A00238 - Alissa Suzanne Wilson, Amherst College Class of 2000, Ethical Culture Fieldston School (Bronx, New York) Graduate, Tufts University-Fletcher School M.A.in International Relations, American Friends Service Committee Public Education and Advocacy Coordinator for Africa

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The Practical Idealism Project: Stories from the Field | Carnegie Council on Ethics in International Affairs

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In Memory

Alissa S. Wilson ’00, an accomplished singer, dancer and international peace advocate whose megawatt smile never failed to spread joy to those around her, died quietly from an illness Dec. 28, 2016 at the age of 38.

Wilson, a native New Yorker whose work empowering communities in the U.S. and Africa brought her to the American Friends Service Committee in Washington, D.C., embodied the college’s Terras Irradient motto, creatively mixing silliness and seriousness to give light to the world.

That was evident even in what Wilson sometimes wore to medical appointments and to work: a blue fluffy tutu. Dan Jasper, a colleague at AFSC, a Quaker peace organization, says Wilson was the only person he knew who could don a tulle tutu to the office and “make me feel stupid for wearing a suit.”

Says John Hammock, a mentor, “She just wasn’t hemmed in by convention as many of us are.”

Nothing about Wilson was frivolous, however, friends say. Her joy “wasn’t pastel colored,” says Sam Ender ’01. “If someone can be fierce in their joy, that’s what she was,” Ender says. “She was like a joy warrior.”

Wilson was born July 7, 1978 in Manhattan and grew up in a Christian Science household with her grandmother and mother, Karen Wilson, a singer, storyteller and conflict-resolution facilitator. She attended public and private schools, where she further explored the artistic and peacemaking expertise her mother fostered at home.

Even at the age of 4, Wilson displayed advanced negotiating skills, her mother says, recalling a story one of Wilson’s teachers told her about a daylong discussion Wilson had at preschool with the daughter of a Harlem pastor. The pastor’s daughter believed Jesus would come again but Wilson told her, “Jesus doesn’t have to come again.” The two girls discussed their disagreement at length until they reached a conclusion: If Jesus returned, the other girl would be right. “Until that time,” Wilson’s mother says, “they would agree to disagree.”

At P.S. 84, Wilson studied improvisational dance, starting as a young elementary school student. But she soon found school lacking sufficient challenges. “I’m ready for more,” Wilson told her mother when she was in the third grade.

Wilson would later attend Ethical Culture Fieldston School, from which she graduated in 1996. Wilson also attended The Cambridge School of Weston for a year in high school.

Wilson arrived at James Hall her freshman year with, by many accounts, more confidence and grace than many of her 18-year-old peers. “Her comfort level with herself was so striking at a time,” says Ender, “when we were all so uncomfortable with ourselves.”

Her audition that year for the Bluestockings a cappella group won her one of four spots that went to first-year students. She performed Tracy Chapman’s “Behind the Wall,” a piercing song that addresses the scourge of domestic violence. “I remember when she opened her mouth I was blown away,” says Deny Soto ‘00, who also joined the Bluestockings in 1996. “It’s not just that she has a good voice, she performs. She lives the music.”

Josh Fischel ’00, who performed with the Zumbyes, recalled her deep, earthy voice as the sound of “blowing over the top of an empty bottle.”

Wilson thrived with the Bluestockings, drawing huge rounds of applause onstage and acting as a trusted source of guidance backstage. Once, when it came time for members of the group to select a soloist for “Shakin’ the Tree,” an empowering ode to strong women, Soto says the choice was so obvious that the group didn’t need to debate, a rare occurrence. (Sample lyrics: “Who can hear all the truth in what you say/They can support you when you're on your way/ It's your day—a woman's day.) 

Link to Bluestockings performing “Shakin’ the Tree”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xo4sWIzv8k&feature=youtu.be

Wilson, who lived in Marsh House her sophomore and senior years, didn’t limit herself at Amherst to singing. She continued to dance, working with classmates to create student-led classes at Amherst and taking advantage of the Five College network to explore opportunities in her improvisational style off campus, too.           

