These are the alumni death notices received by the College from Aug. 7 through Nov. 12, 2016. To report a death notice, email records@swarthmore.edu.
Marian Hubbell Mowatt ’34Marian Hubbell Mowatt ’34, a mother, psychologist, and teacher, died July 9, 2016, in Lacey, Wash. She was 102. She graduated from Swarthmore and earned a psychology Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College. Her first job was teaching at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa. In 1939, she married Allan Mowatt, an electrical engineer. His Westinghouse job brought the couple to Pittsburgh, where Marian taught at Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University. Later they moved to the Boston area and adopted a boy and a girl. After a brief move to Sandwich, N.H., Marian taught at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. In 1960, she moved with the children, Allan and Janna, to Seattle, where she worked at Community Psychiatric Clinic. She later opened an office for the practice of clinical psychology, and taught part time at the University of Washington. An interesting part of her practice was screening candidates for the Seattle Police Department. Read more.
Joseph Hafkenschiel Jr. ’37Joseph Hafkenschiel Jr. ’37, an Army Air Corps veteran who had a passion for golf, died of natural causes Oct. 26, 2016. He was 100. Joseph lived in Portola Valley, Calif. He graduated from Swarthmore in 1937 and from Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1941. He completed an internship and medical residency at the University of Pennsylvania, and he married Lucinda Thomas ’34 in July 1942. After Lucinda’s death, he was married to Carol Rush for 20 years before they divorced. From 1943 to 1945, he served in the Army Air Corps in the China-Burma-India Theater, where he instructed pilots on the use of oxygen for high-altitude flights. After the war, Joseph did a cardiology fellowship at Penn; he practiced and researched at Lankenau Hospital. In 1965, he accepted a position as medical director for Sandoz in San Francisco. Joseph later served on the staff of the Stanford Cardiac Clinic, Stanford Student Health, the Menlo Park VA Hospital, and Agnews Hospital. Read more.
Jane Veasey Stehn ’37Jane Veasey Stehn ’37, a mother who taught and played music, died peacefully on June 9, 2016. She was 99. Jane attended Swarthmore and graduated from New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 1940 with a bachelor of music in piano and musicology. She taught music history and piano instruction at Western Maryland College in Westminster, Md., and married John Richard Stehn on June 25, 1941. Jane was president of Sigma Alpha Iota professional music fraternity, a member of Pi Kappa Lambda honor society for music performance, a member of music study clubs, an accompanist for the Schenectady Light Opera Co., president of the Suffolk Symphony Orchestra board, and a board member of the Port Jefferson Library. Read more.
William Boom ’39William Boom ’39, an Air Force veteran and stellar athlete who loved animals, died peacefully Aug. 19, 2016. He was 100. Bill lived in Vero Beach, Fla., and Greenwich, Conn. He died eight days after celebrating his birthday. After graduating from Swarthmore, Bill obtained a commission in the Army Air Corps and became a multiengine-rated pilot. He saw action in the Pacific and European theaters of war, culminating with his appointment as the air attache to the American Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, in May 1945. Bill is best remembered for receiving permission in 1959 to land a Piasecki H-21 helicopter in the Vatican’s San Damaso Courtyard and have it blessed by Pope John XXIII. Bill had many hobbies and interests. He and wife Helen traveled throughout Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Bill continued skiing until he was 76, ice-skating until he was 82, sailing until he was 90, and riding a bicycle until he was 96. Read more.
Mary Whitford Streit ’39Mary Whitford Streit ’39 died July 13, 2016, at Hospice of Palm Beach County, Fla. She was 97. Mary received a B.A. in French from Swarthmore, where she was a Phi Beta Kappa scholar. She earned an M.A. from Columbia University and did further graduate work at UCLA. During World War II, Mary worked for the French government in the U.S., for the Voice of America, and at Salem Academy in North Carolina. Mary taught high school French and Spanish on Long Island for 20 years and was the first president of the Levittown, N.Y., chapter of the American Association of University Women. Together with her husband of 72 years, Victor Streit, Mary traveled extensively in retirement, visiting more than 100 countries. Read more.
