Stephen G. Posniak

Stephen G. Posniak, an outdoorsman, retired federal employee and former advisory neighborhood commissioner, died at his home in Washington, DC, on December 16, after shooting himself in his backyard, the day after a federal magistrate judge in Minneapolis denied motions challenging key aspects of charges filed in a 2007 Ham Lake, MN fire, which destroyed more than 75,000 acres and 132 buildings in both Minnesota and Ontario. A trial was to begin in January. Steve had pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, and his attorney, Mark Larsen, called the government's case "an exercise in overcharging." He said there was no evidence "at all" that Steve intentionally set the fire. He said Posniak would have contested the charges vigorously.

Steve was a life-long resident of DC, having graduated from Woodrow Wilson HS before entering Dartmouth. While at the College, he was a government major and Class of 1926 Fellow, a cross country runner his freshman and senior years, and a member of the DOC, WDCR, and Le Cercle Français. Following graduation, Steve remained active with the Dartmouth Club of Washington and attended both class birthday and reunion events. Classmates Jack Bennett, John Rollins, and Jim Weiskopf joined about 100 others in attending the memorial service honoring his life, held at the River Road Unitarian Church in Bethesda, Maryland on January 4, 2009. The Reverend Ginger Lake, who delivered the eulogy, told those present that Steve should be remembered for his life and not for the tragic event that ended it. She spoke of Steve's four years in Hanover and his love for nature and the wilderness.

Steve is survived by his wife Jane, his daughter Beth, and brother John. Jane has asked that any memorial donations be made to the Class of 1966 Lodge.