Wilson spent her junior year abroad, studying at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. She’d been interested in the political history of Myanmar since at least high school, when she watched the 1995 film “Beyond Rangoon,” about the nation’s civil uprising, her mother says.

She returned to Amherst with an even deeper interest in Myanmar, having studied Burmese for the year, and she wrote her political science thesis comparing the democratization process in Myanmar to those in Thailand and the Philippines. Javier Corrales, her adviser, called the endeavor especially challenging because it tackled the intricacies of three countries’ political unfolding. Not surprisingly, Wilson pulled it off. “I remember very well how impressed I was she could do this comparison,” he says.

Improvisation guided her beyond dance, too.

In Valentine, she turned raw ingredients into enviable concoctions, says Jane Koh ’00.

“As chef Alissa,” Koh says, “she made a steamed broccoli tofu dish almost every day and a toasted cinnamon sugar tortilla dessert with vanilla soft serve on top that tasted like a churro with cream.”

After returning from London, Wilson joined Amanda Thomas ’00 in an effort to remind students about the world beyond Western Massachusetts. In that proto-Internet era, they did what ‘90s students at Amherst did. They created table tents for Valentine each week, in this case highlighting current events from around the globe with particular attention drawn to marginalized communities’ struggles. “Rather than being frustrated, her instinct was to take action and think about what she could do,” says Thomas.

After Amherst, Wilson landed what her mother deemed the “perfect job,” working with AmeriCorps as a conflict resolution trainer at the Peace Learning Center in Indianapolis.

She also continued to dance and sing while pursuing her passion for improving the world. That didn’t surprise Annie Lok ’01. “To me, she’s someone who really seemed to achieve and live out her goals,” she says.

Wilson eventually made her way back to Massachusetts, to attend the Fletcher School at Tufts University. There she sang with a graduate student a cappella group, the Ambassachords (“promoting global harmony since 1933”). The summer between years at Fletcher, she worked at the Carter Center as an intern in the conflict resolution program.

Classmates selected her to be one of two student speakers at graduation in 2005. She rewarded them with a moving commencement address that combined song and storytelling to inspire classmates to do good in the world. “You will never regret treating someone as a human being,” she told fellow graduates, “or working with integrity."

Link to Fletcher graduation speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alof0xoD5uU

After Fletcher, Wilson joined her graduate school mentor, John Hammock, in writing a book that in many ways exemplified Wilson’s worldview. Published in 2008, it was called “Practical Idealists: Changing the World and Getting Paid.”

Wilson, though, likely would be uncomfortable with wearing that mantle—or any label that implied she was free from imperfection. “She was one of the most amazing people who didn’t think she was amazing,” says Pamela Beecroft, a friend from Fletcher. “She was always questioning herself and her purpose, whether she was doing enough in life.”

In 2010, Wilson went to Sudan, just as South Sudan was about to emerge as an independent country. She spent two years there creating and managing a nationwide community organizing program for the National Democratic Institute, says Megan Carroll ’02, who overlapped with Wilson in the country.

Wilson’s mother, Karen, recalls a time when her daughter called from the region to tell her that a friend was arriving in the United States for Christmas and needed a ride from the airport. Would she please pick up her friend? Sure, sure, her mother said, without so much as getting the friend’s name.

She went to the airport anyway. And when she arrived, she discovered her own Christmas gift: Her daughter standing there at the pickup.

Wilson eventually returned to D.C. and the American Friends Service Committee, where she had worked previously. Although it’s a Quaker organization, Wilson described her own spirituality as an adult as “Quaker adjacent,” her mother says.

In October, Wilson traveled again to Western Massachusetts to give a talk at the New England Peace Pagoda in Leverett. Before the talk, she got together with Angela Brown ’00, a fellow member of the Bluestockings, who was in Amherst at a college summit for volunteers. Brown recalls a story that Wilson told her that day of a person she’d encountered recently. The person had acted rudely, but Wilson responded with characteristically disarming diplomacy. “Hmm,” she replied, “you’re giving off an interesting energy.”

