Alan R. Booth, 89, of Bowling Green, Ohio passed away on January 22, 2024. Alan was the beloved husband of Margaret Zoller Booth; dear son of the late Robert and Lois (Rundlett) Booth; devoted father of Thomas (Janet) Booth of Estes Park Colorado, Samuel Booth of Athens, Ohio, daughters Holly (Russ) Raffa of New Paltz, New York, Grace Marie Booth of Lakewood, Ohio and grandchildren, Bode Raffa and Chelsea Hancock; and brother of the late Thomas. He was a well-loved brother-in-law, uncle, professor, colleague and friend to countless people whose lives were made better by his warm smile and genuine delight.
Alan graduated with his Bachelor of Arts at Dartmouth College in 1956, where he was a proud member of the Dartmouth rowing team and is a Wearer of the Green, as a member of the Dartmouth Athletic Hall of Fame. After graduating from Dartmouth, Alan served his country from 1956-1960 in the Navy Air Intelligence where he flew off aircraft carriers in the Douglas A-3 D. He served in a heavy attack squadron flying three megaton nuclear bombs across the Pacific. After his time in the Navy, he returned to school so he could teach at the collegiate level. He obtained his Master of Arts in 1962 and a Doctorate in Philosophy in 1964 at Boston University. As a trained historian, Dr. Booth specialized in Southern Africa (primarily Swaziland), publishing over 50 articles and five books. He taught at Ohio University from 1964 – 1999, where he was named the James Richard Hamilton/Baker and Hostetler Professor of the Charles J. Ping Institute for Teaching of the Humanities. After he retired from OU, he became an adjunct at Bowling Green State University for the Honors Program where he taught The Culture of Espionage: The Spy in Novel, Film and History which he also taught at OU. His famed class on espionage became the stuff of legend, with students juggling schedules well in advance to be among those with a coveted seat. In retirement, Alan enjoyed volunteer work counseling inmates and was a volunteer with Meals on Wheels.
In a book published about Dartmouth rowing, Alan said: “The best boat in the world isn’t necessarily made up of the best rowers; it is made up of people who form a team. They get their oars in the water at the same millimeter of a second, and they come out at the same time, and you can feel it.” Alan could feel it. As could all who knew him.
Memorial contributions may be given in Alan’s memory to the Friends of Dartmouth Rowing at Dartmouth College https://www.supportdartmouthsports.com/friends/varsity-sports/rowing or the Matinicus Island Medical Emergency Transport Fund at: M.W. Island Transport Fund 91 Gleason Street Thomaston ME 04861.
A celebration of life will be held in the spring in Bowling Green. A burial service will be held this summer on Alan’s beloved Matinicus Island in Maine, where his family has long had a cottage in Condon Cove and where he and his wife enjoyed a 1988 honeymoon and summers ever since.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Dunn Funeral Home located in the Historical District of Bowling Green, Ohio at 408 W. Wooster St.
To share an online condolence or fond memory with the Booth family, please visit www.dunnfuneralhome.com.
