Roberts W. French ’64 PhD

Roberts W. French ’64 PhD, of Santa Fe, N. Mex.; Nov. 26. Following service in the U.S. Army, he attended Brown and then taught literature at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for the following 29 years. During his tenure at UMass Amherst he received the University’s Distinguished Teacher Award and published numerous poems, reviews and critical articles on the works of John Milton and Walt Whitman. He was an active hiker and mountaineer throughout his life and, in 1958, he and three companions pioneered a route through the Purcell and Selkirk mountains of British Columbia. Following that, he started guiding professionally with Exum Mountain Guides in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. After retiring from teaching, he remained an avid backpacker. He hiked and supported the formation of Santa Fe’s Dale Ball Trail System. He also contributed to the eighth edition of Day Hikes in the Santa Fe Area. He served on the board of New Mexico Literary Arts and the Santa Fe Arts Commission for the selection of the city’s Poet Laureate, and he wrote a regular poetry column for New Mexico CultureNet. He enjoyed attending the Santa Fe Opera. He is survived by his wife, Jennifer; two sons and their spouses; four grandchildren; a sister; a brother; and niece Jennifer W. Corbet ’87.