Brown was struck by the response. “She saw the beauty in everyone,” she says. “Even the way she called this person out was gracious.”

Wilson is survived by her mother, cousins and countless friends and colleagues. A memorial is tentatively scheduled for late February in Washington, D.C.

Link to one of Wilson’s dance performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=genhDyNJYy4&feature=share

Beth Slovic ’00

Comments

Thank you Beth for writing

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Submitted by Suzanne M. Newcombe on Tuesday, 1/17/2017, at 4:25 PM

Thank you Beth for writing such a fabulous remembrance of Alissa's life. I well remember Alissa’s smile, positivity and good humour from times I spent with her in Marsh and London. I have been poor at keeping in touch with many people; I had always hoped our paths might cross again and am sad to know that now they never will. It’s lovely to hear how she continued to be a light for all those around her after Amherst. She will be missed and remembered by all she touched, myself included.

Thank you Beth for a beautiful tribute

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Submitted by Joel Estrada on Tuesday, 1/17/2017, at 8:45 PM

Thank you Beth for your eloquence; for penning such a beautiful tribute to such a beautiful person.  The words that Alissa inspired in you remind me how our time on earth is so limited, so scarce.  But more importantly, like Alissa, to live them to their fullest.  To constantly ask, not if I am acquiring enough for myself, but am I doing enough for my neighbor.  Thank you Beth for being our bridge to Alissa during this time.  

So nice to hear from you,

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Submitted by Elizabeth T. Slovic on Tuesday, 1/17/2017, at 10:25 PM

So nice to hear from you, Suzanne. Thanks for the kind words, Joel. Please do click on the links—they illustrate Alissa's many gifts better than words.

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December 28, 2016

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Contact

No data available

Family

No data available

Personal

About Me

• Alissa S. Wilson is Public Education and Advocacy Coordinator for Africa at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), where she brings the lessons learned from AFSC�s work in Africa to the Washington DC policy community and liaises with the Quaker United Nations Office. She is also a member of the board of directors of the Alliance for Peacebuilding. Prior to her current position at AFSC, Alissa created and managed the National Democratic Institute�s community organizing program in South Sudan, which was implemented in all 10 states. Alissa�s background also includes serving as AFSC Policy Associate for Peace and Security, an election observer in Nigeria, a Jane Addams�Andrew Carnegie Fellow at the Center on Philanthropy at IU and an AmeriCorps member. Alissa also has a background in contemporary and West African dance as well as voice. She has danced with Taurus Broadhurst Dance (Washington DC) as well as Beat Tree (Cambridge, MA). Alissa has completed intensives with Urban Bush Women, Ronald K Brown/Evidence and Alexandra Beller. Alissa is co-author of Practical Idealists: Changing the World and Getting Paid. She holds a BA from Amherst College in Political Science and a MALD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Interests

• Dance, Conflict Transformation, Good Governance, Social Change

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Professional

Employment Information

Former

• Public Education and Advocacy Coordinator for Africa

  American Friends Service Committee

  Start:

  09/2012

  End:

  12/2016
• Resident Senior Program Officer (PO for first year)

  National Democratic Institute for International Affairs

  Start:

  07/2010

  End:

  08/2012
• Policy Associate

  American Friends Service Committee

  Start:

  08/2008

  End:

  07/2010
• Researcher Ethics and Human Development

  Tufts University

  Start:

  09/2005

  End:

  02/2008
• Conflict Resolution Program Intern

  The Carter Center

  Start:

  05/2004

  End:

  08/2004
• Program Intern

  Centre for Democracy and Development

  Start:

  11/2002

  End:

  05/2003
• Jane Addams-Andrew Carnegie Fellow

  Indiana University Bloomington

  Start:

