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

Novelist Lev Grossman on Why Fantasy Isn’t About Escapism

The Magicians author discusses his influences, from Harvard to King Arthur to Tolkien.

This TikTok Artist Combines Monsters and Mental Heath

Ava Jinying Salzman’s artwork helps people process difficult feelings.

Mount Vernon, Historic Preservation, and American Politics

Anne Neal Petri promotes George Washington and historic literacy.

Most popular

Why Men Are Falling Behind in Education, Employment, and Health

Can new approaches to education address a growing gender gap?

The 1884 Cannibalism-at-Sea Case That Still Has Harvard Talking

The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens changed the course of legal history. Here’s why it’s been fodder for countless classroom debates.

Teen "Grind" Culture and Mental Health

Teens need better strategies to cope with lives lived partly online.

Explore More From Current Issue

A girl sits at a desk, flanked by colorful, stylized figures, evoking a whimsical, surreal atmosphere.

The Trouble with Sidechat

No one feels responsible for what happens on Harvard’s anonymous social media app.

An image depicting high carb ultra processed foods, those which are often associated with health risks

Is Ultraprocessed Food Really That Bad?

A Harvard professor challenges conventional wisdom. 

Historic church steeple framed by bare tree branches against a clear sky.

Harvard’s Financial Challenges Lead to Difficult Choices

The University faces the consequences of the Trump administration—and its own bureaucracy