In memoriam
This In memoriam page houses messages from senior leadership regarding loss of life in the Dartmouth community--student, faculty or staff--when it occurs. It is heartbreaking to lose any member of the Dartmouth family, as each individual contributes so much to the College and to those who have had the pleasure of studying, working, and learning alongside them.
Taking time to grieve such losses while honoring the memory of those who died is important. So is seeking support when you need it. We encourage you to make time for all of that in whatever ways are most meaningful and comfortable to you.
Alison Dyan Spooner Ricker
April 15, 2025
The Dartmouth and Geisel School of Medicine communities are deeply saddened by the loss of Alison Dyan Spooner Ricker, a cherished colleague and friend who dedicated twenty years of her career to medical education. Alison passed away at her home in High Point, North Carolina, on April 15, 2025, at the age of 54.
Born in Berlin, Vermont, in 1970, Alison grew up in Marshfield and earned her bachelor’s degree from Lyndon State College, followed later by a master's from the University of Denver. Soon after college, mutual friends introduced her to Daniel Ricker Jr., whom she married in 1996.
Alison began her career in Early Childhood Education before finding her professional home at the Geisel School of Medicine in 2005. Over the next two decades, she became an indispensable member of the Clinical Education team, eventually rising to serve as Director of Clinical Curriculum. A beloved team member, leader, and mentor, Alison was a fierce advocate for her colleagues and for students. She expertly guided thousands of students through clinical placements and clerkships, and never shied away from even the most thorny challenges. Beyond Geisel, Alison was a driving force in establishing best practices among pediatric clerkship coordinators at a national level, and she ensured that Geisel was part of the conversation by encouraging her colleagues to participate and present at major conferences.
Alison brought her trademark energy and commitment to everything she did. While living in Sharon, Vermont, Alison was also an EMT and firefighter volunteer with the Sharon Fire Department and South Royalton Rescue Squad, and was proud to be one of the first two women to join the Sharon Fire Department.
Alison enjoyed traveling to Arizona for MLB Spring Training, playing women’s softball, and the simple pleasure of watching hummingbirds and cardinals at her feeders. One of her greatest joys was riding her motorcycle with friends. In 2023, she moved to North Carolina, allowing her to ride more frequently and escape the New England winters while continuing to work for Geisel remotely.
Alison leaves behind her beloved husband Daniel, dear friends and family, and a Geisel community that will profoundly miss her warmth, dedication, and the significant contributions she made to the school and its students.
Deborah Garretson
March 2, 2025
Deborah Garretson, retired associate professor of Russian, passed away on March 2, 2025, at the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care in Lebanon, NH at the age of 80.
"In her more than 40 years at Dartmouth, Debby enriched our academic community immeasurably with her unique expertise in Russian linguistics and second language acquisition, and her leadership of our Russian language foreign study programs," Dean Elizabeth F. Smith said in a message to the Arts and Sciences community. "With her caring and compassionate nature, and genuine enthusiasm for teaching and learning, she made a lasting impact on her colleagues and generations of students."
Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1945, Garretson’s early life included a formative decade spent in Ethiopia, which ignited a lifelong love of travel. After returning to the United States, she earned her BA in French with honors from McGill University, where she began her study of Russian. She went on to study Russian and translation in Switzerland before earning her PhD in Slavic Linguistics at New York University.
Garretson joined the Dartmouth faculty in 1976, where her scholarship focused on Russian linguistics and interpretation. In 1982, she was among the first women faculty at Dartmouth to be granted tenure. She developed popular and enduring courses such as History of the Russian Language, Structure of Modern Russian, and Understanding the Russians: The Role of Language in Culture and Communication. Additionally, Garretson directed Dartmouth's foreign study programs to Leningrad (later St. Petersburg) for many years.
Beyond the classroom, Debby was a respected interpreter for the State Department's Russian language division, beginning in 1985. Her work included interpreting for the Strategic Arms Reductions Treaties in Geneva, accompanying Colin Powell on trips to Russia, and interpreting for the "summit of first ladies" between Raisa Gorbachev and Barbara Bush. She also served as an interpreter for the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in 2009 and 2010.
After retiring from Dartmouth in 2019, Debby undertook an intensive study of Pali, the ancient language of the Buddhist canon. Her deep engagement with Buddhist thought and practice, which began in the early 2000s, led her to numerous meditation retreats globally and fostered deep connections within Buddhist communities.