  08/2001

  End:

  06/2002

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Amherst

Reunion Class

• 2000

Graduation Year

• 2000

Major(s)

• Political Science

Other Academic

Secondary Schools

• The Fieldston School

Higher Ed

• Tufts University-Fletcher School

  Field of Study:

  International Relations

  Degree:

  Master of Arts

  Year:

  2005

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Amherst

• James Dormitory
• Marsh Dormitory
• Morrow Dormitory

Extracurricular Activities

• Amherst College Bluestockings
• Amherst Dance

Post-Graduate

Awards/ Recognition

• Tufts University Presidential Award for Citizenship and Public Service (2005), U.S. Government Presidential Management Fellowship Finalist (2005)

Community/ Professional Activities

• Alliance for Peacebuilding

  Role:

  Board Member
• Careers in Community Outreach

  Role:

  Member
• Careers in International Careers

  Role:

  Member

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A00237 - Ed Wall, Amherst College Dean of Admission (1971-1982), Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter, New Hampshire) Graduate, Yale University Bachelor of Arts, College Admissions Giant

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Ed Wall, Amherst’s dean of admission from 1971 to 1982, died suddenly Nov. 5 at his home on the Governor Dummer Academy campus in Byfield, Mass. He was 68.

Wall was a literal and figurative giant in the world of admission, both at Amherst and beyond. Known at Amherst for his personal contacts with tens of thousands of applicants, he also was respected nationally for his ability to identify and mentor promising educators, as well as his broad service to the admission profession.

“Those who knew Ed will remember him as an outspoken advocate for coeducation and diversity at Amherst,” said Katie Fretwell ’81, director of admission and senior associate dean. “During his tenure, he orchestrated dramatic changes in the composition of the student body. At the same time, amidst these changes, Ed had the uncanny ability to make each student feel that he or she had been handpicked to play an important role in the life of the college.”

A graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and Yale University, Wall started his career at Exeter as an admission officer before moving to Cornell University’s admission office. After working for two years at Lawrence University, Wall came to Amherst, serving as associate dean for three years before being named dean of admission. In 1984, he started an independent college consulting firm, Gibbs and Wall, and soon became director of college counseling at Cushing Academy. At the time of his death, he was a college counselor at Governor Dummer, where his wife, Janet Adams-Wall, is director of college counseling.

A member of several admission committees, he spoke frequently at national and regional conferences, and authored a number of articles about admission.

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Ed Wall, prescient gentleman

I was saddened to read that Ed Wall, former dean of admissions, had passed away. In October 1969, I visited Amherst College with my father, had a tour of the campus and then an interview with Assistant Dean Wall. During the interview he said, “We have a place for you here.” At that moment I didn’t understand that he was offering me early admission to my first-choice school. I had applied through the regular admission process and assumed that I would interview at several colleges and wait for April to hear the good and bad news.

My father understood what Dean Wall said and explained it to me as an aside. I immediately accepted, entered Amherst in September of 1970 and graduated with the 1974 class. At regular intervals I visited with Dean Wall, discussed my class selection, future plans and experiences at Amherst. He was a mentor and a gentleman.

Joel Nizin
Fair Lawn, N.J.

Ed Wall, squash partner and friend

Ed Wall was the first person I met at Amherst. I immediately liked Ed and actually enjoyed my admission interview as a result. Thereafter, Ed and I regularly played squash together. Not only was it always a great workout, but we always had fun. Those games are some of my best memories of Amherst. My sincere condolences to his family and friends for this most untimely loss. 

Christine Moore ’81
New York, N.Y.

Ed Wall, visionary

“Take her; she’s hungry.”

