their light lives on
A medical missionary and pacifist with a dedication to knowledge, service, and family, Bill died March 31, 2021.
Bill served with the American Board for Foreign Missions in Turkey and helped establish the Child Health Institute. He later worked for the New York City Department of Health and taught at Columbia School of Public Health.
Mary Ann, a retired administrator with R.H. Macy & Co., died April 13, 2021.
With a bachelor’s in social science, Mary Ann pursued studies in education at Columbia University. At Swarthmore, she was part of the Hamburg Show and participated in mountaineering.
Francis, an engineer, a musician, and a late-in-life runner, died Jan. 29, 2021.
Francis enlisted in the Navy V-12 program and studied at Haverford College, Swarthmore, and Duke University. After returning from World War II, he earned a master’s in electrical engineering and worked for Westinghouse’s nuclear business for 30 years before running a successful consulting business until age 70.
Peter, former president and chairman of a family manufacturing company, died June 15, 2021.
The son of two Swarthmoreans, Peter majored in engineering before joining his father’s company, Chester-Jensen Co., a manufacturer of heat-exchange and food-processing equipment in Chester, Pa. He enjoyed golfing and visiting Vermont, and he served on the board of Crozer-Chester Medical Center.
“Betita,” a leader in the Chicana movement, died June 29, 2021.
A former Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee coordinator, Betita helped create the Chicano Communications Center in New Mexico. She later ran for California governor and helped found the Institute for MultiRacial Justice.
Howard, an undercover case officer who received a Career Intelligence Medal from the CIA, died May 3, 2021.
Howard left the College to enlist in the Army in 1944 and earned a Bronze Star in the Battle of Munich. After his honorable discharge, he joined the CIA, retiring at age 65 and working as a contract employee until 2005.
Frank, a physician and professor of radiation oncology who successfully treated a snow leopard with jaw cancer, died Aug. 10, 2019.
Frank received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College, was a general medical officer in the Navy, and spent his career at what is now Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Upon retirement in 1996, he was presented with the Chicago Radiological Society Distinguished Service Award, and an endowed chair was named for him at the medical center.
Bill, who was board president of the Hudson (Ohio) Library and Historical Society, died May 3, 2021.
Bill served in the Army during the Korean War and worked for Sherwin-Williams Co., including as president of the International Division, retiring in 1993. He traveled extensively with his wife overseas and on study tours with the Victorian Society in America, and he was active on the Hudson (Ohio) Planning Commission and in his Unitarian Universalist church.
A poet and World War II conscientious objector, William died June 21, 2021.
William received his master’s and Ph.D. in English from Harvard University, where he was one of the founders of the Poets’ Theatre. A professor emeritus at the University of Washington, he wrote multiple books of poetry books, and his work was also featured in The New Yorker, Saturday Review of Literature, and The New Republic. He was active with Seattle’s University Meeting and the American Friends Service Committee.
Peggy, a former dean of students and admissions, died May 12, 2021.
In addition to her position at Swarthmore, Peggy served at Westminster Choir College in New Jersey and at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. She also volunteered at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and endowed a scholarship/fellowship that provides a monthly stipend and tuition support for one resident artist annually.
Jim, an engineer and a champion sailor, died March 21, 2021.
Jim attended Swarthmore and the Merchant Marine Academy, and he served in the Merchant Marine. He was a chemical engineer for DuPont from 1950 to 1983, but his passion was sailing, winning the Barnegat Bay Lightning Class championship numerous times and competing in U.S. and international regattas.
A child-welfare advocate born and raised in Hawaii, Nancy died March 16, 2021.
Nancy earned a master’s in social work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1973. She worked for Wisconsin’s Department of Health and Social Services for 20 years, specializing in adoption and foster care, and then returned to Honolulu where she worked for the Queen Lilioukalani Children’s Center.
Rada, an anthropologist who conducted fieldwork with her husband in Uganda, died April 14, 2016.
Rada graduated from the College Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in biology. A Fulbright Scholar, she earned a Ph.D. from Oxford and received Guggenheim, Fulbright, and National Science Foundation funding for a field study of Karimojong pastoralists in northeast Uganda, before eventually working at Cornell and Binghamton universities.
