Communications

William H. (Bill) Neukom

July 14, 2025 

William H. (Bill) Neukom P'90 P'91 P'97 GP'28, a Trustee Emeritus and former chair of the Dartmouth Board of Trustees, died peacefully at home in Seattle on July 14, 2025, surrounded by his family. 

With his life, Bill created a legacy of leadership and inclusivity in the legal profession, higher  education, philanthropy, Seattle, San Francisco and the world of baseball. He served as Microsoft’s  first General Counsel, steering the company’s legal affairs from its infancy in the 1970s until it  became the most valuable company in the world; President of the American Bar Association;  Chairman of Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates); Managing Partner and CEO of the San  Francisco Giants; Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College; and in later years the  Founder and CEO of the World Justice Project. Bill also served as the loving and encouraging  patriarch for his children and grandchildren, guiding them by his example and counsel to become  “useful citizens.” 

Born on November 7, 1941, in Chicago, Bill was raised in the San Mateo Park neighborhood of San  Mateo, California. His father (John) was a partner of McKinsey & Company who opened and  managed the San Francisco office for decades, and his mother (Ruth or “Bunny”) was a community  leader on the Bay Area’s peninsula. Bill spoke with admiration of the home that his parents created.  Both graduates of the University of Chicago during the Robert Maynard Hutchins administration— Bill would explain—John and Bunny encouraged their children to explore the “life of the mind” and  to engage their communities as useful citizens. 

After serving as Chief Justice of the student court for San Mateo High School, and graduating in  1959, Bill spent 1959-60 as a “gap” year studying in Grenoble, France—which would provide him  with workable French delivered with a gorgeous accent for the ensuing 65 years of his life. Bill  earned his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in 1964, and his law degree from Stanford Law  School in 1967, both academic institutions he would hold dear and continue to serve during his life. 

After law school, Bill moved to Seattle to serve as a law clerk to Judge Theodore S. Turner of the  King County Superior Court. Bill recounted Judge Turner as scholarly, patient and with a work ethic  to be emulated. After clerking, Bill began private practice in Seattle with an emphasis on commercial  and civil rights litigation. In the 1970s, through the Seattle Bar Association, Bill was befriended by  Bill Gates Sr., who became Bill’s law firm colleague, mentor and role model for civic engagement. 

In the late 1970s, Gates Sr. approached Bill, then a junior partner of the firm, with a request. As Bill  later recounted: “He told me, ‘My son and his business partners are moving their business up here  from New Mexico. I thought you could keep an eye on them.’” The son was Bill Gates Jr., and the  business was Microsoft. Bill represented Microsoft as outside counsel starting in 1978, joined as  General Counsel in 1985, and retired as Executive Vice President in 2002. During Bill’s tenure as  Microsoft’s lead lawyer, the company successfully defeated an existential copyright claim in Apple v.  Microsoft, with Apple alleging that it owned the “look and feel” of the graphical user interface for  Windows. The company also successfully resolved the federal government’s antitrust lawsuit, U.S. v.  Microsoft, at the time the most-watched litigation in the world. Perhaps more so than any specific  legal affair at Microsoft, Bill was especially grateful to manage the company’s community affairs,  including corporate philanthropy, and to help gather and work alongside an exceptionally talented  collection of lawyers. 

After Microsoft, Bill returned to private practice and served as Chairman of Preston Gates & Ellis  (now K&L Gates) from 2003-07. Those closest to Bill recognized that this homecoming was  especially meaningful to him. Throughout his career, Bill was most “at home” within the camaraderie,  mutual respect and spirited intellectual debate of a law firm partnership.

Bill served as President of the American Bar Association in 2007-08, during which time he  established the ABA’s Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) and organized  an ABA members’ march in solidarity with embattled judges and lawyers in Pakistan. Previously, he  chaired the Young Lawyers Division, served as Secretary, and represented Washington State in the  House of Delegates. In 2020, he was awarded the ABA Medal for being “an international champion  for justice who has devoted his life and career to public service, access to justice and advancing the  rule of law.” 

Bill relished a lifetime connection to San Francisco baseball. As a child growing up in San Mateo  Park, he lived next door to Charlie Graham Jr., whose father owned the San Francisco Seals. Bill  played catch in the street with Graham’s daughter, and was grateful to be her occasional guest at Seals  games. When the Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958, Bill’s father gifted him ten shares in Horace  Stoneham’s investment group for the ball club. Decades later, in 1993, Bill invested as a Limited  Partner in the Giants ownership group. He became a General Partner in 2003, and in 2008 became the  Managing General Partner and CEO. Bill was serving in that role during the 2010 season when the  Giants brought home San Francisco’s first World Series championship and the first for the ball club  since 1954. 

