Farewells

Davis Taylor died on September 8th, at age 73. Davis taught English at Carleton from 1969 until 1987. He was known as a dedicated and caring teacher and a colleague who brought new ideas and fresh approaches to teaching. After he left Carleton, Davis had a counseling practice and followed his passion for writing poetry.

Anne Patrick died July 21st, at home in Silver Spring, Maryland, after a valiant battle with cancer. She was 75 years old. Anne taught Religion at Carleton from 1980 until her retirement in 2009 as the William H. Laird Professor of Religion and the Liberal Arts, Emerita. She was a highly respected professor, teaching a wide range of courses on Christianity, including courses on Catholicism, Ethics, Liberation Theology, Religion and Literature, and Women and Religion.

Eleanor Zelliot died June 5th at home in Randolph, MN, surrounded by loving friends and family. She was 89 years old. Eleanor taught History at Carleton from 1969 until her retirement in 1997 as the Laird Bell Professor of History emerita. Generations of students fell in love with India through her classes, learning to cook and eat Indian food at her house, experiencing Indian culture through the many events she organized, or traveling with her to Pune, India.

Kathy Tezla died on May 6th after a long battle with cancer. Kathy came to Carleton in 1999, serving as the first Head of Collection Development for Gould Library until 2014. She worked closely with academic departments and individual faculty members to develop the library collection in support of the College’s curriculum. She also developed the library’s first policies for the systematic collection of electronic resources. In both of these endeavors she began formal coordination of our collection and policies with those of the St. Olaf Library.

Former President and Professor David Porter passed away on Friday, March 25 in Saratoga Springs, New York. He was 80 years old. Porter taught classics and music at Carleton from 1962-1987 and served as Carleton’s eighth President from 1986-1987. He went on to serve as president of Skidmore College from 1987-1999.

Graham Kimble, age 85, died on March 2nd in Casper, Wyoming. Graham worked at Carleton from 1964–1980 as an instructor in Mathematics, Director of Data Processing, Director of the Computer Center, and Director of Computing Activities. He helped students, administrative offices, and academic departments learn about and use computers in innovative ways.

Zach Mitchell, class of 2017, died on January 29. Zach had been battling cancer and was currently on leave from the College. Zach grew up in nearby Dundas. He entered Carleton in the fall of 2012 and quickly fell in love with the campus and the people; greatly enjoying and adding to the mix of thoughtful, smart, kind, and fun-loving Carls. Among other activities, Zach participated in CANOE and Model UN and his goal in life was to earn a PhD from Oxford University and return to Carleton in 10 years as a Geology professor.

Rising sophomore Zach Brokaw ’18, of Woodstock, Illinois, was killed in an automobile accident on Saturday, June 20, 2015. Zach was an impressive and engaging young man. He lived on third Nourse, wrote elegantly for the Carletonian, and loved his student job on the helpdesk and as a tech support assistant with Information Technology Services. He had a passion for nature, especially birds and birding, and had been selected to work as a student naturalist with the Cowling Arboretum’s Cole Naturalist Program this fall. Zach was also a member of the Climate Justice Coalition and the Tae Kwon Do Club.

Roger Kirchner, 78, died at home on Tuesday, March 31st. A brilliant 1958 Carleton graduate, Roger returned to campus to teach Mathematics here for 38 years. He began as an Instructor in Mathematics in 1962 and retired as an emeriti Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science in 2000. Colleagues describe Roger as a mathematician’s mathematician. He was broadly trained and interested, the person other faculty could go to for help in almost any area of math. Roger was an inventive teacher, helping students learn how mathematicians think and approach problems, and thus preparing them very well for advanced work in math. He was dependable and supportive of all the activities in the department, a cohesive force in a department admired for its togetherness.