In Memoriam
Peter L. Hutchings
Pete Hutchings ’64 died on February 25, 2026.
As remembrances, here is Pete’s obituary followed by three essays that Pete wrote on the occasions of three Yale reunions.
- Obituary, The New York Times
- Essay, 60th Reunion Book
- Essay, 50th Reunion Book
- Essay, 25th Reunion Book
Obituary
The New York Times
April 23, 2026
Pete Hutchings
1964 Yale graduation
Peter Hutchings, a respected leader in the healthcare industry who spent more than five decades helping serve the health needs of New Yorkers, died on February 25, 2026, at the age of 82.
Born on November 1, 1943, in New York City, Peter graduated from Yale University and was a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. Peter played a key role in the financial leadership of major healthcare institutions, serving as Chief Financial Officer for The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America and also Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Greater New York.
Peter was deeply committed to nonprofit service. He was on the boards of Visiting Nurse Service of New York, LiveOnNY, Medicare Rights Center, the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, and his New York City co-op.
Pete Hutchings
60th Reunion
Peter was an avid photographer and bridge player. He and his wife Martha were devoted New Yorkers who also maintained homes in Brookhaven, Long Island, and in Coconut Grove, Florida. Together they shared a deep commitment to family, helping others, and enriching their lives through art, music, travel, and the vibrant cultural life of the city.
Peter is survived by his beloved wife of 43 years, Martha Wolfgang; his children from his first marriage, Michael Hutchings (Kristie Sallee) and Daniel Hutchings (Rachael Lu Hutchings); his sister, Sarah Taber; and his grandchildren, Adam, Charles, George, and Henry.
Donations in Peter's memory may be made to places close to his heart: the American Museum of Natural History, International Center of Photography, and Yale University.
Essay, 60th Reunion Book
by Pete Hutchings
May 2024
I spent many hours at the Yale Daily News as one of the photographers, and I still take pictures today. Most of the time my "camera" is a fancy iPhone. I also developed what turned out to be a lifelong interest in music while at Yale: my Dad was I think tone deaf and music was not part of my childhood. My good friend and classmate, the late Jim Bowers (Yale College, Yale Law) told me once that the Yale his kids went to was a much better place than the one we attended. Maybe so, maybe not, but it was a formative four years for me and a very beautiful place to live while trying to grow up.
Essay, 50th Reunion Book
by Pete Hutchings
May 2014
Pete Hutchings
60th Reunion
In my freshman year, we had to compose 500 words or more, and a separate essay of 1000 words or more, as part of an English class. One of us (you know who you are) did the big type, fat margins, binder trick to puff up to the appearance of 1000 words. The prof counted the words, came up with something like 524, and counted it as his 500 word essay. Now we willhavetorunallourwordstogethertogetunder500.
After a career of almost 40 years in and around insurance and actuarial science I retired end of 2001. Since then my wife Martha Wolfgang and I have concentrated on not-for-profit Board work. Other friends prefer direct volunteering to Board work, which I think is every bit as useful. In my case, my career in Finance (last job CFO for Guardian Life) has led me to investment committees, audit, real estate, and finance, all of which I have greatly enjoyed.
When I was younger I preferred the Freud quote about “Love and work are the cornerstone of our humanness.” My friend Bernie Kessler suggested a modification for 70+ year olds: to be creative and to be useful. He certainly is both and I hope to be, too.
Essay, 25th Reunion Book
by Pete Hutchings
May 1989
She's told me of Ann Arbor
Since nineteen eighty-zip;
Then Martha took me there the other day.
Cheap new buildings on the diag,
The city's filling in
You can't go home again, she sadly said.
So why go back,
Yale's a different place today.
How could we try to find what never was?
New Haven isn't magic
Except to us who care
And who knows how to say just why we do?
But then Jim's son Jake
Landed on our couch
Off to Yale to start his freshman year.
As I gave him bad directions
And out-of-date advice
It suddenly became so very clear.
I love my school,
And I loved those years,
Growing up and growing out and on.
So if I skipped a class or two,
I've made up for it since.
God bless the class of nineteen ninety-two.