James Bell, who worked as an instrumentation engineer in the Chemistry Department before retiring, died March 22, 2021. He was 78.
Corine Dunlap, who worked for the College for more than 25 years, died Feb. 24, 2021. She was 94.
Constance Cain Hungerford, the Mari S. Michener Professor Emerita of Art History and Provost Emerita, who also served as interim president of the College, died May 12, 2021. She was 73.
Pauline Marshall, who worked for 30 years in the College’s libraries, died July 12, 2021. She was 96.
Abigail Moore, a former secretary for Women’s Studies, died April 4, 2021. She was 87.
Robert Pasternack, the Edmund Allen Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Biochemistry, died June 5, 2021. He was 84.
Helen Warren, who worked in Swarthmore’s cafeteria, died April 3, 2021. She was 83.
A veteran and philosophy professor, Robert died May 28, 2021.
Before graduating from Swarthmore with highest honors, Robert served in the 88th Infantry Division in Italy and participated in the first U.N. Peacekeeping mission in Trieste. He pursued graduate studies in philosophy at Princeton and Brown universities, joining the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s philosophy department 1957, where he focused his scholarship on Ludwig Wittgenstein.
George, a political science professor, died May 10, 2021.
George taught at Wittenberg University in Ohio, Midwestern University in Texas, and Butler University in Indiana from 1964 to 1991. He served as the director of Legal Studies at Butler and for two terms on the board of the Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences, receiving its George C. Roberts award for best paper.
Sybil, a bookstore owner and retired Library of Congress research librarian, died March 9, 2021.
A French major at the College with a master’s in library science from the State University of New York–Albany, Sybil co-owned and operated Wayward Books in Washington, D.C. She was also an avid reader and gardener and enjoyed time with family and friends.
A physician specializing in diabetes mellitus, Eleanor died April 28, 2021.
After graduating from Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, Eleanor was in private practice in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and was affiliated with Vassar Brothers and St. Francis hospitals, serving on their attending medical staffs and as medical director of St. Francis’ Internal Medicine Department. In the late 1980s, she helped create the Taconic Independent Practice Association to address the expansion of managed care.
Bill, an economist who once earned two silver medals in javelin at the Penn Relays, died July 3, 2021.
Bill was a three-sport athlete at Swarthmore, participating in football, basketball, and track and field, and earned the Kwink Trophy for best overall athlete. He earned a master’s in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and had a long career in banking and financial services, including as head of the Trust Department at the First National Bank of Atlanta.
James, the first openly LGBTQ person to represent the United States as an ambassador, serving in Luxembourg in 1999–2000, died Aug. 13, 2021.
A longtime member of the College’s Board of Managers, James was a pioneering public servant, fierce advocate for human rights, and generous and dedicated philanthropist. His support of the College included the establishment of a faculty chair in social justice and a $4.3 million gift, donated along with his husband, Michael P. N. Araque Hormel ’08, to establish the James Hormel and Michael Nguyen Intercultural Center, which opened in 2018, deepening the College’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity and to educating the whole person.
Grace, a varsity archer and educator, died April 28, 2021.
After Swarthmore, Grace earned a master’s in education from Bryn Mawr College, married, and raised two children while earning a child psychology Ph.D. from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. She worked in education, volunteered at the Unitarian Universalist church and the League of Women Voters, and traveled extensively for pleasure.
An international traveler and ardent supporter of gay rights, Alison died April 9, 2021.
Alison attended Swarthmore and the University of Geneva before graduating from Barnard College; she then earned a master’s from Columbia University, where the book based on her thesis included a foreword by then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. Alison skied the Alps, carried letters into the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and loved all arts and opera.
A special education teacher and devoted mother of three, Carolyn died May 13, 2021.
A member of the Garnet Singers, Carolyn graduated with a degree in psychology. She later worked as a special education teacher and at a child-development center and split her time between Sarasota, Fla., and Wilmington, Del.
