1970s
Ford Kent Boveroux ’71
Ford Kent Boveroux ’71, a financial analyst and manager, was born on Jan. 9, 1949, in Essex Fells, N.J. The son of George Boveroux and the former Sylvia Sayre, he prepared for college at West Essex High School. While on the Hill, Boveroux captained the squash and tennis teams and joined Emerson Literary Society and WHCL-FM, where he served as treasurer.
After graduating with a concentration in mathematics, he spent two years in retail management at 84 Lumber Co. “to gain some experience outside of the ivory tower” before attending the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He earned his M.B.A. in 1976. During that time, he married Melissa Sands on June 8, 1973.
Boveroux spent two years consulting with Price Waterhouse & Co. in Memphis before working in various positions in finance throughout his career. He moved to Wisconsin in 1978, where he joined the Kimberly-Clark Corp., first in Appleton, Wis., and then in Munising, Mich., for 15 years. After his time at Kimberly-Clark, he spent time at home raising his children. Before retirement, he worked with entrepreneurs helping to create small businesses.
Active in his community, Boveroux cofounded clubs for cross-country skiing, running, bicycling and astronomy, and helped rebuild computers for special-needs children. He enjoyed bird watching and camping, and assisted with North High School drama productions. He also learned to play the bagpipes, presuming that no one could tell if he were playing the wrong notes.
Regarding how his Hamilton experience prepared him for his career, he once noted: “Courses such as in mathematics, logic and philosophy taught me to explore interrelationships of ideas in a logical manner, both backwards to underlying assumptions and forwards to possible consequences, and to modify ideas accordingly. This ability helps me significantly in evaluating, challenging, developing and presenting proposals.”
F. Kent Boveroux died on Feb. 18, 2016, at the age of 67. He is survived by his wife and two children, including Chris Boveroux ’08. He was predeceased by two brothers, George Boveroux ’56 and Brooks Boveroux ’65.
Donald Edwin McCauley, Jr., ’71
Donald Edwin McCauley, Jr., ’71, who devoted his professional life to helping others, was born on April 28, 1949, in Staten Island, N.Y., the only child of Donald E. McCauley, Sr., an audit manager, and the former Anne Kelly, a teacher. He was raised in Syracuse, N.Y., and graduated from Christian Brothers Academy in nearby DeWitt.
On the Hill, McCauley was a member of Chi Psi and pursued his love of foreign languages by majoring in French. A member of the Credit List, the French Club and the House of the Good Shepherd program, he intended on pursuing a career in teaching or foreign service. At Hamilton he also met his future wife, Irene Swansiger K’71, whom he got to know while studying in France during his junior year abroad. They were married on Nov. 24, 1973.
After graduation, McCauley earned a master’s degree in French at Middlebury College. He lived in France until 1974 when he and Irene joined the Peace Corps, spending 1974 to 1977 serving in Morocco. Their work centered on vocational education, training women to develop skills that would allow them to support themselves. The couple returned to the States and set up residence in Washington, D.C., where Don worked for the Office of Personnel Management. He developed tests given to applicants for government employment, showing an expertise in eliminating various biases in the questions.
McCauley was a skilled linguist who spoke Spanish and Portuguese as well as French. He also had a working knowledge of Arabic. More recently, he earned a second master’s degree, this one in social work from -Virginia Commonwealth University. Patients in hospice care were the focus of his second career. Sadly, McCauley was himself diagnosed with cancer during this time; doctors told him he had only a few months to live. Don, however, defied that prognosis, courageously battling the cancer for two-and-a-half years before succumbing to the disease.
Donald E. McCauley, Jr. died on Oct. 30, 2015, at age 66. Although he and Irene had divorced and she had relocated to Chicago, they remained good friends. She returned to Virginia to care for him faithfully in his final illness. The College has no information on other survivors.
Thomas Dickson III ’73
Thomas Dickson III ’73, an insurance claims manager and high school soccer coach, was born on Aug. 31, 1950, in Bridgeton, N.J., the son of Thomas Dickson, Jr., a businessman, and Natalie Bruce Harrison. He graduated from the St. Peter’s School in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., before enrolling at Hamilton, where he was a member of Alpha Delta Phi, played soccer and JV hockey, and majored in government.
Dickson worked for 25 years for the Prudential Insurance Co. of America in Linwood, N.J., and subsequently for Cornerstone Records in Swedesboro, N.J. Continuing his love of soccer fostered at Hamilton, he coached his children and became freshman soccer coach at Haddonfield (N.J.) Memorial High School in 2002. Even after he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), he continued as an assistant, eventually while in a wheelchair. To some, the lessons he taught went beyond the playing field. “I can’t imagine going through what he had to go through with more grace,” Haddonfield varsity soccer coach Ryan Nixon said in a report on philly.com. “He had this beautiful balance of being able to coach and challenge kids, but at same time you knew he cared very much.”
Dickson’s passion for soccer was matched only by the love for his family. Having married Gloria Mosconi in April 1980, the couple raised a son and twin daughters; Gloria died in 1998. In 2002, he married Rebecca Malcarney, raising her son, Joey, as his own. The Dicksons also raised bichon frises, which they named for baseball stars. The ashes of one of their recently deceased dogs, Pokey (so-called after Cincinnati Reds infielder Pokey Reese), were added to Dickson’s per his request.
