Dear Faculty, Students, and Staff,
A little over a year ago, I had the pleasure of recognizing the Samuel F. Pratt Professor of Mathematics and Statistics Debra Boutin when she retired after 25 years of teaching at Hamilton. Today, I’m deeply saddened to announce that Debra died yesterday after being recently diagnosed with cancer.
Debra’s life was one marked by service – to her country, to her students, to her colleagues, and to the communities where she lived and worked.
Her first career was serving as a naval officer. After high school, she spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy and U.S Naval Reserves. She worked as a research adjunct for the Institute for Defense Analyses/Center for Communications Research, and as a consultant and research fellow for the Office of Naval Research. Debra subsequently resumed her studies, with support from the G.I. Bill, at Springfield Technical Community College, before going on to receive her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in 1991 from Smith College where she was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1998.
After a year as a visiting assistant professor, Debra moved to Clinton to continue her second career by serving as a teacher and role model for students, generous and thoughtful mentor to her peers, and as an engaged and invested member of the community at the College. She arrived in 1999 as an assistant professor, was promoted to associate professor in 2005, professor in 2010, and was named the Samuel F. Pratt Professor of Mathematics in 2019.
Her interests focused on graph theory, geometric graph theory, and group theory. She advised approximately 20 students each year, mentored tenure-track faculty, served on major College committees, organized weekly lunches for “newish” faculty members in the sciences, was elected to chair the faculty in 2019-20, and hosted regular ‘salons’ at her home.
Students spoke of a wonderful teacher and mentor who set high standards in her classes. Said one, “At times, her class can be strict and difficult, but every struggle is designed to help us grow in our understanding.” Added another, “Professor Boutin set high standards for her students and gave us the tools to meet these standards.”
Last year, when recognizing Debra’s retirement, I quoted some of her colleagues. Courtney remembered first encountering Debra’s work on determining numbers as an undergraduate and how “it was surreal to meet [Debra] at [her] campus interview years later, and then to learn over time how [their] mathematical journeys intersected;” Michelle called Debra “a warm, welcoming, and helpful colleague;” Saber Ahmed said she was “a mentor and a role model;” and Sally Cockburn remembered Debra for “selfless collaboration with, and mentoring of other scholars.” Of special note, Sally called attention to the informal biweekly “Research Bull Sessions” Debra organized for all members of the department to share problems they were working on, or to work together to learn a new research topic.
Following her retirement last summer and before her cancer diagnosis, Debra volunteered to serve on the boards of the Kirkland Town Library and the Kirkland Art Center. I recall meeting Debra early in the morning at Utica Coffee a few times this past year, and listening to her excitedly talking about the things she was doing in her retirement. Debra is survived by her daughter, Holly Lynn Boutin Alexander, her daughter’s wife Amber Fox, her granddaughter Mia-Faye Downham, and the children (Matt, Nick, and Beth) and grandchildren of her late husband Mike Albertson.
On behalf of Hamilton, I extend the College’s sincerest condolences to Debra’s family, colleagues in the Mathematics and Statistics Department and elsewhere on campus, and all the students invited into Math by her skillful approach to instruction.
Debra set high standards and was strong-willed in her professional life. Both of these strengths shaped how she chose to face her cancer diagnosis and prognosis. As we struggle with the pain of Debra’s passing, I hope we find some comfort in the knowledge that in the time we shared with her, she gave us the tools to cope and grow in our understanding of the ways to face the end of a life well-lived.
A memorial event will be held on campus in the fall.
Posted August 21, 2025
