Michael G. Southwel ’60

Mike brought his enthusiasms music and bicycle racing, to us from Royal Oaks High School in Michigan, and applied them here to a major in music and to the Orchestra and Chapel Choir. He added four years of soccer in the athletic line and membership in Terrace Club.

Mike earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in English at the University of Wisconsin before settling into his career teaching English at the City University of New York. He specialized in teaching English as a second language and business English and became a pioneer in computer-based language instruction.

Mike became a dedicated oenophile and an enthusiast for playing old music on ancient instruments. He also became a philhellene scholar and guide for others to Greece, and did the same for students of historic New York City architecture. Beyond that, his spare time involved skiing, running, birding, progressive politics, and more wine. 

On his retirement in 2001, Mike decided to resume a closer relationship to the class. His computer skills soon led to appointment as our webmaster and, in time, election as class president in 2020. 

Mike died June 11, 2023, of leukemia. He is survived by his wife; Lillian; their sons, Alex ’93 and Adam; and three grandchildren.