Ruth Wolf Page ’42Ruth Wolf Page ’42, a journalist and gardener, died Oct. 30, 2016. She was 95. A Pennsylvania native, Ruth began her journalism career in Vermont in 1957, when she and husband Proctor Page Jr. bought the weekly newspaper Suburban List in Essex Junction. Ruth covered local news in Essex Junction, Essex Town, Colchester, and Williston. She was also a weekly commentator on Vermont Public Radio, reporting on her exploration of the natural world. Her public-service work included two terms on the board of the Vermont State Colleges; being the first woman elected to the board of Green Mountain Power; and five years on the state Judicial Conduct Board. Read more.
Margaret Davies Ottenberg ’42Margaret Davies Ottenberg ’42, a supporter of the arts and a loving mother, died peacefully Oct. 31, 2016. She was 96. Peggy’s father was an Air Force colonel, and her youth was filled with travel and adventure. She met her husband, Jim ’39, at Swarthmore and moved to New York City. They shared a passion for art, culture, politics, civil rights, and family. Read more.
Mary Jane “MJ” Felix Smedley ’43Mary Jane “MJ” Felix Smedley ’43, a mother who loved horticulture and music, died Aug. 15, 2016, at Penncrest Farm in Middletown Township, Pa. She was 94. MJ graduated from Swarthmore in 1943 and also attended a summer program at Stanford University. She married Walter Smedley Jr. on June 5, 1943. An enthusiastic gardener, MJ was a member of Mill Creek Valley Garden Club and a patron of Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College. She studied horticulture at the Barnes Foundation and taught outdoor education in the Rose Tree School District at Ridley Creek State Park, in Media, Pa. She was a longtime member of the Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club in Beach Haven, N.J.; the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society; and the Church of the Redeemer, serving on the flower guild for several decades. She supported the Philadelphia Orchestra and Planned Parenthood. Read more.
Margaret Bebie Thomson ’43Margaret Bebie Thomson ’43, an activist and author, died peacefully Oct. 20, 2016, with her daughter-in-law Ann at her side. She was 93. As a mother and grandmother, Peggy devoted much of her life to working for social justice. She entered Swarthmore as a 16-year-old and met her future husband, John ’43, during her first year. Peggy and John married in 1945 during his brief furlough from the Navy. Peggy began her lifelong career as a writer, taking a job with Life magazine in New York City. She also wrote five books about the Smithsonian Institute. Her most acclaimed book was Auks, Rocks and the Odd Dinosaur, about the Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian, which won a Horn Book Award in 1986 for best nonfiction for young adults. Read more.
Lois Hosbach Love ’43Lois Hosbach Love ’43, a Baltimore psychiatrist known for her compassion and humor, died July 22, 2016, of lung disease. She was 94. Lois worked at Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital in the mid-1960s and taught for several years at the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, now the Medical College of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. After graduating from Swarthmore in 1943 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, she earned a Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Pennsylvania. She was married in 1946 to Warner Love ’46, a biophysics professor. Lois interned at the old South Baltimore General Hospital, now Harbor Hospital, and completed a psychiatric residency at Sheppard Pratt. Read more.
Beatrice “Bippie” Stoalabarger Grubbs ’44Beatrice “Bippie” Stoalabarger Grubbs ’44, a publicist and mother, died peacefully at her home in Vero Beach, Fla., on Sept. 6, 2016. She was 94. Bippie graduated from Swarthmore in 1944 with degrees in English and economics. She worked as a publicist for the American Rose Growers Association in New York City. She married Okla Gatewood Grubbs in 1948, and they moved to Connecticut where they raised three children. In 2011, she moved to Vero Beach full time after splitting her time between Vero Beach and Connecticut for more than 20 years. Bippie was an avid bridge player and a three-time winner of the women’s golf club championship at Wee Burn Country Club in Darien, Conn. Read more.