Paul, who registered voters in Mississippi in the summer of 1964, died May 8, 2021.
After Swarthmore, Paul earned an MBA from Baruch College in New York City. He cared deeply about civil rights and focused his life’s work on developing affordable housing, including projects such as Manhattan Plaza, Riverbend, and Waterside in New York.
Ann, who among many titles was an ice-hockey grandmother, died May 12, 2021.
A member of the varsity swim team and a biology major at the College, Ann nurtured in others an appreciation for animals and advocated for animal conservation. As director of public policy at the Mental Health Association of Connecticut, she lobbied for parity in mental health insurance coverage, which became law in her state in 2000.
A staunch advocate of free speech, Judy died in spring 2017.
A scholar of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant and a philosopher of politics, Judy earned a master’s and Ph.D. from Yale University before joining the philosophy department at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, retiring in 2002. She was a founding member of the Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship.
An accountant and lifelong supporter of the Marine Biological Laboratories, Gerry died May 3, 2020.
Gerry attended Swarthmore for two years before being drafted by the Army and later received his bachelor’s in accounting from Babson College. After earning an MBA from Harvard University in 1970, he was hired as CFO of an employee-training video company, then served as financial vice president of Federal Publications Inc. until his retirement.
“Marty,” a history major who testified before Congress, died May 18, 2021.
After marrying, having three children, and moving to Baltimore, Marty joined the League of Women Voters and the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1965, the family moved to Brighton, N.Y., where she was secretary of the local ACLU and a leader of a group that fought state aid going to religious schools, among other issues; she continued her political work at her retirement community in Mitchellville, Md.
The longest-serving U.S. senator in Michigan’s history, Carl died July 29, 2021.
Before winning election to the Senate in 1978, Carl was an assistant attorney general and general counsel for the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and helped form the Detroit public defender’s office, serving as its chief appellate defender. As a senator, Carl spent nine years as chair of the Armed Services Committee, exposing corrupt practices by military contractors and playing an instrumental role in lifting the ban on gays in the military. He was also chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, confronting companies like JPMorgan Chase, Apple, and American Express about, among other issues, overseas banking havens and tax-avoidance maneuvers. He retired in 2015.
Peter, a physician and home-birth advocate, died March 25, 2021.
A history student at Swarthmore, Peter received his medical degree from the University of Chicago before opening a practice that specialized in home births, which he operated for more than 50 years. Peter was a longtime member of the Orthodox Church of America and was active later in life at St. Alexis Orthodox Church in Battle Ground, Ind.
“Edie,” an elementary school and adult-literacy teacher, died March 26, 2021.
Edie earned a master’s in elementary education at the College of St. Rose in Albany, N.Y., and taught in Albany and East Greenbush, N.Y., as well as in New Orleans. Later, she studied adult literacy at Middle Tennessee State University and worked with the Nashville Adult Literacy program, teaching and training volunteer tutors.
Marilyn, a whiz with her editorial red pen and a community activist who served on many local boards, from cable TV to mental health, died May 28, 2021.
Marilyn moved to Connecticut in the early 1970s and earned a master’s in community psychology, becoming administrative planner/coordinator for five regional human-service agencies. A proofreading job in the ’80s led to a 40-year career as a freelance copy editor and researcher.
Michael, a professor who had Guggenheim, Ford, and Fulbright fellowships and was past president of the Middle East Studies Association, died May 25, 2021.
Michael’s lifelong engagement with the Arab world began as an exchange student in Beirut during the 1958 Lebanese crisis. In 1975, he joined Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service as director of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies; he was also founding director of the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore.
Panthea, a dedicated birder and gardener who loved singing and oil painting, died Jan. 3, 2021.
Panthea moved from Palo Alto, Calif., to the East Coast at 16 to attend Swarthmore, earning a biology degree. At age 40, she migrated to Alaska with her three children to homestead, working for many years as a land-use planner for Anchorage. Panthea traveled extensively, with her most recent adventure being an exploration of South Africa’s botany.
A mechanical engineer by both natural inclination and training, Allen died Jan. 17, 2021.
