The Alumni Association is working with the College to find an appropriate way to memorialize Professor Potter.

Once we have more information, we will let everyone know.

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From: President Thomas J. Schwarz
Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 3:00 PM
Subject: Passing of a member of the Purchase community

It is with great sadness and that I must inform you of the loss of one of our most illustrious Professors Emeritus, Joan Potter, who passed away on Friday some thirty- three years after joining the faculty of the Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film. Born and raised in Canada, Joan came to the US following the death of her parents, attended high school in Duluth, MN, and then enrolled in Northwestern University as a music major before following her muse into theatre. Moving to New York in 1950, she garnered roles in live television dramas such as N. Richard Nash’s The Rainmaker, and became affiliated with the Actors Studio while nevertheless remaining critical of Lee Strasberg’s techniques. After theatre and film work she returned to Northwestern for graduate study and taught at Southern Methodist University before being asked in 1975 to join the faculty of the young Theatre Arts and Film conservatory at Purchase, where she soon became a lynchpin for the Acting Program. She was a truly beloved teacher, and a champion of this college’s special history and potential. Those who knew Joan as friend and colleague could not help but be struck by her incredible spirit, honesty, propriety, and sheer dedication to the art of acting. As a faculty member she fought hard for what she believed in, and as a teacher she fought hard so that her students might begin to realize their dreams. The faculty and staff of the College, and especially the Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film, feel a great loss right now, but Joan’s spirit remains with us as guide and inspiration. We are also lucky to benefit from her generosity in the form of awards which Joan generously bequeathed before her passing in the name of her Film colleague Prof. Miriam Arsham, with whom she collaborated in the classroom; the awards will honor the work of one Acting major who best exemplifies the highest standards of acting for Film, and one filmmaker whose work with actors best epitomizes respect for the craft of their discipline.

Thomas J. Schwarz

President