Chris Dunleavy passed away on June 21, 2022 after a long struggle with COPD, with his daughters, Sarah and Casey, by his side. After Yale he joined the Navy and served aboard the USS Boston, spending two tours of duty in the Vietnam war before coming home and devoting his career to public affairs.
“Chris and I were friends since 1961, when we received scholarships to Camp Rising Sun, a summer leadership/educational program in Rhinebeck, New York for 15-and-16-year-old boys selected from around the world,” says Rick Luis. “He came from Newburgh, NY, and I represented Minnesota. Chris enjoyed the Camp’s activities and was known for his intelligence and quick wit. He believed deeply in conservative politics and was ever ready to debate anyone who did not share his views. He loaned me a copy of Barry Goldwater’s book Conscience of a Conservative, which influenced me to lean to the right in my own political thinking.”
“Chris was one of the first people I met at Yale,” says Tom Gottshall, who roomed with him during freshman, sophomore and junior year. “He was always interested in politics and was a big fan of Bill Buckley. He worked in the public sphere all his life, much of the time in the affairs of Orange County, NY, and used the term ‘Hegelian’ when I thought was a geographical description.
“He declined to join me and our other roommates in subscribing to the New York Times, so we compromised on the Herald Tribune – which then collapsed, resulting in the loss of our subscription. At a Political Union meeting at which he spoke he told me, ‘You read Time magazine like the rest of us; why don’t you say something?’ Probably the best advice I had at Yale.
“I kept in contact with him over the years, occasionally having lunch, but sadly there were too few opportunities for personal meetings. He was very proud of his two daughters.”