Marie Malige Hild ’45Marie Malige Hild ’45, a loving mother and voracious reader, died Oct. 13, 2016. She was 93. She attended Swarthmore before leaving to marry Charles Joseph Hild. Marie worked in the family office of Hild Real Estate in Philadelphia in addition to caring for her four children, including daughter Ann ’65. She volunteered at Ten Thousand Villages in Pennsylvania as well as the Windham High School library. Read more.
Robert Bergner ’46Robert Bergner ’46, a decorated retired naval aviator, died peacefully July 15, 2016, in Easton, Md. He was 91. Bob attended Swarthmore, received his B.A. in economics from American University, earned a master’s in international affairs from George Washington University, and completed Naval War College. He was awarded the Air Medal with two stars, the Navy Commendation Medal with the Combat V, and the Korean Service Medal with three stars. Bob served as commanding officer of Attack Squadron 152 (VA-152) and commanding officer of the USS Yancey (AKA-93). After his naval service, Bob joined Equitable Life Assurance. Read more.
Nancy Garver Hoover ’46Nancy Garver Hoover ’46, a dedicated volunteer who loved spending time with her family, died Nov. 2, 2016, in Roaring Spring, Pa. She was 92. Nancy was a founding member of the Girl Scouts of Roaring Spring and a volunteer for the American Red Cross. She married the love of her life, Robert Hoover, on June 29, 1946. She enjoyed vacationing with her family at their homes in Bakers Summit, Pa., and Gulf Port, Fla. Read more.
Mary Lou Bartle Hall ’46Mary Lou Bartle Hall ’46 died peacefully Aug. 15, 2016, at her home in Fort Myers, Fla. She was 90. While attending Swarthmore she met the love of her life, Jack Hall, and they married on June 29, 1946. The couple made their homes in many places while raising their five children. After retiring in 1983 and traveling for several years, they settled in the Bonita Springs/Fort Myers area. Read more.
Robert Creed ’47Robert Creed ’47, a professor emeritus of English and a noted Beowulf scholar, died Nov. 21, 2016. He was 90. Robert served in the Naval Reserve, where he studied and then taught air navigation. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Swarthmore and a master’s and doctorate at Harvard. He taught at Smith College, Brown University, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook before joining the faculty at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst in 1969, where, in addition to teaching, he took on departmental administrative roles including director of graduate studies in English and department chair in comparative literature. He was the recipient of a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies and fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at Edinburgh University. He was one of four distinguished faculty lecturers at UMass–Amherst in 1993–94. Read more.
Clyde Willis ’47Clyde Willis ’47 died in June 2014, but few other details about his life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of Clyde at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Richard “Bud” Turner ’48 Richard “Bud” Turner ’48 of Media, Pa., formerly of Wallingford, Pa., died Oct. 14, 2016. He was 94. Bud graduated from Swarthmore with a B.A. in mechanical engineering. He was a technical sergeant in the Army Air Corps, serving during World War II, and he retired in 1983 from E.I. Du Pont Co. In his spare time, Bud was a coach with Nether Providence Athletic Association as well as a scoutmaster and troop committee chair with the Boy Scouts of America. He was also a member and former trustee of Wallingford Presbyterian Church. Read more.
Lois Ledwith Frost ’48Lois Ledwith Frost ’48 died Nov. 1, 2015, at the Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill, N.C. She was 89. Lois was born in Chicago and spent many happy years of family life in Pennsylvania and Maryland. She graduated from Swarthmore, where she received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, and where she met her husband, Edward Frost Sr. ’48. She founded a “Round Robin” group with her 1948 classmates that was profiled in the Bulletin in March 2001 on page 80. The 15 women corresponded each year, celebrating their weddings, births, and other joys, but also supporting each other through harder times. After marriage, she settled in as a homemaker in York, Pa., raising three children and volunteering. But, giving in to a lifelong urge to “learn something new,” she returned to school when her children were older and earned an M.S. in library science from the University of Maryland. Lois was a reference librarian at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, but after a number of years joined U.S. Fidelity & Guaranty, an insurance company in Baltimore, to learn yet another skill: computer programming. She retired 10 years later as a lead systems analyst with the human resources department, then taught programming at Anne Arundel Community College. The Frosts were avid sailors and enjoyed taking their boat out for weekends on the water. In retirement she took up genealogy, which combined her love of learning with the challenge of solving puzzles.
