MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Middlebury College has received word of the passing of David Winslow Folger, 85, a marine geologist who served on the science faculty from 1969 through 1975. He died on April 1 of pancreatic cancer at his home in Falmouth, Mass.

After his service to Middlebury, Folger directed the Atlantic Marine Geology Branch of the U.S. Geologic Survey at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute with whom he conducted an erosion study of southern Lake Michigan, a mapping project of the Great Lakes, a marine gravity survey of the Caribbean Sea, and an analysis of the hydrogen bomb’s effects on the Enewetak Atoll.

Folger is best known at Middlebury for procuring the College’s first research vessel, a 32-foot former lobster boat that plied the waters of Lake Champlain for more than a quarter century. Then in 2012, after the College received a $1.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Folger and his family were on hand to christen a new vessel named theR/V David Folger, a 45-foot twin-hulled floating laboratory for students and faculty in the sciences.

Geologist David Folger in 1968, just prior to his appointment to the faculty as an assistant professor.

On board the state-of-the-art ship, Folger said, “I am delighted and honored to have this sophisticated vessel named for me, and I look forward to a flood of professional research papers based on the data collected aboard the vessel. And I hope that many students will enroll in courses that take them out of the classroom and onto the lake for beautiful afternoons like I remember so well.”

A direct descendant of Nantucket whalers, Folger spent his childhood summers on the island where he cultivated a passion for sailing, swimming, and, ultimately, marine geology. He was said to have swam from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard eight times, and once completed an 11-mile ocean swim from the Vineyard to Nantucket.

Folger was born in 1931 in Woburn, Mass., and was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1953 with a B.A. in geology. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1953-1956 as a bombardier and navigator, and retired from the Navy Reserves in 1977 at the rank of captain. He was a petroleum geologist for Chevron Oil based in Jackson, Miss., while working toward his master’s and doctoral degrees in marine geology from Columbia University.

He authored, co-authored, or edited more than 130 publications and abstracts in the journals Applied Microbiology, Deep Sea Research, and others, and was widely sought-after to present his research at scholarly meetings. He retired in 1999, but stayed active with a daily regimen of yoga, bicycling, swimming, or rowing; guitar playing and boat building; and applying his Yankee ingenuity to devise gadgets and useful solutions to everyday challenges.

During his career as an assistant professor at Middlebury, Folger taught courses in geology, led research projects on Lake Champlain, and served as acting chair of the department. The College offered Folger an appointment as an associate professor without limit of tenure – an opportunity that he declined in order to return to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the sea.

Predeceased by his first wife, Joan, in 1980, Folger is survived by his wife, Janet Simons Folger, five children, and four grandchildren. There will be a celebration of David Folger’s life at the end of June in Woods Hole. Gifts in his memory may be made to the R/V David Folger Fund at Middlebury College, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, or HopeHealth Hospice of Hyannis, Mass.

Middlebury mourns the death of Jim Stuart, associate vice president for information technology. In a campuswide email, Executive Vice President David Provost wrote the following on October 10:

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Retirees:

Jim Stuart, associate vice president for information technology

With great sadness, I write to let you know that our colleague Jim Stuart, associate vice president for information technology, died unexpectedly at his home in Hinesburg this past weekend. Jim has a long history with Middlebury and his work has impacted nearly every member of our campus community in one way or another.

Jim first came to Middlebury in 1993 as co-director of computing and network services, having recently completed his bachelor of arts in mathematics at Colby College. After six years at Middlebury, Jim continued his career as vice president for technology at Burlee.com and later as chief technology officer at Qvault.

Jim returned to Middlebury in 2010 as systems programmer and administrator. In the years since, he took on increasing levels of responsibility including a promotion to manager of central systems and network services in 2011, director of central systems and network services in 2013, and in 2014 was promoted to associate vice president for information technology.  Jim has been instrumental over the past few years in the Green Mountain Higher Education Consortium in efforts to bring Oracle and Blackbaud to Middlebury.

“I will remember my dear friend and colleague Jim Stuart as one of the kindest and gentlest people that I’ve ever known,” said Chris Norris, director of information security and infrastructure. “I am grateful to have shared so many ideas and laughs with him over the years.”

A lover of animals, Jim served on the board of directors at Homeward Bound, Addison County’s Humane Society, for 12 years, much of that time as president. He was particularly interested in the long-term stability and sustainability of the shelter and the animal welfare programs that enhance the relationships of animals and people in the local community. Jim regularly volunteered on Homeward Bound committees and at events, and supported the information technology needs of the organization.

He also served for four years on the board of trustees for the Howard Center in South Burlington, Vermont, which provides crisis counseling and support services to children and adults.

Jim will be remembered by Middlebury colleagues for his kindness, keen intelligence, and wonderful sense of humor. His care for the ITS team of the College will always be remembered and appreciated by those of us who had the privilege to work alongside Jim over the years.  We will provide details about a memorial service as they become available. 

David Provost
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, and Treasurer

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Middlebury notes the death of Jacqueline “Jackie” Flickinger, who died on October 22 at the Haven at the Residence at Otter Creek. 

Flickinger was hired by the College in October of 1967 and worked for her entire College career in the Student Activities Department. Her warmth and natural gift with young people, coupled with her organizational abilities, high standards and good judgment, enabled her to advance to director of the department in 1973.

As director, Flickinger oversaw the college's many student clubs and organized Winter Carnival, Homecoming Weekend, concerts and other major events. She retired December of 1988.