Those were the words Ed Wall wrote on my interview card when I first met him in the spring of 1979. I was in my late 20s, was cleaning houses for a living, had completed only two years towards an undergraduate degree at another college 10 years earlier. I had no money. I had less confidence; all I knew was that I wanted to learn. Ed spent an hour with me that spring day, and whatever he saw in me—what he called my hunger—was what would change my path considerably. I saw Ed again years later at a poetry reading somewhere, and there he was with all that positive energy, thrilled that I had gone on to make teaching my profession, one that I have held at the Hotchkiss School now for almost 21 years. I am grateful to my many fine professors at Amherst for helping me learn, but Ed Wall will always be in my thoughts for having taken such a huge chance on the basis of appetite alone.

Sarah Tames ’81
Lakeville, Conn.

Ed Wall, big in every way

Big-handed and big-hearted, actually just plain big, Ed Wall kept the college admissions process the most human and humane of experiences. He knew there were numbers involved, but he always cared more for people. Whether he said “yes” or “no”—and he said both to me on different occasions—he did so with the greatest warmth and broadest smile. He was a lovely man, and all of us who work in this business might seek to have such a heart. I, among many, will miss him enormously.

Chris Teare ’80
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

Ed Wall, life-changer

I was very sorry to hear about Ed Wall’s death. Without exaggerating, I can say that he changed my life. You see, I had been admitted to Amherst and to Yale. Though I wanted to attend Amherst, I accepted at Yale due to my parents’ concerns and pressure. Yale’s acceptance had not included a financial aid package, but I was not concerned, because every other college, including Amherst, had extended me substantial aid, and Yale assured me that a financial aid offer was on the way. The weeks passed and I kept calling, but no financial aid package arrived. Finally, perhaps two weeks before high school was to end, Yale advised that it would offer me no aid whatsoever, and since I had turned down all my other colleges, it suggested that I apply to the University of Texas, which had rolling admissions and possibly could accommodate a late admission request. Despite speaking with several individuals at Yale, the answer, with no explanation whatsoever, remained the same: a cold, uncaring and institutional “You’re out of luck.”

In a fit of desperation, I called Amherst and asked to speak with the dean of admissions. I shared my sad story with Dean Wall, and before I had even finished, he exclaimed that this was wonderful news for Amherst, that Amherst would be delighted to have me, that my Bronx High School of Science and New York City upbringing would help enrich the Amherst experience, and that the full financial package extended with Amherst’s original offer was still in place. To this day, I am astounded that Dean Wall remembered personal details about my application, and I can still feel the relief that flooded over me as I spoke with him. Whereas Yale had made me feel like an inanimate statistic, Dean Wall made me feel like a valued individual. I still remember going to thank him in person when I arrived. Without an introduction, he boomed “hello” to me by name and I shook his big, warm hand.

Dean Wall’s personal touch was characteristic of my time at Amherst. And the impact of his response to my desperate call is immeasurable. At Amherst, I not only obtained a wonderful education and met wonderful people, I also met the wonderful man who is my husband. My gratitude to Ed Wall knows no bounds.

Lisa E. Chang ’82
Atlanta, Ga.

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Committee Creates Fund in Honor of Former Dean Ed Wall

By Suvayu Pant, News Editor

The Committee to Honor Ed Wall, a former Dean of Admission at the College who passed away on Nov. 5, 2004, recently announced the establishment of the Ed Wall Fund, which will help to finance student scholarships. The Committee consists of Amherst alumni, most of whom graduated during Wall's tenure as Associate Dean from 1968-71 and Dean of Admission from 1971-82.

The Committee is jointly chaired by alumni Sandy Rosenberg '72, Steve Gang '72 and John Gulla '79. Also on the Committee are John Orders '64, Michael Behnke '65, Rob Simpson '69, Wayne Wormley '72, Steve Dibble '73, Katie Fretwell '81, Barb McKinlay Connolly '83 and Kevin McCaffrey '86.

Marshall Schell '72, who is from the Development Office and is helping to build the Fund, explained that the Fund is a part of a 10-month long tribute to the former dean.

The Honoring Ed Wall Campaign concluded during a tribute held in Wall's honor on Saturday. The tribute was attended by friends, family and colleagues of Wall, including President Tony Marx.

