in memoriam

Orange flower against a background of blue sky and green trees.

their light lives on

our friends will never be forgotten
headshot of George Rodock
George Rodock NV

George, an educator, administrator, and Navy veteran, died Feb. 2, 2022.

He served in the Navy in WWII, receiving the European Theater, Good Conduct, and American Theater ribbons; Victory Medal; and V-12 Bulletin 364. He attended the College after the war and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in English education and minored in naval science. George worked as a teacher in Philadelphia public schools, in management at the Social Security Administration, and after retiring, was a security guard.

Robert M. Adams NV

Robert, a Navy veteran, died Nov. 8, 2020.

He attended the College on the Navy V-12 program and was a member of the varsity baseball and basketball teams. Robert lived in Naples, Fla., at the time of his passing.

Carleton S. Wastcoat NV

Cy, a WWII Navy veteran, died March 13, 2020.

He attended the College and graduated from Lehigh University before joining Caltex Petroleum and spending 40 years living in New York; Tripoli, Libya; Westport, Conn.; and Dallas. In retirement, Cy lived in Madison, Conn., where he was a member of the Madison Beach Club and The Winter Club, and served as president of the Deacon John Grave House.

George H. Beehler Jr. NV

George, a Navy veteran and salesman, died March 26, 2019.

He attended the College on the Navy V-12 program and was a member of Delta Upsilon. George was a longtime printing salesman at Security Bank Note Co., an avid bridge player, and a fan of New York sports teams.

Robert W. Spencer ’42

Bob, who square-danced until he turned 97, died March 27, 2022.

A member of Sigma Xi, he graduated from Swarthmore with a mathematics degree and worked as a research chemist for P.Q. Company; he had numerous patents to his credit. Bob was an elder at Wallingford Presbyterian Church; volunteered at Helen Kate Furness Library; supported the Suburban Music School in Media, Pa., where he studied piano; and took up the oboe at age 72.

John C. Adler ’43

John, a doctor and outdoor enthusiast, died March 30, 2022

A WWII veteran of the 10th Mountain Division, he received his bachelor’s at the College and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. John moved to Tennessee to practice medicine and to be near the mountains. He was an avid hiker and lover of Appalachian culture and lifestyle.

James G. Deane ’43

Jim, an environmental journalist, died April 30, 2022.

He joined the Army in 1946 and served in Korea until being honorably discharged in 1947. He then began his journalism career as a copy boy for the Washington Star, eventually making his way to congressional reporter. Jim spent the majority of his life rallying for environmental causes and later edited magazines put out by both the Wilderness Society and Defenders of Wildlife, retiring from the latter in 2001 as executive editor.

Sue Mellett Chasins ’44

Sue, a journalist and Swarthmore supporter, died April 10, 2022.

Born in Indianapolis, she came east to attend Swarthmore, where she was a member of the varsity softball team and College Chorus and graduated with Honors in English literature. Sue worked as a journalist and editor, including for the Women’s News Syndicate. She married Ed ’41 in 1947, and after his 2011 death, moved to Grinnell, Iowa, to be close to her daughter.

Hannah Broomell Wilson ’44

Hannah, who played to win, earning the nickname “Hurricane Hannah,” died May 28, 2022.

A biology major, she worked in biological labs in Woods Hole, Mass., and Philadelphia. After her marriage to Robert E. Wilson, the couple hiked, backpacked, and canoed with their three children. Hannah loved sports, especially field hockey, tennis, and water volleyball; was active in Moorestown and Quakertown Friends meetings; and later in life, became an accomplished weaver and potter.

Rosemary Chubb Lambert ’45

Rosemary, who was born in London and evacuated from England in 1940, died May 27, 2022.

She earned her bachelor’s in psychology, marrying the late Rudolph ’45, settling in the St. Louis area, and caring for their four daughters. Later, Rosemary went back to school and became a first-grade teacher, retiring after 25 years. She created a second career as a docent and volunteer at the St. Louis Zoo and the Humane Society of Missouri, as well as the Point Betsie Lighthouse during summers in northern Michigan.

