Deceased September 17, 2017
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In Memory
We were saddened to learn that Craig Dunkerley died Sept. 17. As his roommate with Rob Simpson ’69 in our freshman year, I was impressed by Craig’s brilliant personality. He brightened our time in Pratt through his intelligence, virtuosity and delightful style. He was extremely well read. Despite the workload of the freshman curriculum, he seemed to inhale one or two books a week. The range of his interests in books was boundless—from histories of Rome through Malcom X to Ian Fleming and Tom Wolfe novels. Also compelling was his passion for theater, evident in his early involvement in Kirby Theatre. Craig had a wonderful ability to describe the inherent drama and humor around him; his wit spared no one. He was particularly amused by well-heeled suburban Amherst students dressing like Mark Trail lumberjacks in work boots. He was intrigued by the dramatic flair of fencing, which he pursued throughout the year. Underlying his lively personality was a bedrock commitment to scholarship. I don’t know the actual stats, but my recollection is that Craig routinely made the Dean’s List.
After Amherst, Craig went to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts and then joined the Foreign Service, posted early on in Southeast Asia and Japan and later in Europe. Ultimately rising to the rank of ambassador, he was centrally involved in negotiations influencing American policy toward Europe and NATO after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He retired in 2003. Craig is survived by his wife, Patricia Haigh, a fellow diplomat, to whom we extend our condolences. Clearly, we were all fortunate to have been represented in the aftermath of the Cold War by a diplomat with the nuance and brilliance of Craig Dunkerley.
Robert H. Brown ’69