Roger D. Brink, age 86, passed away on Saturday, April 14, 2018. Roger’s parents, Loren Brink and Ruby (Walker) Brink, met in Houston, Texas, where his father was stationed during WWI. After marrying in 1920, they relocated to Prattsburgh, New York, where Roger was born. Roger’s sibling, Robert Brink, was five years his senior. The family remained in Prattsburgh through the boys’ teen years, during which time Roger graduated from Prattsburgh Central School in 1949.
After graduation, Roger attended Hamilton College, the third oldest college established in New York, where he was a member of the Charlatans acting troupe. In 1953, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Hamilton with a double concentration in French and Spanish. Roger subsequently enrolled for one year of graduate school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He then received a grant from the Institute of International Education and moved to Spain to study for a year at the University of Madrid, and ultimately earned a Master’s in Spanish from Middlebury College. After graduating from Middlebury in 1955, he began teaching Spanish and French at The Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey.
In 1959, Roger began teaching Spanish at The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Teaching was his passion. His love for both teaching and the school delighted him for 38 years. Roger retired from his faculty position in 1997.
Throughout his adult life, Roger was a frequent visitor to the Houston area, where much of the Walker side of his family resided, including his then remarried mother and stepfather, Bob Wheeler. Roger and his stepfather shared a close relationship, and he enjoyed spending time at their home in Bellaire, Texas.
After Roger’s retirement from The Lawrenceville School, he was inducted as Honorary Classmate by both the Class of 1966 and the Class of 1967. On the evening of May 5, 2018, Roger will also be posthumously inducted as Honorary Classmate by the Class of 1968.
Roger was preceded in death by his brother, Robert Brink; father, Loren Brink; mother, Ruby (Walker) Wheeler; and stepfather, Bob Wheeler. He is survived by cousins, William Walker of Pearland, Texas; Norma (Walker) Quaid of Manvel, Texas; Patricia (Walker) Conard of Hendersonville, North Carolina; and Kelley (Walker) Mikeska of Pearland, Texas; as well as numerous other relatives and friends.
A memorial service will be scheduled for a future date at The Lawrenceville School Edith Memorial Chapel in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Interment will follow at Lawrenceville Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Roger D. Brink ’53 Scholarship at Hamilton College.
Those who knew Roger were familiar with his love of teaching, generous heart, fondness for travel, appreciation of art and classical music, and enjoyment of a good-hearted political debate over a glass of fine Scotch. The loss of his presence will be felt by many.
It is with heavy hearts that we bid farewell to our family member, friend, teacher, and neighbor. Tu enriqueciste nuestras vida al estar en ellas.
Arrangements by Blackwell Memorial Home, Pennington . For condolences go to blackwellmh.com.