Amherst College Staff
Richard O'Daniel Obituary
Richard McDougald O'Daniel
Chesapeake - "Just as corn ripens and rises up again, so does the mortal ripen and rise up again." Our father, Dr Richard McDougald O'Daniel, has risen from the arms of his flower, Nilufar Ahmed O'Daniel, during the early hours of New Years Eve, into the watchful light of our creator and the presence of his mother and father, the mighty who rose before him, and the God who set them free. In the afterimage of his unforgettable hugs, he watchfully writes messages in the hearts of his beloved grandchildren, Aaron and Azuriah; his sons, Ahmed and Ahmasi; his brother and sister, Edward and Virginia; the countless who knew him as Uncle Rick; his Aunt Nikki, Aunt Aarona, and countless cousins; his many friends; and his wife, "Nyna," whom he loved, deeply. In his life, he shared a love for family trips, sailing, camping, bike rides, yoga, making memories with family and friends, birthday parties, holidays, five in the morning phone calls; and a potency of spirit that is beyond words. With his best buddy Mike Holley, he fished where the Lafayette, James, and Elizabeth met; the man loved the water, sailing in the islands, and boats. He devoted his academic and professional service to Lincoln University, PA, New York University, Troy State University, University of Massachusetts, Amherst College, Westfield State College, Norfolk State University, NASA, Fort Monroe, The Pentagon, and Elizabeth City State University. He retired as Director of the Lincoln University Urban Center. During his retirement he became an active member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Homeland Security. He loved his grandchildren beyond reason, and the legacy he leaves behind in his ability to live life to the fullest sets an example that inspires all who knew him to dare to be great. His going home ceremony will be held at the Metropolitan Funeral Service 7246 Granby Street in Norfolk on Thursday January 10th at 5 PM. The viewing will be the same day as the service. In lieu of flowers, practice charity, empathy, and devotion to the health of our communities.
Published by The Virginian-Pilot on Jan. 8, 2013.
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Richard McDougald O'Daniel
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Charlie Stillman of Seattle died on February 18 after a long siege with T-cell lymphoma.
Charlie grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, attended Amherst College, graduated in 1967 and, having been drafted, joined the Army. He spent a year in Vietnam and came home to live in Boston. In June of 1970 he married Susan Jackson, also of Brookline. The next year they moved to Seattle where he continued his studies earning a PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Washington. A former Appalachian Mountain Club Hutman, Charlie enthusiastically began to explore the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. Camping, skiing, hiking and biking their way through the seasons, traveling in their VW bus, Charlie and Susan took advantage of the opportunities of this great region as often as they could.
To manage his dissertation research data Charlie became intrigued with the use of computers. In 1979 he purchased a shiny new Apple II, and found a new passion. As a bicycle commuter he packed it back and forth to the university and joined Call A.P.P.L.E. the local Apple users group. Upon graduation he took a job there. Building his computing skills became a driving interest. After earning his PhD, he studied database programming and took business classes to start his own business with partner Walt Nelson. During this period he also became part of a sailboat partnership and began local cruising with Susan and their two young children. In 1992 he became a trustee of Stillman College, in Tuskaloosa, Alabama, an HBC founded by his great grandfather. For many years he served on the Board, twice as Board Chair.
An avid biker, Charlie traveled thousands of miles on two wheels. In the boatless summer of 2002, the couple rode their recumbent tandem bicycle 2342 miles across the country from Seattle to Nonquitt, Massachusetts ending their trip in waters where the family had sailed for generations. Charlie's spirit of adventure led them to purchase a larger cruising sailboat, their beloved Malo 42 Gratitude, in which they spent 22 years cruising the Salish Sea and Canada's waters around Vancouver Island as well as down the Pacific coast to Mexico. During these years Charlie worked part time at Discovery Yachts as a yacht broker and became active in the local ham radio nets. He loved tinkering with his antennas and all sorts of other electronic gear. Charlie's participation in sailing clubs including the Seattle Yacht Club and Cruising Club of America was a source of personal connections and volunteer commitments.
Charlie's health deteriorated over the last two years but he did manage one last cruise in September before making his final voyage on February 18. He is survived by Susan, his wife of 54 years; children Fred and Helen Stillman; Fred's wife Martine and grandchildren Eleanor and Elizabeth; also his sister Daphne and brother Jimmy; Susan's sisters Edith and Margaret Jackson and her brother Ned Jackson plus many nieces and nephews and their children as well as loving relatives on both sides of the family. Donations in his name may be made to Long Live the Kings (lltk.org), the Bonnell Cove Foundation (bonnellcove.org) and Stillman College (stillman.edu).
Published on March 2, 2025
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Charles Milson Stillman
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In Memory
Jid was the founding director of the University of Oklahoma’s African and African American Studies program, which became a full-fledged department only after his death in October 2013. He single-handedly ran that program for years with few resources. Today it is the thriving Clara Luper Department of African and African American Studies, named after an Oklahoma icon in the civil rights movement.
