Robert M. Pack ’51

Robert M. Pack ’51, a much-honored poet and teacher who was recognized by Dartmouth with its Award for Lifetime Accomplishment, died on June 5 at his home in Condon, Montana. His family and friends described him as a poet, teacher, essayist, Shakespeare devotee, opera buff, joke teller, raconteur, baseball fan (Boston Red Sox), and lover of nature. Bob’s teaching career took him to Barnard College, Middlebury College, and the University of Montana. For more than 40 years he served as director of the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, the country’s premier gathering of creative writers. A grant from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation allowed him to serve annually as a teacher in residence at small liberal arts colleges throughout the country. He published 21 books of poetry, most recently Event Horizon: New and Selected Later Poems and Searching for Home. He has been described as one of America’s most eminent nature poets. Other recurring themes include the importance of friendship, beauty, sadness, and thoughts about approaching death. Bob was the recipient of numerous awards, among them the Bakestone Mountain Award, the Mary Elinor Smith poetry prize, a Fulbright Award, and recognition by the National Council of the Arts. At Dartmouth Bob majored in English literature and philosophy and was a member of Pi Lambda Phi. He went on to earn a master’s from Columbia University. He is survived by his wife, Patty, three children and one grandchild.