Alan Goodrich Kirk

Alan Goodrich Kirk, born on Dec. 15,1926, died Sunday, April 20, in Trappe, Maryland, surrounded by family members. He was 98. Alan was predeceased by his wife of 72 years Joan Carr Kirk, who passed away on March 18, 2025, also in Trappe. He is survived by his children, Augustus, Jennifer and her partner Steve Labonte, William and his former wife Carolyn Kirk, Alison and her husband Chris Long, and grandchildren Skye McIvor, Sam Kirk, Baylee Kirk, Griffin Long, Alan Long and Sabin Long. Alan grew up in Morristown, N.J., one of five brothers to mother, Elizabeth Graves Ely and father, William Thompson Kirk, III. Alan was the third child, his older brothers were William and Ely, his younger brothers, twins Richard and Donald. They all attended the Peck School, just down the street from their home. Alan was always proud of the fact that he had perfect attendance at Peck School. He then attended Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, where he excelled in academics while also playing ice hockey and football. During World War II, Alan proudly served in the Merchant Marines, becoming a Seaman who crossed the Atlantic Ocean numerous times, carrying troops and supplies to Europe. He attended Princeton University and graduated in 1950. Not long after that, he was drafted into the Army at the beginning of the Korean War. He went into training at Fort Dix, and was sent overseas as a Second Lieutenant to fight against the invasion of South Korea. Before he shipped out to Korea, Alan found himself on the West Coast, where he met his wife-to-be, Joan Carr, from Carmel, California, on a blind date arranged by his brother, Ely. They hit it off and, as soon as Alan returned from Korea, they got married on April 11, 1953, in Carmel. Following a honeymoon on Harbour Island, Bahamas, the couple moved to Philadelphia, where Alan started at University of Pennsylvania Law School, paid for by the GI bill, graduating in 1956. Upon graduation, he accepted a position at Penn Law as Assistant Dean until 1962. He then worked as an attorney at Rorer Pharmaceutical. He and Joan lived in Radnor, Pennsylvania, and began raising a family. Alan was active at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Radnor, serving as an usher as well as a Sunday school teacher. A regular church-goer, Alan remained a loyal parishioner at other churches throughout his life, including St. John’s in Washington, D.C., and St. Paul’s Church in Trappe. During his years working as a lawyer in Philadelphia, he was also very active in local Republican Party politics. Republican political connections paid off in 1968 after Richard Nixon won the White House. Alan, after discussion with Joan, a devoted environmentalist, decided to accept a job at the Interior Department where he eventually rose to the position of Assistant to Secretary of Interior, Walter Hickle. During his stint at the Interior Department, Alan was involved in a myriad of nationally significant issues, including the 1969 Native American takeover of Alcatraz Island, which he was instrumental in bringing to a peaceful resolution. In 1971, Alan moved on to the newly created Environmental Protection Agency, where he was appointed Deputy General Counsel. This may have been the zenith of his public service career, as he was instrumental in the creation of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and other critical legislation that brought the country into a more enlightened time when the health of the environment became synonymous with human health. In 1975 Alan became the Senior VP and General Counsel at the Potomac Electric Power Co., or PEPCO. Over the next two decades, Alan became involved in a variety of clubs and organizations. As a member of the Burning Tree and the Chevy Chase Club, he played a lot of golf, a game he loved and enjoyed into his early 90s. He became a popular docent at the Washington National Cathedral with a focus on the legal iconography of the National Cathedral. Alan was a great family man. He loved driving his children to their various athletic games when they were younger, and he was always busy with projects on the property he and Joan bought in 1968 in McLean, Virginia, where they lived for 50 years. As a family, they took many memorable trips, and they spent nearly every summer vacationing on Mishaum Point in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, a place he truly loved. After the children were grown and moved off, the empty-nesters enjoyed puttering around the property in McLean, always surrounded by dogs and frequently by his beloved grandchildren, who called him Gump. He was very well-read and had a lifelong love for books. He founded the "Literary Luncheon" series at the Metropolitan Club and passed the baton after 300 wildly successful luncheons. Alan and Joan also enjoyed socializing at the Waltz Group events and playing bridge with what became known as the Supreme Court Bridge Club. He was also a member of the Alibi Club. Alan was a true gentleman. He was wise, loving and understanding, quick to find humor and joy, dedicated defender of democracy and the environment. He was beloved by all and led by example and forged and maintained lifelong friendships too numerous to count.

Alan Goodrich Kirk

December 15, 1926 - April 20, 2025