To further justice and the rule of law, Bill founded the World Justice Project in 2006, and served as  CEO until his passing. The WJP is a non-profit organization, with offices in Washington DC,  Singapore and Mexico City, working to stimulate action to advance the rule of law worldwide. 

In 1995, Bill founded the Neukom Family Foundation with his four children, dedicated to funding  education, the environment, health, human services and justice. Over the last 30 years, the Neukom  Family Foundation has funded organizations including Planned Parenthood, MSI (formerly Marie  Stopes International), the National Women’s Law Center, Plymouth Housing Group and the  Innocence Project. As Bill wished, the Neukom Family Foundation will continue to support these  priorities in years to come. 

Bill was committed to higher education throughout his life. He served as a Trustee of Dartmouth  College from 1996-2007 (Chair, 2004-07) and the University of Puget Sound from 1995-2006. He  served on the Dean’s Council at Stanford Law School (Chair, 2012-15) and as a lecturer on the rule of  law. Bill engaged higher education not only with his time, but also his resources—endowing  academic centers, chairs and professorships, and scholarships for underrepresented students at  Dartmouth College, Stanford Law School, the University of Puget Sound and the University of  Chicago. Bill received honorary degrees from Dartmouth College, Gonzaga University, the University  of Puget Sound, and the University of South Carolina. 

Bill’s family is proud of and grateful to him for the public legacy he created. But we are also  heartbroken at the loss our of “Pops,” and in awe of the richness of life that he shared with us. He ran  “sub-3-hour” marathons. In the 1970s, he ran for the Democratic Party nomination to be Attorney  General for Washington State, and for years thereafter showed a mirthful sense of humor about his  loss. He fly-fished around the world. He taught Sunday School at the First Congregational Church of  Hanover, New Hampshire, as a young man. He curated an amazing art collection—never focused on  brand names or pretense but instead on Pacific Northwest artists and supporting local gallery owners.  He was 6’4” tall, always fit, with a glorious head of hair, and preternaturally dapper. He loved bebop  jazz; made bow ties seem cool; and knew properly how to take a corner in a German sports car. He  was mischievously good at dominos. He had strong opinions about the superiority of English Springer  Spaniels. He was a skier and horseback rider. He could identify (a few) Burgundian wines by taste.  He was an average golfer but played quickly, with enthusiasm, and with impeccable on-course  etiquette. He had a roaring laugh that brought the room with him, and not infrequently joyful tears to  his own eyes.

For and with his family, Bill created inimitable experiences. He introduced his family to the San Juan  Islands, and created on oasis there overlooking Haro Straight that will survive him for family  generations to come. He traveled to see every child studying abroad—ascending (most of) Mount  Kilimanjaro with Josselyn, touring the Uffizi with Samantha, hiking the Galápagos Islands with  Gillian, and skiing the Mer de Glacé Chamonix with Jay. 

Bill was a loving husband, father and grandfather. The Neukom family will miss him, his humor,  his warmth and his encouragement. In his final days, surrounded by his wife and children, Bill wanted  to hear reports on every single grandchild. 

Bill is survived by his loving wife of 29 years, Sally; his former wife (Diane McMakin) and their  children Josselyn Neukom (Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam), Samantha Neukom (Seattle), Gillian Neukom  Toledo (Seattle) and John (Jay) Neukom (San Francisco); their spouses Robert Toledo and Sandra  Neukom; his grandchildren Brown, Jock, Minna, Margaret, Lillian, Riley, Adelaide, Leo, Beatrice,  Flora, Maribel, Poppy, Willa and William (West); and his brothers Davidson and Daniel. He is pre deceased by his sister, Barbara Neukom Bohn. 

The Neukom family will hold a memorial service for Bill at the Plymouth Congregational Church in  Seattle on August 3 at 3 p.m. 

To honor Bill’s legacy, the Neukom family invites you to donate—whether your time, skills or  resources—to any cause which you believe will support the betterment of our shared society. To the  extent such a donation seeks to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, Bill would applaud that. 

Todd Campbell

June 20, 2025

Todd Campbell—beloved colleague and inspiration to the Hopkins Center for the Arts and the Dartmouth community—died at home on June 20, 2025, after a courageous battle with esophageal cancer. For over 14 years, Todd worked with the Hop production team to manage the technical execution of hundreds of performances across countless venues.

