H. Burton Gay III ’66

Burt Gay lost his year-long battle with pancreatic cancer Dec. 3, 2010.

Burt was born in Bryn Mawr, Pa., and educated at the Haverford School, where he was ranked as the nation’s top squash player and lettered in tennis and soccer.

At Princeton, Burt continued his stellar squash career, captaining the Princeton team, ranking No. 1 in the nation, winning the intercollegiate championship, and becoming an All-American. He majored in philosophy and was a member of Colonial Club.

After graduating, Burt entered the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and earned an M.B.A. after an interruption for service in Vietnam as an Army intelligence officer. Following a brief stint in public accounting, Burt held executive positions with a number of businesses in the Atlanta area, most recently as vice president of Marcus & Millichap.

Burt always modestly attributed his squash success to endurance rather than skill. That endurance lasted throughout his life. He became a star of the ultra-marathon circuit, and in his 40s was ranked 60th in the United States for a 24-hour run. Endurance runs in the family: His 102-year-old mother can still do 10 push-ups.

In addition to his mother, Burt is survived by his wife, Cynthia; son H. Burton IV; and sister Constance Herlihy, to all of whom the class extends its condolences.