Black and white headshot of Mary Jane Gray
Mary Jane Gray ’45

Mary Jane, an OB-GYN and one of the founders of Planned Parenthood Vermont, died Jan. 23, 2022.

Educated at Swarthmore, Washington University Medical School, and Columbia University, she practiced in Burlington, Vt. beginning in 1960 and taught at the University of Vermont Medical School. In 1979, she moved to North Carolina to head Women’s Health Services. Upon her retirement, she moved to Oregon, volunteering at women’s health clinics, joining a new Friends meeting, and painting.

Clifford R. Gillam Jr. ’47

Cliff, a World War II veteran and banker, died March 26, 2022.

Graduating from Swarthmore with an economics degree, he went on to earn an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and served in the Army Medical Corps during WWII. In 1948, Cliff wed the late Mildred Webb Gillam ’47 and began his 39-year career with Philadelphia National Bank. He was active in many nonprofit organizations.

Esther Leeds Cooperman ’48

Esther, a Board of Managers member and lifelong Quaker, died June 21, 2022.

She earned a master’s from the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a foreign student adviser at Penn, director for junior high and college programs at the World Affairs Council, personnel consultant for Equal Employment Opportunity & Affirmative Action at Girard (now Mellon) Bank, and a placement and career counselor for the law schools of Penn and University of Maryland. Esther served as a member of the School Committee of Germantown Friends School and Swarthmore’s Board of Managers, and was on the boards of International House, Sheppard Pratt Hospital, and Health Care for the Homeless, among others. (See pg. 16)

faculty & staff

Bonnie Gasperetti, student payroll coordinator, who retired in 2010, died July 13, 2022. She was 75.

Esther R. Gosser, secretary in the women’s physical education department, died July 17, 2022. She was 95.

Evelyn G. Huk, employed in the Registrar’s Office, died Feb. 17, 2019. She was 92.

Agnes Kennedy, employed for 21 years at the College, died July 16, 2022. She was 95.

Marilyn “Bonnie” Peterson, employed by Swarthmore as an environmental technician for 30 years, died July 18, 2022. She was 74.

Elsie Semenuk, postmistress for the College, died March 27, 2022. She was 99.

Audrey F. Troy, donor/founder of the Audrey F. and Melvin B. Troy Prize in Dance and Music, died April 27, 2022. She was 93.

Roland “Bud” P. Stratton Jr. ’48

Bud, a physician certified in family practice, died July 21, 2022.

After Swarthmore, he earned his medical degree from Temple University and established his family practice in Mount Holly, N.J., in 1954. One of the last doctors to do house calls, Bud was a member of the New Jersey Medical Society, the Burlington County (N.J.) Medical Society, and the American Academy of Family Practice, charter fellow and board certified. He was also chief of the Department of Family Practice at Memorial Hospital of Burlington County.

Robert Z. Norman ’49

Bob, an environmentalist, political activist, and professor of mathematics, died June 27, 2022.

He served in the Army Air Forces, where he worked on radar development, and later earned his Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Michigan, followed by a post-doc year at Princeton. Bob had a 58-year career teaching mathematics at Dartmouth College, was the first president of the Sierra Club’s New England Chapter, and co-founded the Hanover (N.H.) Conservancy, which, in 2019, dedicated the Norman Overlook of Mink Brook in recognition of his work.

headshot of John W. Fiske
John W. Fiske ’49

John, a businessman, engineer, and carpenter, died May 7, 2022.

He earned an electrical engineering degree from Swarthmore and an MBA from the University of Michigan, married Jane Fletcher Fiske ’52, and worked for Corning Glass Works for 18 years. John then joined Towle Silver Company in Newburyport, Mass. He later became an independent management consultant, and was an enthusiastic carpenter. He loved travel, opera, mysteries, and attending family reunions.

Margaret P. Allen ’50

Peg, an attorney and member of Swarthmore’s Women’s Athletic Association, died June 25, 2022.

She earned her bachelor’s in political science at the College, where she was a member of the varsity basketball, softball, and badminton teams and served as class treasurer. Peg earned her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and retired as a general attorney for Verizon in Pennsylvania..

