Bruce Berckmans Jr. ’52

Having survived a massive heart attack in 1987, and undertaken an astonishing recovery that yielded 19 years of creative activity, Buzz Berckmans found his heart weakened in mid-2006. Unable to sustain a hospital rehab program, he and his wife, Shirley, established a de facto hospice unit in their Coconut Grove, Fla., home. But a persistent infection further weakened his heart, and he died at home Nov. 25, 2006.

As a graduate of Choate, Buzz perceived the Cold War as the central challenge for the country. He cited Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” as a major influence in directing his adult life toward service. After graduation from Princeton, Buzz joined the Marine Corps, was commissioned, and served as a platoon leader in Korea. He moved into the field of military intelligence and had tours with Army Airborne and Special Forces units. After an injury in a 1961 parachute accident, he took inactive military status and served undercover with the CIA in Latin America.

At the time of his heart attack, Bruce was managing his private security-consulting firm. His recovery led him to found the Cardiac Rehabilitation Rowing Project Inc., perhaps his most significant contribution.

Buzz is survived by his beloved Shirley, four children, three stepchildren, and nine grandchildren, to whom our class offers its profound sympathy.