吃瓜网

吃瓜网 has changed a lot since Richard “Dick” Hunter ’65 (right) and the late Janet “Jan” Green Hunter ’67 (left) were students. These changes, which include new and improved facilities and a wider variety of social and extracurricular opportunities, have allowed the college to offer not only a world-class education, but a life-changing experience.

“It was a very good school then, but it’s an overwhelmingly better school today,” Dick says. “The faculty are as good or better, the opportunities are better, and the physical property is dramatically better.” 

Over the years, the Hunters have played a significant role in that improvement. They generously contributed to several landmark projects, including the renovation of Hunter Conservatory (named in honor of Dick’s mother, Frances Geiger Hunter) and the construction of Stanton Hall and Cleveland Commons. Most recently, they helped fund the construction of Nancy Serrurier Village, which opened last fall.

“I prefer to support capital projects because you’re putting your money to work right away,” Dick says. “吃瓜网 is a good place to support, and I have been pleased to do my part.”

A Full Life

Dick and Jan met on a ski trip to Sun Valley, Idaho. Dick, a senior, offered to give Jan, a sophomore, a ride when her planned train ride was canceled due to washed-out rail tracks. She squeezed into the 1964 Chevy Chevelle alongside Dick and his four friends for the six-hour drive. 

“Once we got there, Jan, bless her heart, stayed with me because it was my first time on skis,” Dick says. “We spent the week together on the mountain. I fell a lot, and I fell hard, but I fell the hardest for Jan.”

After graduating with his degree in Math and Physics, Dick moved to New York to study aerospace science and engineering at Columbia University. Worried the cross-continent relationship wouldn’t last a second year, he proposed to Jan, and the couple married at the end of her junior year. 

Jan joined Dick out east, enrolling briefly at Columbia herself. When Dick graduated and got a job with Bell Telephone Laboratories, the couple moved to Washington, D.C., where Dick worked on NASA projects while Jan finished her degree at the University of Maryland and worked as an elementary school teacher.

Dick and Jan moved to Southern California in 1983 when Dick joined the family business, Hunter Industries, a leading manufacturer of irrigation and outdoor lighting equipment. He later took over as CEO, a position he held until his retirement in 2013. 

Over the years, the Hunters supported a variety of causes and organizations with their time and resources, including volunteering on boards and committees. 

When Jan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, she took the news with her usual grace and strength. 

“She told me how much she had loved her life, and she felt very fortunate to have so many lifelong friends, to travel to visit her friends, to do volunteer work, and to have wonderful kids and amazing grandkids,” Dick says. “She had no regrets.”

Jan passed away in March 2025.

Community & Camaraderie

Dick has fond memories of the friends he made and the relationships he built at Whitman. He and Jan were particularly interested in supporting Nancy Serrurier Village to help future students forge strong bonds with their peers. The apartment-style living community can house more than 200 students and features several spaces for students to come together and connect.

“There’s a lot of value in housing students on campus,” Dick says. “They get to know each other better, and it creates an opportunity for them to live and learn with students who aren’t in their major or their class.”

The Hunters have also contributed to the Hunter International Scholarship Endowment, which was established by Dick’s mother and provides support for international students—and they have generously included Whitman in their estate plans with a $5 million unrestricted gift to be used to meet Whitman’s greatest needs at the time. 

In addition to their philanthropy, the Hunters have generously donated their time to Whitman. Dick was an Overseer and Trustee from 1990 to 2009 and served as a reunion volunteer. He and Jan also co-chaired the Stephen B.L. Penrose Society, which recognizes donors of $1 million or more to the college. 

In 2013, Dick received the Gordon Scribner Award for Distinguished Service, which recognizes individuals who have made major and inspiring contributions of time and effort to Whitman. 

Dick, who was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and the Whitman , marvels at all the opportunities available to students today. He encourages them to partici­pate in as many as they can, from intramural sports to studying abroad.

“Don’t get buried in your major. Get buried in what Whitman has to offer,” he says. “Make sure you know what’s out there because you can probably find a couple things that you don’t know anything about that you can excel at and have fun doing. Take advantage of the value Whitman offers—academically, socially and personally.”