Obituaries | 1960-1969

W.B. Lorch ’60 passed away on March 12, 2018. A full obituary can be found here.

Stephen W. Kidd died on April 5, 2018. At Wesleyan, he majored in economics and later earned his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania. Steve was drafted and spent two years in the U.S. Army stationed at the Pentagon. He spent his career specializing in financial accounting systems for the federal government until he retired in 2010. He and wife Elizabeth moved from Washington, D.C. to Gilbert, A.Z., five years ago to be near their only child. They enjoyed the southwest by taking road trips and cruises. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Elizabeth, and their daughter Catherine Kniss. He was predeceased by his son, Kevin, his parents, and his only brother, David.

We thank the wife of Mr. Kidd for this information.

Richard A. Hochberg, a psychiatrist, died on Feb. 1, 2018. At Wesleyan, he majored in biology then graduated with his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University. He was a psychiatrist and had a private practice in New York before relocating to California and setting up a practice in Long Beach, Calif. Richard was a member of Congregation Lubavitch in Long Beach, where he worshiped for several decades. He was loved by the congregation and the community. He was an outspoken advocate and supporter of the local Hmong community and provided free counseling and therapy for many. He was noted for his extreme generosity and positive outlook on life. A large portion of his extensive library was donated to Congregation Lubavitch; they honored him with a memorial plaque.

We thank Donna Carty for this information.

Jan H. Westerman passed away on Sept. 4, 2017 in California. He owned his own paper and office supply company and loved to sail. He was divorced and left behind his ex-wife and his daughter.

We thank Bob Johnson ’61 for this information.

John P. Barlow, 70, cyberlibertarian activist, cattle ranger and lyricist for the Grateful Dead, died Feb. 7, 2018. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he received his degree with high honors from the College of Letters. After graduation he lived in India and New York before setting out for California, where he intended to tour with the Grateful Dead. On his way, he stopped at his family’s ranch in Wyoming and in the wake of his father suffering a massive stroke, he decided to stay. He would go on to practice animal husbandry for the next two decades, but remained in close collaboration with members of the Grateful Dead. Songs borne out of his collaboration include “Cassidy,” “Mexicali Blues,” “Black-Throated Wind,” and many more until the Dead disbanded in 1995. In 1990, he and two other cyber-activists founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation. In 1996 he published his futurist-philosophy manifesto that would become his seminal work: “A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace,” which argued for sovereignty on the Internet after Congress had made its first major attempt to regulate pornographic material on the Internet. Throughout his life, he was a prolific writer and was a frequent collaborator for Wired, the New York Times, Nerve, and others. He documented his cyber-spatial journey to Africa in his Wiredpiece entitled “Africa Rising: Everything You Know About Africa Is Wrong.” In 2012, he co-founded the free-speech nonprofit, Freedom of the Press Foundation. Married twice, his first wife was Elaine Parker Barlow, with whom he had three daughters. His second wife, Cynthia Horner, died. He is also survived by a granddaughter.

Peter C. Reed, a corporate executive, died Aug. 10, 2017. He was 72. After receiving his degree cum laude, he received an MBA from the University of Rochester in operations research. A two-time NCAA wrestling champion at Wesleyan, he worked summers as a road construction foreman on the I-87 Northway. As a CFO and CEO, he had a diverse career spanning computers, military equipment, and aerospace. He is survived by his wife, Brona Barnes Reed, two sons, three brothers and sisters, and an extended family.

Kirtland C. Mead, 74, an international management consultant, died Nov. 26, 2017. He was a member of Alpha Delta Phi and received his degree magna cum laude. Elected to both Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi, he was a Fulbright Scholar and then received a master’s degree from Stanford in physics and a PhD in engineering from MIT. During his varied and successful international management consulting practice, he lived for a time in Paris and in London, and wrote guides to these and other European cities that he shared with friends and family. He was also an expert in European history. Survivors include his wife, Susan Eldredge Mead; two daughters; four grandchildren; two brothers, including his twin; as well as a large extended family.

Michael O. Smith, M.D., a psychiatrist, acupuncturist, addiction specialist and public health planner who was the director of New York City’s Lincoln Hospital Recovery Center from 1974 to 2011 when he retired, died Dec. 24, 2017, at age 75. He was a member of the John Wesley Club. After receiving his degree magna cum laude and with high honors from the College of Letters, he received his medical degree from the University of California Medical School in San Francisco. An associate professor of psychiatry at Cornell Medical School, now Weill Cornell Medicine, he was certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He was internationally known for developing the use of acupuncture in the field of chemical dependency. More than 2,000 treatment programs worldwide use the Lincoln Hospital model. As chairperson of the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, he provided consultation to city, county, state, federal, and United Nations agencies in more than 100 settings. He was the first person selected for the National Drug Court Hall of Fame. Among those who survive are two daughters, including Joanna S. Smith ’00.

John G. Sommer, 76, the dean of the study abroad program at the School for International Training from 1981-1999, died Nov. 11, 2017. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in letters. He also received a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School for International Studies in 1968. His career, dedicated to advancing international understanding and development, began as a volunteer building schools in South Vietnam. Co-author of the 1969 book, Viet Nam: The Unheard Voices, he chronicled a growing concern about U.S. action in Vietnam during the late ’60s. From 1970-1975 he served with the Ford Foundation in India, and from 1975-1980 in Washington, D.C., where he had senior positions at the Peace Corps and USAID. In 1981 he joined SIT, where under his leadership more than 14,000 students participated in more than 40 countries. In his honor, SIT established a scholarship in his name. He also served as vice president of Eisenhower Fellowships, an exchange program for emerging world leaders, based in Philadelphia. In 2007 he returned to Vermont. In addition to two children and five grandchildren, he leaves his partner, Ann Wright-Parsons; his former wife, Wendy Solmssen Sommer; and his brother.

Walter C. Wheeler, a broadcast journalist, died Dec. 2, 2017. He was 76. A member of Gamma Psi, he served in the U.S. Army after which he began his broadcast journalism career working for radio stations in Connecticut. In 1968 he joined NBC News in New York City as a radio and TV reporter and news anchor. His career included stints with UPI and CBS, where he was chief political reporter for more than a decade. He was also vice president of news at Empire State Network, a state radio network serving stations across New York, which he founded along with colleagues from WCBS. Later, he served as deputy chief of public affairs at New York State’s Division of Military and Naval Affairs, where he participated in various emergency management exercises, and was the spokesman and webmaster. After retirement he created and maintained websites for commercial, non-profit and municipal entities; he was also a firefighter for many years. Among those who survive are his wife, Linda Wheeler, two daughters, a stepson, two granddaughters, a brother and two sisters, and a large extended family.