becoming a commodities trader and, in classic Bill Burt fashion, making a fortune by going contrary to conventional wisdom.
He bought a small farm near Lake Ontario and turned to philanthropy; in 2009 Bill established and funded the Burt Award, for novels by budding authors in developing countries, as part of a broader pro-literacy initiative. Throughout his final illness, Bill sent a series of emails to family and friends, describing, with clinical detachment, and not a trace of self-pity, how the body he always kept in superlative shape was betraying him. One such email began with a Maori proverb: “Turn your face to the sun, and the shadows fall behind you.” A perfect metaphor for a life well and fully lived. —David L. Glass ’68
Peter Grant Dorland ’68
Peter Dorland died of cancer on Nov. 4, 2015, in Jackson, Ga. We kept in contact for a decade after Amherst despite intense training and duty schedules, but we gradually lost touch as careers and geography intervened.
Peter was born on St. Patrick’s Day 1946 into a career military family that included four West Point graduates. He came to Amherst as one of three prep academy graduates from Nashville, along with John Stifler ’68 and me—and as one of those 1,352 guitar pickers in the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Nashville Cats.” He performed at college venues with Tom Jones and Paul Stumpf ’67, and he shared his sophisticated stereo system and rock and country record collection with his roommates, fraternity brothers and, often, across campus, utilizing the volume control knob.
Pete majored in biology and was active in Chi Phi and the Glee Club. A deeply competitive member of the wrestling team, he trained hard, spending hours in the steam tunnels in a rubber suit to make weight for matches. (Check COTM#6 with John Davidson ’68 for inspiring details.)
Following graduation, Peter entered Officer Candidate School and volunteered for helicopter training and medical evacuation. As a medevac pilot in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne, he was awarded the Bronze Star, 10 Air Medals and the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. He served his country with honor and great distinction, evacuating wounded soldiers and civilians.
Returning stateside, he accepted an assignment to the U.S. Army Center of Military History, where he wrote Dust Off: Army Aeromedical Evacuation in Vietnam. After 20 years, he retired as a major and master aviator. Following his Army service, he owned and managed a home construction company near Atlanta.
He leaves his wife, Beverly; a daughter and son-in-law; and a granddaughter. —Bill Smead ’68
Peter Hopkins McClellan ’68
Peter McClellan died Aug. 4 at the Lahey Clinic Hospital in Burlington, Mass., after a brief illness. Raised in Harvard and Pepperell, Mass., Peter came to Amherst from North Middlesex High School, where he had been football captain. He was at Amherst only our freshman year, but he left some enduring impressions, notably including that of his considerable athletic ability. By one classmate’s account in the spring of 1965, he went out for track, picked up a javelin for the first time in his life and threw it far enough over Pratt Field to attract serious notice.
After leaving Amherst, Peter worked as a cab driver in Boston and attended Northeastern University, graduating in 1972 with a B.S. in business administration. He lived in the Boston area, on Cape Cod, and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where he taught English to Mexican businessmen. According to the obituary in the Harvard Press in Harvard, Mass., Peter was a “kite builder … , gardener, cook, bridge club player, carpenter, reader, writer and a keen, passionate, observer of current events … [and] not only creative but also generous and caring.”
Peter is survived by his mother, Constance McClellan; brothers James McClellan III and Andrew McClellan; their wives; and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, James McClellan Jr., and a brother, Mark McClellan. —John Stifler ’68
Craig Gordon Dunkerley ’69
We were saddened to learn that Craig Dunkerley died Sept. 17. As his roommate with Rob Simpson ’69 in our freshman year, I was impressed by Craig’s brilliant personality. He brightened our time in Pratt through his intelligence, virtuosity and delightful style. He was extremely well read. Despite the workload of the freshman curriculum, he seemed to inhale one or two books a week. The range of his interests in books was boundless—from histories of Rome through Malcom X to Ian Fleming and Tom Wolfe novels. Also compelling was his passion for theater, evident in his early involvement in Kirby Theatre. Craig had a wonderful ability to describe the inherent drama and humor around him; his wit spared no one. He was particularly amused by well-heeled suburban Amherst students dressing like Mark Trail lumberjacks in work boots. He was intrigued by the dramatic flair of fencing, which he pursued throughout the year. Underlying his lively personality was a bedrock commitment to scholarship. I don’t know the actual stats, but my recollection is that Craig routinely made the Dean’s List.
