JOSEPH COUSE SWAYZE

1944 - 2022

SWAYZE, Joseph Couse A long-time teacher, traveler, and lover of the outdoors who inspired a generation of students to seek the truth in words and imagery, died on Monday, July 11, of congestive heart failure related to amyloidosis, a rare heart disease. A resident of Rockport, MA. He was 77.

A man of eclectic interests and infectious curiosity, Joe shared his wisdom through photography and journalism for 33 years at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, MA. He taught students how to see the world more clearly, whether asking probing questions as student journalists or focusing lenses on people and nature for black-and-white photography, a particular passion of his.

In many cases, Joe's classroom had no walls. He led legendary trips for students that included a canoe trip down the Hudson river, as well as biking adventures in Vietnam and along the coast of California. And he always had his camera in hand, capturing portraits of life and nature.

His influence on student's career choice was profound. The three top editors on the 1977-78 staff of The Nobleman all became professional journalists, two at The Wall Street Journal and one at The New York Times. Over the years, Swayze disciples ended up at The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, National Geographic, and others.

Joe Swayze was born August 2, 1944, in Middletown, NY, not far from the Hamburg Mountains in New Jersey, where his family owned a rustic cabin overlooking a mountaintop lake. Joe credits his summers there with his early love of being on the water.

A 1966 graduate of Williams College, Joe spent a year in Vietnam as a U.S. Army information officer, writing news stories, making photographs, and escorting journalists in the field. Joe said that a day he spent with Larry Burrows, a legendary British combat photographer, inspired him to make photography a part of his life.

After working for the Bennington Banner and the Berkshire Eagle, he shifted gears, became a teacher and shared these passions for newspapering and photography with hundreds of Nobles students including and especially editors of The Nobleman. Joe also taught the Young Photographers class for many summers at the Maine Photographic Workshops.

Joe and Joanna, also a teacher in the Nobles art department, retired in 2006. In their final 15 years at Nobles, he and Joanna traveled to a dozen or so countries, including Russia and Easter Island, almost always with students in tow. Moving to Rockport from Dedham, Joe quickly made new friends, who, like his students, were drawn to his outgoing personality, quirky ways and his willingness to share his life and interests.

He stayed connected to family and his many friends through "snail mail" letters and photographs, delivered in brown kraft envelopes, which became something of a trademark. His postcards made from his photographs were works of art. So were his letters, tapped out on his manual Smith-Corona typewriter.

He is survived by his wife, Joanna Clark Swayze; their son, Andrew and his wife, Dr. Jean Andersson-Swayze of Charlotte, VT; and Accra, Ghana; their children, Caroline, Margo and Lincoln. Other survivors include his four siblings, Lynn Salyer of Sudbury, MA, Robert (Joan) of Los Angeles, CA, Richard (Kim) of Colfax, CA, and Anne (Robin) of Putney, VT.

A Memorial Service will be held at the First Congregational Church of Rockport on September 25, 2022, at 2 pm. For those inclined, please make donations in Joe's name to Williams College Alumni Fund, The Rockport Public Library, or plant a tree. Online condolences may be given at: www.greelyfuneralhome.com