Condolences may be sent to Barbara Flickinger, 20 Hillside Road, Larchmont, NY 10538. A memorial service to celebrate Flickinger’s life will be held at 2 p.m. on December 9, 2017 at the Middlebury Congregational Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Addison County Home Health and Hospice, Elderly Services in Middlebury, or the Middlebury Congregational Church. 

A full obituary is available online.

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Stanley P. Bates, who joined the Middlebury College faculty in 1971 and continued to teach and advise philosophy students long after his retirement in 2008, passed away on December 10 at Helen Porter Nursing Home after a brief illness. He was 77 years of age.

Stanley P. Bates in 1993. Photo courtesy of Special Collections.

Beloved by family, friends, colleagues, and students, Bates was the epitome of a philosopher. His close friend and colleague Victor Nuovo said, “Stanley was a philosopher not only by profession, but in the whole of his being: his mind was open and tirelessly curious, never dogmatic, always careful in forming his opinions, always ready to revise them, and he was relentless in the search for truth.

“This was evident in the way he approached death: quietly, unafraid, and with a keen intellectual interest,” Prof. Nuovo observed on the day after Bates passed away. “In dying, he taught me and everyone near him how to die. It was the ultimate lesson – his last gift to us.”

A graduate of Dartmouth who earned a master’s degree at Oxford and a doctorate from Harvard, his major fields of interest were ethics and the philosophy of law. Bates published more than 60 articles, book chapters and reviews during his career, and served as an editorial referee for the university press at Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Cambridge (U.K.), Cornell, Chicago, and University of California.

“Stanley was a model of how to be a philosopher at a liberal arts college,” said Kareem Khalifa, associate professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy, “and his lasting legacy will be the passion for ideas that he instilled in generations of Middlebury philosophers. He taught and read broadly, which inspired both his students and his colleagues to strive for the erudition, curiosity, and generosity of thought that he so wonderfully and effortlessly exemplified.

“Well past his retirement, he supported our students' quests to discover their philosophical voices and to hone their ideas. In doing so, he recognized, perhaps better than anyone else in the department, that this was not only an intellectual journey, but also a deeply personal one. It speaks volumes to who he was as both a philosopher and a person that so many students chose to take this journey with him.”

Born in Los Angeles in 1940 and raised in Glendale, Calif., Bates graduated Dartmouth College summa cum laude in 1961 with highest honors in philosophy. He was selected for Phi Beta Kappa his junior year and earned an Alfred P. Sloan National Scholarship.

A Marshall scholar, Bates studied next at the University of Oxford where he earned a second bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and several academic laurels. From England, he returned to the U.S. in 1963 to study with political philosopher John Rawls at Harvard University. While pursuing his Ph.D., Bates was a teaching fellow at Harvard and later an assistant professor at University of Chicago.

In 1971, he was hired by then-President James I. Armstrong to join the faculty at Middlebury. Three years later he earned tenure and was promoted to associate professor, and in 1976 he was named acting dean of arts and humanities. He returned to Oxford on sabbatical in 1977, and in 1980 was promoted to full professor. 

Widely known for his understanding of Kant, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein, Middlebury named Bates the Walter Cerf Distinguished College Professor in 1996. His many courses included Human Nature and Ethics, American Philosophy, Aesthetics, Wittgenstein’s Philosophy, and Kierkegaard, Marx and Nietzsche. He offered the 100-level Introduction to the Philosophical Tradition numerous semesters, and enjoyed teaching first-year seminars on Tragedy and Philosophy, and the Fate of Morality.

Bates took his teaching responsibilities very seriously, Professor Nuovo added. “He prepared his lectures carefully, and they were wonderful models of clarity. He was also always there for students. His kindness and decency won students’ trust, and he was generous of his time in advising them.”

The Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference was also dear to his heart, and Bates found time from 1978 to 1994 to serve as the administrative director of that renowned summer gathering of writers and editors. He also possessed a penchant for committee work having served multiple terms on the Committee on Reappointment and the Faculty Council, in addition to the Educational Affairs Committee, Teaching Resources Committee, Phi Beta Kappa Prize Committee, and Appeals Council.

Bates served his profession with leadership positions in the American Philosophical Association and American Society for Aesthetics, and served higher education as a frequent evaluator for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and as a board member of the Vermont Council on the Humanities.

He is survived by his wife Virginia Bates of Weybridge, his daughter Jennifer Bates of Middlebury, his daughter Lissie Bates-Haus and son-in-law Nikolaus Bates-Haus of Littleton, Mass., and their three children: Gus, Walter, and Alice.

The family is planning to conduct a private memorial, and is making the arrangements for a memorial scholarship to assist students of philosophy at Middlebury College. Anyone interested in donating to that scholarship is advised to contact Lissie Bates-Haus at lissie@gmail.com.

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Middlebury notes the death of Louis L. Lee, who died on Saturday, December 16, 2017.  Lee began working at Middlebury in 1997 as a seasonal groundsworker. Within a year, he was transferred to the role of custodian, a position he held until his retirement in 2009.

Norm Cushman, associate vice president for operations, shared that Louis “Louis was passionate about gardening and growing flowers,” said Norm Cushman, associate vice president for operations. “One of his favorite flowers was the perennial Sweet William. The plants would bloom in June and then self-seed. He would share the seeds with other co-workers to begin their flower gardens.” Lee was also an avid apple tree pruner working for many of the local orchards, noted Cushman. He was known by his colleagues to have loved hunting and fishing, and always “had a great attitude toward others.”

