The Class of 1957 sadly makes note of the tragic death Don Heydt, who was lost in San Francisco Bay on Oct. 10, 1966, in a sailboat accident. According to accounts, Don's boat, a racing sloop, was suddenly capsized by a squall and Don and another man were drowned. Five others, three women and two men, were rescued and hospitalized, after suffering for 90 minutes from exposure.
Coast Guard ships and helicopters scoured the Bay for any sign of the two men, but they were unsuccessful. A service was held in San Francisco in late October in Don's memory.
According to his father, Don was an enthusiastic sailor. It was a sudden 30-knot wind and a six-knot tidal current that capsized the boat. Don's continuation of his intellectual curiosity was evidenced by his library, which contained volumes ranging from poetry to politics to Japanese art, economics, finance, and law.
Don served at Fort Knox in 1958 and joined an investment banking firm in 1959. He was at Stanford Law School in 1961-1963, which is the last entry in the class secretary's file.
We remember Don vividly since 1953-freshman year. I know we express the deep and heartfelt sorrow of the Class of 1957 in writing these tragic words. The deepest sympathy is extended from our class to the family and those nearest dearest to Don Heydt.