Jack Lit Van Baalen ’52

Jack Lit Van Baalen ’52 died October 27, 2013, at his home in Laramie, Wyoming. Jack was born in Philadelphia in 1930, attended the William Penn Charter School and graduated from Dartmouth in 1952 and the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1954. At Dartmouth Jack was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa, majored in government and achieved academic success as a Rufus Choate Scholar. He married Genia Lynn Potamkin, also of Philadelphia, in December 1953. Sadly, she passed away in 1998. Jack began his law career as a corporate attorney at Wolf Block Schorr and Solis-Cohen, a private law firm in Philadelphia. In 1974 he moved his family to Laramie to take a position as a professor of law at the University of Wyoming, where he taught contracts and commercial paper law for 19 years. His deep love of Wyoming was expressed through the hours he spent in the mountains skiing, backpacking and horseback riding, as well as his active involvement in local and national environmental efforts. He is survived by children Jeffrey, Meg (and husband Casey), Annette and Jim and grandchildren Gwen, Jacob, Sam, Abigail, Joshua and Jalynn.


Portfolio

Book cover Original Sin with photo of hands over face
Alumni Books
New titles from Dartmouth writers (July/August 2025)
Woman posing with art sculpture
Inspiration in the Adirondacks
Artist Catherine Ross Haskins ’94 transforms an old grain mill into a vibrant arts hub.
Comeback Story

Alumni first returned to campus for official reunions in 1855.

Illustration of woman in movie theater eating popcorn
Katie Silberman ’09
A screenwriter on storytelling in Hollywood

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