Clifford I. Nass ’81 *86

Cliff Nass collapsed after a hike and died of a heart attack Nov. 2, 2013, at the age of 55.

Born and raised in Teaneck, N.J., Cliff joined the Class of 1980 and graduated cum laude in mathematics in 1981. A member of Terrace and a regular at the Computer Center, he also was a magician who apprenticed on the streets of Philadelphia.

He continued studying at Princeton,
earning a Ph.D. in sociology in 1986, and went on to a productive career as a professor of communication at Stanford University. Cliff conducted pioneering research into the dangers of chronic multitasking and the decline of face-to-face interaction.

Cliff is remembered at Stanford, and in coverage by The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and NPR, as brilliant, generous, and warm — a “campus favorite” who “lit up the room with his presence.” We knew him as a jovial, smiling guy, with an infectious laugh, full of energy, and brimming with wit.

Cliff was predeceased by his brother, Michael Jay Nass ’77. He is survived by his son, Matt, a student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. To his family and to the many friends who mourn his untimely death, the class extends its sympathy.