Deceased December 7, 2015

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In Memory

Mike passed away in Winchester, Ohio, in December 2015 in the loving hands of his brother Patrick. He was survived by his mother, Joan, a sixth-grade art teacher who was affectionately known by Michael’s friends as “Mama Cass.” 

We remember Michael as a freshman in Pratt. He was intense, creative and generous, with jet black hair and sharp Irish features. He was an accomplished actor and artist who had your head spinning with arguments in late-night bull sessions. Michael had more charm, poise, worldliness and (apparent) confidence than any of his Amherst comrades, along with being killer handsome. Small wonder he was catnip to women, with his electric smile and gentle laugh. He learned how to fence while letting others toil on the Pratt playing fields. 

Sadly, genetics dictated his fate. In our sophomore year, Michael suffered a mental breakdown, precipitated by drugs, and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. A few of his classmates tried to help Mike get treatment, visited him in psychiatric hospitals over the next few years and then lost touch. He spent most of the rest of his life in institutions. We prefer to remember him in those heady days of 1967 when we were embarking on the exhilaration of an Amherst freshman experience.

Doug Abbey ’71 and Michael’s Pratt friends ’71