A Record-Breaker Passes

Farewell to Walter Seward, Harvard's longest-lived alumnus

Walter Seward, LL.B. ’24, who died on September 14, a month shy of his 112th birthday, was the longest-lived Harvard alumnus known to University records. He practiced law into his nineties; for his final visit to the Law School, in 2004, Dean Elena Kagan declared Walter Seward Day in his honor (see “The Oldest Ever?” January-February 2006, page 79, for further details.)

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.

A Congenial Voice in Japanese-American Relations

Takashi Komatsu spent his life building bridges. 

This TikTok Artist Combines Monsters and Mental Heath

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

Most popular

David Cutler on trimming U.S. healthcare costs

Administrative costs, greed, overutilization—can these drivers of U.S. medical costs be curbed?

The Medical-Robotics Revolution

Engineering advances in surgery, mobility, and patient care

Amid a stream of jokes, Amy Poehler gives earnest advice to the class of 2011

Amid a stream of jokes, Amy Poehler delivers earnest advice to the class of 2011.

Explore More From Current Issue

Four young people sitting around a table playing a card game, with a chalkboard in the background.

On Weekends, These Harvard Math Professors Teach the Smaller Set

At Cambridge Math Circle, faculty and alumni share puzzles, riddles, and joy.

An axolotl with a pale body and pink frilly gills, looking directly at the viewer.

Regenerative Biology’s Baby Steps

What axolotl salamanders could teach us about limb regrowth

A silhouette of a person stands before glowing domes in a red, rocky landscape at sunset.

Getting to Mars (for Real)

Humans have been dreaming of living on the Red Planet for decades. Harvard researchers are on the case.