Deceased March 28, 2010

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In Memory

We lost a stalwart member of our class when Pete Dudan died peacefully at the Rossmoor community in Walnut Creek, Calif. Predeceased by his wife, Jane, Peter is survived by his four children, five grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Peter enjoyed a happy, busy, productive life. Good things happened to him early on. The Boys Club of New York picked him to represent the U.S. in an exchange program with the French Boy Scouts.

He came to Amherst via Andover Academy where he captained both the basketball and baseball teams, which he then repeated at Amherst.

He then signed up for the navy V-7 officer training program, participated in D-day and later served in the occupation of Japan. 

After the war, he lived in the Chicago area, met and married Jane Fairchild, worked for U.S. Gypsum and started a family. He decided that U.S. Gypsum was not for him and moved east. Successfully completing the rigorous Rutgers University banking program, he accepted employment with Marine Midland Bank of Southeastern New York at their Nyack facility. Marine Midland was his sole employer, retiring as the chairman and CEO of the southeastern division.

He and Jane successfully raised their children, and he became public citizen extraordinaire, serving on countless organizations, trustee of the Nyack Hospital, member of Palisades Interstate Park Commission and member of the executive committee of the Nyack YMCA.

Peter was a devoted father, sports fan, fine golfer, avid stamp collector and longtime member of the American Philatelic Society.

After retiring, Pete and Jane moved to Scottsdale, Ariz.  Again, life was good—much traveling, golf and nice summers at their cottage in Prescott, Ariz.

Unfortunately, Jane’s deteriorating health forced them to move to the Rossmoor community at Walnut Creek in California in 2003.  Two of their kids were nearby.

Jane passed away in 2009 and Pete in March 2010. Except for this last year, it was a wondrous ride for two super people.

Monty Hankin '43