A graduate of Swarthmore and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Allen focused his professional life on high-altitude large-optics technology, until his concerns that this work might contribute to war led him to leave the field. He then became a homesteader in Maine, supporting the work and his interest in mechanical engineering by refurbishing and putting to use old and derelict farm equipment.
A great problem-solver who was in her element at the beginning of the computer age, Linda died June 11, 2021.
Linda earned a bachelor’s in economics and had a Rotary Foundation Fellowship in Bombay, India. After earning her master’s in biochemistry from the University of Kansas in 1992, she worked for the biotechnology company Genentech and stayed involved in civic and educational causes in Lawrence, Kan. Linda had three paintings in the Kansas Watercolor Society’s juried show in 2003 and was the featured artist in the Lawrence Art Walk in 2009.
Ben, a “computer geek” and cellist, died July 15, 2021.
Ben attended Swarthmore on a music scholarship before returning to Gainesville, Fla., to study physics at the University of Florida. In the late ’60s, he began writing computer programs at CNA Insurance before joining Harris Bank in the late ’70s as an analyst, retiring in 2001. In 1983, Ben was a founding member of the Association of Personal Computer Users, one of the oldest general computer groups in America.
Ralph, a singer, songwriter, and certified public accountant, died April 23, 2020.
A history major at Swarthmore, Ralph also received a master’s in history from the University of Pennsylvania, becoming a CPA in 1991. At the College, Ralph was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa and the varsity tennis and cross-country teams, and he worked for WSRN.
Mike, a Rhodes Scholar, marathon runner, and Ironman triathlete, died May 27, 2021.
At Swarthmore, Mike played football and was a wrestler while also serving in student government. After graduating from Oxford’s New College, he joined the Foreign Service, serving in Vietnam and Thailand, before joining the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1973 as the first director of the Superfund program. He received numerous awards for his work, including the Distinguished Federal Executive Award in 1987 and the Distinguished Career Service Award at his retirement in 2006, while also working with wife Kim’s Vietnamese Resettlement Association and helping to found the Green Infrastructure Center.
A librarian and writer who published 10 volumes of poetry and a book of essays, Marc died May 10, 2021.
After earning a bachelor’s in French literature, Marc received a literature Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and taught American literature there and at the Université d’Orléans and Tel Aviv University. In 1980, he earned a master’s in library and information science from UC–Berkeley, and served, until 2005, as librarian for the San Francisco Municipal Railway.
Doug, a civil rights attorney who won landmark workplace-bias cases, died June 7, 2021.
After earning his law degree at the University of Chicago in 1970, Doug worked at the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he was the lead lawyer on a case that desegregated the Alabama State Troopers. Later, in private practice, he litigated hundreds of employment cases, including Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, in which the U.S. Supreme Court, for the first time, determined gender stereotyping was a form of discrimination.
Libby, whom loved ones called a “fighter of injustice, an uninhibited dancer, a curious traveler, and an outspoken seeker of the truth,” died May 9, 2021.
After graduating from Swarthmore with an art history degree, Libby earned a law degree from Villanova University in 1977 and practiced family law in and around Philadelphia for 40 years. She broke new ground with her practice in collaborative law and was a passionate advocate for court reform at the state level.
A consultant, photographer, and member of Portland (Maine) Friends Meeting, Arthur died April 21, 2021.
A physics major at the College, Arthur earned a graduate degree in computer science from Harvard University. Though he described himself as a consultant, coach, speaker, and facilitator, Arthur might have been best known as the resident photographer of the Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston, Maine, from 2005 to 2017.
John, a ceramist and a projectionist for the Telluride (Colo.) Film Festival, died May 31, 2021.
At Swarthmore, John threw pots and was involved with dance and theater, earning a degree in art history. He eventually moved to Telluride, where he built a ceramics studio, joined the fire department, chaired the then-Historic Preservation Commission, and worked in finished carpentry. He later settled in Norwood, Colo., and opened the gallery Yank and Flanders with his wife in 2001.
A professor loved and respected by generations of faculty, students, and staff members at Wheaton College, Bev died March 18, 2021.
