57
1962
Clinton Sheppard Hirst
an English professor, sports fan, devoted
family man, and devotee of the band the
Eagles, died on November 13, 2014. He
was 70.
Mr. Hirst was born in Cheyenne, Wyom-
ing, on January 5, 1944, the third child
and only son of Edward and Mary Ann
Hirst. The family, which included older
sisters Helen and Carol, spent summers
at Cheley Camp in the Rocky Mountains.
At St. Paul’s, Mr. Hirst was a member
of the Attendance Committee, the Span-
ish Club, La Junta, and he wrote for the
Pelican
. He played baseball for Old Hund-
red and was a two-year member of the
JV basketball team before making varsity
as a Sixth Former. He also participated in
club soccer. He formed friendships easily
and enjoyed his classmates. St. Paul’s
became a home away from home for
him since his family lived so far away.
He was always grateful to the School
because he said his teachers would not
allow him to fail.
Mr. Hirst attended the University of
Notre Dame, earning a B.A., and, even-
tually, his Ph.D. in English from the
school. Prior to returning to Notre Dame
for his doctorate, Mr. Hirst earned a
master’s from the University of Michigan.
He spent 40 years as an English professor
at the University of Detroit Mercy, where
he specialized in 19th century English
literature and started an honors program,
which continues to this day. Mr. Hirst
loved the classics and counted Dickens,
Eliot, Hardy, Keats, and Austen among
his favorite authors – to read and teach.
In 1974, Mr. Hirst married Joan M. Lang
and the two settled in Michigan. Together
they raised two children, Amanda, born
in in 1983, and Adam, born in 1985. Mr.
Hirst enjoyed spending time with his
children, camping and being outdoors.
His wife remembers fondly their family
dinners out on Friday nights when the kids
were young and her husband’s wry sense
of humor. Mr. Hirst liked to tell people
that, in response to the gasoline crisis of
the 1970s, he did his part to conserve fuel
by trading in his El Camino and buying a
two-seater sports car.
Mr. Hirst pursued many passions out-
side of his work. He enjoyed golf, reading,
and outdoor activities, including canoeing
and fishing. He was an active member in
the Alcoholics Anonymous brotherhood.
He followed sports passionately, with
special interest in the fates of teams rep-
resenting Detroit and Notre Dame. He
was a big fan of the Eagles and these
Don Henley lyrics describe Mr. Hirst’s
philosophy: “To want what I have. . . . To
take what I’m given, with grace. . . . For
this I pray.”
On retirement, the Hirsts traveled
extensively, including taking a river tour
through Russia, a Mayan Riviera Cruise,
and exploring the Panama Canal. They
visited New England and also spent a lot
of time enjoying the many national parks
created in the Western United States.
Mr. Hirst is survived by his wife, Joan;
his daughter, Amanda Lang Hirst Davids,
her husband, Timothy, and their daughter,
Emily; his son, Adam Lang Hirst; his
sisters, Helen Christie and Carol Smith,
and their families; his dog, Yoda; and his
cat, Shea.
1962
Alexander “Zander” Harvey
Whitman Jr.
was a self-
described
curmudgeon.
But, to those
who knew him,
he was regarded
as a warm and
funny gentleman,
who held many
interests and
was a great lover of cats and dogs.
Mr. Whitman died on June 20, 2014,
at his home in Bremerton, Wash., two
and a half years after being diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer. He was 70.
Born on May 23, 1944, in Boston, Mass.,
“Zander” was the eldest of five children
of Alexander H. Whitman ’37 and Sylvia
Choate Whitman. He attended the Law-
rence School in Hewlett, N.Y., before
entering St. Paul’s as a Third Former.
He liked contact sports, particularly
hockey, and belonged to the School’s
literary organizations. After graduating
from St. Paul’s with honors in physics,
he ignored his father’s wish that he
attend Harvard and instead went to
work as a laborer in a Navy shipyard.
Mr. Whitman eventually ended up at
Lehigh University. He was most inter-
ested in math and physics, but loathed
foreign languages. Since a degree in
math required German, he avoided this
scenario by taking up engineering. He
dropped out several times, but finished
his undergraduate degree in civil engin-
eering and graduated
magna cum laude
from Lehigh in 1972. He earned his
M.B.A. from Rutgers University in 1984.
During one of his dropout periods, Mr.
Whitman joined the Navy, serving in
Vietnam. He remembered the Navy fondly,
crediting the military with teaching him
the practical skill of “working with all
sorts of people.”
In 1969, Mr. Whitman married Laura
Grinnell “Hoppy” Koehne. Their first
daughter, Nell, was born in 1971 and their
second, Alexandra, in 1973. While he and
Hoppy shared many core values, the mar-
riage was challenging and the Whitmans
separated after 23 years.
In his professional life, Mr. Whitman
spent 14 years as a project manager for
Ganett Fleming in Pennsylvania and
led regional engineer Ecology & Envi-
ronment Inc. in the greater Seattle area
for 25 years. He was a talented engineer
whom younger colleagues described as
a mentor, widely known for his technical
expertise. He was also known for his
puns, his intelligence, and his vocabulary.
Mr. Whitman kept a dictionary on his
desk at work so that less-enlightened
colleagues could figure out what he
just said. These were words for preci-
sion, not appearance; he was proud of
his clear writing and expected it from
others.