Lee is survived by his wife, College retiree Loretta Lee, who worked as a benefits specialist in the Human Resources Department; daughter Kathleen Parent, a curriculum information specialist for academic affairs and her husband Kurt, who is an electrician for Facilities Services; daughter Lynne Butler and her husband Tim; and son Louis and his wife Cindy Lee, laundry coordinator for Dining Services. Lee is also survived by several grandchildren. 

Calling hours for Louis will be Tuesday, December 19^th, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Mallory funeral home in Fair Haven. A funeral will be held Wednesday, December 20, at 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s church in Orwell. There will be a gathering at the Orwell Fire House following the funeral.

Lynne Rudder Baker

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Middlebury notes the death of former faculty member Lynne Rudder Baker, who taught in Middlebury's philosophy department for 13 years, from 1976-1989. Baker's research focused on metaphysics, philosophy of mind and philosophical theology.

After teaching at Middlebury, Baker joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, as professor of philosophy. She was promoted to Distinguished Professor in 2005.

Baker is the author of six books: Saving Belief: A Critique of Physicalism  (Princeton UP, 1987), Explaining Attitudes: A Practical Approach to the Mind (Cambridge UP, 1995), Persons and Bodies: A Constitution View (Cambridge UP, 2000), The Metaphysics of Everyday Life: An Essay in Practical Realism (Cambridge UP 2007), and Naturalism and the First-Person Perspective (Oxford UP, 2013).

Read more about Lynne Rudder Baker at the UMass website.

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Middlebury mourns the loss of Pamela Sands, a longtime staff member who died on Tuesday, February 13, 2018. Sands was hired by the College in December of 1983 as a temporary postal clerk. She was promoted to full-time postal clerk in 1988 and has worked in that role ever since. Sands was inducted into the College’s 25-Year Club in 2010.

Sands was born March 27, 1963, in Germany, the daughter of Thomas Francis Sands Sr. and Angela Bonita (Vieland) Sands. She is survived by her sisters Patty Murray, lead mail service technician at the College and her husband Mark of Middlebury; Johanna Freihofer and husband Ed of Satellite Beach, Fla.; her significant other Michael Ryan; her aunt Barbara Kresse of New Hampshire; her uncle Dick Sands of Nova Scotia, Canada; her nieces Jennifer Murray and Heidi Freihofer; and numerous cousins. Sands was predeceased by her parents and by her son Christopher Ryan in 1982.

“Pam was a dedicated employee” said David LaRose, former Mail Center Supervisor. “During extremely stressful days, and there were plenty, she was the calm.” Larose said that Sands “taught him the job” of mail clerk when he was hired as the supervisor and that she was a dedicated and reliable employee throughout their 27 years of working together.

“Pam was a quiet person who developed strong relationships with the students who worked for us,” said Jacki Galenkamp, mail center supervisor. “When we learned of her passing, Nicole [Duquette] and I gathered with our student workers to share stories, memories, funny moments and tears. We are family. She was family.”

 A celebration of Sands’s life will be held on Monday, Feb. 19, at the Middlebury American Legion from 4-7 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to Homeward Bound, Addison County’s Humane Society at 236 Boardman Street, Middlebury, VT 05753.

Peg Holdman

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — Middlebury notes the death of Marguerite “Peg” S. Holdman, 90, who died on April 10, 2018. Holdman worked at the College from August of 1966 until her retirement in June of 1986. At the time of her retirement, she worked in the Office of the Dean of Students.

“Peggy was a vital member of a small and close-knit group of support staff and three deans. She showed immense pride in her work and her service to the college reflected the highest standards,” said Arlinda Wickland, former Director of Health Professions and STEM at the College. “Peggy’s loyalty and dedication contributed to a warm and collegial working environment—one in which students felt welcomed and at ease. She continued to occupy a special place in the hearts and minds of her colleagues over the many years past her retirement. She will be greatly missed.”

Born in Arlington, VT, Holdman was the daughter of William Oscar and Bessie Louise Labadie Secoy. She grew up in various communities in Vermont and graduated from Middlebury High School. In 1948, she married Maurice “Moose” Provoncha.  She married William P. Holdman in 1972.

Holdman and her husband together developed the William P. Holdman Inc. Trucking Company, a milk transport firm that grew from a single small milk truck to a firm of over 38 trailers and 62 people, serving the milk and dairy business all over the northeast.

Holdman is survived by her daughter, Marcia Provoncha, costume shop director at the Mahaney Center, and daughter Mary Provoncha of Greybull, WY and her son, Charles Provoncha of Minneapolis, MN, and her step-children- Jane Smith of Brandon, VT, Sally Holdman Bellavance of Hardwick, VT, Joan Breen of Ocala, FL, and Susanne Holdman of Bridport, VT, and sister Doris Fisher of Arlington, VT.  She is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren along with many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husbands, as well as her son Joseph Provoncha and step-son Steven Holdman, and her brothers Paul Secoy and Roger Secoy.

A private graveside service and burial will be held in June 2018 in the Seeley District Cemetery.  In lieu of flower's contributions to Addison County Home Health and Hospice Inc. would be welcome.

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Huguette-Laure Knox, the lecturer emerita in French who taught during the academic year in the French Department and during summer sessions of the French School, passed away on May 11 at her home in North Bethesda, Md.
 