Jane Totah Davis ’50

Jane, who defended the rights of people with disabilities, died March 24, 2022.

In midlife, she earned degrees from Drew University and the New York Theological Seminary, opening a psychotherapy practice in Westfield, N.J. Married to the late Dick ’50, who died June 3, Jane was a mother who defended the rights of children with disabilities for more than six decades to ensure her eldest son had access to care and to help other parents with similar challenges.

Richard C. Davis ’50

Dick, a dentist, advocate for people with disabilities, and sailor, died June 3, 2022.

Serving in the Navy Reserves during WWII, he earned a dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania and opened his dental practice in Westfield, N.J. Husband of the late Jane Totah Davis ’50, who died March 24, Dick advocated for his disabled son and moved to Sorrento, Maine, after retirement, supporting its yacht club, and racing his Ensign-class boat into his late 80s.

Barbara “Tippie” Tipping Sieck ’50

Tippie, known for her smile, enthusiasm, and generosity, died July 17, 2022.

At Swarthmore, she participated in intramural tennis, swimming, and badminton as well as the Hamburg Show, and met and married the late William ’47. Tippie was a member of the Women’s Club of Roland Park and the Baltimore Country Club, where
she enjoyed bridge games and rounds of golf.

Frances Jenkins Snyder ’50

Frances, a mother and banker, died Dec. 2, 2021.

Growing up a Quaker in Swarthmore, she met her late husband, Kenneth ’47, at the College, and four children and two houses later, they moved to California. In the early 1970s, Frances worked for Cal Fed Savings and Loan, retiring at age 65, and was active in the Tustin Women’s Club and Santa Ana Emblem Club, serving as its president. She loved playing bridge, bunco, and canasta, traveling, and puttering with her plants.

headshot of Dorothy Watt Williams
Dorothy Watt Williams ’50

Dorothy, a writer, editor, and singer, died July 2, 2022.

She earned her degree in English and met late husband Wendell ’51 at the College. She worked at Collier’s magazine and at Fine Arts magazine; in public information at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she received her master’s in 1976; and at the Cleveland Orchestra. Dorothy sang with the Unitarian Universalist Church Choir and with her husband, founded Savoyards, a Gilbert and Sullivan society, and the Southwest Messiah Chorale in Cleveland.

Ellinor Ruden Huppert ’51

Ellinor, a social worker, mother, and upcycler, died March 8, 2022.

After attending Swarthmore, she graduated from Penn State, married, and moved to Pittsburgh, eventually earning a master’s of social work and being employed for many years by Allegheny County Children and Youth Services. Ellinor was involved in a variety of volunteer activities and social justice causes, enjoyed singing in choirs, and participated in church committees.

Janet Merrill ’51

Janet, a psychologist who did headstands on her birthday, died May 29, 2022.

A Montana native, she earned her psychology degree before marrying and returning to Montana, then divorcing and earning a Ph.D. in psychology from Washington State University. After a second marriage, Janet was a clinical psychologist at the Pine Hills School for Boys in Miles City, Mont., and in 1986, went into private practice with her husband until he passed away. She remarried and continued her clinical psychology practice part time until she saw her final client at age 85.

Georges N. Krivobok ’53

Georges, a teacher and father of three, died Feb. 12, 2022.

He earned a Spanish degree at the College, where he was a member of the Spanish and French clubs and on the Drama Board, and received a master’s in Russian in 1965 from Middlebury College. Georges was retired from the Phillips Academy as a foreign language teacher.

Theodore K. Osgood ’53

Tedd, an economist and Foreign Service officer, died Jan. 17, 2022.

He earned a history degree with Honors at Swarthmore, then a master’s and Ph.D. from Yale in economics. He was a Foreign Service officer in various locations, including Germany and Paramaribo, Suriname, before joining Harvard’s Development Advisory Service in Malaysia. Later, he was a faculty member at Bentley College and Yale, moving to Hanover, NH, in 2001.

Robert A. Walkling ’53

Bob, who delighted in toys that demonstrated the principles of physics, died March 24, 2022.