James Kindall ’48James Kindall ’48’s death was reported to the College, but the date and further details were not provided. We welcome remembrances of James at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Dorothy Gotwald Dixon ’48Dorothy “Doss” Gotwald Dixon ’48 died peacefully at home July 23, 2016. She was 90. Doss graduated from Swarthmore with a B.A. in political science. During her business career, she became the first woman to serve on the board of the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce and on the Charleston Renaissance Executive Committee. She also served the League of Women Voters as local president, state board member, and as a lobbyist at the West Virginia Legislature. Read more.
Barbara Sosman Munson ’48Barbara Sosman Munson ’48, a scholar, nature enthusiast, and outdoor adventurer, died peacefully at her Hanover, N.H., home July 13, 2016, surrounded by her husband and children. She was 90. Barbara graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore in 1948 and completed her master’s in English literature at Yale in 1949. She married Harthon “Bud” Munson in 1953, and the couple began their life at Rhein-Main Air Force Base in Germany, where Bud was stationed as an intelligence officer. Read more.
Richard Conner ’49Richard Conner ’49, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, died at home Sept. 21, 2016. He was 92. Richard graduated from Swarthmore in 1949, his studies interrupted by a tour of duty in the postwar Army. Following in his physician father’s footsteps, he enrolled at Temple University Medical School, but he left before finishing and moved to Millville, N.J., where he became a partner in PDQ Products, a manufacturer of flying model airplane kits. In the mid-1950s, Richard separated from PDQ and started Rennoc Games and Toys in Port Norris, N.J. While manufacturing there, he met and later married Janet Berry. Richard made significant philanthropic efforts in the community, including the founding of Hendricks House, a halfway house for people in recovery from substance abuse, and the charitable Rennoc Corporation Foundation. He was also an avid tennis player. Read more.
Montgomery Hyun ’49Montgomery Hyun ’49, former chief judge of the Federal Trade Commission, died Aug. 3, 2016. He was 94. Montgomery spent an idyllic childhood in Anju, Korea, in the northern part of the country before the land was occupied and separated. He obtained a diploma from Seoul College of Economics in 1942, but went into hiding to avoid Japanese forced labor camps. When South Korea was liberated from the Japanese in 1945, Montgomery was suffering from malnutrition and scurvy. He was employed by the newly established U.S. Army Military Government as an interpreter and later advanced to the position of chief Korean political analyst of its civilian administration. In 1947, Montgomery came to the United States on a U.S. Army troop ship in order to continue his education. He attended Swarthmore, where he met his future wife, Ariel Hollinshead Hyun ’51, and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. Hyun earned a master’s degree in public law and government from Columbia University in 1952 and law degree from Georgetown University in 1956. Throughout the Korean War, Montgomery provided services as a language announcer for the Voice of America. He became a U.S. citizen in 1960 and was admitted to the District of Columbia bar. He worked first for the law firm of Covington & Burling and then as a trial attorney for the Federal Trade Commission. Read more.
John Kietzman ’49John Kietzman ’49’s death was reported to the College, but the date and further details were not provided. We welcome remembrances of John at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Jackson “Jerry” Taylor ’49Jackson “Jerry” Taylor ’49 of Annapolis, Md., died peacefully at home Aug. 25, 2016. He was 91. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., he was a decorated World War II veteran who completed 20 combat missions as a B-17 navigator in the European theater. He graduated from Swarthmore with a degree in civil engineering and continued his service to his country in the Air Force Reserves, retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Read more.