Huguette Knox joined the Middlebury College French Department in 1969 and taught until her retirement in 2004. She was a lead teacher when the Language Schools instituted its Intensive Language Program for undergraduates in 1973, and for over 20 years she taught the Introduction to Contemporary France course during the academic year, thereby preparing hundreds of Middlebury students for study in France. Based on what her colleagues called an encyclopedic knowledge of contemporary France, that course also led to publication in France of multiple editions of the textbook Plus ça change: la France entre hier et demain (Hatier-Didier: 1987), coauthored with her husband, College Professor Emeritus of French Edward C. Knox.
 
Madame Knox loved to recall the letter a student sent her, relating that in his first week in Paris he had attended a street demonstration and thanks to her course had understood all the themes and slogans. Never one to keep her opinions unexpressed, she also made The Campus newspaper when she told students if they were planning to study abroad for only one semester, then they would be “tourists.”
 
Huguette’s intellectual curiosity and enthusiasms made her a mainstay at campus lectures, concerts and theatre productions. An ardent traveler and hiker, she returned annually to France while also developing a special affection for the American Southwest. As a gracious host and fine cook, she entertained junior and senior faculty alike, as well as colleagues from across the Language Schools.
 
Middlebury Trustee and former CNN Correspondent Frank Sesno ’77 studied French with Madame Knox and said, “She helped me learn a beautiful language and discover a rich culture when I was a student at Middlebury. I became friends with Huguette and Ed, and Huguette was a source of delight through the years, always with her infectious laugh, her devotion to family, and her passion for her native France.
 
“I think Huguette had a romance with life,” continued Sesno. “She brought energy into every room, wit to any conversation, and a unique perspective to her observations about everything. Her courage and her eloquence through her illness revealed her remarkable strength. I am fortunate beyond words to have known and learned from Huguette Knox in so many ways. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.”
 
Nancy O’Connor, the Lois Watson professor emerita of French, taught alongside Huguette for decades and remarked: "I had come to think of Huguette as a force of nature; it is hard to believe that resilient as she was she has been laid low. Though we didn't always see eye to eye – and who does over 40 years? – she was a generous friend and a demanding and widely respected mentor to her students.”
 
A native of Beaulieu-sur-mer on the French Riviera, she was educated at the Université d’Aix-Marseille, and held the national CAPES degree in English. She came to the United States in 1965, teaching French at the Independent Day School, Durham, Conn., and at the Yale University summer session, where she used early sheets from what would one day become Pierre Capretz’s video-based language course French in Action.
 
Huguette and her husband, Edward, moved to Cleveland in 1966, and taught at Case Western Reserve University for three years. She also served as pedagogical consultant in French with the Educational Research Council.

Huguette’s lucidity and courage during her long illness and difficult treatment were an inspiration to her many friends and family. A devoted spouse, mother and grandmother, she leaves her husband Ed; sons Olivier, of Bethesda, and Christophe, of Paris; daughters-in-law Jennifer Lewis and Gabrielle Laurens; and grandsons Oscar, Félix and Marcel.

A memorial gathering is scheduled for July 22, during the Language Schools' summer session. Gifts in her memory may be made to the Montgomery Hospice of Rockville, Md.

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - Former longtime Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference (BLWC) coordinator Carol Knauss died on May 18, 2018. Carol was hired by the College in 1975 as a secretary for the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. She became a coordinator for the conference and served in that role for the remainder of her career at Middlebury until she retired from the College in 2001.

Carol was born December 16, 1937, in Manhattan, N.Y., the daughter of Albert E. and Martha Eldora (George) Clark. 

“Carol was a steady and unflappable presence during the many years she worked at the Conference,” said Michael Collier, past director of the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. “I will always be grateful to her for the generous way she welcomed me to the College and Bread Loaf when I was hired as director in 1994. She possessed a daunting and encyclopedic memory for the names, faces, and details of Bread Loaf participants. Many past participants will remember the way she accented her attire at Bread Loaf lawn parties with a purse shaped like a loaf of bread. In the years following her retirement she would occasionally return to those parties, arm in purse, with pleasure.”

David Bain, senior lecturer in English and American literatures, said, “Carol was a formidable and defining year-round presence at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference for more than 25 years, always the first to officially greet by letter members of any session’s large Bread Loaf community, whether faculty, lecturers, guests, fellowship and scholarship holders, or contributors (as our adult students are called). Her correspondence duties would have crushed a lesser soul, especially back in the old typewriter days, but she was always warm and welcoming—as opposed to her stern, photocopied edicts about bringing hair dryers that might blow up the campus’s then-antiquated electrical system, or toting in typewriters that might keep neighbors awake in the night. She nurtured many friendships and sensitively smoothed any of the rough spots that inevitably would appear in any mingling of 250 creative souls.”

David added that Carol “was a good friend to me and to my wife Mary Duffy. I think I must have won her friendship with what she called ‘a heroic act’ in my first session at Bread Loaf, August 1980, when I held a fellowship for my first book. Carol somehow locked her keys in her office next to the Blue Parlor in the Inn, there were no extras hanging on the wall behind the front desk, and a cloud of urgency rose around her. I saw possibilities in the transom window above her door, mounted a chair, somehow removed the window, and wormed my way through the opening and fortunately got myself turned around by the time my feet hit the floor. ‘My hero,’ she said, as I triumphantly opened the door.” 

Several other Bread Loaf contributors also shared their memories of Carol below.

