Francis X. Matt II ’55

The death of F. X. Matt II on Jan. 15, 2001, of complications from a stroke, was a profound loss not only to his family and friends but to the entire city of Utica, N.Y. As a businessman, F. X. kept alive and independent the brewery his grandfather had founded and his father had run before him. As a civic leader he chaired numerous boards and sat on many more than this brief notice has room to list. To be with him at the finish line of the Boilermaker Road Race, which was cosponsored by the brewery, was to bask in reflected celebrity.

But he was still the F. X. his classmates knew: diligent and genial, humorous and stubborn. At Princeton he majored in humanities and joined Dial Lodge. Afterward he spent two years in the Army and considered becoming a teacher before going to work in the family business. Recently he did teach an English course at a local college. He continued to read voraciously; he loved opera, and, as always, he was great company.

Our deepest sympathy goes to his wife, Duff, their children, F. X., Fred, Will, Peter, Charlie, and Libby, and all their extended family.

The Class of 1955