Clark University - Clarknews fall 2007
In Memoriam (fall 2008)
Felicity Johnston Craven ’74, Chatham, Mass., died unexpectedly at Cape Cod Hospital on Sept. 18, 2008. She was 57.
Born in Greenwich, Conn., she lived in Chatham since 1963. She attended St. Helen & St. Katherine’s School of England and graduated from Chatham High School. Ms. Craven attended Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia, for two years before studying abroad and transferring to Clark University where she earned a bachelor ’s in art history.
Ms. Craven was an area sales manager for Loews Hotel in Washington, D.C. She had previously been a concierge at a hotel in St. Martin.
In November 1984, Ms. Craven suffered a brain aneurysm which confined her to a wheel chair; however this did not keep her from living independently at her Chatham home, from taking courses in communications at Cape Cod Community College, or from serving in her community. Ms. Craven was a member of the Chatham Historical Commission and an active member of St. Christopher ’s Church. She also was a former board member of the Cape Cod organization for Rights of the Disabled. A devoted Clarkie, Ms. Craven kept up with news regarding Clark and regularly attended alumni receptions on Cape Cod.
“Felicity was a very special person who had a wonderful spirit. Though life dealt her more than her share of challenges, she never let it affect her outlook. She had an enthusiasm and determination that belied her physical limitations and inspired those around her. She will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her, ” says Trustee Peter Eleftherakis ’74.
“Felicity had an indomitable positive outlook on life,” agrees Tom Dolan, ’62. “Her radiant smile and contagious good spirits brightened up every room she entered. She was a very loyal Clark alumna, who most certainly will be missed. ”
Arthur Chou Eulogy
By Daniel Steinberg '00
It's very hard to describe the impact that Arthur has had on my life and the lives
of his students. As a teacher and mentor, there was no area in which he did not
excell, whether it was discussing a theorem or just joking with the students.
The first class I ever took with Arthur was Discrete Math. It was held in Downing
Street School in a room badly in need of renovation. The blackboard had holes in it.
The first class Arthur took one look at the hole and put his fist in it. The hole
was big enough that it fit. From that point on, the hole became a part of the class.
As Arthur would write notes on the board, he would maneuvre around the hole, either
passing it or writing around it.
Since I spent most of my time at the Math Department, I would walk with Arthur to
and from class. After every lecture he would ask "How did I do?" That single
question is one reason I think Arthur was such an effective teacher. Even though by
this time he'd been teaching for 15 years, he wanted to make sure that he was
connecting with the students and being clear. In all his lectures, I don't think he
once went on auto pilot, just repeating the same words from memory.
As a student it felt like he was giving each lecture for the first time.
In addition to teaching useful classes, Arthur had a lecturing style that was
memorable. I still tell stories about incidents in his classes years after they
happened. It turns out, I'm not the only one. I think that every student ever to sit
in one of Arthur's classes has a story to tell.
My favorite story happens to be when a student fell asleep during his software
engineering class. As Sarwar has admitted to being the student in question, I'll use
his name. Arthur was lecturing and then, without missing a beat, said "And now we
come to the most important part of the lecture - time to wake up Sarwar!". The funny
thing was that he didn't mind that Sarwar fell asleep. If anything, he seemed
concerned that he may not be keeping the class's interest with the topic at hand.
Arthur had an energy and enthusiasm both in class and outside of class that I have
never seen matched. He always wanted to make sure that he was up to date with
whatever the students were doing. When Linux made a splash on campus, he asked me to
install Linux on his office machine. Though the installation didn't go smoothly (we
ended up reformatting his hard drive), he was thrilled to have it and to see what
all the fuss was about. It was this enthusiasm that resulted in the addition of the
Linux lab to the department which became a popular hang out for computer science
majors.
In my time at Clark I feel truly blessed to have had the oppertunity to know and
learn from Arthur. When I think of all the influence he has had on my life and the
lives of other students, I can honestly say that if I were to have only 1/10th the
impact he has had on this world I would consider myself very fortunate indeed.
Deaths:
- James Brady ’78, Millbury, Mass., Feb. 22, 2008.
- William Coulter ’53, Worcester, Mass., Aug. 6, 2008.
- Felicity Johnson Craven ’74, Chatham, Mass, Sept. 18, 2008.
- (See in memoriam)
- Raymond Lapierre ’49, Leominster, Mass., Aug. 8, 2008.
- George Mrosek ’52, Manchester, Conn., May 14, 2008.
- Norman Nathanson ’38, Norwalk, Conn., March 2, 2008.
- Ray Nightingale ’61, Bethesda, Md., May 31, 2008.
- Edward Ritson ’69, M.B.A. ’73, Gilford, N.H., July 16, 2008.
- Frederic Steeves ’39, Leicester, Mass., Jan. 1, 2008.
- Carl Winstein ’77, New York, N.Y., July 15, 2008.
- Russell Woessner ’49, Lancaster, Mass., May 25, 2008.
- Thomas Yacuzzi ’48, Worcester, Mass., Sept. 23, 2007.
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Clarknews Fall 2008
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