Norton Girault:“For many of the 46 years I attended the BLWC, Carol was in charge of a major part of the proceedings. She ran things with love and efficiency. Three images of those years stand out in my memory: the welcoming breakfast I was invited to, during which I and a lucky group sat at Carol’s table; Carol singing with the madrigal group she loved and supported; and Carol on the Inn porch with a tear in her eye waving goodbye to conference participants departing for home by bus and car. I can’t begin to say how much her presence on the mountain meant to me. I will always remember her with love and reverence.” 

Jennifer Calder:“For 25 years as Bread Loaf’s administrator, Carol Knauss made it her mission to create a warm, inclusive community that continues to characterize and distinguish Bread Loaf. Every year, she told me, the curtain comes up on Brigadoon, and for the duration of the conference she maneuvered the ropes and pulleys of micro-level operations and people dynamics to project its seamless performance. 

“Carol’s sincere need to console and commiserate always threatened to betray her assumed mantle of New England propriety. One evening I walked onto the Inn porch after dinner to find her embracing a young woman who had just gotten a breakup letter from her fiancé. Carol, in a cappella soprano, was singing ‘Never have I wandered through the rye, wondering where has some guy gone. . . .’ She enlisted the choral support of the gathering retinue, and by the time the improvised troupe, in raucous solidarity, bellowed, ‘Many a new day will dawn before I do,’ the young woman was smiling through her tears. 

“She ritually rose at 4 a.m. on departure day to see off the first shuttle to Burlington. She said she did it to give them closure to the catharsis of the conference but it was really to bid them safe journey back to their worlds, maybe to breach that fourth wall for a hug—because she would miss them. She knew their names even years later, all of them.

“Carol loved shrimp and double-chocolate desserts. She loved the sparkle of cut glass and the tradition of Christmas. She loved the madrigals and Handel’s Messiah and old Hollywood musicals. She loved people and she loved life. . . . She loved Bread Loaf.”
 
Kathleen Devereaux, BLWC: “I remember Carol as a mainstay of the Bread Loaf Singers, which I believe she founded. In approximately 1991 she drafted Al Hudgins to direct the ensemble, which sang madrigals and modern pieces in four-part harmony. Carol sang alto and her strong voice carried that section.  

“Carol’s wry and mordant wit, contained in her ‘travel tips’ sent to registrants before arriving, conveyed the flavor of the Conference to newcomers. E.g., ‘Vermont is not really at the end of the world. It just seems that way if you are trying to get here.’ And, ‘Coming by train is somewhat complicated and costly. I would recommend that if you have been thinking about it, you stop thinking about it right now and find alternate transportation.’

“Carol was always ready to calm the jitters of conference attendees, whether first timers or veterans. When I wrote her and told her that I had always wanted to attend Bread Loaf, especially since a college mentor, a BVM sister, had encouraged me to apply. I didn’t then, and was unsure about applying in middle age. Had it not been for Carol’s reassurances, I doubt that I would have found the courage to attend in 1996, my first year as a ‘Loafer.’

“An image of Carol remains in my mind from ’96 and ’97, the only years I attended during her tenure. On the last Sunday of the conference, the temperature reminded us, as Carol so often did, that autumn comes early to Vermont. From the earliest departure on, Carol stood in front of the Inn on those frosty mornings, waving goodbye as each van, packed with weary, prematurely nostalgic but newly inspired Bread Loafers, pulled away from the curb.”

Carol was also known for her love of classical music, good Scotch, her dog Hollie, good literature, and traveling to England. Christmas was her favorite time of year.

She is survived by her two children, David Knauss of Bridport and Martha Orvis and her husband Randy of Shoreham; and her two grandchildren, Patrick John Knauss of Morrisville, Vt., and William Christopher Mitchell-Knauss of Rutland. She was predeceased by her parents.

The family would like to thank the staff at Addison County Home Health & Hospice for the great care they provided to Carol. A celebration of Carol’s life will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Vergennes on Friday, June 15, at 11 a.m. Following the burial at the Bridport Cemetery, Carol’s family invites friends and colleagues to join them at the Bridport Masonic Hall nearby. 

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church or to Homeward Bound, Addison County’s Humane Society, at 236 Boardman Street, Middlebury, VT 05753. Online condolences are accepted at sandersonfuneralservice.com.

Kyle Prescott ’49

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Middlebury notes the death of Kyle Prescott ’49, alumnus, former trustee, and  friend of the College, who died May 7, 2018, at the Chartwell Wenleigh Long Term Care Residence in Mississauga, Ontario, at the age of 91. Prescott served on the Board of Trustees from 1978 to 1993, including as vice president from 1984 to 1985 and secretary of the corporation from 1989 to 1993.

In addition to his service on the board, Prescott was a dedicated alumni volunteer, serving for many years as an alumni admissions volunteer, as an officer of the Middlebury Alumni Association, and as host for numerous alumni events. He received the Alumni Plaque in 1976 in recognition of his service to Middlebury, its students, and its alumni.

Walker Kyle Prescott was born in 1927 and raised in Hampstead, suburban Montreal, where he was a talented athlete in several sports. He earned his BA in economics from Middlebury in 1949. At Middlebury, he met his future wife, Eleanor, a member of the Class of 1948. He was a star player on the College’s hockey team as well as a member of the football team and Delta Upsilon fraternity.

Kyle and Eleanor married in 1950 and moved to Montreal where Kyle joined his father’s business, Prescott and Company. Learning the raw materials import business from his father, Prescott grew the company over the next 44 years, eventually moving its headquarters to Mississauga, Ontario, where he passed the business to his sons when he retired.