Colgate “Coke” Prentice ’49Colgate “Coke” Prentice ’49, who had a long career with the U.S. government, died July 28, 2016, with his three children by his side. He was 92. Coke spent much of his childhood in Tidewater, Va. In 1943, at age 19, Coke joined the Army Air Corps and served in the Pacific theater as a chief gunner on a B-29. After the war, Coke attended Swarthmore, where he developed an interest in politics. While visiting Smith College, he met Harris Wofford, later a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, who had founded the Student World Federalists. Coke joined the organization and eventually served as president. It was at a World Federalist meeting on the Yale campus that Coke met and fell in love with Pamela Davis, a student at Bryn Mawr College. They married Sept. 2, 1950. Coke received a master’s degree from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs. He spent two years as an executive assistant to then-Vice President Richard Nixon, and in several key positions at the State Department, including as the deputy assistant secretary for congressional relations from 1969 to 1973. After Pam developed dementia, they moved to the Medford Leas Retirement Community in New Jersey. Coke cared for her with extraordinary devotion. Read more.
Kyle “Woody” Woodbury NVKyle “Woody” Woodbury NV, a retired Navy captain who had a second career as a defense consultant, died Dec. 10, 2014, of cardiac arrest at his home in McLean, Va. He was 86. Woody was born in New Gloucester, Maine, and moved to the Washington area in 1968. During his 32-year Navy career, he was a test pilot and weapons-development project officer. After his military retirement in 1977, he was a defense consultant for about a decade. On the side, he raised and trained falcons and studied their flight patterns with Cornell University’s ornithology laboratory. He was a member of the Fairfax Rod and Gun Club, the Virginia Falconers’ Association and the Izaak Walton League of America, a conservation group. Read more.
Frederic Jenkins ’52Frederic Jenkins ’52, an avid cyclist and French professor, died March 10, 2016 at Heartland Health Care Center in Champaign, Ill. He was 86. He married Shirley Howson in 1956 in California. Fred served in the States Army during the Korean War. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and received a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego. He was a French professor at the University of Illinois for more than 33 years. Fred and daughters Diane and Nancy participated in the 1976 Bicentennial Ride Across America, which led to the formation of the Adventure Cycling Association. He also enjoyed tennis, badminton, and growing pine trees from seedlings in his backyard. He was the secretary of the American Association of Teachers of French and made many trips to France with Shirley. Read more.
Ellen Hook Norbom ’52Ellen Hook Norbom ’52’s death was reported to the College, but the date and further details were not provided. We welcome remembrances of Ellen at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Thomas Beatson Jr. ’54Thomas Beatson Jr. ’54 died unexpectedly July 25, 2016. He was 83. Tom majored in electrical engineering at Swarthmore, graduating with high honors. He worked for General Electric as a test engineer, qualified for the GE Advanced Engineering Program, and later moved to work at the GE computer department headquarters in Phoenix, where he lived until he died. Tom was passionate about sport cycling and recognized its health benefits, while balancing additional challenges due to his Type 1 diabetes. At his death, Tom had been planning a celebration in 2017 to mark his 75 years of living with Type 1 diabetes. Tom served on the Board of Overseers at the Joslin Diabetes Center for many years and became one of Joslin’s top five philanthropists of all time. He established the Beatson–ABHOW Type 1 Diabetes Fund, making grants available to improve the lives of team members, their dependent children, and residents diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, within the entire ABHOW family of continuing care communities and its affordable senior housing communities. Read more.
