News & Events In Memoriam

Amherst College mourns the passing of Professor Emeritus of Mathematics James Q. Denton on July 14, 2019. He began teaching at Amherst in 1964.

Upon his retirement in 2005, College President Anthony W. Marx paid tribute to Professor Denton at Commencement, noting his academic and intellectual accomplishments; his "passions for music, engineering and philosophy"; and his skill as an educator in asking challenging questions and encouraging "students to be active participants in their own learning."

"As Amherst’s first statistician and first African-American faculty member," said Marx, "Jim Denton was a pioneer."

See Professor Denton's obituary for more information.

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Amherst College mourns the passing of William F. Kieras in July 2019. Kieras came to the College in 1987 as a custodian and worked here for 32 years, retiring in March 2019.

See his obituary for more information.

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Amherst College notes the passing of William McCall Vickery '57 on Feb. 4, 2019. On Feb. 6, President Biddy Martin sent the following email to faculty and staff, describing Vickery's many roles within and contributions to the College community:

Amherst College notes the passing of Bernard Aldrich on Jan. 13, 2019. Aldrich came to the College in 1946, working in grounds and in the custodial department. In 1949, he became an apprentice electrician and was licensed in 1954. Aldrich continued to work as an electrician at the College and in 1973 became supervisor of electrical systems. He worked in that position until his retirement in 1989.

Please see his obituary for more information. 

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Amherst College notes the passing of William Michael Hexter on Dec. 20, 2018. Hexter came to the College in 1953 and taught biology. In 1966, he became the Edward S. Harkness Professor of Biology. He retired in 1996.

Please see his obituary for more information. 

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Amherst College notes the passing of William L. Swartzbaugh on Oct. 17, 2018. Swartzbaugh served as an associate dean in the Dean of Students' Office from 1961 to 1967 and as dean of students from 1967 to 1968. He was also chair of the Board of Academic Advisors from 1966 to 1968 and a foreign student advisor from 1965 to 1968.

Please see his obituary for more information. 

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The Amherst College community mourns the loss of Justin Imperatore, of Summit, N.J., who passed away on Oct. 2, 2018. At Amherst, he studied history and philosophy and played as a goalie on the men's lacrosse team.

An obituary is available here with more information, including how to donate in Justin's memory to a scholarship fund at Avon Old Farms School, of which he was a graduate.

We invite members of the Amherst College community to leave notes and remembrances by logging in and clicking “Add comment.”

Amherst College notes the passing of Joseph Kargul on Sept. 16, 2018. Kargul came to the College in 1985 as a kitchen assistant and worked in Valentine until his retirement in 1996.

Please see his obituary for more information. 

We invite members of the Amherst College community to leave notes and remembrances by logging in and clicking “Add comment” below.