Necrology
Michael John Gillespie '58
Sep. 7, 1936-Dec. 15, 2022
Michael John Gillespie ’58, P’84,’85,’88 died at home in Weston, Mass., on Dec. 15, 2022. Born on Sept. 7, 1936, in Oliphant, Pa., Michael and his family would later move to Glenside, near Philadelphia. Michael came to Hamilton from Abington Senior High School. On the Hill, he majored in English and was a member of Psi Chi fraternity.
On both the Freshman Council and the Spanish Club, he was also a volunteer at the Infirmary during his first two years. He joined the Campus Fund as a sophomore and worked on The Continental as a senior. In his junior year, he was appointed to Nous Onze.
Six days after graduating, in June 1958, Michael married Norma Fiss, a pianist and cellist whom he had known since high school. They moved to Jenkintown, Pa., where they would have a daughter and three sons.
In the summer of 1957, Michael worked for a publisher of business magazines and was hired there full time after graduating. In 1973, he established his own business, Walker-Davis Publications, a controlled-circulation publisher focusing on issues concerning plant engineering and energy management. In 1986, he sold the business to Macmillan Publishing Co., and he and Norma divided their time between Ganoga Lake, Pa., where his family had summered for a number of years, and Sanibel Island, Fla. Michael continued to work part time as a publishing consultant until 1992, when he fully retired and Sanibel became their permanent home. Michael was actively involved in the community’s political and civic life as a member of its Committee of the Islands. Concurrently, Norma volunteered with BIG Arts, which runs the Sanibel Island Cultural Arts Center.
In 2004, they moved to Deland, Fla., where they became immersed in the cultural life of the city and Stetson University. Norma accompanied voice majors at the university’s School of Music and performed as cellist in various chamber music groups. Both she and Michael attended concerts and other university events. The school’s baseball team was a contender, known for defeating major universities such as Notre Dame and Florida State. The Gillespies became, in Michael’s words, “season-ticket-holding fanatics.” Their home continued to be a destination for family visits.
Sadly, Norma died in 2014. Several years later, Michael left Florida for Weston, Mass., to be near family, and made the senior living community of Maplewood at Weston his home.
For Michael, several Hamilton faculty members provided a formative education, especially Professor of English George Nesbitt, Class of 1924, who cultivated skills in critical thinking and persuasive writing. Michael recounted in his 50th reunion yearbook: “He was a brilliant teacher, and I am in his debt for what I have done well and have done right.” He also praised Professor John Blyth for his course in logic, Professor of English Robert “Bobo” Rudd, Class of 1909, for his friendship and love of literature, and, not surprisingly, the College’s commitment to the cultivation of skills in public speaking. His devotion to Hamilton included encouraging three of his four children to attend it. The fourth went to Amherst College.
Michael J. Gillespie is predeceased by his wife and their son Kevin L. Gillespie ’88. He is survived by three children, including son Paul G. Gillespie ’84 and daughter Anne E. Gillespie ’85, Paul’s wife Susan Fowley Gillespie ’86, and nine grandchildren.
