Faculty
Donald Brandreth Potter
Donald Brandreth Potter, professor of geology emeritus, died at his home in Clinton on Jan. 20, 2015, following complications from a fall. He was 91. A member of Hamilton’s faculty for 34 years, he retired as the Stone Professor of Geology in 1988. An ardently dedicated field geologist who enthusiastically involved students in his field trips and research, he inspired many of them to pursue geological careers. During his tenure and largely because of his efforts, especially in recruiting exceptionally talented young colleagues as teachers and researchers, geology became one of the strongest science departments on College Hill.
Donald Potter was born on June 4, 1923, in Utica, N.Y., a son of Frederick A. and Irene McWilliams Potter. He grew up at Little Tupper Lake in the Adirondacks, and he would retain a great affection for the outdoors throughout his life. A graduate of Saranac Lake High School, he enrolled at Williams College, where his studies were interrupted by the call to service in World War II. Commissioned as an officer, he saw combat with the 10th Mountain Division in the Apennine Mountains of Italy and was awarded the Bronze Star.
After the war, Don Potter, who was married to Jane A. Chapple in Saranac Lake in 1945, returned to Williams and earned his A.B. degree in 1947. Inspired to pursue geology by one of his teachers, he went on to acquire an M.Sc. from Brown University in 1949 and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 1954. That year, he began his teaching career at Hamilton as an assistant professor of geology. Promoted to associate professor in 1959 and full professor in 1967, he also chaired the geology department for a number of years.
Professor Potter taught a wide range of geology courses during his years on the Hill, but his most enduring influence arose from his introductory courses in which he so effectively conveyed to his students his own love of nature and passion for geology. His research was based on meticulous field work, and he eagerly engaged students in his field trips to the Taconic Mountains of eastern New York as well as Mariscal Mountain in Big Bend National Park in Texas. In retirement, he also led alumni trips to Big Bend.
From his home on Reservoir Road, an old farmhouse that he and Jane had renovated in the early 1960s, and where their children grew up, Don Potter not only took an active role in Hamilton’s academic life and affairs but also in the community of Clinton. He was instrumental in launching the ABC (A Better Chance) program that brings underprivileged youngsters to the village to attend high school. In addition, he presided over the Clinton Community Chest and chaired the school board. For more than 50 years, he sang tenor in the St. James Church choir, and he was “at the heart of many family campfire sings.” When not spending time on skis or hunting and hiking in the Adirondacks, he could be seen cross-country skiing in Kirkland Town Park as recently as last fall.
Predeceased by his wife, Jane, in 2004, Donald B. Potter is survived by three sons, Bran, Eric and Christopher Potter; three daughters, Jennifer Potter Hayes K’73, and Mary and Rachel Potter; and nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, as well as his brother, Orlando B. Potter ’50. Memorial services were held on Feb. 7 at the College Chapel, where eloquent tribute was paid to a highly esteemed teacher and an ever genial, gracious and caring man.
