At the Forefront

Frances Pass Addelson and Philip KeenePhotograph by Jane ReedThe oldest graduates of Harvard and Radcliffe present on Commencement day, who led...

Frances Pass Addelson and Philip Keene
Photograph by Jane Reed

The oldest graduates of Harvard and Radcliffe present on Commencement day, who led the alumni parade into Tercentenary Theatre before the HAA's annual meeting, were 101-year-old Philip Keene '25, S.M. '40, of Middletown, Connecticut, who was making his third appearance at the head of the line, and 95-year-old Frances Pass Addelson '30, of Brookline, Massachusetts. According to University records, the oldest alumni, apart from Keene, include: James G. Jameson '22, 104, of Orlando, Florida; Charles H. Warner '21, 104, of Berkeley, California; Albert H. Gordon '23, M.B.A. '25, LL.D. '77, 102, of New York City; Marion Coppelman Epstein '24, 101, of Boston; M. Louise Macnair '25, 101, of Cambridge; Eliot K. Bartholomew '25, 101, of Monarch Beach, California; Halford J. Pope '25, 100, of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; A. Suzanne (Fawcett) Snow '25, 100, of Silvis, Illinois; and Hugh Langdon Elsbree '23, 100, of Saint Joseph, Missouri. Outstripping them all is Walter H. Seward, J.D. '24, of West Orange, New Jersey. Born on October 13, 1896, he is 107 years old.

     

Most popular

Meet Harvard’s 2026 Student Commencement Speakers

Two undergraduates and a Ph.D. candidate will address the graduating class on May 28.

Ronny Chieng Tells Harvard to ‘Destroy AI’ as Graduates Cheer

The comedian and The Daily Show host gave the keynote address for Class Day 2026.

Graduate Student Workers End Strike

Union members return to work without a contract, but with plans to continue bargaining.

Explore More From Current Issue

White House and Harvard University buildings split diagonally with contrasting colors.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

A man holding a revolver and lantern, wearing a hat and coat, appears to be walking cautiously.

Scoundrels, Then and Now

On con men, Mark Twain, and the powers of the Harvard name

A glowing orange sun with a star and a trailing gas cloud in space.

A Harvard Astrophysicist Explains the Bizarre Behavior of a Supergiant Star

The dimming and rapid rotation of Betelgeuse may be caused by a hidden companion.