Our classmate John McKenzie Jr. ("Jay") died the last week of April 2010. After graduating from Dartmouth, Jay attended Princeton Theological Seminary and was later ordained as a Presbyterian minister. He served as a youth minister for several years and later retired to be a caregiver to his mother and uncle.

Following their deaths, Jay remained at home, cherishing his memories of Dartmouth (particularly the Dartmouth Players), following the lives of the members of the British royal family (he attended Queen Elizabeth's coronation as a boy and also her 50th anniversary celebration) enjoying summers at Cape May (where he befriended the local squirrels) and attending the Miss America pageant.

About twenty years ago, he took a long-planned trip around the world. His health began to decline but just as he was becoming more home-bound, he discovered the web and began making friends all over the world. One of them a man named Arthur Walker had many of the same physical problems as Jay and eventually moved into Jay's home in Morristown New Jersey. The two men became long time companions and Arthur's problems allowed Jay to renew his interest in life, take charge of issues involving health care, social workers, insurance etc. The two men lived together until Jay's death, and Arthur will remain in Jay's home.

Jay's life is a cautionary tale of a little too much money and not quite enough to do, but it has, in its own way, a happy ending. Jay finally found someone to share his life with, someone to love. After many years of intense physical suffering, Jay is no longer in pain, and he finally found what he needed. I remember him fondly. Art Bloom