Tracy, a devoted environmental activist long before that was common, died Feb. 25, 2018, in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He was born Aug. 7, 1934, in Huchow, China, and graduated from Baldwin (N.Y.) High School. 

At Princeton, where his father was a member of the Class of 1929, he majored in electrical engineering and joined Prospect Club. His senior-year roommate was Dick Krecker. Special interests were camping, tennis, sailing, and cycling, the latter becoming a strong part of his adult life. After Princeton he attended the University of Hamburg, Germany, Wesleyan University, and Penn State.

In 1960 he moved to Yellow Springs, drawn by the liberal and environmental focus of Antioch College. He handled nearly every job at the Yellow Springs News and served for decades on the town’s environmental and bicycle committees, also staffing the table at the weekly farmer’s market and promoting environmentally sound living.

Tracy was best known for bicycle advocacy, going for months or years without stepping into a car. For 17 years he ran a Saturday bike clinic out of his house, where tools and expert advice were offered at no cost. He also pioneered a fleet of community bikes, decades before that idea took root worldwide. 

In the latter part of his life, he taught at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. 

At the time of his death, Tracy was survived by his wife, Beverly; son Mek; daughter Amy; and two granddaughters.

Class Year: 
Undergraduate Class of 1955