After Swarthmore, he earned a Ph.D. in applied physics from Harvard, specializing in acoustics, and taught at Bowdoin College (1963–70) and the University of Southern Maine (1970–2005). Bob was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brunswick and St. Brendan the Navigator Church, Deer Isle. He sang with the Brunswick Choral Society, Longfellow Chorus, Choral Art Society, Rachmaninoff Choir, Surry Opera, Bowdoin College Chorus, and Oratorio Chorale.

William H. Armstrong ’54

Bill, a minister and lover of history, died May 3, 2022.

After earning a philosophy degree at the College, he received a master’s of divinity from Union Theological Seminary and was ordained in the United Church of Christ, later earning a master’s of sacred theology from the Lutheran Theological Seminary. Bill served at his first church in Philadelphia and oversaw its integration before joining the Peace Corps in Ethiopia (1966–68) and in Swaziland (now Eswatini). He served at his second church, Burton (Ohio) Congregational, until his 1997 retirement.

headshot of Sheldon G. Weeks
Sheldon G. Weeks ’54

Sheldon, an educator, conscientious objector, and Quaker, died May 4, 2022.

He earned a psychology degree at Swarthmore, a master’s in education at Antioch University New England, and a Ph.D. in education from Harvard, becoming a professor specializing in comparative education at universities in Uganda (1969–72), Tanzania (1972–74), and Papua New Guinea (1974–91), and was founding dean of graduate studies at the University of Botswana (1991–2002). Sheldon had a passion for world travel, nature, and the arts.

Dorothy Young Sale ’54

Dorothy, a women’s rights leader and social activist, died June 21, 2022.

She met husband Roger ’53 at Swarthmore and earned a master’s of library science from Pratt Institute. When the family moved to Seattle, Dorothy joined the local chapter of the League of Women Voters, and over the years, served in many capacities, including as president, reproductive rights chair, and development director. She was simultaneously involved with the National Organization for Women and the effort to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.

Elizabeth Van Arsdel Trentlyon ’54

Betty, an activist and environmentalist, died March 5, 2021.

She earned a bachelor’s in English literature at the College and spent more than 20 years working in refugee resettlement for nonprofit agencies. An activist and environmentalist, Betty was “beloved by her neighbors and friends in Chelsea,” New York.

Alan S. Parkes ’55

Alan, known for his love of cats, woodworking, sunset cocktails, and baking apple pies, died June 2, 2022.

He earned a psychology degree from the College and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania with post-doctoral work at Cornell University. Alan worked at JEOL USA Inc. for over 25 years as a senior scientist on electron microscope technology. Following his 2005 retirement, Alan and his wife split their time between Chilmark, Mass., and Tucson, Ariz., while he continued to watch and play tennis.

Deborah Hitchcock Jessup ’56

Debbie, who loved reading stories to her great-grandchildren, died April 26, 2022.

Graduating with an English degree, she had various jobs, including social work, teaching, and writing. She ended her career as an editor for environmental policies at BNA in Washington, D.C. After retirement, Debbie split her time between Fairhope, Ala., and Cornwall, England, and was a member of Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship and various tennis, reading, and wine clubs.

headshot of B. Cowles Mallory
B. Cowles Mallory ’56

Coles, an outdoorsman who adapted to Parkinson’s by learning to box and dance, died June 6, 2022.

He earned a bachelor’s in engineering from Swarthmore and a master’s of governmental administration from the University of Pennsylvania, and spent his career in public administration, including as city manager of Newport, R.I. (1968–75). He also held positions in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Oregon, Utah, and Iowa, and retired with wife Marcia McCoy Mallory ’59 to Newport. A member of Channing Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church, Coles enjoyed many outdoor and physical activities as well as standing up for his beliefs and for others.

Peter A. Simkin ’57

Peter, who made important contributions to the understanding of human physiology and rheumatic disease, died June 20, 2022.

