Talbot C. Mack ’61

Tal died peacefully Jan. 28, 2024, at home with his family in The Plains, Va.

Born in New York City, he grew up in New Canaan, Conn., and came to us from Phillips Exeter Academy. At Princeton, he played varsity hockey, ate at Ivy Club, was a Chapel Deacon and a member of Whig-Clio, and worked with the Campus Fund Drive. He roomed in Holder Hall with Bill H. Miller, Tom Garrett, George Barker, Scott Driscoll, Toby Rankin, and Rick Butt.

After service as an officer on a Navy minesweeper, Tal worked for a publishing firm and then earned a master’s degree in education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute before embarking on a long teaching career in Virginia. Teaching first in the Fauquier County public school system, he moved on to the Powhatan School in Boyce and then to his permanent institutional home at The Hill School in Middleburg. At Hill, he taught English, writing, and history; founded Calliope, the School’s literary magazine; and coached sports for more than 40 years. His neighbor and friend Stan Dees ’60 wrote of Tal: “A kind and gentle person, a very good poet, and a beloved teacher.”

Tal is survived by his wife of 48 years, Catherine; six children; and nine grandchildren.