Allen Lynn Skean ’68

Allen Lynn Skean ’68 died on December 18, 2019. Al’s sardonic, defiant humor, a defining characteristic of his nature, was unique and multifaceted. He brought to Dartmouth from Lake Charles, Louisiana, a hopeful, empowered presence in 1964. He could be sarcastic, but his wit, as displayed in the Jack-o-Lantern, which he coedited, was of a kinder, more constructive type. He could appreciate musical and literary classics and wordplay, and his study of differential equations, interest in radio astronomy, and ability to edit technical publications showed an impressive balance. Al’s major at Dartmouth was anthropology. His other activities included the Marching Band, fencing, and Outward Bound. He studied mathematics at Penn State and technical writing at Slippery Rock State. He owned a camera store in Nashua, New Hampshire—photography was another of Al’s many avocations—before editing technical reports for the U.S. Department of Energy. Al fought a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Despite his infirmity, he was delighted to receive the kind assistance of a few fellow alumni who enabled him to join classmates for the 50th reunion in Hanover in June 2019. His final residence was in Arlington, Virginia.