Debby is survived by her brother Peter (Rufina) Garretson, sister-in-law Betty Maddox, and several cousins, nieces, and nephews, as well as a wide circle of cherished friends and colleagues.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 10 at the Friends Meeting House in Hanover, N.H. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.
Marysa Navarro-Aranguren
March 2, 2025
Marysa Navarro-Aranguren, Charles A. and Elfriede A. Collis Professor Emerita in History, died on March 2 in Cambridge, Mass. She was 90 years old.
"A distinguished scholar of Latin American women's history and feminism, Navarro-Aranguren was also a trailblazer in Dartmouth's history," Dean Elizabeth F. Smith said in a message to the Arts and Sciences community. "During her 42 years at Dartmouth, she played a formative role in the institution's adoption of coeducation and its support and recruitment of female faculty. Her lasting influence as a brilliant historian, dedicated colleague and campus leader, and passionate teacher will be felt for years to come."
Born in Pamplona, Spain, in 1934, Navarro-Aranguren and her family fled the Spanish Civil War when she was three. She grew up in France and Uruguay before moving to the United States to earn her MA and PhD degrees in history at Columbia University. She joined Dartmouth's faculty in 1968.
Inspired by the feminist movements of the 1960s and 1970s, Navarro-Aranguren helped to establish the field of Latin American women's studies and introduced North American academics and students to scholarship in both English and Spanish related to Latin America. Her nine books and numerous scholarly articles on Latin American feminism include an influential biography of Eva Perón in Spanish, which was widely praised as the first rigorously researched account of the multifaceted Argentine political figure.
At Dartmouth, Navarro-Aranguren established and chaired the Women's Studies Program (now the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program) and the Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies Program. She held leadership roles in numerous organizations promoting Latin American studies and feminism, including the Latin American Studies Association and the New England Council for Latin American Studies. She also served on the boards of several international women's and human rights organizations. Among Navarro-Aranguren's many awards, she was named Distinguished Woman Scholar by the University of New Hampshire and declared "Visitante Ilustre de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires" ("Distinguished Visitor of the City of Buenos Aires").
A tireless advocate for women at Dartmouth, Navarro-Aranguren was a vocal coeducation supporter committed to modernizing the College's campus culture. A champion for her fellow women faculty and staff, she helped to create and chaired a committee on the status of women to demand improvements in hiring and salary discrimination. She also helped to establish a daycare on campus.
Navarro-Aranguren was the second woman to be granted tenure in the Arts and Sciences at Dartmouth, and as she put it, the "first woman to get tenure like a man"—receiving the promotion four years after she was hired. She went on to become the first woman at Dartmouth to serve as an associate dean when she was named associate dean for the social sciences in 1985.
Beyond her impact as a scholar and leader, Navarro-Aranguren also stands out as a beloved, passionate—and rigorous—teacher. Generations of Dartmouth graduates cite her as their inspiration for graduate degrees in Latin American studies or work in the region, and she remained friends with many former students until the end of her life. At the time of her retirement in 2010, she was awarded Dartmouth's Elizabeth Howland Hand–Otis Norton Pierce Award for outstanding undergraduate teaching.
In 2022, Navarro-Aranguren returned to campus for Dartmouth's 50th anniversary celebration of coeducation. In a full-circle moment, she met incoming president Sian Leah Beilock, who began her tenure as the institution's first elected female president on June 12, 2023.
"Dartmouth was her anchor, and it constructed her identity," said Navarro-Aranguren's daughter, Nina Gerassi-Navarro. "Dartmouth was her home."
In addition to her daughter, Navarro-Aranguren is survived by her son-in-law, Ernesto Livon-Grosman, and her grandchildren, Nicolás and Natalia Livon-Navarro.
The Dartmouth flag was lowered in Navarro-Aranguren's honor on Friday, March 14, and Saturday, March 15.
Alvin Omar Converse
January 10, 2025
Alvin O. Converse, professor emeritus of engineering at the Thayer School of Engineering, died on Jan. 10. He was 92. Converse, who served on Thayer School of Engineering's faculty from 1963 to 2000, made significant contributions to research and teaching throughout his tenure.