According to the Ed Wall Fund description, the Fund was established as a permanent endowment in 2006 by "Green Deans," or Admission Fellows, along with alumni, parents, friends and former colleagues to honor Wall.

Schell said the Fund aims to provide a full scholarship to at least one student every year. The fund is targeted towards students whose parents are blue-collar workers, who are the first in their family to attend college, and those students whose test scores show remarkable academic aptitude given the academic opportunities available to them.

It is more generally targeted towards students with demonstrated need. It will also help to finance campaigns to recruit such students.

According to the an obituary for Ed Wall published in the Winter 2004 edition of Amherst Magazine, he graduated from Philips Exeter Academy before matriculating at Yale University. He had extensive experience working with college and high school admissions before joining Amherst's staff. He began his career working as an admissions officer for Exeter Academy, and later moved to the admissions office at Cornell University. He came to the College after a two-year stint working at Lawrence University.

Director of Admission Katie Fretwell '81 said, "[Wall] played a central role in the College's transition from an all male institution to a coed one." Wall pushed for increased diversity in the student population on all fronts. Besides helping to expand the female student population, he also helped to bring in students of color, especially African-Americans, low-income and blue-collar students who would not normally consider Amherst College as a viable college choice.

His work outside of the College was also commendable, said Fretwell. She explained, "He set an important example for Amherst's peer institutions through his initiatives." He founded A Better Chance house, which helps provide minority high school students who are academically talented with the opportunity to go to college.

Wall is also well known in college admissions circles for having originated the term "Green Dean," said Fretwell, who was a Green Dean herself. She explained that most of the members of the Committee had been once Green Deans.

Wall had a knack of using his jovial personality to relate to students. Fretwell said, "He found humor and interest in almost anything and had an uncanny ability to make students feel that their passions were, indeed, the most important ones of all."

Wall continues to be fondly remembered. He was an important person to those who worked with him, and as Schell said, he was to many both "a mentor and a friend."

The Fund commemorates his important contributions to college admission. And, as Fretwell quipped, Wall's "imposing 6' 4" frame made him a literal and figurative giant in the world of college admission during his time at Amherst."

Issue 10, Submitted 2006-11-28 23:52:11

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Profiles in Philanthropy: Allen J. Hart '82

Having grown up in Williamstown, Mass., Allen Hart ’82 has always felt at home in a small, vibrant intellectual community. “Ed Wall, former Amherst dean of admission, saw in me,” Allen says, “a hardworking teenager concerned with improving not only his own station in life but conditions for others as well.” At Amherst, Allen majored in psychology, played football and ran track. He also held work-study jobs with campus police, the Little Red Schoolhouse and the Mead Art Museum.

After receiving a Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard, Allen joined the University of Iowa faculty in 1991. At Iowa, he was named “professor of the year” and spoke at Commencement in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which holds more than twice as many people as live in his hometown. He serendipitously learned of a new faculty position in Amherst’s psychology department. “Even the most jaded of my university colleagues,” Allen says, “acknowledged that the possibility of teaching at Amherst was a ‘plum’ too good to pass up.”

Since returning to campus in 1996 he has been granted tenure, served as department chair and achieved the rank of full professor. He has served as dean of new students since 2003. Now that they are local, Allen and his wife, Meg ’82, who met as first-year students in Morrow Dormitory, attend Reunion Weekend every year, usually with their children, Ben, 18, and Maya, 13. Allen and Meg are deeply involved with A Better Chance (ABC), which recruits high-achieving students of color from underserved school districts to live in Amherst and attend the public high school. Ed Wall and the Amherst Class of 1969 were among the founders of the Amherst ABC program.

Thoughts on giving to Amherst: “From the dean’s office I can appreciate that we need to do even more to make an Amherst education accessible to the most promising students, regardless of their ability to pay. We need to renew and redouble our already significant efforts to find and support students and faculty to enrich the educational experience for all.

