Robert B. Whitney Jr. ’55
Deceased July 5, 2012
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In Memory
Bob joined the Class of 1955 after graduating in three-plus years from Amherst Regional High. Having been born on March 19, 1935, that made Bob probably the youngest in our class. He died of cancer on July 5, 2012. Bob’s father was a chemistry professor at the college. At Amherst Bob was a Theta Xi, majored in chemistry, played freshman baseball and was a member of the band. He enjoyed playing both the clarinet and saxophone.
Bob met his wife, Helen, at the age of 12 in school. She was the daughter of a professor at UMass. They were married in June 1958, on the same weekend as our third reunion, which enabled several classmates to attend the ceremony.
Following graduation, Bob went to Yale Medical School, receiving his M.D. degree in 1959, served a residency at the University of Minnesota, spent nine years of active and reserve military duty, including two years at Madigan Army Medical Center, before entering private practice. He was a radiologist in Tacoma, Wash., until his retirement in 1996.
Bob stayed real busy in retirement. Always a voracious reader, Bob continued his focus on lifelong learning, music and theater. He was a volunteer for the Humane Society and active in the choir and committee activities at his church. Bob’s passions included soccer, where he was a referee for 20 years, cruising and racing his sailboat on Puget Sound and rail travel throughout the world.
Bob is survived by Helen, stepmother Conti, children Ken, Lorraine and David and six grandchildren. We always looked forward to Bob and Helen coming to our class reunions since the trip also enabled them to see Amherst classmates as well as a return to the town where they both grew up.
Rob Sowersby ’55