Lee Harker Cliff ’52

Lee Harker Cliff ’52 passed away on March 20 in Cupertino, California. Lee was born in Fresno, California, on August 7, 1930, and graduated from Palo Alto (California) High School in 1948 and Dartmouth in 1952 as a history major. He was a member of Zeta Psi. Lee served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1955, attending the Army language school, and then was stationed in Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. Lee earned his law degree from University of California Berkeley School of Law in 1958 and practiced law for virtually all his career in San Francisco at the firm of Hall, Henry, Oliver, and McReavy. From the mid-1980s he worked as a legal mediator before settling into full retirement. On August 12, 1955, Lee married Nell Sesnon, with whom he spent 66 years until she passed away in November 2021. They raised four children in Piedmont, California, and then moved to Santa Cruz, California, where they were active in the community for 30 years. Lee and Nell lived their last 11 years together at The Forum at Rancho San Antonio in Santa Clara County. Lee’s interesting hobbies included photography, bread making, woodworking, and making wine from chardonnay grapes that he grew. He was an avid reader and enjoyed Dixieland and bluegrass music. In addition to his wife, Lee was predeceased by his daughter, Molly. He is survived by children, Dan, Susan, and Peter; son-in-law Dave; and six grandchildren.