Susanna Perkins Jaeger ’56 Susanna Perkins Jaeger ’56 died June 17, 2016, at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough, Maine. She was 80. Few other details about Susanna’s life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of Susanna at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Knowles Dougherty ’56Knowles Dougherty ’56, an educator with a lifelong interest in running, died Sept. 1, 2016. He was 82. He ran track and cross country at the University of Colorado–Boulder and Swarthmore. After graduating from Swarthmore, he joined the American Friends Service, a Quaker organization devoted to service, development, and peace programs worldwide to overcome violence and injustice. He served for four years in Guatemala, Mexico, and El Salvador. Knowles later obtained a master’s in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1962 and a Ph.D. in education from Harvard in 1968. He married the former Darlene May Vertrees of St. Louis in 1965 and was pleased to gain a son, James Vertrees, on that same day. Knowles’s interest in alternative education led him and Darlene to found the Warehouse Cooperative School in Boston in 1969. In 1975, the family moved to Missouri, where Knowles was a teacher, farmer, and finally a publisher. Read more.
Marianne Durand Frey ’57Marianne Durand Frey ’57, a retired biology and nutrition instructor with a passion for dancing, died Jan. 9, 2016. She was 80. After earning a biology degree from Swarthmore, Marianne went on to complete master’s degrees in education and zoology from Yale. She married Walter Frey on Sept. 2, 1982, and the couple lived in Kensington, Calif., for many years. She taught biology and nutrition at San Francisco City College. Marianne and Walter were avid members of the Berkeley Folk Dancers club, and Marianne also played the oboe. She joined the California Genealogical Society in 1995 and jumped right in as a volunteer, assisting with one of the group’s genealogy fairs. In 2002, Marianne established a Swarthmore scholarship in her own name to show gratitude for the aid she received during her time at the College; the award is presented, based on merit and financial need, to a woman who has attended a public high school. Read more.
Joan Sawin Heald ’58Joan Sawin Heald ’58 died Sept. 8, 2016, of complications of Alzheimer’s disease. She was 79. She appreciated her Swarthmore education, and was very proud to be the oldest of three generations of Swarthmore alumnae. Born in 1936 in Mount Holly, N.J., she was raised in Texas, spending much of her life in Greenville. She met her beloved husband, Emerson, while she was a graduate student at the University of Hawaii, and they were married for more than 57 years. Joan had lived for the past 10 years in Seattle. Read more.
Margaret Condon Power ’59Margaret Condon Power ’59, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, friend, nurse, and massage therapist, died July 17, 2016, after a six-month illness with brain cancer. She was 77. Peggy was born in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, and then moved to Cuba at age 6. Growing up, she danced ballet professionally and left Cuba just before Castro assumed command. She attended Swarthmore, where she met her husband of 56 years, Gordon ’57, and then earned a nursing degree from Johns Hopkins University. She was married in 1960 and began work as a public health nurse in Philadelphia. In 1969, after the birth of three children and three years as an Army wife, Peggy moved with her family moved to Redlands, Calif. Peggy was a school nurse in the Colton School District and then changed careers to become a massage therapist. She was active in the Inland Valley Quaker Friends Meeting and volunteered with Family Services, Friends Outside, and Step-by-Step. She found personal peace in tai chi, yoga, and meditation and became an advocate for alternative and holistic medicine. Read more.
Laurence Stookey ’59Laurence Stookey ’59, a beloved father, grandfather, professor, pastor, and friend, died Oct. 16, 2016, after a long illness with Lewy body dementia. He was 79. Larry earned his Ph.D. in theology from Princeton Seminary and taught at Wesley Seminary for 27 years. Ordained as a United Methodist minister, he served many congregations throughout Maryland and Delaware. Read more.
Elinor Lee Fisher ’59Elinor Lee Fisher ’59, a mother, teacher, and animal lover, died Oct. 19, 2016, at Memory Gardens of Easton, Pa. She was 79. She had lived in Flemington, N.J., for 54 years and in Franklin Township, Pa., for three. A former teacher in the Flemington-Raritan School District and later at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, Clinton, N.J., Elinor graduated from Swarthmore and received her M.A. from Trenton State College (now the College of New Jersey). She was an avid dog walker and animal lover. A former co-owner of Hunters Rest in Annandale, N.J., she served as Flemington Borough tax collector and was an active volunteer at Anderson House. Read more.