In 1999, celebrating his 50th Reunion at Middlebury, Prescott reflected on the many blessings in his life, including marrying his “college sweetheart,” watching his three children and six grandchildren grow up, and traveling the world with friends.

“The Middlebury experience greatly shaped and enhanced my life,” Prescott wrote in his Reunion autobiography. “I have never regretted the time spent there and often wish I could do it again, especially with the new facilities and modern equipment. Middlebury College, as well as the town, continues to be a very important part of our lives.”

Prescott’s generous spirit made a lasting impact on Middlebury. In 1980, he and Eleanor made a gift to purchase the clock for the Old Chapel spire. He and Eleanor are also credited with helping launch the National Alumni Admissions Program, which the board in 1993 described as “one of the most important elements in assuring the quality and diversity of our student body.”

As a trustee, Kyle served on 11 different committees, learning about every facet of the College. At the end of his service to the board, the trustees wrote in their Minute Honoring Kyle Prescott, “Whenever and wherever this College has had a need, Kyle Prescott has been there. Often, by the time we found out that we had a need, Kyle had already recognized it, reviewed it, and already had a plan out on the table.” He was named trustee emeritus in 1994, and in 1997 the ADP social house in the Ridgeline area of campus was renamed “Prescott House” in Kyle’s honor.

Prescott is survived by Eleanor, his wife of 68 years; their three children, who are all Middlebury alumni, David ’73, Peter ’76, and Kyle Anne ’77; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Prescott will be buried in Glen Oaks Memorial Gardens in Oakville, Ontario, with a private ceremony.

Andrew Massey

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Andrew Massey, the longtime music director of the Toledo Symphony and conductor since 2009 of the Middlebury College Orchestra, died on June 1 at his home in Vermont after a long battle with cancer. He was 72.

“Andrew possessed a genuinely creative artistic mind, and his brilliant musicianship was appreciated by all who worked with him,” said Jeffrey Buettner, associate professor of music and chair of the Music Department. "His charming and endearing sense of humor further delighted students and audiences."

Professor of Music Peter Hamlin added, “Andrew’s understanding of music and his skill at conveying his vision to the orchestra was transcendent. Add to that deep musical knowledge and experience, engaging wit, and a genuine love of the students’ talents and capacity to learn. He showed the students how even a seemingly insignificant minor part played a vital role in the music.”

Massey was born in England and studied at Oxford University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He also earned a master’s degree in analysis of contemporary composition techniques from the University of Nottingham. He immigrated to the United States in 1978 to become the assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Over the course of his career, Massey served as associate conductor of the San Francisco Symphony, New Orleans Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Fresno Philharmonic, and Oregon Mozart Players. He was resident conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony and music director of the Racine Symphony (WI), and conductor of the Indonesian National Symphony Orchestra in Jakarta. He led the first-ever tour of Italy by a Chinese orchestra, with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, and has guest conducted the orchestras of Pittsburgh, Vancouver, San Diego, Tulsa, Alabama and Iceland; the National Symphony in Washington, D.C.; the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and the Green Mountain Mahler Festival, among others.

Massey was an aficionado of the works of Gustav Mahler, and, according to the Toledo Blade, his Ohio license plate was “MAHLER.” According to his obituary, he had eclectic tastes and talents, leading the Toledo Symphony in contemporary works by composers John Adams and Stanley Cowell.

“His final concert with the Middlebury Orchestra included a performance of a student work that sounded like it could have been a professional orchestra playing music by an established composer,” said Buettner. “Andrew treated musicians with respect, and all music as works of art.”

Andrew Massey is survived by his wife, Sabra; son, Sebastian; and daughter, Robin.

The following announcement was emailed to faculty and staff on Thursday, August 30, from Cheryl Mullins, director of human resources.

Allan Duclos

It is with sadness that I report that employee Allan Duclos passed away on August 26, 2018 in New Haven. Allan started his career at Middlebury College as a seasonal Ice Rink Attendant for the 1995-96 Hockey season, and has been with the College in that capacity ever since.

Allan passed while amongst friends and while working the farm and fields surrounding the home that he built and so loved.  He was born to Robert and Anita Duclos in Middlebury and graduated from Middlebury Union High School. A master craftsman, Allan spent his life creating with his hands and giving endlessly to all of his family and friends. His passion and talent for his trade are exemplified in an untold number of homes and businesses; Allan built and furnished places of character for people he cared about and instilled beauty and love through his craft. Allan worked alongside many crews throughout his life, ultimately maintaining a career for over 13 years with R.K. Miles in Middlebury.

Allan loved the woods, waters, and fields of Vermont - he was an avid angler, hunter, and gardener. He also loved hockey, motorcycles, BBQ, and a bargain deal. His largest passion, however, was giving anything and everything for his sons, family, and friends. Allan is survived by his mother Anita of Middlebury, sons Timothy (Sarah Lang) of Brattleboro, and Brian of Lexington, Virginia, and his siblings, Cairle Ault (Ray) of Proctor, James (Christina Ellison) of Cornwall, Kathleen of Starksboro, Gail Lapierre (Claude) of Shelburne, and sister-in-law Ann McNamara Duclos of New Haven, as well as six nephews and one niece. He was predeceased by his father Robert, his brother David, and his nephew Levi.

