Deceased March 16, 2009

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In Memory

Our classmate John Melin of Springfield (Ill.) died Monday, March 16, 2009, at Memorial Medical Center after a brief illness. He was 80. He was born in Springfield on March 27, 1928, the son of Frank L. Melin and Mary Shaver Melin, and is survived by a sister, Jane Wilday (Mrs. James W. Wilday) of Springfield; nephews Jeff Wilday of Springfield and James M. “Jay” Wilday of Littleton, Colo.; and great-nephews, John Wilday of Denver, Colo., Matthew Wilday of Chicago, Ill., and Scott Wilday, Brett Wilday, and Kevin Wilday, all of Littleton, Colo.

John was graduated from Springfield High School and Amherst College. He also did graduate work at Yale Univ. before receiving a master’s degree in mathematics from the Univ. of Illinois.

After college, graduate studies, and military service with the U.S. Navy, John had a lifelong career with IBM which lasted until his retirement in 1990. Although working primarily in New York City, John worked and lived for six years each in Brussels and in Hong Kong. After retirement from IBM, he remained in New York until 2000 when he returned to live in Springfield.

At Amherst, John was a member of Phi Delta Theta. He was a deacon of Westminster Presbyterian Church, a member of the Sangamo Club and an active supporter of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and the Amherst Alumni Association. He will be missed by all who knew him, at Amherst and elsewhere. There are reminiscences of John by three of our classmates posted on the In Memory section of the Amherst Web site.

Willie McCormick ’50