He met wife Penny Payson Simkin ’59 at Swarthmore and earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania. He had residency in Fort Lawton, Wash., as a captain in the Army and joined the medical faculty at the University of Washington Medical Center’s Division of Rheumatology in 1966. Peter served as a clinician, a research scientist, and a professor of medicine, and for many years after his official retirement, he continued to write and collaborate with colleagues.

headshot of Susan Weiner Latimore
Susan Wiener Latimore ’58

Susan, who marched for civil rights and protested the Vietnam war, died July 9, 2022.

While at Swarthmore, she spent her junior year at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She became an associate editor at Macmillan Company after graduation, and married, eventually settling with her family in Atlanta. In the 1980s, Susan was a showroom manager at the Atlanta Apparel Mart, and later worked at local plant nurseries, started the container gardening business Pretty Good Pots, and volunteered for the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

Tamzin MacDonald McMinn ’58

Tamzin, an attorney and former congressional staffer, died May 15, 2022.

She graduated from Swarthmore with a history degree, earned master’s and law degrees, went into commercial and corporate law, and helped draft portions of the Superfund law, including requiring double hulls on ships following the Exxon Valdez disaster. Tamzin served on various government and nonprofit committees and boards in Chatham Township, N.J., was a member of two Junior Leagues, was a fellow of Drew University, and served as a member of the Board of Governors of Union County College, among other volunteer activities.

Luther “Ed” E. Creel III ’59

Ed, an attorney and bankruptcy expert who bred longhorn cattle on his Trinidad, Tex., ranch, died April 7, 2022.

After Swarthmore and law school, he began his insolvency legal career, practicing both nationally and internationally, and testified before Congress on the Bankruptcy Code. Ed was co-founder of the American Bankruptcy Institute and of the American College of Bankruptcy, was certified as a Business Bankruptcy Specialist, and, after his 2004 retirement, served as an elder of the Pathway Community Church, director of the Library at Cedar Creek Lake and its endowment fund, and director for Habitat for Humanity.

headshot of Christopher C. Shaw Jr.
Christopher C. Shaw Jr. ’59

Chris, a polio survivor and Ruby Life Master bridge player, died Jan. 11, 2022.

After completing two and a half years at the College, he entered the Air Force’s Aviation Cadet program, flying in Vietnam, and was awarded the Bronze Star and three air medals. He served in various military capacities, retiring in 1984 as a colonel, and during his service, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as a Ph.D. After retiring from the military, Chris spent the next 12 years in academia, including at American University and St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

John A. Robbins ’59

John, who dedicated his life to exploring and protecting the Earth, died May 6, 2022.

After earning his bachelor’s in physics at Swarthmore, he received a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from the University of Rochester, and worked in the Department of Limnology and Oceanography at the University of Michigan. John later conducted fundamental research on the chronology of trace elements in Great Lakes sediment that predicted the movement of contaminants in the food chain at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

Joanna Gottfried Williams ’60

Joanna, a well-known scholar of South Asian art, died June 16, 2022.

After Swarthmore, she earned a master’s and Ph.D. focused on art history, joined the University of California–Berkeley faculty in 1967, and researched and taught the history of South and Southeast Asian art. She retired in 2010, and served with the Ford Foundation in New Delhi. Joanna received numerous awards for her research, including grants from Phi Beta Kappa and a Guggenheim Fellowship; authored books and articles on Indian art, including The Art of Gupta India, Empire and Province; and provided advice on exhibitions.

Paul C. Waser ’61

Paul, an engineer and author, died Jan. 1, 2022.

He earned an engineering degree at the College where he was a varsity wrestler and a member of Phi Sigma Kappa, Sigma Tau, and Tau Beta Pi. Paul started at Princo Instruments Inc., Southampton, Pa., in 1970, became its president, and left in 2016. He was also the author of Dark Energy – Dark Matter, A Treatise on their Unified Cause and Effects.

Makoto Watanabe ’61

Makoto, who served as grand chamberlain to Japanese Emperor Akihito, died Feb. 8, 2022.

He earned a bachelor’s in political science and international studies and entered the Japanese Foreign Ministry, serving in such posts as ambassador to Jordan, director-general of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau, and chief of protocol at the ministry. Makoto became grand master of ceremonies at the Imperial Household Agency in 1995, then grand chamberlain, and served as an adviser to the agency between 2012 and 2020.

