Claude E. Wintner ’59

A distinguished researcher and beloved professor at multiple institutions, Claude died March 30, 2023, of peritoneal cancer. 

Born in Princeton and schooled at Baltimore City College, Claude dined at Charter Club and majored in organic chemistry, graduating summa cum laude. A Ph.D. at Harvard launched a three-decade career, the first five teaching at Yale, a year at Swarthmore, and ultimately Haverford College as a full professor, researcher, and administrator. Two sabbatical years writing and researching at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich complemented six years at Harvard mentoring and teaching organic chemistry to both undergraduate and graduate students. Ahead of his time, in 2001 he created a streaming video set of lectures on organic chemistry still available on the internet today, a labor of love that crowned his teaching career.

Claude loved his family cabin in Tamworth, N.H., a large circle of friends there, and a variety of conservation efforts with a focus on planting and conserving trees. He also loved hiking and pursued it nationally and abroad in the Alps, but particularly in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. He took up both sailing and running, managing an under-six-minute-mile at least once a semester.

To his wife, Martha; sons Edward and Thomas, and several grandchildren, the class extends its deepest sympathy.