Harvard's oldest living alumni

Harvard’s oldest living graduates

Lillian (Sher) Sugarman  and Robert F. Rothschild

Lillian (Sher) Sugarman and Robert F. Rothschild | Photographs by Jim Harrison

The oldest graduates of Harvard and Radcliffe present on Commencement day were Lillian (Sher) Sugarman ’37, 98, of Swampscott, Massachusetts, who was accompanied by her grandson, Peter S. Cahn ’96, RI ’09, and Robert F. Rothschild ’39, 95, of New York City, celebrating his seventy-fifth class reunion, who came with his wife, Margaret Rothschild ’65. Both were recognized during the afternoon ceremony by HAA president Catherine Gellert ’93. According to the active University alumni records, the other oldest alumni include: Edith M. Van Saun ’29, 107, of Sykesville, Maryland; Bertha O. Fineberg ’31, 105, of Gloucester, Massachusetts; Mary Anglemyer ’31, 104, of Medford, New Jersey; Erhart R. Muller ’32, 104, of Harvard, Massachusetts; Louise J. Wells ’32, 104, of Harwich, Massachusetts; Helena W. Phillips ’33, 102, of West Palm Beach; Clarence M. Agress ’33, 102, of Santa Barbara; Mary Grossman MacEwan ’33, 102, of Tucson; Anne Sharples Frantz ’33, 102, of Peterborough, New Hampshire; and William Peters Blanc ’34, 101, of Sag Harbor, New York. 

Related topics

You might also like

The former economics concentrator brings his talent for crunching numbers to netminding.

Graduates John Lithgow, Bill Rauch, and Bess Wohl took home prizes on Sunday night.

Photographer and writer Morgan Smith chronicles life beyond the violence in Ciudad Juárez and other Mexican towns.

Most popular

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.

He was Harvard’s quintessential people person

The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead

 A Harvard botanist investigates mystic potions, voodoo rites, and the making of zombies.

Explore More From Current Issue

A vibrant group of dancers in colorful outfits poses on a stage with shiny decorations.

The Harvard Arts Medalist wants his smash-hit Cats revival to reach “as many young queer people” as possible.

Vibrant urban scene at dusk featuring a mural on a building and illuminated structures.

The Goel Center in Allston will open for performances in the fall of 2026.

Five individuals are posed in a monochrome outdoor setting near a cinderblock building, some standing, some seated.

Photographer and writer Morgan Smith chronicles life beyond the violence in Ciudad Juárez and other Mexican towns.