To learn more about how you might support Amherst, contact: Timothy A. Neale ’70, Director of Gift Planning, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002-5000; (413) 542-8256; taneale@amherst.edu; www.amherst.edu/alumni/giving

Photo: Frank Ward

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A00236 - Dana Alexis Perry-Hunter, Amherst College Class of 2000, Great Valley High School (Malvern, Pennsylvania) Graduate, Associate Director of Admission for The Hill School, Avid Participant in Terras Irradient

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Dana Alexis Perry-Hunter's Obituary - Pottstown, PA | Ever Loved

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Dana's obituary

Dana Alexis Perry-Hunter passed away peacefully on August 17, 2023 at her home in Pottstown, PA. Dana was a loving daughter, a supportive sister, a fun aunt, advisor, and best friend.

Dana was a beloved employee at the Hill School for 22 years where she served as the Associate Director of Admissions. She embraced countless other responsibilities during her time there acting as an adviser, dorm parent, and sixth form adviser, as well, to name a few. Over the past two decades she admitted and mentored hundreds of students, her reach extending far beyond the campus. Prior to her time at Hill she served as an account coordinator at Schneider/Shapiro Communications, a renowned boutique public relations firm in New York City. She graduated cum laude from Amherst College in 2000 majoring in political science.

Dana was a lifelong learner, who always won at trivia and any games of knowledge she played. From a child she was precocious about her environment, and had a photographic memory which allowed her to recall every detail of an encounter or words to music whether it was written in the 1950s or 2000s. Her love of music led her to compile an extensive music collection from which her little sister would often borrow. She often lamented that she wasn’t old enough to be a contestant on the show “Name That Tune.” Family and friends maintain that she could have been a Jeopardy champion. Dana had infinite knowledge and curiosity across multiple subjects and disciplines. She was an avid reader and could engage with you about any subject. She was fluent in Spanish and had facility in several other languages. Her mind was simply masterful.

Dana loved sports both as a spectator and participant. She watched baseball with her grandfather (Poppy), attended basketball games with her father, and was a diehard Eagles fan. She loved physical activities from sailing and riding horses competitively as a teenager to the High School cheerleading squad, playing rugby in college.

She was an incredibly giving individual always in service of others both at work and outside. Having struggled with Multiple Sclerosis for over 20 years, she was particularly sensitive to the needs of people with disabilities and actively supported a number of organizations focused on seeking cures and expanding accessibility. She often envisioned her life after the Hill School as being a consultant to boarding schools and organizations to make their buildings more accessible beyond the minimal ADA regulations. Dana was also a huge animal lover and gave to organizations dedicated to helping animals in need. She is predeceased by her dog Veruca Salt (Vivi) and survived by her second fur baby Rosa Barks.

Dana was a cherished friend by so many and built communities of friends wherever she went. Her special way of lighting up a room with her smile, quick wit, and comedic timing was contagious and has been noted by many. She loved people and was energized by their possibilities making her a perfect fit for academia and the Hill School. She once got to 22 cities in Europe in 31 days and returned with a cadre of friends across the globe. Dana had many friends in Baltimore County Maryland where she attended elementary, middle, and the first two years of high school before moving to Pennsylvania and Great Valley High School where she would graduate. Dana was active at her church, Covenant Presbyterian in Malvern, PA, participating in youth groups and retreats. She leaves many friends in both areas. She is survived by her partner Steven Corteal, her parents John and Dolores, her sister Briana, her brother Marcus, and his spouse Jennifer and their three children Christopher, Ava, and Nicholas, her sweet dog Rosa Barks, and countless uncles, aunts, cousins, and family members.  Dana is predeceased by Otis Perry.  Dana will be missed tremendously, and we know that she will be keeping everyone in stitches in Heaven with her grandfathers, grandmothers, and family. In lieu of flowers, donations to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, an organization that was very important to Dana, are greatly appreciated.

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In Memory

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We are heartbroken to share that Dana Alexis Perry-Hunter passed away peacefully on August 17, 2023, at her home in Pottstown, Pa.  