After Amherst, Craig went to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts and then joined the Foreign Service, posted early on in Southeast Asia and Japan and later in Europe. Ultimately rising to the rank of ambassador, he was centrally involved in negotiations influencing American policy toward Europe and NATO after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He retired in 2003. Craig is survived by his wife, Patricia Haigh, a fellow diplomat, to whom we extend our condolences. Clearly, we were all fortunate to have been represented in the aftermath of the Cold War by a diplomat with the nuance and brilliance of Craig Dunkerley. —Robert H. Brown ’69
William J. Eisen ’70
One of our most remarkable classmates, Bill Eisen, died on Aug. 10 from a heart attack while jogging in York, Maine.
Bill was unforgettable—brilliant, quirky, empathetic, irascible, magnanimous. He had a rare quality of finding common ground for fellowship, regardless of position or status. While at Amherst, he came to know Bob, the Stone custodian who then became the unofficial Stone sage on issues of women, sex and relationships. Bill befriended campus security officers and the folks at Miss Florence’s diner, and formed lifelong relationships with several College administrators and professors. After Amherst, he befriended staff at his favorite restaurant/hotel in Boston (the “Old Ritz”) and all the townspeople in York, to name a couple of examples. His funeral attracted the wide range of people he cared about, from his clients and law firm partners to the person who passed him out jogging that morning, paying testament to the connections he constantly made.
Few will forget Bill’s rant at our 40th reunion, when he urged our class to take to the streets to protest the government’s foreign policy decisions and to use our class as the cauldron for beginning a national movement—which of course brought to mind his infamous birthday celebration and march our senior year. In fact, Bill was always preparing for our next reunion. He would arrange and pay for reserved rooms for eight classmates well before any of us had committed to attending, leaving us no option but to attend.
The center of Bill’s universe was his wife, Susan, whom he married at Johnson Chapel, and his two daughters, Emily ’05 and Kate ’12. His spirit will remain forever with those many he touched.—Rob Duboff ’70
Julie R. Engelsman ’88
Julie Engelsman passed away July 25, 2016, peacefully in her home in Los Angeles, Calif., from metastatic breast cancer. Earlier that day, she opened her eyes briefly, looked into mine and asked, “Am I awake?” “Yes,” I said. “You are awake.”
Julie was the most awake person I knew for the five decades we were friends: keenly perceptive, deeply empathetic, seriously funny and exceptionally adventurous. She created her perfect career as a costume designer for film and television. Julie always said she got her professional start meticulously constructing custom outfits for her Barbie dolls as a child.
Julie and I met in kindergarten in St. Louis, Mo., and were often rivals on the playground. She changed schools in fifth grade, and we saw each other only occasionally as teenagers. One gray winter day at Amherst, we found ourselves walking toward each other on an empty quad in overcoats. It felt like a Sergio Leone movie. We started talking and never stopped.
A few years ago, she called me and said, “I found a picture of us at your wedding, and it looks like it’s you and me getting married. Let’s face it. We basically are.” Julie and I saw each other through a lot of life. When I lived with her in LA, one day she came into my room and said, “You wanna go to Nepal?” “Okay,” I said. She was down to half a lung at that point. We struggled at the back of the pack, but completed the trek.
The day after she died, a white butterfly landed on my heart and just sat. I said, “Hi Julie!” She continues to visit me, and I know many share my gratitude for having known her determination, humor, intelligence and acceptance. —Laura Scandrett ’88
Nicholas A. Rieser ’01
Nicholas Alexander Rieser ’01 died unexpectedly on Sept. 5 in New York City. Some of us will remember him as a keen debater; others as a talented, stoic goaltender; or, for those who knew him after Amherst, as a loving father and husband. But we will all remember him for his genuineness and loyalty to all the people in his life.
Nick grew up in Northfield, Ill., and came to Amherst after graduating from Phillips Andover Academy.
While he majored in LJST, there were few subjects that failed to pique his curiosity and serve as potential debate fodder. An immense grin often broke out on Nick’s face when he overheard a poorly formulated argument. Nick embraced these debates in the best spirit of Amherst—no matter how heated they became, they were never personal, and you were still his friend, teammate or classmate. Nick’s loyalty was unquestionable.
Nick was also an exceptional ice hockey goaltender, steady and reliable, and earned First Team All-NESCAC Honors as a senior. He embraced being a goaltender as part of his identity. Yet far from being the stereotypically aloof goalie, Nick loved his teammates and reveled in being part of the team.
Following college, Nick was recruited by several minor league professional hockey teams—a rare feat for even the best Division III athletes—and played briefly in the East Coast Hockey League. He then moved on to a career in the financial industry, starting out at FBR Capital Markets and Lehman Brothers. He joined the Financial Institutions Group at Barclays from 2007 to 2015. Most recently, Nick served as a managing director at the Hovde Group, a financial advisory group.
Nick is survived by his wife, Ilene, and his twin daughters, Hannah and Lily. —Darren Reaume ’02 and men’s hockey teammates