PASSINGS

KIT PASSINGS

HUGH McKINLEY PETERSON ’74* lived his life at its most unbroken at Roeper, loving his teachers (especially Mr Halsey), his classes and playing his flute His classmates remembered him for his pranks and sense of humor In 1972, shortly after leaving Roeper, he sustained a serious traumatic brain injury while studying in El Escorial, Spain With his own wisdom and courage he lived with its physical and psychological repercussions for 50 years Hugh never wanted to be seen as a victim He did his utmost to continue with his life goals, speaking Spanish, traveling and receiving an AA degree from Foothill College where he received a standing ovation from his classmates for his poetry Nevertheless, he resigned himself often but never gave up: when he could no longer play the flute, he started playing the harmonica

On his 64th birthday the pandemic gave his friends from Roeper an opportunity to show that having a TBI didn’t destroy friendships Margo Williams Downes ’74 organized a Zoom party with Dick Halsey, Tim Teasley ’72 , Mark Zbikowski ’70, Rick Shapero ’74, and Lisa Portnoy ’74 In Hugh’s succinct way he called this, A Happy Day “It was more like THE Happy Day”, said his sister Anne ’70, who also participated Hugh died February 5, 2022 in Santa Rosa, California, after a year-long battle that began with COVID-19 He leaves behind sister Anne ’70 and brother Peter ’73 His flute will return to The Roeper School

MITCHELL LEVIN ‘74* passed away unexpectedly in Los Angeles on November 19, 2021 He received his BFA in Film from Columbia College, Chicago, and his MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts He began his career as a Story Analyst at 20th Century Fox in Los Angeles, and as a development executive there worked with Arthur Miller on his screen adaptation of The Crucible Mitchell worked, at one time or another, for almost every major Hollywood studio and recently retired from Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks after 20 years as their Senior Story Analyst At DreamWorks, he worked on films ranging from Gladiator to Road to Perdition, The Ring, Catch Me If You Can, The Help, Bridge of Spies, and more After retiring, Mitchell worked as a freelance script consultant for film and television Mitchell had many wonderful memories of The Roeper School and last visited in July 2019 He will be remembered for his abiding intelligence, his wit and humor, his strong opinions, his kindness and generosity, and his love of family and friends

RON CLARK was a Homeroom and Art Teacher at the Lower School in the 1970s He began his higher education at Michigan Technical College before transferring to Northern Michigan University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Education, with specialties in Art, History and Psychology He also earned a Master’s degree in Math Education from the University of Detroit Ron taught a variety of subjects from kindergarten through high school for over 40 years, including Art, English, and History When he left teaching, Ron took on his favorite role — full-time dad to Kit while the family lived in Jackson, Michigan

Ron respected people as individuals, did not judge others, and was a staunch defender of human and civil rights for people of all ethnicities, races, and nationalities as well as sexual orientation and gender identity Most of all, he loved his family unconditionally and was with his family on the day of his passing, April 23, 2022 He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Janet Harvey-Clark, and children, Kit, Bill, and Jared

DARCY RICHIE ‘00* passed away on April 26, 2022 She is survived by her parents, Roy & Julia Richie (former Roeper Board Member), sister and Roeper alumna Brooke Richie ‘95

PETER “PETE” DAVID PIERCE, of Grand Blanc, Michigan, died at age 54 on June 10, 2022 Pete was a beloved community member who ran the Chartwells Lunch Cart at the Birmingham Campus for years — long before the Naas Commons and Café were constructed He knew every student by name and legend has it, he would regularly have the food choice in hand before it was requested, because of his gracious familiarity and kindness

BRADLEY REED, passed away on May 28, 2021 His wife, Mary Hudson, said he always spoke fondly of the years he worked as a teacher’s assistant at Roeper in the 1970s

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