Deceased July 12, 2021
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In Memory
Born and raised in Cleveland, Peter Wykoff traveled to other places (just to visit, of course) but always returned to his hometown. He died in Cleveland on July 12.
Pete attended Hawken School before graduating from University School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, in 1951. At Amherst, Pete was a member of Delta Upsilon and a history major. A sports enthusiast his entire life, he played soccer, swam and dove on the swim team, and played baseball in high school and at Amherst (including three years on the varsity soccer team at Amherst). Throughout his undergraduate years, Pete was accompanied by his twin brother, Tom ’55, who was also his fraternity brother in DU.
Pete was in the AFROTC unit and, after his commission, spent his years in Europe. He then returned to Cleveland, where he met the woman who would become his beloved wife of 57 years, Carol Thompson (Hathaway Brown ’53 and Smith College ’57). Pete graduated from Case Western Reserve University’s law school and practiced law for several years before transitioning to what would end up being his life’s calling as a trust officer with National City Bank in Cleveland. He was active with several not-for-profits.
Pete continued to be an athlete, playing A-league squash, running with his friends and fly-fishing all over the United States. Both my brother Scott and I followed in his athletic and fly-fishing pursuits in high school, college and beyond. One of my favorite memories of my father is revisiting with him several years ago the bus-and-trolley ride from his home in Shaker Heights to League Park in Cleveland, where he was a batboy for the Cleveland Indians.
My father loved his time at Amherst (and the reunions), and it rubbed off on me.
David Wykoff ’82