John P. McWilliams Jr. ’62

John, known as Mac to his Princeton friends (and his grandchildren), died July 23, 2023, in Middlebury, Vt.

Mac came to Princeton from Deerfield Academy. As an undergraduate, he graduated summa cum laude in English. He roomed his senior year with Andrew Berry, Rich Dallow, and Rich Thatcher and served as vice president of Tower Club.

Mac spent his career in teaching. After receiving a Ph.D. in English and American literature at Harvard, he taught at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Illinois, Chicago before moving to Middlebury College in 1978. A revered teacher, scholar, and writer, he served on the Middlebury faculty for nearly 40 years, for most of those years as the Abernethy Professor of American Literature. He published many books and articles and was the recipient of numerous grants and honors, including four National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships. 

Mac had many passions: He was an accomplished pianist, collected stamps, enjoyed chess and bridge, and loved long walks with friends and family. 

His wife, Mireille, survives him, as do five of his children — Andrew, Kirsten, Elizabeth, Christopher, and Isabel — and six grandchildren. His daughter Suzannah predeceased him.