Born on Jan. 8, 1940, in Brooklyn, to Herbert Schwab and Marianne Reed, Frederic Lyon Schwab grew up mostly in upstate New York, graduating from Glens Falls High School in 1957. He went on to cause mischief and achieve honors at Dartmouth College, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1961, before moving on to the University of Wisconsin, where he honed his cooking skills and picked up a master’s degree in 1963.

The cherry on top of his formative years came in Boston, Massachusetts, where in 1964 he met Claudia Aarons (they married the following year) and in 1967, defying the odds but respecting the laws of physics (all while bowing irreverently to the lords of academic rigor), he was awarded a doctorate in geology from Harvard University.

But, like his beloved Appalachian Mountains, it might be fair to say that Fred never quite settled for being fully formed. He and Claudia moved to Lexington in 1967, where he joined the faculty of Washington and Lee University and embarked on a teaching career that spanned 36 years in official capacity and may very well continue for time immemorial, thanks in part to his and Claudia’s decision to start a family and also to a highly contagious cocktail of energy and curiosity (not to mention that infectious sense of humor). Those who attended classes, learned lessons, or otherwise kept company with Fred/Dad/Dr. Schwab (etc.) may be carrying the torch of his volcanic “flame” for a long time to come. Some of us may well go on for ages, epochs, or even eons responding to Fred’s inquiring mind with questions of our own – central among these: “Who was Fred Schwab?”

Family man? Professor? Scholar? Francophone? Francophile? Trip planner? World traveler? Cross-country van driver? Chef? Gourmet? Gourmand? Film-goer? Cyclist? Cycling fan? Long-distance runner? Newspaper reader? Man of letters? Man about town? Good man?

If this were a multiple choice quiz, the answer might be “all of the above,” but Fred, tough grader and deep thinker that he was, might well have preferred a longer answer to each one of these descriptors (especially if it were accompanied by sharp wit and laughter, a nice meal, or a cup of coffee). Let us each give him time and venture the kind of answers (and further questions) that would have kept him entertained and made him happy.

He is survived by his “lovely Claudia,” half-sister Ann, children Kimberly, Bryan, Jeffrey, and Jonathan, children-in-law Gary, Elizabeth, Mayumi and Stephanie, grandchildren Caroline, Bridget, Luna and Olivia, former colleagues, friends and students… and really anyone else lucky enough to cross his path and sit with him long enough to have a conversation. He was unforgettable. He will be missed.

A celebration of life was held at the HotchkissAlumni House at Washington and Lee University on March 21, with sharing of stories, as part of the W&L Geology reunion. NG