“Even though Allan is not physically here his spirit of giving and caring will continue to impact all who knew him”, shared Bill Beaney, former Men’s Ice Hockey Coach and current Golf Coach. “The joy he had in sharing with everyone was contagious. Allan made our world a better place. There won’t be a time I enter the rink that Allan won’t be there.”  Bill Mandigo, Women’s Ice Hockey Coach and Golf Coach, recalled that “Alan was a man who never said no to helping someone, and he always had a smile on his face.”  “Allan was an integral part in having the best ice rink in the country”, shared Butch Atkins, Ice Rink Co-Manager. “A true friend to everyone he knew and will be missed but yet remembered by all.”

“Allan was a special person and will be missed. He was a friend to everyone who worked and competed in Kenyon Arena. He always greeted you with a smile, his signature laugh, and a hand shake”, recalled Neil Sinclair, Men’s Ice Hockey Coach. “You always felt better after you spoke with Allan. We will miss having him at our games and the support he provided the men’s and women’s hockey teams.”  Liza Sacheli, Director of the Mahaney Center for the Arts, shared “Allan was always there to support the hockey community, whether it was working at the Memorial Sports Center, playing with the Monday Knights and the Thursday morning crew, or working in the Zamboni room at the college. Most importantly, though, Allan was a good friend. Generous to a fault, he could usually be found helping out a friend or family member. He also had a great sense of humor and enjoyed joking around in the locker room and on the bench.  We’ll miss his chuckle out on the ice.”

In memory of Allan, it is asked that you pass on the same generosity Allan embodied - to take the time to help those around you. A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, September 1st from 2-4 p.m. at his home at 1725 South Street (Tioli Dr), New Haven.

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Middlebury notes the death of retiree and alumna Barbara Wells, who died on October 14 at Shard Villa in Salisbury, Vt., her home of recent months.

Barbara received her Bachelor’s Degree from Middlebury in 1941. Soon after graduating Barbara returned to her beloved Middlebury College, where she served in numerous administrate appointments for over three decades. In 1946, Barbara was hired as the Alumni Secretary and Placement Director for Women, and in 1952 she was promoted to Director of Admissions for Women, in which capacity she served until the separate admissions offices for men and women were combined in 1964. That year Barbara became the Executive Secretary for the Ford Challenge Program in the Development Office, and in July of 1968 Barbara was appointed to the position of Secretary of the College. In July of 1976, Barbara became a College Loan Officer and she remained in this role until her retirement in 1983 after 37 years of service.

Barbara was born September 16, 1921 in Middlebury to Nellie Mae Barnett Wells and Warden Henry Wells. She graduated from Middlebury High School in 1937, having been home schooled until she entered the high school.  After completing her education at Middlebury College, she took a position as Instructor in Biology at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY from 1943 to 1946.

Throughout her life, Barbara had a deep interest in history of all kinds and volunteered many hours at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. At her death, she was perhaps the oldest member of the Congregational Church of Middlebury, where she served as the Church Historian for many years. She also had a great love of nature, often remarking at the sight of a fawn in her yard, a magnificent fall maple, or a glowing sunset.  

Predeceased by her parents, she is survived by cousins, Susan Goulet and her husband, Raymond of Moorestown, New Jersey and Kathy McCormick and her husband, James, of Keeseville, New York. 

There will be a service in celebration of her life at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 27 at the Congregational Church of Middlebury. In lieu of flowers, gifts in her memory and honor may be made to The Congregational Church, 30 North Pleasant Street, Middlebury, VT  05753.

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Olin C. Robison, the Middlebury College president who increased access to the College with need-blind admissions, grew the international focus of the curriculum, expanded campus facilities, and strengthened Middlebury’s standing around the world, died on October 22, 2018, in Baltimore, Md., with family members by his side. He was 82 years of age.

Robison, who served from 1975 to 1990 as Middlebury’s 13th president, was already an accomplished State Department diplomat and experienced university administrator when at the age of 39 he ascended to the presidency. During his 15 years in Old Chapel, Robison propelled Middlebury to the forefront of America’s liberal arts colleges with his leadership, vision, public speaking, and fund-raising.

Following James I. Armstrong, the Middlebury president who served during the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and Watergate, the Robison era was a more stable time for colleges and the country. As president he increased the size of the faculty, directed a successful $80-million capital campaign, established the School in Russia and the summer Arabic School, built Coffrin Residence Hall, converted the College Street School into Twilight Hall, started the first-year seminar program, and broke ground for the Center for the Arts.

The official portrait of Olin Robison by American artist Jack Beal, hangs in the Middlebury College Museum of Art.

Time after time he demonstrated two qualities that made him a transformational president. First, he was remarkably decisive. He refused to allow his presidency “be a period of drift” for the College. As Robison remarked, “Academic institutions are notoriously indecisive, but I think we made decisions… If [my tenure of office] has been a period of unparalleled progress and growth for the College, it’s in large part because we’ve made [the difficult] decisions.”

And second, as a nationally recognized expert in foreign affairs, particularly on U.S.-Soviet relations, Robison advanced the College’s reputation via the abundant news coverage he received. Whether in print or on radio or television, the commentator Robison always insisted that he be identified as the President of Middlebury College. “In the past 15 years I think we’ve raised the public image of the College dramatically nationwide. What has my role been?” Robison asked. “I can get us air time. And that gets more recognition for Middlebury College.”

Middlebury College accrued more than just recognition during his presidency. As College Historian David Stameshkin writes in The Strength of the Hills, “Robison succeeded in making Middlebury a more exciting place and improving its self-confidence… During much of the 1980s, the College was able to make important gains in faculty compensation and size, and in improving the physical plant. The malaise of the 1970s was briefly transformed into an exciting era of construction, renovation, growth, and raised expectations.”