Dana was a cherished friend who built communities around her everywhere she went. She was a lifelong learner. Incredibly smart, thoughtful, philosophical and great debater, and so it was no surprise that she loved her time at Amherst. Majoring in political science, she was a passionate student of American politics, law, jurisprudence and social thought. But as much as she loved her educational pursuits, she loved her time at Amherst because of the friends she made there who became her family. 

Meeting her at the beginning of freshman year was like winning the lottery. She made friends so easily. People gravitated toward her big, easy smile, quick wit and contagious laugh. But if you were one of her people, you truly were one of the luckiest people in the world. She loved her friends fiercely and made sure they always knew it. She was the first to reach out on your birthday and the first—and often only person—to remember some random anniversary or milestone. She was the type of person who reached out—often with a handwritten letter—for no other reason than because she was thinking of you. 

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After graduation, Dana moved to New York City for a brief stint before finding her calling in education. Dana was a beloved employee at the Hill School where she served as the associate director of Admissions. During her 22 years at Hill, she embraced countless other responsibilities including serving as an adviser and dorm parent. Over the past two decades, she admitted and mentored hundreds of students, her reach extending far beyond the campus. 

Dana always acted in service of others, both personally and professionally. Having struggled with Multiple Sclerosis for more than 20 years, she was particularly sensitive to the needs of people with disabilities and actively supported a number of organizations focused on seeking cures and expanding accessibility. She was also a huge animal lover and gave to organizations dedicated to helping animals in need. She lived her life knowing that it was a precious gift, never taking one day for granted. When she was diagnosed with MS at such a young age—a time when all of us were just figuring out our way post-college—she never dwelled on it. She never felt sorry for herself. And she never, never let it define her. And while MS may have robbed her of some of her physical abilities, it never dimmed her light.  

She will be deeply missed, but never forgotten.

Karen Silberg Richman ’00

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Deceased August 17, 2023
 

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Contact

Nickname

• Alexis

Family

No data available

Personal

No data available

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Professional

Employment Information

Former

• Associate Director of Admission

  The Hill School

  Start:

  10/2001

  End:

  08/2023
• Schneider Integrated Communications

  Start:

  01/2000

  End:

  10/2001

Industry Information

Current

• Education/Academia: Admissions
• K-12 Education: Private Secondary

Former

• Communications

Career History

• After graduation I took a job in a small PR firm in New York City. The firm is now defunct, and after six months I decided it was not for me. I then started looking for jobs in education and was hired at my current job and have been there for the past three years.

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Professional

Employment Information

Former

• Associate Director of Admission

  The Hill School

  Start:

  10/2001

  End:

  08/2023
• Schneider Integrated Communications

  Start:

  01/2000

  End:

  10/2001

Industry Information

Current

• Education/Academia: Admissions
• K-12 Education: Private Secondary

Former

• Communications

Career History

• After graduation I took a job in a small PR firm in New York City. The firm is now defunct, and after six months I decided it was not for me. I then started looking for jobs in education and was hired at my current job and have been there for the past three years.

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Amherst

Reunion Class

• 2000

Graduation Year

• 2000

Major(s)

• Political Science

Other Academic

Secondary Schools

• Great Valley High School

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Amherst

• Crossett Dormitory
• Hitchcock Dormitory
• James Dormitory

Volunteering

• Alumni Fund

  Role:

  Associate Agent

  Start:

  October 2019

  End:

  September 2020
• Pathways

  Role:

  Mentor

  Start:

  June 2013

  End:

  January 2019
• Class Officer

  Role:

  Reunion Attendance Committee

  Start:

  November 2009

  End:

  July 2010
• Alumni Fund

  Role:

  Associate Agent

  Start:

  April 2002

  End:

  June 2010

Extracurricular Activities

• Amherst Women's Rugby Football Club
• Social Council
• Sports Amherst

Post-Graduate

No data available

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