Frederick “Eric” Fuglister ’61Frederick “Eric” Fuglister ’61, a mathematics professor and avid birder, died March 6, 2015. He was 75. Eric was a National Merit Scholar at the Westtown School in Pennsylvania, and graduated from Swarthmore magna cum laude. He earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard and began his teaching career at Colby College in Maine, later retiring from John Carroll University in Ohio. In 1978, he married Jayne Chapin, a fellow professor. In retirement, the pair lived in Wausau, Wis., spending winters in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. Read more.
T. Alan Broughton ’62T. Alan Broughton ’62, a prominent poet and English professor, died peacefully May 17, 2013, at the Vermont Respite House in Williston, Vt. He was 76. Alan was educated at Exeter, Harvard, Juilliard, and Swarthmore, and received his M.A. in English literature from the University of Washington. He taught literature and writing at the University of Washington and Sweet Briar College, and joined the University of Vermont in 1966 to teach writing of poetry and fiction; he also founded the University of Vermont's Writers Workshop. He published four novels, two collections of short stories, nine books of poetry, and The Skin and All, a collaboration with artist Bill Davison. In addition to his publications, Alan received a number of awards and fellowships, including a Guggenheim and an NEH Fellowship, and was elected a fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2012. He also traveled as a cultural representative in Southeast Asia, Egypt, and Italy under the auspices of the State Department’s U.S. Information Agency. Read more.
Rebecca Brown Corwin ’62Rebecca Brown Corwin ’62, an educator who advocated for students, died Oct. 18, 2016, in Brighton, Mass. She was 74. Rebecca earned a B.A. in fine arts from Swarthmore and subsequently received a master’s and an Ed.D. from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. A marriage to R. Lloyd Corwin ended in divorce. Rebecca was a fifth-grade teacher, staff developer, researcher, curriculum developer, and author. As a professor of education at Lesley and Bridgewater state universities, Rebecca stood up for students and the faculty, ever ready to advocate where a voice was needed. She enjoyed reading, knitting, meeting friends, and opening her home to cats. Read more.
Frederick Hoffmann ’63Frederick Hoffmann ’63, who loved his family, traveling, and music, died Aug. 21, 2016. He was 74. Fred married Kathleen Hutchins on July 24, 1971, in Lincoln, Neb. He attended Swarthmore and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1963. He subsequently attended the University of Illinois College of Law, earning his J.D. in 1967. Fred was in private practice for nearly 50 years, beginning with Hoffmann and Hoffmann and later with Sorling Northrup. Fred was devoted to his family and was a raconteur with a wide circle of friends spanning his entire life. He had varied interests and delighted in his grandchildren, including Sam, who arrived in the last days of his life. He nurtured lifelong passions for music, architecture, art, and sports cars. Read more.
Claire Bishop Nyandoro ’63Claire Bishop Nyandoro ’63 died Sept. 13, 2016. Claire lived and worked in Zimbabwe for many years, but few other details about her life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of Claire at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Richard Sah ’64Richard Sah ’64 died Aug. 26, 2016, after a battle with cancer. He was 73. Richard was grateful for his family, his opportunities, his accomplishments, and his adventures, including the times he shared with each of you over more than half a century. Reconnecting with Swarthmoreans was a special pleasure for him and gave him much joy.
Peter Grubmeyer ’64Peter Grubmeyer ’64, an educator who treasured his family and enjoyed traveling, died Oct. 4, 2016, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 75. He attended Swarthmore his freshman year and went on to Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, graduating in 1965 with a B.A. in physics and mathematics. In a break year between Swarthmore and Coe, Pete interned at the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, where he had a wonderful time continuing his love for experimental science by testing explosives. Peter was an avid traveler and photographer. He always documented his trips, time with family, and special events. Pete lived in Fairfax, Va., for more than 40 years and was an active face in the community. He taught math for more than 30 years in the Fairfax County Public School system, retiring in 2006. He continued teaching part time after his retirement. Throughout his life, Pete maintained a close relationship with his family. He was married to wife Joy for nearly 40 years. The cornerstone of Pete’s life was serving as a man of faith. He was a cherished member of his church, Fairfax United Methodist, and devoted much of his time to volunteering at the Lamb Center in Fairfax, Va., where he was a Bible study leader. Read more.