In 2021, he stepped into the leadership role of Senior Production Manager, diligently and passionately overseeing all technical operations at the Hop and managing a loyal, professional and fun-loving team. Todd’s organizational prowess, work ethic, and collaborative spirit were limitless. In addition to expertly bringing complex artistic productions to life, he developed the Hop’s internal database system, marshalled the overnight transition to virtual programming during the pandemic, and led the technical planning throughout the Hop’s current renovation and expansion. His Hop colleagues and collaborators across campus have enjoyed the benefit of his indefatigable dedication, expertise, generosity, and camaraderie.

Todd was born on September 18, 1971, in Grand Isle, Vermont to parents Willard G. “Kip” and Lucille (Barrett) Campbell. His family moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, when he was 10. He pursued technical theater in college and spent his summers in Cherokee working on Unto These Hills. He met his wife, Sara Ormsby, while they were both working at PlayMakers Repertory Company and Todd was studying for his MFA at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. They married in 2007. In 2010, they moved to the Upper Valley.

In his professional career, Todd was a mentor, educator, and friend to so many wonderful and talented colleagues at Unto These Hills, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Creative Visions, and most recently, the Hop. He loved being part of a creative team, making magic, and bringing stories to life.

Todd was a loving dad and shared his love of Dungeons and Dragons, video games, and superheroes with his children. He is survived by his wife, Sara, and their sons, Nate and Zac; his mother, Lucille; his brother, John; his sister, Beth Delahoussaye (Ken). He also leaves behind a sprawling community of chosen family—especially his team at the Hop—and countless theater friends from near and far.

Todd’s wisdom and work has already had a lasting impact on Dartmouth and the Hopkins Center. He made stuff happen,and his kindness, creative drive, and playful wit will be missed by all. Details for Todd’s “Closing Night Party” in early fall will be released at a later date.

The family would like to thank the care teams at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital for their outstanding care and kindness. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital to the President’s Fund. Gifts can be mailed to APD, 10 Alice Peck Day Drive, Lebanon, NH 03766 or online at alicepeckday.org

Martin Arkowitz

June 13, 2025

Martin Arkowitz, professor emeritus of mathematics, died on June 13 at the age of 90.

“Over the course of nearly five decades at Dartmouth, Martin inspired students and colleagues alike with his passion for mathematics, intellectual rigor, and generosity of spirit,” Dean Elizabeth F. Smith said in a message to faculty. “A beloved mentor to generations of students and a prolific scholar, he leaves a lasting legacy on campus and far beyond.”

Arkowitz joined the Dartmouth faculty in 1964 as an assistant professor and rose to the rank of professor in 1971. A 1956 graduate of Columbia University, he received his PhD from Cornell in 1960.

At Dartmouth, Arkowitz taught courses ranging from first-year calculus to advanced graduate courses, and he served as the principal advisor to many PhD students. He served as chair of the Department of Mathematics from 1981 to 1984, and also chaired the Department of Computer Science during the 1983-84 academic year.

Arkowitz’s specialty was algebraic topology, the study of the shape of objects in various dimensions.

“A running joke amongst mathematicians is that a topologist is a mathematician that can’t tell the difference between a donut and a coffee cup,” Dana Williams, the Benjamin P. Cheney Professor of Mathematics once explained. “The idea is that it is the hole in the handle or the middle of the donut that is important.”

Among his many contributions to mathematics, Arkowitz is remembered for the development of the concept of the co-H-space and for his work on the structure of maps between topological spaces. His 1971 monograph, Introduction to Homotopy Theory, became a foundational text for students entering the field.

Over the course of his career, Arkowitz published extensively in leading mathematical journals, with a body of work that advanced the understanding of fundamental topological structures. His scholarship was marked by clarity, precision, and a deep appreciation for both abstract theory and its broader mathematical implications.

Arkowitz also served as editor of the journal Topology and its Applications and was known for his expository writing that bridged technical depth and accessibility. His article “What’s an Operation?” remains a widely cited resource for those exploring the underpinnings of algebraic topology.

Arkowitz held a number of visiting university positions including at ETH Zurich, the University of California at Irvine, Oxford, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of Milan—which inspired him to ask his colleagues back in Hanover to call him “Martino.”

Beyond his academic accomplishments, Arkowitz was widely admired for his collegiality and his warm sense of humor. Colleagues remember him as a generous collaborator and an insightful teacher who challenged students to think deeply and creatively.

Arkowitz is survived by Eleanor, his wife for the last 68 years; his sons David, Robert, and Steven; his daughters-in-law Diane, Martine, and Tory; and his grandsons Greg, Jake, and Dylan.

The Dartmouth flag will be lowered in Arkowitz’s honor on Wednesday, July 9, and Thursday, July 10.