Jarrell D. Ritter ’49


Jarrell David “Perry” Ritter, 84, died Friday, December 12, 2014. He was born June 14, 1930 in Amsterdam, New York, the son of Richard Wallace Ritter and Beatrice Shuttleworth Ritter, was a graduate of Worcester Academy and attended Babson Institute before enlisting in the Navy. He served in the Navy for four years. He is survived by his wife of sixty years, Emma Lou Thomas Ritter; one son, Jarrell David (Katherine) Ritter Jr.; one daughter, Mary Louise Ritter Bader; and five grandchildren, Jarrell David Ritter III, Dane Edward Ritter, Sarah Evelyn Ritter, Edward Michael Skanes, and Emily Louise Skanes. He was preceded in death by one brother, Richard Wallace Ritter Jr.; and two sisters, Mabeth Shuttleworth Quiri and Elizabeth Anne Ritter Clay.

Conrad M. Schirokauer ’46


Conrad Schirokauer died in Cleveland, Ohio on September 19, 2018 at the age of 89. Conrad was born in Leipzig, Germany. When he was six years old, his family left Germany and the rising Nazi regime for Italy, where they spent three good years before moving to Memphis, Tennessee in 1938. With few resources but abundant tenacity, the family found its way in a new country that welcomed them and became Conrad’s life-long home. The family’s time in Memphis was followed by multiple relocations until they eventually settled in Baltimore, Maryland. Soon after, Conrad left to attend Williston Academy. He completed middle and high school there, graduating as valedictorian in 1946.

Following high school, Conrad enrolled at Yale College, where he became fascinated with China and, in particular Chinese intellectual history. Against the advice of family and friends, he chose to pursue an academic career as a scholar of China, intent on exploring what was at the time a largely undeveloped field, and deeply committed to a belief in the value of learning about a culture and society different than one’s own. After graduating from Yale in 1950, Conrad continued his intellectual pursuits as a graduate student at Stanford University. In 1955, his studies were interrupted by obligatory military service.

The military stationed Conrad in Paris. For his first Christmas back in Europe, he accepted an invitation to Cambridge, England, to visit the Striches, a German expatriate family whom Conrad’s family had known well during their time in Italy. Conrad and Lore Strich (who remembered each other from childhood) were married not long afterwards, in November of 1956.

Conrad and Lore enjoyed the first two years of married life in Paris, after which they moved to Palo Alto, California so Conrad could complete his dissertation on 12th century Chinese political thought at Stanford. There, Conrad and Lore welcomed the arrival of their first son, David, who was born in 1959. Oliver would follow in 1962. Conrad considered becoming a father “an unprecedented act of faith, and trust of life.”

Conrad’s first academic position was at Swarthmore College. In 1962, he joined the faculty of the City College of the City University of New York, retiring in 1991 as Professor of History. Of great importance to Conrad and his family were three years of academic leave, taken early in his career (1967-69, 1971-72), which were spent traveling in Asia and living in Kyoto, Japan. The time spent exploring new lands nurtured a passion for travel in Conrad and Lore that was a defining feature of the next fifty years of their life together.

Conrad was deeply committed to his role as an educator and over the course of his career, he authored not only scholarly articles but also multiple textbooks on East Asian history. He especially loved to teach and after retiring from City College, continued to do so at Columbia University as a Senior Scholar in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, only stopping at the age of 89 when he fell ill.

Conrad passed away peacefully with his family at his side. He will be remembered for his kindness, concern for the well-being of others, gentle playfulness, and lively sense of humor and irony. Conrad is survived by his wife of 62 years, Lore, his son David and wife Dawn Adams, his son Oliver and partner Monica Gerrek, his grandchildren Leo, Somiya, and Sierra, and his brother-in-law John Goodell. He was preceded in death by his mother Erna, his father, Arno, his sister Annette, his granddaughter Kestra, and his sister-in-law Sabina Strich.

LeGrande R. Howell, Former Faculty

LeGrande (Sam) Ridgeway Howell, born August 5, 1926, passed away at the age of 92 on November 6, 2018 at his home in Eliot, Maine. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Jane Lemmon Howell, his son, Thomas L. Howell along with his wife, Lori A. Howell, of Eliot, and his daughter, Ruth H. Sutton along with her husband, D. James Sutton, of Buskirk, NY. Sam and Jane’s oldest child, Ridgeway T. Howell, predeceased his parents in 2008 . Sam also is survived by 8 grandchildren, Hannalea Howell and Pierce W. Howell, both of Eliot, ME ; James R. Sutton of Washington, DC; Stephen E. Sutton, of San Diego, CA; Caitlin L . Sutton, of San Diego, CA; Taylor P. Sutton, of Denver, CO; Connor A. Sutton, of Hoosick Falls, NY; and Summer J. Sutton, of Philadelphia, PA . He is also survived by his adoring dog, LuLu. Originally from East Moriches, NY, Sam was one of three children and was the only son of Ruth Learie Howell and Ridgeway Taylor Howell. He graduated from Center Moriches High School in 1943 at the age of 16 and wanted to serve in the US Navy immediately after high school, but his parents would not consent to his joining the military as a minor. He was granted a scholarship to Union College, Schenectady, NY, and attended for several semesters until he was accepted into the V-12 Program, the precursor of today’s ROTC. In 1944 he entered the Navy as a midshipman and later rose to the rank of a commissioned officer. Two weeks after the war was officially over, he boarded the USS Alabama as it entered Tokyo Bay and his ship anchored adjacent to USS Missouri when the Armistice was signed, officially ending WWII. Upon his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1946, Sam briefly worked in construction until he was able to return to Union College to complete his bachelor’s degree and pursue graduate coursework at the University of Wisconsin. After his military service, Sam taught chemistry at Monson Academy, Wilbraham, MA, and later math, chemistry, and physics at Williston Academy, Easthampton, MA, where he also coached track and field. He took particular pride when, after coaching for four years, the team won the New England Championship. Following his teaching experiences, Sam made his career in sales and executive management at several companies: Lemmon Pharmaceuticals in Sellersville, PA; Tilden Yates/Chemway in Worcester, MA; Cooper Laboratories; and Diamond Shamrock in Cleveland, OH . Over his career he and his young family lived in five states and abroad in Quebec, Canada and Mexico City, Mexico. In 1983, Sam and Jane moved to Eliot, Maine, to start an innovative aquaculture business, Spinney Creek Shellfish, with their son, Tom. The business continues to provide restaurants and retailers with the finest shellfish today. Sam was a member of the Seacoast Wind Ensemble, served on the Eliot Board of Appeals, and was a volunteer at York Hospital for 13 years. Sam was known as a crusty “old salt” who loved fishing, boating, and gardening. In his retirement he became a bee keeper. He lived on the Maine coast longer than any other location and marveled at all the area had to offer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cocheco Valley Humane Society, 262 County Farm Road, Dover, NH 03820. Online condolences may be made by visiting ww.jspelkeyfuneralhome.com