Frederick “Tic” Webster ’67Frederick “Tic” Webster ’67, a civil engineer and family man who loved California’s mountains, died Oct. 11, 2015, surrounded by family. He was 70. Tic grew up in Tucson, Ariz. After Swarthmore, he received a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Stanford University in 1972, a time of upheaval during the Vietnam War. He was a conscientious objector, informed by his Quaker upbringing in Tucson at the Pima Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. His principled, but softly presented, views regarding war led to many thoughtful moments that were especially consequential in the lives of his fellow students. He fulfilled his military obligation through alternative work as director of the Youth Development Program of Santa Clara County’s Friends Outside, a nonprofit agency that provided support for prison inmates and their families. Also while at Stanford, he taught pottery as part of the Creativity House program and became a prolific ceramist. His professional career spanned more than 40 years in civil engineering, including structural analysis and design, research and teaching, testing and code development. Tic loved to spend time in nature by fishing, hiking, and camping with his family. He also served on the board of directors of Peninsula School in Menlo Park, when his children attended, and coached soccer. Read more.
Thomas Aldrich ’72Thomas Aldrich ’72, a dedicated physician who loved spending time with his family, died Sept. 5, 2016, at his home in Pelham, N.Y., after a 10-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 65. After Swarthmore, Tom graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1975 and began a long career as a professor of medicine at Montefiore Medical Center, in the Bronx, N.Y., where he was passionate about his patients, his students’ success, and his research. Most known for his dedication to helping others, Tom also loved to play tennis and ice hockey and spend time with his family. Tom was director of the Pulmonary/Critical Care Training Program at Montefiore, and he continued to pursue his research in environment-triggered pulmonary diseases among the 9/11 first responders until almost the end of his life. Read more.
Judith Meighan ’73Judith Meighan ’73, a teacher, scholar, artist, mentor, and loving wife and mother, died at home Aug. 9, 2016. She was 65. Judy was born in Philadelphia, and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in art history from Columbia University. She was a fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was a visiting scholar at the American Academy in Rome, and worked at the Museum of Modern Art in New York before joining the faculty of the art school at Syracuse University in 1993. At Syracuse, she curated exhibitions at the Everson Museum of Art and was an adviser to the museum’s education department. Read more.
Hugh Cort III ’73Hugh Cort III ’73, a psychiatrist and man of faith, died Aug. 3, 2016. He was 64. Hugh started his career as a psychiatric aide at the Georgia Mental Health Institute in Atlanta, helping kids with mental illness. He later got a master’s degree in social work and was a counselor at mental health centers and with Travelers Aid in the Atlanta bus station for two years. Hugh then earned a medical degree and worked as a psychiatrist at Brookwood Medical Center and the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center in Alabama. Along the way, Hugh had a great year as a certified tennis pro and played club soccer at the University of Alabama. Hugh also enjoyed being a P.E. coach at Highlands Day School, and felt blessed to pass out Bibles as a Gideon. In February 2014, Hugh was the recipient of a double lung transplant. Read more.
Grace Ewing Huffman ’75Grace Ewing Huffman ’75 died June 10, 2009, but few other details about her life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of Grace at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Gregg Gilbert ’76Gregg Gilbert ’76 died Dec. 31, 2014. He was 60. Few other details about Gregg’s life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of Gregg at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Melvin Daughtry ’77Melvin Daughtry ’77 died July 9, 2007. He was 54. Few other details about Melvin’s life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of Melvin at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Bridget Drury ’90Bridget Drury ’90, a doctor and loving mother, died Aug. 1, 2016. She was 48. Bridget was a member of the Elk Grove Internal Medicine Associates at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Illinois. Read more.