F. PARKER BARTLETT III, a banker and real estate agent, died Aug. 6, 2013. He was 74. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he served with U.S. Army Intelligence. As vice president of Chemical Bank, he opened their first branch in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, later moving to Maine, where he became a real estate agent and was active in the Lincoln Arts Festival. He is survived by his wife, Frances Matko Bartlett, two children, and a large extended family.
Jim Corrodi sent the following: “Gladys and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in August by renting a villa in Tuscany for a week, joined by our three children, their spouses, and seven grandchildren—15 of us altogether. It was terrific, but the hill towns were a bit exhausting for Pop-Pop. I slept well.”
Eliot Glassheim has written a book, Sweet Land of Decency, to “tell the story of American history as it illustrates centuries of struggle to move from darkness to light, from selfishness to common good, from exclusion to inclusion, from control by wealth to control by reason, from evil to good.”
Dave Major writes: “In Vienna recently for a Technical University review panel, I was delighted to have lunch with Sasha and Harald Kreid. Harald, an international student who was with us during our senior year and had many friends in our class, is now retired after a distinguished career in the Austrian diplomatic service. It was a pleasure both to catch up and to remember fine times at Wesleyan.”
Gus Napier writes: “In July, Margaret and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. Our daughter, Sarah, and her family came from Concord, Mass.; our son, Mark, and his family from Albany, N.Y.; and Julia and her family arrived from Buenos Aires. Including our six grandchildren, there were 14 of us for a week of hiking, canoeing, swimming, and team cooking. We had a great time together—the way we usually do, but enriched by our awareness of time’s fleeting passage.”
It is with sadness that I report the passing of Tad Bartlett on Aug. 6, after a three-year battle with cancer. After graduating from Wesleyan, he worked as a special agent for the Defense Intelligence Agency. He married the love of his life, Frances Matko, in August 1969.
Tad worked for W. R. Grace and lived in Europe before joining Chemical Bank in New York City. As a vice president he opened the first Chemical Bank branch in Calgary, Alberta, and lived there with his family from 1980 to 1983. While in Calgary, he loved to attend the Calgary Stampede and purchased one of his most prized possessions, a pair of cowboy boots.
After Calgary, Tad and his family moved back to the U.S., first to New York and later to Maine. Tad loved Maine and enjoyed many summers at their home on Southport Island. He and Fran moved full-time to Boothbay Harbor in 1995, where he was famous for his lobster dinners and blueberry pancakes. He worked as a realtor there.
Tad’s passion was music of all kinds, particularly classical and opera. He was very active in Lincoln Arts Festival, where he was a board member for over 15 years and served as president for two terms. He sang in the Lincoln Festival Chorus and Sheepscot Valley Chorus, as well as with the Our Lady of Peace choir and the Methodist Church choir for many years.
Tad is survived by his devoted wife of 44 years, Fran Bartlett; daughter Jennifer Valerie Bartlett and her partner; and son Philip Loomis Bartlett and his girlfriend. On behalf of the Class of 1960, I offer our condolences to his family and friends.
SAL RUSSO
2700 Kentucky St., Bellingham, WA 98229
salandjudy@hotmail.com
The William P. Schweitzer Professor of Chemistry at Columbia University, died Nov. 24, 2012, at age 74. He was a member of Delta Sigma, and he received his degree with high honors and with distinction in chemistry. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi, he received his PhD from the California Institute of Technology. He had been on the faculty at Columbia University since 1964. He also held professorships at the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering.
Widely recognized nationally and internationally as a leader and pioneer in the area of supramolecular chemistry, organic photochemistry, molecular spectroscopy, host-guest chemistry, and magnetic effects on photochemical reactions, he was the author of two textbooks, one of which is considered the “bible” of the field, and numerous articles.
Posthumously, he received the Inaugural George S. Hammond Award of the Inter-American Photochemical Society, given in recognition of the breadth and depth of his many crucial contributions to the photochemical sciences and his singular impact on worldwide dissemination of photochemical knowledge through his many collaborations and his pioneering textbooks. Among those who survive are his wife, Sandra Misenti Turro, two daughters, five grandchildren, and two sisters.
WILLIAM V. TRIPP III, a tax and estate attorney, died Nov. 7, 2009, at age 71. He was a member of Eclectic and was the son of William V. Tripp Jr. of the class of 1924. He served in the U.S. Navy for four years, after which he enrolled at Cornell University, where he received his MBA and law degrees. Most recently associated with Nixon Peabody, he served on numerous charitable boards. Among those who survive are his wife, Roberta Allen Tripp, two children, four grandchildren, and three siblings.
EDWARD A. SORENSEN, M.D., a psychiatrist in the Albany, N.Y., area for 40 years, died Mar. 1, 2006. He was 68. A member of Chi Psi, he received his medical degree from Albany Medical College and served in the U.S. Army. He was a distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Among those who survive are his wife, Linda Bowen Sorensen, three children, five grandchildren, a brother, and two sisters.
BERTOLD K.G. PUCHTLER, 71, who worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Alaska Area Native Health Service for more than 25 years, died Apr. 18, 2008. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he received his degree with honors. After receiving a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, he was part of the first Peace Corps group in Nepal. He then worked for U.S.A.I.D. in Laos before moving to Alaska. At age 67 he became a certified snowboard instructor. Survivors include two sons, a grandson, a brother, and his former wife, Catherine Short.
JOHN W. ENGROFF JR., the executive director of the Franklin-Grand Isle (Vermont) Community Partnership and an educator, died July 4, 2008, at age 69. He was a member of the Commons Club, received a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He had also been associated with several educational and social service institutions in northern Vermont. Among those who survive are his wife, Audrey Reinehr Engroff, two children, a granddaughter, a brother, and a sister.
H. RICHARD DIETRICH JR., a philanthropist and well-known collector of early American decorative and fine arts, died Aug. 30, 2007, at age 69. A member of Psi Upsilon, he attended Columbia University’s business school until he was called home to run the family business when his father died. From 1974 to 1980 he was a member of Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees. President of the Dietrich Corporation, a conglomerate that was sold to the Hershey Company in 1986, he then retired and devoted himself to philanthropy, conservation, and collecting high-quality objects both for the Dietrich American Foundation and for private use. Works from the foundation’s collection have been lent to more than 50 institutions, making them available to the public. He was particularly active with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and served as board chairman there for 35 years; the museum’s curatorship of American decorative arts is named in his honor. Survivors include two sons, a daughter, a granddaughter, two brothers, and his former wife, Cordelia Frances Biddle. (See further information in the New York Times of 9/10/07.)
RICHARD M. ARMSTRONG, 72, the president of Armstrong Engineering Associates and the former chair of both the boards of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and of Chester County (Pa.) Hospital, died May 9, 2010. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and received a master’s degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His company, founded by his father, designs and makes heat–transfer equipment for the chemical and oil–refining industry. He was an advocate of open land and he served on several boards in addition to his hospital commitments. Survivors include his wife, Susan Dole Armstrong, three children, seven grandchildren, and a brother.
KENNETH C. ALLEN, 73, a builder who rehabilitated houses on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., died Oct. 18, 2011. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and received his law degree from the University of Virginia. After serving in the U.S. Navy for six years, he returned to the Washington, D.C., area and went into the building business. He was president of Walden Construction, but had been disabled since brain surgery in 1985. Survivors include his wife, Beverly Jones Allen, a stepson, and a brother.