At Jid’s funeral here in Norman, Okla., person after person and family after family spoke at the service, all with stories about how Jid and his wife, Njambi, supported them as Africans coming to Oklahoma to go to school. It seems that any African student—from any part of the continent—who came as a foreign student to virtually any institution of higher learning in Oklahoma (not just OU) was helped by Jid. He would often pick them up at the airport and have them stay at his home until they could get settled in their own housing. Sometimes they were flying into Tulsa instead of nearby Oklahoma City, but it didn’t matter. He would drive the two hours each way to Tulsa to pick them up and get them where they needed to be. He offered advice on how to navigate America, Oklahoma and whatever degree program they were entering. And he remained someone they could call on throughout their time in Oklahoma. Jid apparently did all this, which must have amounted to nearly a full-time job, without any compensation, while teaching full time at OU and advertising to his colleagues that he was doing it.
The chapel at his memorial service was standing room only, and I don’t think I’ve ever been to a service more moving. The number of people he helped and whose lives he had changed was huge.
Elyssa Faison, chair, University of Oklahoma History Department
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Dr. Jid Gitau Kamoche - 2013 - Havenbrook Funeral Home
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Dr. Jid Gitau Kamoche Obituary
Family and friends mourn the loss of University of Oklahoma professor emeritus Jidlaph G. Kamoche. He died last week at his home in Norman. James S. Hart Jr., chair of the OU Department of History, declared that his department had lost an important and pioneering teacher in an area unknown to many Americans. He was a fixture of campus life from his arrival on campus in 1977 to serve as the first director of the African/African-American studies program here. In addition to inspiring many students to pursue graduate work in Africa, Kamoche was a generous mentor to younger faculty, especially those who came to OU from their countries. Kamoche was born and raised in Kingeero, near Nairobi, Kenya. He received his primary and secondary education in Kenya. He received a scholarship to pursue higher education in the United States and attended Amherst College, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in history in 1967. He earned his Master of Arts in history from the University of Massachusetts in 1969 and his doctorate in history from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1977. Kamoche was born and raised in Kingeero, near Nairobi, Kenya. He received his primary and secondary education in Kenya. He received a scholarship to pursue higher education in the United States and attended Amherst College, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in history in 1967. He earned his Master of Arts in history from the University of Massachusetts in 1969 and his doctorate in history from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1977. Before coming to the University of Oklahoma in 1977, he served as the director of the African and African-American Studies Program and taught African and African-American history at University of New York College at Buffalo. He was the author of “Imperial Trusteeship and Political Evolution in Kenya, 1923-1963” (Washington, DC: University Press of America, 1981). For 10 years, he authored short articles on contemporary Kenyan history. The articles were published in Collier’s Encyclopedia Year Book. He presented papers at the African Studies Annual Conferences. At the time of his death, he was at work on a second book, “Mau Mau and Decolonization in Kenya, 1945-1963.” He leaves behind many memories, friends and loved ones. He was a passionate supporter of OU football and taught many of the players over the years. Jid was preceded in death by his parents, Esther Nyakio and Nelson; and brothers James and John. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Njambi; his two children, Nyakio (Kio) and her husband David and Kamoche (Moche); his three grandchildren, Kaya, Luisa and Rocco; three sisters; two brothers; and many nieces and nephews. A service to celebrate his life will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Havenbrook Funeral Home chapel, 3401 Havenbrook St. in Norman. Family will greet friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Havenbrook Funeral Home.
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Edward S. McCatty Obituary
A committed educator and lifelong patron of the arts, Edward S. McCatty passed away on June 14, 2025, in Keene, New Hampshire.
Born June 10, 1954, Ed grew up in Brooklyn, NY, where he attended Wingate High School, graduating in 1971. In 1975, Ed earned a bachelor’s degree in English and biology from Amherst College. He went on to receive a master’s degree from Yale Divinity School in 1979 and a master’s in literature from University College London in 2005.
After teaching for seven years at Brentwood School in Los Angeles, California, Ed returned to the East Coast in 1992 to join the faculty of Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, where he would remain for 28 years. A literary enthusiast and logophile with high standards for his students, Ed was fully engaged in campus life, serving as dorm adviser, rowing coach, Adviser to Students of Color, and Faculty Adviser to the Judicial Committee. Ed was the consummate teacher, described by a faculty colleague as “both a teacher and a student: someone well equipped by virtue of his learning and his ability to communicate, to lead others to the discovery of, and excitement for, ideas.” Throughout his career at Choate, Ed received numerous awards from students and the administration for his teaching and contributions to the school community. As one student declared, “Mr. McCatty is passionate and devoted to bringing literature to life.”
Upon his retirement from Choate in 2020, Ed moved to Walpole, NH, where he remained an active member of the Amherst College Alumni Association and joined St. Michael’s Episcopal Church of Brattleboro, Vermont. In addition, he served on the board of the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center.
Ed cherished the many communities he lived in throughout his life and once proclaimed in a service at the Seymour St. John Chapel at Choate, “I am not a self-made man…having received loving gifts from God, and love and nurture from my family and from the communities in which I have been fortunate to live… And if I am not alone, neither are you.”
Ed is survived by a brother, Nico, of Brooklyn, NY, and numerous friends, colleagues, and former students whose lives were made better by his high standards, compassion, and grace.
A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at 11:00 am at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Brattleboro, Vermont.
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Deceased October 27, 1962
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Amherst Relatives
Frieda Parker W1920, P'60 (d)
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