Matthew S. Atkinson IV ’87

THE CLASS OF 1987 suffered a tragic loss with the sudden death of Matt Atkinson on Sept. 15, 1989, the morning after his 25th birthday. Matt majored in history, was a member of Cap and Gown, played varsity lacrosse all four years at Princeton, and served as the team's captain his senior year. He earned all-Ivy honors his junior and senior seasons and was named the team's M.V.P. his junior year. He also played on the freshman football team. Matt's father, the late Dr. Matthew Smith Atkinson III '47, was also an outstanding athlete at Princeton.

After graduation, Matt taught for two years at the Delbarton School, in New Jersey. He also coached football, basketball, and lacrosse. In Aug. 1989, Matt moved to Washington, D.C., where he took a research position at the National Inst. of Health, studying Alzheimer's disease. Matt had planned to attend graduate school in psychology and become a clinical psychologist.

The overflowing audience at a memorial service that was held on Sept. 20, 1989, in Baltimore, Matt's place of birth, served as powerful testimony to the many lives Matt touched. He is survived by two sisters, Katherine P. Atkinson and Martha C. Leipold; a brother, John E. Leipold; and his mother, Martha E. Atkinson. We send our deepest sympathy to Matt's family.