Deceased September 1, 2012
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In Memory
Dave Palmer was a close friend of mine—a friendship I will always cherish. I met Dave when the two of us first moved into the fourth floor of North College as freshmen. His roommate was Graf Mouen ’50, and my roommates were Dick Fernald ’50, Ted Mixer ’50 and Bill Woehrlin ’50. The six of us were inseparable, and our two years in North were filled with laughter and a spirited camaraderie.
On many a Friday afternoon, we would see Dave and Graf hitchhiking on the ‘Hamp road with a big sign hawking their New York City destination. When not traveling to the Big Apple, the two of them visited Smith and Mt. Holyoke. Dave lettered in cross-country and swimming and served on the staff of the Amherst Student. Along with Bill, Graf and myself, Dave was an active member of Theta Delta Chi.
After graduation, Dave served as a corporal paratrooper in the U.S. Airborne during the Korean War before earning an M.B.A. from NYU and an A.M.P. from Harvard. A successful financial expert, he was an executive with Merrill Lynch, later serving as the managing director of David Ross Palmer Consultants.
He served on the boards of many charitable organizations and was campaign director for the Greater Boston United Way. Dave also remained active in Amherst alumni affairs, serving as president of the Class of 1950.
He was predeceased by his first wife, Patricia “Trish” Warren (Mt. Holyoke ’51), with whom he raised four children: Marcia, Stephen, Ross and Leslie. In 1998 Dave married Stasia Williams. They resided in Waquoit, Mass., on Cape Cod.
The last time I saw Dave and Stasia was in March 2012, when they were vacationing in Sarasota, Fla. Although he was confined to a wheelchair, he was as alert as ever as we reminisced about our days at Amherst and afterward.
Among the many memories of our friendship, I will always remember his lively style and just being a fun person with whom to be.
Roger Clapp ’50