In Memoriam
Harvey Mudd College celebrates and remembers the lives and achievements of community members.
Iris Cummings Critchell
Iris Cummings Critchell, instructor of aeronautics emerita at Harvey Mudd College, pioneering female pilot in the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), Olympic athlete and beloved mentor to students, passed away Jan. 24, 2025, in Claremont, California.
Olivia Guerrero ’25
The Harvey Mudd community mourns the profound loss of Olivia Guerrero ’25, a bright, compassionate and fiercely dedicated student who formed meaningful connections with those around her.
Arjun Vattipalli ’27
The Harvey Mudd community grieves the loss of Arjun Vattipalli ‘27. An exceptional student and a kind, supportive friend who touched the lives of many across the 5C campuses, Arjun passed away on Oct. 22.
Courtney Coleman
The Harvey Mudd College community mourns the loss of Courtney Coleman, beloved emeritus professor of mathematics, who died on Dec. 2, 2023 at the age of 93.
Gary Evans
Gary Evans, emeritus professor of economics at Harvey Mudd College, died Sept. 20 after a long period of illness. Evans long championed entrepreneurship at Harvey Mudd College, where, from 1981 to 2020, he served as professor of economics in the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts.
Deren Finks
Dean of Admission Emeritus Deren Finks, who admitted hundreds of students during his 17-year tenure at Harvey Mudd College, passed away April 18, 2023. Finks joined the College’s new admission office in 1988 under then admission director Duncan Murdoch.
Hank Krieger
Hank Krieger, beloved colleague and mentor, died June 29. During his 37 years at Harvey Mudd College, he had many leadership roles on campus, including chair of the Department of Mathematics and chair of the faculty.
Robert J. Cave
The Harvey Mudd College community mourns the loss of respected chemist, distinguished teacher and widely recognized scholar Robert J. Cave who died Dec. 18, 2020. Known for his hearty laugh and his welcoming and congenial manner, Cave served on the Harvey Mudd faculty for 32 years.
James Edward Monson
Professor Emeritus of Engineering Jim Monson died Jan. 1, 2021 at his home in Point Reyes, surrounded by his three children and Julie, his wife of 65 years. He led a full life of teaching, research, caring for his family and volunteering in the communities he lived in.
Bob Keller
The Harvey Mudd College community mourns the loss of Robert (Bob) Keller, who died Sept. 13. Bob was an internationally recognized computer scientist with corporate and academic experience as a technical leader, researcher, educator and administrator.
Richard (Dick) G. Olson
The Harvey Mudd College community mourns the loss of physicist, historian and Harvey Mudd alumnus Richard G. Olson, who died June 27. Former chair of the faculty and chair of the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts, Olson was a prolific writer with more than 60 published works in the history of science.
Willie Zuniga ’17
The Harvey Mudd community mourns the loss of Willie Zuniga ’17, a talented physics major, mentor, leader and friend to many. Zuniga passed away on Feb. 2. Willie was passionate about understanding the universe and was pursuing a career in astrophysics.
Tristan Witte ’18
The Harvey Mudd community mourns the loss of Harvey Mudd College engineering student Tristan Witte ’18, 20, a talented athlete, musician and scholar, who passed away in a car accident July 15 along with his friend JJ Adkisson, 20, a graphic design student at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia.
Clive Dym
Harvey Mudd College engineering Professor Emeritus Clive L. Dym passed away during the early morning hours of May 3, 2016. Dym joined Harvey Mudd in 1991 as the inaugural holder of the Fletcher Jones Design Chair, where he developed innovative strategies and paradigms that transformed design education in the United States and around the world.
Harry Williams
Harvey Mudd College engineering Professor Emeritus Harry E. Williams Jr. passed away suddenly at Pomona Valley Hospital on Sept. 23 from complications following a stroke. Williams joined Harvey Mudd in 1960 as a professor of physics, pending an opening in the Department of Engineering.
Hank Riggs
Henry E. (“Hank”) Riggs, past president of Harvey Mudd College, former vice president for development at Stanford University, founder and first president of Keck Graduate Institute, died at his home in Palo Alto on June 10, after a brief illness.
Sedat Serdengecti
Harvey Mudd College engineering Professor Emeritus Sedat Serdengecti died Nov. 30, 2014, following a heart attack. He was 87. Professor Serdengecti joined Harvey Mudd in 1961 as an assistant professor of physics then moved to the Department of Engineering in 1963 as one of its first faculty members.
Bob Borrelli
Robert “Bob” L. Borrelli, a longtime faculty member, campus leader and friend of Harvey Mudd College died Sept. 11, 2013 at the age of 81, following a short period of declining health.
Jean Ferguson Platt
Jean Ferguson Platt, founding first lady of Harvey Mudd College, passed away on Feb. 18 in Claremont, Calif. She was 91.
Malcolm Lewis ’67
Malcolm Lewis ’67, internationally recognized expert in the design of energy-efficient buildings and past chair of the board of trustees of Harvey Mudd College, died Saturday October 13, 2012 at the age of 66.
Ben Huppe ’14
Ben will be remembered as a campus leader. He shared the presidency of the Class of 2014 with Jack Ma ’14 for both their freshman and sophomore years. In the coming year, he was to have been both a mentor and a dorm president for Sontag.
Joe Platt
With sadness, Harvey Mudd College mourns the loss of founding president Joseph B. Platt who passed away peacefully at his home in Claremont on July 10, 2012. He is remembered with deep affection and appreciation by all of us.