Betty (Boyer) Platt
Betty (Boyer) Platt, who supported several academic departments at Skidmore for two decades, died Jan. 29, 2021. She was 98.
Betty worked as a secretary in the former Department of Chemistry and Physics and former Department of Geology from 1965 until her retirement in 1985.
Richard Lindemann, associate professor of geosciences emeritus, said Betty graciously provided valuable support to faculty members and helped him to succeed during his first years at the College.
“Betty provided the only administrative support for what are now three departments in the days of carbon paper and mimeograph machines,” Lindemann said. “Back then, many faculty members did not have their own typewriters, and there was a single general-use photocopy machine on campus. Thanks to Betty’s organizational skills and unfailing good humor, we prevailed.”
Born on Nov. 13, 1922, in Middleburg, Pennsylvania, Betty joined the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving at Bethesda Naval Hospital. While in the Navy, she met her husband, Ronald, who predeceased her. Her brother, Dick, and his wife, Lois Boyer, also predeceased her.
Betty is survived by her son, Jeffrey (Alice Richmond) of Glens Falls and Placida, Florida; her daughter, Rebecca Durand of Rotterdam; her granddaughter, Jennifer (Michael) Wagner of Ballston Spa; and her niece, Ellen, and nephew, David Boyer, and their children.
Betty was buried with military honors at Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery.