Deceased July 4, 2022
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In Memory
Benjamin Alexander, age 87, died peacefully on July 4, 2022 (always the patriot), at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., after a series of strokes.
He was born on April 16, 1935, in Des Plaines, Ill., son of Donald William Alexander, an Annapolis graduate and mechanical engineer, and Helen Hoover Alexander of Evanston, Ill.
Ben was a graduate of Benton Harbor (Mich.) High School, where he was president of the class of 1953.
At Amherst, Ben was a member of Chi Psi fraternity, serving as its social chairman during senior year. In 1962, he earned his medical degree at Northwestern University Medical School and then interned at Philadelphia General Hospital. He completed his residency in internal medicine at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City.
During his residency, Ben met Janet Herman, a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and a master’s student in library science at Columbia University. The couple was married on July 9, 1966, in Zion’s Union Church, Maxatawny, Pa., founded by Janet’s great-great-grandfather, the Rev. Charles Gebler Herman.
They moved to Georgetown, where Ben worked for the Group Health Association as an internist. In 1968, he was called to active duty with the U.S. Army. He was deployed to Viet Nam in spring 1969 and posted to the 24th Evacuation Hospital, Long Binh Army base. He was promoted to major before discharge.
The family moved to Tarrytown, N.Y., in 1970, where Ben established his medical practice. He worked there for 30 years, mostly as a sole practitioner, finally retiring in 2001. Ben and Janet moved to Edgemont, Scarsdale, N.Y., in 2003. In 2017, they moved to Ardsley-on-Hudson after Janet retired from the Sarah Lawrence library.
Ben is survived by Janet, his wife of 56 years; sons Hugh, Amory and Nathaniel; four grandchildren; and a sister, Betsy.
Howie Bellin ’57 and Janet Alexander