H. Ramsay Fifield ’62

Ramsay, an attorney, died April 11, 2020.

She attended Swarthmore and received her law degree from the University of California–Berkeley in 1965, practicing law in California. Before her passing, Ramsay lived in West Bath, Maine.

Ronald S. Goor ’62

Ron, a diet book author who studied cholesterol, died Dec. 30, 2021.

He received his biology degree with High Honors from the College and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, then earned a master’s and Ph.D. at Harvard. At the National Institutes of Health, Ron coordinated a study that linked blood cholesterol and heart attack risk. In his subsequent role as head of the National Cholesterol Education Program, he alerted Americans to the problems of a high-fat diet, and with wife Nancy wrote the bestselling Eater’s Choice and Choose to Lose, among others.

John H. Green ’62

John, a physician who was multi-degreed, died Nov. 21, 2021.

A history major at the College, he earned a medical degree in 1968 from Loyola University in Illinois, a master’s of public health from Columbia University in 1981, and a master’s in Spanish in 1982 from New York University. At Swarthmore, he was a member of Phi Psi and the varsity football and track and field teams.

headshot of Robert G. Harnwell
Robert G. Harnwell ’63

Bob, an educator who sailed across the Atlantic, died March 9, 2022.

After serving in the Army and getting married, he earned his bachelor’s at the College, then joined the faculty at Friends Select School in Philadelphia, where he taught for nearly 20 years, and earned a master’s in mathematics. In 1983, Bob stepped away from education to apprentice as a cabinetmaker. He married again, and moved with his wife to Tanzania to teach at The International School of Tanzania, and then in Lima, Peru, before moving back to the States.

J. Frederick Laucius ’63

Fred, a professor and Vietnam veteran, died April 10, 2022.

He attended the College and served in the Army as a captain in the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam where he earned the Silver Star for valor and a Purple Heart. Fred was an associate professor of medicine/medical oncology at his alma mater, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia.

Barry L. Mendelsohn ’63

Barry, known as “The Singing Shrink,” died July 5, 2022.

He attended Swarthmore, and graduated from the University of California–Berkeley and Stanford Medical School. He was a child psychiatrist, building practices in Anchorage, Alaska, and Chevy Chase, Md., and worked with Navajo children in New Mexico. Barry, a tenor, sang in countless choirs and singing groups, and had prominent roles with the Anchorage Civic Light Opera and Washington Opera, and expanded his interest in the arts to include painting, writing, and jewelry making.

Robert Olshansky ’64

Bob, who was able to pivot his research during rapid advances in the telecommunications industry, died March 29, 2022.

After Swarthmore, he earned a doctorate in particle physics from the University of Pennsylvania and did postdoc work at Brown University and in Paris. He helped develop laser technology for Corning Glass Works, and played a role in the internet/cellphone era while working at GTE and eventually Verizon. Bob authored more than 200 patents and hundreds of papers. Later in life he became an avid photographer, receiving several awards, and created many modern art-style works.

headshot of Anne Niles Davenport
Anne Niles Davenport ’65

Anne, a fiber artist recognized for her woven and design work as well as her teaching, died July 27, 2022.

She graduated with a philosophy degree and studied comparative literature at the University of Washington. In 1980, she relocated with her second husband to Hawai’i, where she ran a yarn store and learned to thread a loom. She later moved to Whidbey Island, Wash., where she devoted herself to weaving and its associated skills, along with building a cooperative community of textile artists and learners, and was a member or founder of multiple arts groups.

Katharine Rubio Briggs ’67

Kate, who provided support to people with AIDS, died March 17, 2022.

After graduating from Swarthmore, she earned a Ph.D. in political science at the State University of New York–Buffalo and held a variety of jobs with the Department of Public Welfare; Erie County, N.Y.; Lykes Steamship Company; and Wiedemann and Wiedemann law firm. In 2001, she opened the Bridge Lounge wine bar in New Orleans. Kate was a member of NO/AIDS Task Force action and support organization and established a second home in Leicester, Vt., with horses, chickens, goats, and rescued llamas.

