Johnson Chapel Associate Profile: Christopher T. Carlson ’70
Many readers of this page will recognize
Chris Carlson ’70, pictured here with his wife, Jane. A nationally honored estate planning attorney, Chris has hosted the popular Reunion Estate Planning Seminar each May for the past decade.
Like many alumni, Chris came to Amherst because of the College’s size and location, its focus on the undergraduate experience, and its reputation for academic excellence. As a student, Chris took advantage of the wide-ranging curriculum. He remembers especially a seven-course dinner one evening at Professor Henry Steele Commager’s house, and what would become a private tutorial by Professor Peter Marshall on the last six books of the Aeneid. And of course he remembers his classmates, calling them brilliant, interesting and, in some cases, unique.
Jane is a Smith alumna (also Class of 1970) and, like Chris, is a graduate of the Harvard Law School. Ironically for some, but not the Carlsons, Jane is also an estate planning attorney, and is equally active at her own alma mater.
On the personal side, Chris enjoys running, hiking and outdoor photography—but for those who really know Chris, it is his passion for meteorology that defines his outside interests. He has been keeping daily weather records for more than 40 years, and he may be one of the few Amherst alumni who subscribe to the Daily Weather Maps issued by the National Weather Service. The next time you wish to know the weather, just call Chris—we’re sure that he will oblige.
Thoughts on giving to Amherst: “Giving
to Amherst affords me a way to stay connected to the College, to give something back to a place that played
a very important role in shaping my own life, and to be part of the ongoing quest for excellence which is at the heart of this truly remark- able institution.”
The Johnson Chapel Associates society recognizes those alumni and friends who have named Amherst in their will and/or provided for the college through a planned gift. For more information, contact: Timothy A. Neale ’70, Director of Planned Gifts, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002-5000, (413) 542-8256, taneale@amherst.edu, www.amherst.edu/alumni/giving/pg.
Photo: Frank Ward