Lawrence K. Sweeney ’40

"The Lion" died Sept. 9, 2003, in Rhinebeck, N.Y. His lifelong athletic pursuits were dampened in recent years but, ever the optimist, he said, "I can still play golf, but horseback riding, jumping, and skiing are out. My one claim to fame is that I grew by an inch and a half (through hip replacement). I surely couldn't run the half-mile anymore."

After Polytechnic Preparatory, he followed relatives Archibald '11 and James McLean '14 to Princeton, where he majored in biology and graduated with honors. Lion participated in Cane Spree, cross-country, wrestling, track, rugby, and JV football. He was a member of Cannon Club.

He received his MD from Cornell in 1943. From 1944 to 1946, he served with the 1st Marine Brigade as a lieutenant.

Completing his residency in 1947, he opened the Veterans Administration Hospital in Montrose, had a private practice in neurology, and became commissioner of mental hygiene in Dutchess [N.Y.] County. He was on the staffs of two hospitals.

His first wife, Mary Alice Reed, died in 1968; his second, Oonagh Molony, in 1995. To his survivors, daughters Barbara, Lynn, and Janice Schaaf; sons Mark and Michael; and six grandchildren, his classmates offer their deepest sympathies.

The Class of 1940