Author: Randi Alexandra Plake

Categories Obituaries | FacultyPosted on

Michael C. Lovell

Michael C. Lovell, the Chester D. Hubbard Professor of Economics and Social Sciences, emeritus, passed away on Dec. 20, 2018, at the age of 88. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Reid College and his master’s degree from Stanford University. He earned his PhD from Harvard University after serving in the Korean War. He taught at Wesleyan from 1969 until his retirement in 2002. He had a long scholarly career and received numerous fellowships and grants in support of his research. His work as a graduate student is still widely cited today, and in retirement, Lovell continued to publish articles and a book on economics. Richard Grossman, a professor of economics, said: “Mike Lovell was an eminent economist, adept in both theoretical and empirical fields, who would not have been out of place in any of the world’s leading economics departments.” Lovell is survived by his wife, Adrienne; their four children: Leslie, Stacie, George, and Martin and their spouses; and eight grandchildren.

Categories Class NotesPosted on

Randy B. “Rand” Smith, MALS ’78

Randy B. “Rand” Smith, MALS ’78 of Old Lyme, Conn., and Owl’s Head, Maine, died of natural causes on Aug. 9, 2018, at the home of his longtime friend in New York City. Rand was 68-years-old and the devoted son of Elizabeth D. “Betty” Smith and Brainerd F. “Bud” Smith, now deceased, of Deep River, Conn.

Rand grew up in Deep River, graduated from Valley Regional and attended The First Congregational Church with his parents. He graduated from Lafayette College, Class of ’72, in Easton, Pa., and later obtained his master’s degree at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. A middle school teacher of science and mathematics, in his early professional years, Rand later worked at Xerox and as a science editor of Scholastic Magazine. He served as a regional sales manager of inflatable boats and retired from this position when the company was sold.

Rand was a lifelong student and enthusiast of the arts, antiques, gardening, period homes, and Holland. Rand had a passionate loyalty to Volvos and spent many a day “bumbleshooting” along the shoreline of Connecticut and Maine. He was an intrepid traveler abroad and enjoyed both the planning and execution of trips to far away places with more frequent trips to his favorite country, Holland.

In June of 2017, Rand was a part of the first 18-person kidney exchange at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT. With a new kidney, donated by his best friend, and renewed energy, Rand’s zest for life often took him to his childhood vacation cottage in Owls Head, Maine, or on cultural forays into New York City.

Please remember Rand for all that he was and what he became through his 68 years; a man of great energy, creativity, knowledge, and passion. He always marched to his own drummer and approached life, every day, with incredible enthusiasm and curiosity.

Rand is survived by his sister, Lynette Smith of Brewer, Maine, his nephews, Justin and John Gorecki, and his cousins, Joanne Hall of Bedford Hills, N.Y., Susan Briskie of Florida, and Tom Grant of California.

We thank Laura Lee Miller for this heartfelt obituary.

Categories Obituaries | 1980-1989Posted on

Doris P. Barry ’84

Doris P. Barry ’84 passed away on June 11, 2018. She had a 30-year career on Wall Street where she managed and inspired staff while battling Lupus. A woman of faith who loved her family and friends, Doris was a member of Delta Theta Sigma, Incorporated, and was on the Board of Trustees at Concord Baptist Church where she inspired many of the church’s best and brightest to attend Wesleyan. Doris loved Wesleyan and her legacy will be evident in the scores of students who attended Wesleyan because she was the University’s number-one cheerleader especially for first generation students of color. See her obituary here.

We thank Ricardo Granderson ’84 for this heartfelt tribute.