Former Staff Member Midge Brittingham ’60 Dies

Marjorie “Midge” Brittingham ’60, former executive director of the Oberlin College Alumni Association, died on December 31, 2019. She was 81 years old.

Brittingham served as the executive director of the alumni association for 28 years until her retirement in 2004. She remained in Oberlin and continued her involvement on campus through college and alumni events, including the beloved Sunday dinners she hosted with her husband Smith R. Brittingham III in their home. In 2005, Brittingham was awarded the Oberlin College Alumni Medal to recognize outstanding contributions and achievements to the college, the Alumni Association, and society at large.

Scott Alberts '95, president of the Oberlin College Alumni Association, recalls how Brittingham influenced Obies across generations and regions. “Not only was Midge a living database of Obie information, but she also could say why each of us were special, and how each of us connected to the school and each other. When she asked how I was, she also asked about my roommates and friends, where they were, and how they were doing.

“When moving to a new city, she would give you five Obies to look up, with a connecting fact such as ‘you both would have had professor so-and so in mathematics,’ or ‘you both lived in Talcott.’ Each person would become a new-but-not-new friend in an unfamiliar place. All Oberlin alumni strive to change the world, and Midge changed ours.”

If you would like to share a memory or story about Brittingham, please submit them to the Office of Alumni Relations.

If you would like to make a gift in remembrance of Brittingham’s life and service, please direct your gift to the Marjorie Wood Brittingham '60 Alumni in Service to Oberlin College (ASOC) Fund, established in 2003 by friends and colleagues to honor her years of service to Oberlin College. Donations can be made online at advance.oberlin.edu/donate. Please select “other” and type “Marjorie Wood Brittingham '60 Alumni in Service to Oberlin College (ASOC) Fund.”

A memorial for Brittingham will be held in Oberlin on April 25, 2020. A welcome concert memorial will take place at 2 p.m. in Finney Chapel; a celebration of the life of Midge Brittingham, with Holy Eucharist, will be held at 4 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 162 South Main Street. At 6 p.m., there will be a dinner in the Sunday Night Tradition at the Brittingham home.

Read Brittingham’s obituary in the Chronicle-Telegram.