Bev graduated from Swarthmore Phi Beta Kappa, served in the Fiji Islands with the Peace Corps, and received an English literature Ph.D. from Brown University. For 44 years, she was an English literature professor at Wheaton, in Norton, Mass., where she wrote 13 scholarly books and hundreds of articles.
Jan, a pediatrician who studied child abuse, died April 12, 2021.
Jan attended Swarthmore but received her bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania; she was later on Penn’s faculty and on staff at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, studying child abuse. Jan continued these studies after relocating to Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, before leaving academia to enter private practice, retiring in 2019.
Jennifer, a resident of Cortez, Colo., died March 9, 2021.
An art history graduate, Jennifer lived in Pennsylvania and Virginia before moving to Colorado.
Bob, a Sheltie-lover who taught at Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Kittanning campus, died Feb. 1, 2021.
With a bachelor’s in physics, Bob received master’s degrees in physics and math from Indiana University–Bloomington, and earned a third master’s in counseling and guidance from the University of Central Florida. Among Bob’s many activities were a nightly jog, attending the Pittsburgh Symphony, and playing with the Armstrong Concert Band and Kittanning Community Band.
Ken, an attorney and a member of the Garnet men’s soccer team that placed second at the NCAA Division III National Championship, died June 24, 2021.
Ken was a founding and managing partner of Andres Berger, president of the New Jersey Association for Justice, and an adjunct professor at Drexel University law school. He refereed soccer at the college level, served in many National Intercollegiate Soccer Official Association leadership roles, and was the NCAA secretary rules editor.
A gifted writer, singer, dancer, and actor, Louis died Feb. 6, 2018.
Louis worked briefly on and off Broadway, at An Evening Dinner Theatre in Westchester, N.Y., and at Mount Vernon (N.Y.) Fine Arts Cultural Center Open Cage Theatre. His other jobs included working in solar panel sales, and he wrote at least seven musicals and 76 songs.
Eedy, a lawyer and active member of the Swarthmore Alumni Gospel Choir, died July 16, 2021.
A history major at the College who attended Boston College Law School, Eedy was an attorney for the Department of Social Services and the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, retiring in 2015. She was a member of Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury, Mass., and its choir, with which she traveled internationally.
David, a supporter of national parks and the battlefield trust, died March 18, 2021.
David studied history and philosophy at Swarthmore and later worked for UPS in West Chester, Pa., and Costa’s in Coudersport, Pa. An avid sports fan who loved to farm, David was a member of the National Rifle Association, the American Battlefield Trust, and the National Parks Conservation Association.
Jeanette, an engineer and lifelong musician who played piano and violin, died April 16, 2021.
Jeanette transferred from the College her sophomore year to Howard University, graduating with honors in mechanical engineering. She later joined the U.S. Patent Office, where she worked for 33 years and garnered numerous awards including the Bronze Medal Award for Superior Performance, the Exceptional Career Award, and the Distinguished Career Award.
A musician, healer, and former cafe owner, Anna died March 21, 2021.
Anna graduated with a peace & conflict studies degree; worked as a paralegal for migrant farm workers; created the North Star Music Café in Portland, Maine, in 2007; and sang and played guitar in the band Ramblin Red. For the past five years, Anna and her husband had operated Greenlight Studio, a play space for kids and their parents in Portland.
Maya, a beloved associate professor of history at the University of California, Santa Cruz, died June 16, 2021.
An internationally known scholar, Maya engaged questions of health, the environment, and the transnational histories of science and technology; her first monograph, Pipe Dreams: Water and Empire in Central Asia, was a finalist for the Central Eurasian Studies Society’s Award for Best Book in History and the Humanities. A devoted mentor known for combining kindness with intellectual rigor, Maya held a history degree from Swarthmore, and a master’s in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia Studies and a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University.
To report the death of an alum, email obituaries@swarthmore.edu. Please provide the class year (if known), the date of death, and a short biography or link to a published obituary.
Newspaper obituaries may also be mailed to Swarthmore College Bulletin, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081.