John M. McCardell Jr., Middlebury’s 15th president, was a member of the faculty and a senior administrator during Robison’s tenure of office. He said, “Olin brought an international perspective to an institution ready to broaden its reach and raise its profile. He brought also a distinctive eloquence in articulating the story of the Middlebury, which he once described, with perspicacity, as ‘an international university masquerading as a liberal arts college.’

“Olin saw things in Middlebury, and in many of us, that we did not at first see in ourselves. He nurtured those things, sought support for those things, and, when he stepped down, left to his successors an institution stronger and more confident because of his efforts. The measure of his influence is yet to be fully determined. It is that way with venerable institutions and also with their leaders. The long view will undoubtedly give him the credit he is due and for which generations to come will be indebted to him.”

Olin Clyde Robison was born in Anacoco, La., on May 12, 1936, grew up in Port Arthur, Texas, and graduated from Baylor University in 1958 with a bachelor’s degree in history, religion, and philosophy. While doing graduate work in theology and ethics at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1958 to 1960, he also served as pastor of a rural Baptist church in central Texas. In 1959 he married the former Sylvia M. Potter

Robison studied church history at Oxford University in the early 1960s, joined the Oxford Preaching Society, and served the U.S. Air Force as a civilian auxiliary chaplain in England. He earned his doctor of philosophy (D. Phil.) degree in 1963, returned to Texas, and served one year as dean of students at San Marcos Academy before accepting an administrative post with the Peace Corps in Washington.

In 1966 Robison was named special assistant to the deputy undersecretary of state. He was the State Department’s representative on the Rusk Commission (concerned with domestic intelligence matters), coordinated special projects, travelled abroad on assignment, served as a department spokesperson, and acted as liaison between the State Department and other branches of federal government.

The appeal of college life drew Olin and Sylvia Robison and their growing family to Connecticut where, in 1968, Robison accepted the post of associate provost for social sciences at Wesleyan University. While at Wesleyan he remained a consultant to the State Department and assisted in a comprehensive analysis of U.S. foreign policy. He also began a seven-year relationship with the Atlantic Information Centre for Teachers, based in London.

In 1970 the Robisons moved up the Atlantic coast to Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Me., where he was named provost, dean of faculty, and senior lecturer in public affairs – three positions that he held until ascending to the Middlebury presidency in 1975. The decade also saw him expand his foreign-affairs portfolio with election to the Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Council, and two London-based organizations: the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Royal Institute of International Affairs. His travels took him to the Soviet Union, the U.K., Germany, Belgium, France, and Canada.

At his Middlebury inauguration in November 1975, he identified three major priorities: redefining the curriculum, expanding library facilities, and increasing the College’s capacity to extend financial aid to students from middle-class families. Two months later he told the trustees that he also wanted to increase salaries to combat inflation and remain competitive; provide more funds for faculty travel and research; and renovate classrooms and living spaces on campus.

Historian Stameshkin said, “Robison succeeded remarkably well in accomplishing all these tasks and achieved other advances as well: curricular and program development, a larger faculty, redesign of the administrative structure, improvement and modernization of the physical plant, and changes in the admissions and student services areas. [He] helped raise substantial funds in pursuit of these goals and spurred unprecedented media coverage of Middlebury’s progress.”

He considered one of his most significant achievements to be the establishment in 1987 of the American Collegiate Consortium for East-West Cultural and Academic Exchange. This brought Soviet undergraduates to study in the United States, which was almost unheard-of even in the waning days of the Soviet Union.

When Robison announced on October 6, 1989, his intention to step down from the presidency the next year, he said, “I look forward to teaching. I look forward to being a member of the community. And I look forward to having weekends off.”

He took a one-year sabbatical in 1990-91 and returned to Middlebury as College Professor teaching seminars for first-year students and seniors. Later in 1991 he was named president of the Salzburg Global Seminar and shortly thereafter he moved the American headquarters of that non-profit organization from Cambridge, Mass., to Middlebury.

In 2000, the year of the College’s bicentennial, Middlebury conferred an Honorary Doctor of Laws to Robison, who shared the stage at Commencement with Nobel Prize winner Lech Walesa and PBS journalist Gwen Ifill. “During your 15 years as president,” the honorary degree citation read, “Middlebury reached new heights of national and international prominence.”

Robison devoted his full energies to the Seminar until he stepped down in 2005, but even in retirement he was never far from the public eye. Up until a few years ago, his voice was still heard delivering insightful commentaries on Vermont Public Radio on topics ranging from prehistoric art to bi-partisanship in Washington to the politics of climate change.

He is survived by three sons: Gordon, a journalist with Al Jazeera English based in Doha, Qatar; Blake, the artistic director of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and his wife, Connan Morrissey; and Mark, professor of clinical education and history as well as chair of the Global Executive Doctor of Education Program in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California, and his wife Elizabeth Power Robison. He is also survived by grandchildren Halle, Mallory, Declan, Callum and Leah; great-grandchild Logan; and his sister Sandra Nabours (Bob).

Olin Robison’s marriage to the former Sylvia Potter ended in divorce in 1996. He enjoyed a loving relationship with his partner of a decade Marlie Rieder, and spent the past seven years of his life with his companion and caregiver Connie Sophocles.

A celebration of life will be held in Middlebury at a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to the Project on Religion and Public Policy at the Centre for Christianity and Culture at Regent’s Park College, Oxford University.