The Senior Alumni

Evelyn Richmond ’41 and Arsen Charles ’42 led the 2019 alumni parade.

Evelyn Richmond and Arsen Charles 

Photograph by Jim Harrison

Evelyn Richmond ’41, of Nashville, Tennessee, and Arsen Charles ’42, of Westwood, Massachusetts, were the oldest Radcliffe and Harvard alumni present on Commencement day. HAA president Margaret M. Wang ’09 publicly honored the pair at the association’s annual meeting.

For Richmond, who turned 98 in June, it was a distinction she also enjoyed last year (see July-August 2018, page 75). “There are so many people here,” she said, gesturing from her seat near the dais in Tercentenary Theatre, as crowds of alumni, graduates, guests, and others were funneling in to hear the Commencement address by German chancellor Angela Merkel, LL.D. ’19. “But I’m pleased to at least shake hands with the new president of Harvard.” She was again accompanied by her son, Clifford Richmond ’75, who explained, “Every time we come here, when we leave, Mom says, ‘Let’s do it again next year!’ It’s all the pageantry, the people, it’s wonderful—and she’s an honored guest, which she loves.”

Charles, 99, was flanked by his wife, Marie Charles, a Vassar graduate, who said that she and her husband both felt duly celebrated. “We just love coming here,” she added. “Everyone has just been so nice.”

You might also like

Being Undocumented In America

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s writing aims to challenge assumptions. 

A New Narrative of Civil Rights

Political philosopher Brandon Terry’s vision of racial progress

Bringing Korean Stories to Life

Composer Julia Riew writes the musicals she needed to see.

Most popular

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

This Harvard Scientist Is Changing the Future of Genetic Diseases

David Liu has pioneered breakthroughs in gene editing, creating new therapies that may lead to cures.

Three Harvardians Win Macarthur Fellowships

A mathematician, a political scientist, and an astrophysicist are honored with “genius” grants for their work.

Explore More From Current Issue

People sit in lawn chairs near a rustic barn at Cider Garden in New Salem on a sunny day.

Ciderdays Festival Celebrates All Things Apple

Visiting small-batch cideries and orchards in Massachusetts

David McCord in suit reading a book at cluttered wooden desk in office filled with framed art and shelves.

The Pump Celebrates Its 85th Birthday

Giving Harvard traditions their due 

Book cover of "Black Moses" by Caleb Gayle with subtitle about ambition and the fight for a Black state.

Civil Rights In the American West

A new book chronicles one man’s quest for a Black state.