The Senior Celebrants

Two 99-year-olds—Frances Pass Addelson ’30, of Brookline, Massachusetts, and George Barner ’29, Ed ’32, L ’33, of Kennebunk, Maine—the oldest...

Two 99-year-olds—Frances Pass Addelson ’30, of Brookline, Massachusetts, and George Barner ’29, Ed ’32, L ’33, of Kennebunk, Maine—the oldest graduates present on Commencement day, were saluted during the afternoon ceremony by HAA president Jonathan L.S. Byrnes. He noted also that 106-year-old Albert H. Gordon ’23, M.B.A. ’25, LL.D. ’77, of New York City, had hoped to come celebrate his eighty-fifth reunion, but was unable to attend.

Photographs by Stu Rosner

George Barner

Photographs by Jim Harrison

Frances Pass Addelson

According to University records, the oldest alumni, apart from Gordon, include: Walter J. Seward, J.D. ’24, 111, of West Orange, New Jersey; Marion Coppelman Epstein ’24, 105, of Boston; M. Louise Macnair ’25, 105, of Cambridge; Halford J. Pope ’25, M.B.A. ’27, 104, of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Edward Gipstein ’27, 103, of New London, Connecticut; Marjorie B. Walden ’26, 102, of Needham, Massachusetts; Rose Depoyan ’26, Ed.M. ’38, 101, of Brockton, Massachusetts, and Edith M. Van Saun ’29, 101, of Sykesville, Maryland.

Related topics

You might also like

How a Harvard Hockey Legend Became a Needlepoint Artist

Joe Bertagna’s retirement project recreates figures from Boston sports history.

Inside Harvard’s Most Egalitarian School

The Extension School is open to everyone. Expect to work—hard.

Introductions: Mallika Monteiro

A conversation with a beer industry executive

Most popular

Harvard Professor Michael Sandel Wins Philosophy’s Berggruen Prize

The creator of the popular ‘Justice’ course receives a $1 million award.

Martin Nowak Placed on Leave a Second Time

Further links to Jeffrey Epstein surface in newly released files

The True Cost of Grade Inflation at Harvard

How an abundance of A’s created “the most stressed-out world of all.”

Explore More From Current Issue

Modern building surrounded by greenery and a walking path under a blue sky.

A New Landscape Emerges in Allston

The innovative greenery at Harvard’s Science and Engineering Complex

Graduates celebrate joyfully, wearing caps and gowns, with some waving and smiling.

Inside Harvard’s Most Egalitarian School

The Extension School is open to everyone. Expect to work—hard.

Illustration of a person sitting on a large cresting wave, writing, with a sunset and ocean waves in vibrant colors.

How Stories Help Us Cope with Climate Change

The growing genre of climate fiction offers a way to process reality—and our anxieties.