Converse championed what is now Thayer's signature learn-by-doing engineering education approach and helped revamp the engineering curriculum during the 1960s.
He spearheaded Thayer's research program in the use of enzymes to convert biomass to ethanol.
Converse also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in thermodynamics, transport phenomena, chemical reactor design, and energy conversion, in which students built Stirling Engines in the machine shop.
"Consider the record size of our programs and yet our continued emphasis on individualized learning by doing," wrote Interim Dean Doug Van Citters in a message to Thayer faculty and staff. "Al's dedication to hands-on, project-based learning, passion for creative engineering design, and his teaching and scholarship have been integral to shaping Thayer into who we are today," crediting Converse for leading the charge on individualized, hands-on learning.
An avid hiker, Converse helped established the Bill Ballard and the Converse loop walking trails in Norwich, where he lived with his family while he was a professor.
He spent the last 14 years in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife of 70 years, Merry. He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. A private celebration of life service will be held by the family.
In lieu of flowers, a donation to food banks such as The Food Depot of Santa Fe or your local food bank in Converse's name.
Marcia Walsh Colligan
January 7, 2025
Hanover, NH - Marcia Walsh Colligan, pioneering professional woman, President Emeritus and Co-Founder of 501c3 nonprofit Classicopia Chamber Music organization, and matriarch of her loving family died at the age of 93 at Riverwoods Durham on January 7 of natural causes.
Born in Troy, NY, the third daughter of Dr. Francis Kyran Walsh and Catherine Elizabeth Boland. Marcia was a person of courage, integrity, and compassion. She was known for her independent spirit, New England Yankee thrift, high intelligence, and sharp wit.
Marcia graduated in 1952 from SUNY Albany with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. In 1992, Marcia was honored by her alma mater receiving the Distinguished Outstanding Alumna award.
Marcia raised six children. In the last years of her beloved husband's lengthy illness and death, she secured full time work at Dartmouth College. To advance her career she went back to earn her Master of Arts and Liberal Studies (MALS) at Dartmouth College. Marcia was the Class Marshall for the first MALS Class Commencement ceremony in 1976. Marcia earned her Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1985 at the University of New Hampshire.
Marcia worked for Dartmouth College for 28 years in the Administrative Services Office specializing in Risk and Liability Insurance management. During her Dartmouth career, Marcia was typically the only professional woman in meetings, surrounded by men. Marcia's professional skills, and high emotional intelligence characterized her career blazing new trails for professional women in the male dominated world of the 1970s and beyond.
Marcia was active in her community and her civic contributions included serving as a Substitute Teacher in the Hanover public schools, the St Denis Parish Council, the Hanover Youth Hockey organization, the Town of Hanover Finance Committee, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Regional Board of Trustees, the Mary Hitchcock Assembly of Overseers later named Partners for Community Wellness.
In 1988, following a US Supreme Court decision, Marcia became one of the first three women inducted into the formerly for 63 years all-male, Hanover Rotary Club. On this "First" when the Valley News reporter asked Marcia about her achievement she quipped "I broke the sound barrier."
In 2001, after retiring from her Dartmouth College career, Marcia Co-founded the 501c3 nonprofit Classicopia Chamber Music organization. As President for the next 20 years, she managed Classicopia's business activities, finances and fund raising, impressively ending every year with a capital surplus. During her tenure, Classicopia hosted more than eighty-two musicians in ninety-five different venues performing 915 concerts. When she retired from her Classicopia career in 2021, the now Emeritus Classicopia President told the Valley News Reporter, "I just wanted to play Chopin, that's how all of this started".
Marcia is survived by daughters Susan (Ross) Perry of Stow, MA; Catherine (Greg) Yates of Madison, CT; Julia (Tom) Luteran of Hollis, NH; and her sons John (Lacey) Colligan of Concord, NH; Paul (Kim) Colligan of Phoenix, NY; Patrick (Ania) Colligan of Fairfield, CT; 18 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.
Marcia is survived by her loving sister Catherine Casabonne of Troy, NY.
Marcia is preceded in death by her loving husband, Thayer School of Engineering Professor George Austin Colligan, by her granddaughter Austin Bradley Colligan, by her parents Catherine and Francis, and by her sisters Betty Kay Drislane and Nancy Leonard.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Friday, April 4, at 11am at St. Denis Roman Catholic Church, Hanover, NH.