News & Events In Memoriam

Amherst College notes the passing of Hugh Hawkins, the Anson D. Morse Professor of History and American Studies, Emeritus, on May 6, 2016.

Hawkins retired from the Amherst faculty in 2000 after 43 years of teaching at the College. The Department of History established the annual Hugh Hawkins Lecture in his honor. In 2003, Hawkins was interviewed about his memories of his Amherst teaching career.

An obituary with more information was printed in The Boston Globe.

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Amherst College notes the passing of retired employee Friederike Dewitz on Jan. 9, 2016. She was the departmental secretary in American studies from 1969 through her retirement in 1991.

An obituary with more information is available here.

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Amherst College notes the passing of retired employee Helen Sullivan on Dec. 12, 2015. She arrived in 1967 as a research assistant in the biology department. In 1973, she moved to the mathematics department as an academic department secretary, and in 1982 she became assistant to the department chair. Sullivan retired in 1990.

An obituary with more information is available here.

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Amherst College notes the passing of Nasser Hussain, professor of law, jurisprudence and social thought, on Nov. 8, 2015. Hussain began teaching at the College in 1996.

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An obituary is viewable here. Information about a memorial service will be added to this page as it becomes available.

The following message from Dean of the Faculty Catherine Epstein was emailed to the College community on Nov. 10: 

Dear Members of the Amherst Community,

I write with the tragic news that Nasser Hussain, professor of law, jurisprudence and social thought, passed away on Sunday evening, November 8, after an extended illness. A beloved teacher, scholar, colleague, mentor, and friend, Nasser, an internationally recognized historian and theorist of law and colonialism, brought brilliance, passion, and a deep commitment to principle to all that he undertook. Beyond the accomplishments of his intellectual life, Nasser was known for his irreverent wit, tremendous kindness, and unfailing generosity. He began teaching at Amherst in 1996 and has inspired countless students and colleagues. 

Plans for a memorial service for Nasser are in the formative stages, and we will inform you when we learn more.  

With great sadness for the loss we share,

Catherine Epstein
Dean of the Faculty
Professor of History

Amherst College notes the passing of John C. Esty Jr. '50 on Oct. 22, 2015. Esty served as Amherst's assistant dean of admissions from 1953 to 1957 and associate dean of admissions from 1957 to 1963.

An obituary with more information is available here.

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Amherst College notes the passing of Fredric L. Cheyette, professor of history, emeritus, on April 14, 2015. Professor Cheyette joined the faculty of the Department of History in 1963 and retired in 2005.

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A newspaper obituary with more information is available here.

Amherst College notes the passing of retired employee John Pistel '69 on Oct. 10, 2015. Pistel graduated from Amherst in 1969, and then was hired in 1992 as its senior development officer/director of principal gifts. He worked at the College until his retirement in 2010.

An obituary with more information is available here.

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Amherst College notes the passing of retired employee Kurt Hertzfeld on Sept. 13, 2015. Hertzfeld was appointed treasurer of the College in 1968 and retired in the early 1980s.

An obituary with more information is available here.

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Amherst College notes the passing of retired employee Miriam McEwan on June 18, 2015. McEwan came to the College in 1969 as a librarian in the Department of Music. In 1976, she moved to Frost Library and became a cataloging assistant. She retired in 1992.

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Amherst College notes the passing of Peter M. Batura Jr. on March 8, 2015. Batura worked at the College as a custodian starting in 2000, and also served on the Employee Council.

An obituary with more information is available here.

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Amherst College notes the passing of John B. Halsted, the Henry Winkley Professor of History, Emeritus, on Feb. 25, 2015. Halsted joined the faculty of the Department of History in 1952 and retired in 1997.

An obituary with more information is available here.

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Amherst College notes the passing of Irene A. Walas on Jan. 23, 2015. Walas worked for the College in the Office of Administrative Services and Mailing Center from 1968 through her retirement in 1999, and then as a casual employee for many years thereafter. Her daughter-in-law, Jayne Walas, works in the College’s Advancement Operations.

An obituary with more information is available here.

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Amherst College notes the passing of Mary Barkowski on Jan. 8, 2015. Barkowski served as the College’s nurse and supervisor of the clinic from 1935 until her retirement in 1975.

An obituary with more information is available here.

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November 19, 2014

Amherst College notes the passing of Dorothy Ives on Aug. 19, 2014. Ives came to the college in 1940, as an order assistant in the library. She left that position in 1943, returning as a secretary to the astronomy department in 1955. She transferred to the economics department in 1966 and remained there until her retirement in 1987.

An obituary with more information is available here.

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