DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

B. Gresh Lattimore, Jr. was an American Field Service (AFS) student to Switzerland his junior summer in high school and still stays in touch with his Swiss family. At the University of the South (Sewanee), he won a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship which enabled him to go to Tufts’ Fletcher School in 1964. At Fletcher, two of the most important events in his life took place: he met his Jackson wife-to-be Nancy Hooker on a blind date, and he became interested in the Navy through naval officer Jim Patton. The following year, he graduated from Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI and served three years of active duty: two years aboard the aircraft carrier USS CORAL SEA (CVA-43) off Vietnam and taught a year at the Naval Academy. During that time, he also married Nancy in 1967, now nearly 54 years ago. The best decisions of his life!

Gresh returned to The Fletcher School in 1969 and earned a PhD in post-WWII German political affairs in 1972. After teaching at the college level for a year, he went into commercial banking, serving over thirty years in the small business lending community in Greater Boston. He retired in 2005 and retooled himself with three years of chaplaincy training. This enabled him to become involved with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Bedford, MA where he helped facilitate a PTSD group of fellow Vietnam Veterans for eight years and joined the Hospice Team.

In 2012, Gresh was recruited by alumna and Army National Guard retiree Linda Dixon, a founder of the Advocates for Tufts ROTC along with Ellie Short. Over the following years, he enhanced the activities of this well-established alumni group with the active support of Dean Jim Glaser. Gresh introduced an annual networking breakfast, engaged in more active ties with Fletcher School military students, and had Tufts President Tony Monaco host an ROTC dinner for students and staff. In 2016, Gresh was awarded the Alumni Chapter Leadership Award.

Gresh continues his chairmanship of the Advocates as well as his civic involvement with veteran activities in the town of Lexington, MA.

Bertram Gresh Lattimore, Jr., F65, F70, PhD72 photo

Bertram Gresh Lattimore, Jr., F65, F70, PhD72

Watch video introduction and read video transcript