Rick Sontag ’64

Friend

I first met Mike when I moved to West Dorm after my freshman year. He was one of the first people I met in the dorm. Bright, outgoing, upbeat and always active. He became and continued to be a good friend my whole life. He also had a mischievous side and a great sense of humor like the time he helped lead an evening escapade of hotwiring a few construction tractors near the HMC quad area and then taking them for a joy ride around the campus. He also helped pull me into the infamous Miwukaroids club, which set the standard for crazy off campus parties and sponsored events. But when he met a Scrippsie named Sharon Walther his destiny was sealed. He and Sharon were a perfect couple. He couldn’t have found a better lifetime partner. They were married right after college.

Mike was a great HMC citizen and participated in numerous college advisory groups as well serving a long stint on the HMC Board of Trustees while Sharon sat on the Board of Trustees of Scripps. After grad school he had a great career at IBM and also at other technical jobs. He was devastated a few years ago when Sharon was diagnosed with throat cancer and died during her treatment. Recently Mike had some difficult medical issues that the doctors believe caused his death. But I think he really died of an incurable broken heart.