Michael E. Herbert ’67

Mickey, a member of the Connecticut Softball Hall of Fame, died May 31, 2022.

After Swarthmore, he earned an MBA from Harvard, founded and was CEO of Physicians Health Services, founded and served for eight seasons as CEO of the Bridgeport (Conn.) Bluefish Baseball Club, was a general partner of the Major League Lacrosse Philadelphia Barrage, and was president and CEO of ConnectiCare. Mickey served on countless boards and charitable foundations, played on the 1983 fast-pitch softball national championship team, and was the leading hitter for the United States in the 1984 World Softball Championship tournament.

Bruce A. Hogel ’72

Bruce, a civil engineer and artist, died April 16, 2022.

He earned a civil engineering degree at Swarthmore, was a consulting engineer in Philadelphia, worked in Barbados with the Peace Corps, and was a contractor for many years in Oakland, Calif. Bruce took studio art and art history courses at Laney Community College in Oakland, moving from ceramics to painting, watercolors, figure drawing, and nature painting. He also collected vinyl records, hunted, fished, and gardened.

John Francis Graney ’73

John, a physician, lifelong sailor, opera lover, and educator, died Feb. 22, 2022.

He earned a history degree at the College, where he was active in theater, and a master’s in chemistry before receiving a scholarship to Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. In 1986, he went to work at Beth Israel Hospital and was promoted in 1996 to director of medical education, a position he held until his 2020 retirement. Fluent in Spanish, French, Italian, and German, John traveled extensively and regularly invited others to share his box at New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

Robert A. Martin ’76

Robert, an attorney, father, and husband, died March 16, 2022.

He earned his bachelor’s in history at Swarthmore and his law degree at NYU in 1980. Robert, married to Kate Abell ’78, was general counsel for the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs and associate director, legal services, District Council 37 AFSCME; he retired as associate director, DC 37 Municipal Employees Legal Services.

John A. Speicher ’76

John, an attorney who loved writing, died June 20, 2022.

He attended Swarthmore for two years before transferring to DePauw University, graduating with an economics degree, and then earned a law degree from the University of Toledo. After passing the bar and much travel, John worked with his father, brother, and sister-in-law in Indianapolis before retiring to write.

David P. Stevens ’78

David, who lived a life anchored in a philosophy of friendship and service, died April 28, 2022.

Among other jobs, he worked from 1994 until his retirement in December 2021 as the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging (MCOA), served on the Board of Trustees of Cooley Dickinson Health Care, and chaired the board of Lathrop Communities. David volunteered widely, including with the Lesbian Gay Pride March Committee and the Northampton Pride Oral History Project. He was elected for three terms as county commissioner and earned numerous awards, including the 2020 Trailblazer in Aging Award from the National Institute on Senior Centers/National Council on Aging.

Matthew H. Becker ’82

Matt, a volunteer firefighter who cared deeply about people, social justice, and the planet, died May 13, 2022.

He attended Swarthmore and worked as a long-haul trucker with a love for reading. Matt’s second home was the William Cameron Engine Company in Lewisburg, Pa., where he was a faithful volunteer who ran or rode his bicycle to the fire station for every call, often being the first operator in the driver’s seat, ready to roll out of the station.

headshot of Anthony M. Buendia
Anthony M. Buendia ’98

Tony, a data analyst, who loved his family, friends, and an IPA, died July 9, 2022.

He earned an economics degree with Honors from the College, where he played football and lacrosse and met wife Ariane Liazos ’98. He worked as a derivatives trader in New York before earning a master’s in software engineering, and then worked in data analytics for banking and healthcare companies. Tony was a devoted father, who rearranged his schedule to make school events. He loved skiing and visiting beaches on family trips to Hawai’i.

Bryan C. Bonato ’02

Bryan, an accountant who loved Chicago sports teams, especially the Bears, died May 24, 2022.

After graduating from Swarthmore he worked in New York City in the stock-options field, then returned to Illinois where he was a sports reporter for the Lake County News-Sun newspaper. He then went to school to become a certified public accountant and worked in the tax field.

Submit an obituary

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.