Obituaries | 2000-2010

PETER B. MORGENSTERN-CLARREN, 22, died on April 23, 2004 by suicide. Peter was active in social justice causes at Wesleyan, including working with Justice for Janitors, Amnesty International, and improving economic conditions for the world’s poor. He also formed the rock band 8 Fingered Jakob with his friends Derek Garcia ’04, Ben Abrams ’03, and Roger Cohen ’03. The band performed on campus at the Naked party, among other gigs. Peter is survived by a family who loved him dearly, including his parents Hadley and Patti, sister Rachel, four grandparents, eight aunts and uncles, and seven first cousins.

SAMUEL V. AARONIAN, an editor and writer, died Apr. 29, 2007. He was 28 and had worked as a project manager for Unison Site Management in New York City. He had also worked in the editorial department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and had been involved in the publication of several books. His parents, one brother, and a large extended family survive.

MICHAEL L. SPIRER, an executive assistant for Houghton-Mifflin, died Jan. 8, 2013. He attended both Wesleyan and the University of Connecticut. Predeceased by his mother, he is survived by his father, Alan Spirer, his adoptive mother, three siblings, and a niece.