Dickson and his Hamilton roommate, Michael Murphy of New Hampshire, remained best friends throughout their lives. “We just got along. It was ham and eggs,” Murphy recalled in the same philly.com article. “His grace and honesty are a benchmark in my life.”
Thomas Dickson III died on Feb. 28, 2016, at the age of 65. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children.
David King Backus ’75
David King Backus ’75, a professor of finance and economics, was born on April 1, 1953, in Allegheny, Pa., a son of the former Marjorie North and John Backus ’47, a chemist. He grew up in Pittsburgh and graduated in 1971 from North Allegheny High School before attending Hamilton, where he majored in economics, graduating with Phi Beta Kappa honors.
Having earned a National Science Foundation fellowship for graduate study, Backus received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1981 and taught at Queen’s University and the University of British Columbia. He also served at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and was a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research.
In 1990, he began his -distinguished career as a teacher/scholar by joining the faculty of New York University’s Stern School of Business, where he was the Heinz Riehl Professor of Economics until his death. While at Stern, Backus also served for seven years as the vice dean for faculty and as chair of the economics and accounting departments.
A renowned economist, Backus pioneered a new approach to international macro-economics, “infusing it with tools from finance,” according to a published obituary. He thereby shaped understanding of monetary policy, exchange rate behavior and international finance. His work on asset -markets, with a wide variety of authors, helped lay the foundation for new research at the intersection of macroeconomics and finance.
Professor Backus was much loved by students and colleagues alike for his strength of character, his generosity and kindness, and his sharp wit. Driven by his deep intellectual curiosity and love of teaching, “Dave was never happier than when he could bring people together socially to share a beer and talk about research and ideas,” the obituary noted. True to his roots in Pittsburgh, he remained a devoted fan of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins.
David K. Backus, who co-authored his first published journal article in 1976 with Derek Jones, Hamilton’s Irma M. and Robert D. Morris Professor of Economics, died of leukemia on June 12, 2016, in New York City at age 63. He is survived by his wife and high-school sweetheart, Marilyn Jason, whom he had married in 1988; and a son and a daughter.
Ann Louise Stewart K’77
Ann Louise Stewart K’77, a museum professional and photographer, was born in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 15, 1955, the daughter of Ruth and Milo Stewart Sr., the assistant director of the New York State Historical Association. She grew up in Cooperstown, N.Y., and later enrolled at Kirkland College, where she received her bachelor’s degree in American studies. While on the Hill she participated in the Choir and spent her junior year abroad with a program in London.
In 1978, Annie Stewart earned a master’s degree in museum studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program, a program associated with the State University of New York at Oneonta and the New York State Historical Association that trains museum leaders. She was also a National Museum Art fellow.
Stewart moved to New York City in 1977, where she became a director of a photographic library of several million images and worked with photojournalists from around the world. According to a published obituary, she shared the love for photography with her father and an appreciation for the textile arts, food and an aesthetic of balance with her mother. She married Russell Honicker, a photographer, in 1989.
In 2002, Stewart moved back to Cooperstown and began working at the Cooperstown Graduate Program, where she shared her photography skills with students. She was also editor of the program’s alumni newsletter and ran day-to-day operations at the Historical Society of Early American Decoration. She participated in local groups such as the Friends of Music and Art and the Fly Creek Philharmonic, and organized fundraisers for scholarships for Cooperstown Central School art students.
Stewart loved to sing with her friends and was known as a gourmet cook. With her passion for plants, she created what some called the most memorable garden in Cooperstown, hearkening back to the days in New York City where she was also a beloved teacher at the Children’s Garden in the Bronx Botanical Gardens.
Ann L. Stewart died at age 60 at her mother’s home in Cooperstown on May 1, 2016, following a year-long battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband and a son.
Alison Jasper Honn ’79
Alison Jasper Honn ’79, an art appraiser specialist, was born in Summit, N.J., on Oct. 19, 1956, the daughter of Alyce and Francis Honn. She lived in Greenwich, Conn., for a major part of her childhood and graduated from Greenwich Academy in 1974. At school, she excelled at German and history, and played on the varsity field hockey team, eventually serving as its captain.
Jasper, as she was known on the Hill, first attended Kirkland College in 1974 and graduated from Hamilton in 1979 after the two colleges merged. She majored in art history and wrote her senior thesis on American colonial design and furniture. While matriculated in Clinton, she also studied abroad, expanding her knowledge of both art and languages. She participated in the Experiment in International -Living in Italy and lent her talents to the Daily Bull while at the College.
After graduation Honn joined Sotheby’s, the prestigious international auction firm with global headquarters in New York City. A published obituary noted that Sotheby’s nurtured her pursuit of a lifelong passion for antiques and art galleries. She spent her business career with the company in various positions, including vice president of estate services and director of the appraisal division. She travelled widely for both work and pleasure, and remained a lover of the arts and nature throughout her life.
Alison Jasper Honn died at age 59 on March 22, 2016, in Norwalk, Conn. She is survived by her father, two brothers, a sister and several nieces and nephews.
