John D. Austin ’57

John D. Austin ’57 of Bronxville, New York, died on June 17 after a long illness. John graduated from Glens Falls (New York) High School. He majored in sociology, was in Alpha Theta and Palaeopitus, and served on the Interfraternity Council. Classmates will remember him at The Daily Dartmouth, where he was editor his junior year and president his senior year. John enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany. Returning to his hometown of Queensbury, New York, John served Warren County through the years as a journalist, attorney, and judge. He began as a reporter for The Glens Falls Times and worked his way up to editor. In 1969 he enrolled in Albany Law School, earned his J.D., and spent the next 10 years in the private practice of law. During this period he was elected town supervisor and served on the county board of supervisors. He and Marcia were married and happily adopted children Jay and Susan, who survive him. In 1984 he was appointed Warren County Family Court judge by Gov. Mario Cuomo. In 1999 he was appointed county surrogate court judge and later received special assignment as a New York Supreme Court justice, retiring in 2003. Always fascinated by genealogy, John was appointed county historian, edited The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, presented papers at two world conferences, and was elected a fellow of the America Society of Genealogists.