Brian Douglas Bumby, AB ‘91, K ‘89-’91, Music Director ’91, died December 18, 2021 in New York City of complications from ALS.  Brian is survived by his partner, Michael J. Valente, parents Nancy and Douglas, sister Lauren, nephew Jacob, and niece Grace.

Brian was born in Brooklyn and moved with his family to White Plains in his early teens where he graduated from Scarsdale High School.  According to Brian’s accounts moving to Westchester County was a culture shock he was not prepared for, though he eventually found his niche in the school’s drama department.  He flourished as a major player in his school’s dramatic and musical theater productions in addition to being a regular in the local summer stock at the Scarsdale Summer Music Theater.

Brian arrived at Harvard in the late summer of 1987 again feeling out of his element.  In the spring of 1988, he auditioned for the Krokodiloes and found a new home for himself.  This brought him another success, and for the next three years he spent his time cavorting, singing, dancing and traveling the globe with a band of like-minded merry gentlemen–all with great glee!  His solo on Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me” always brought down the house.  After graduation, Brian served on the Kroks’ Board of Directors, during which tenure he helped to plan several reunions and an event at Carnegie Hall sponsored by the Kroks and featuring the Whiffenpoofs and the Tigertones.

While all of the stages of Brian’s life became a part of who he was, his years with the Krokodiloes were key.  Brian loved the Krok tours, and those moments shaped his life-long love of travel and photography.  Over the years, Brian honed his skills as an amateur photographer while at the same time figuring out how to make the best of his New York salary in the not-so-generous world of classical music so that he could see and do as much as he could all the while chronicling it with his camera.

In 2012 Brian met Michael, and the two of them clicked immediately and began their adventure together.  Both shared the same aesthetics and the love of music, theater, food, and travel.  Brian captured all the moments with his photography, which he began submitting for publication, and the rest is history.  National Geographic, Vogue, Travel and Leisure, Condé Nast Travel, Elle Décor, Vanity Fair, Departures, The New York Times, you name it…they’ve all published Brian’s photographs, over and over and over again.  In addition, Brian, being the consummate Scandinavian American (both sides of the family), was not just honored, but both overwhelmed and humbled to be a recipient of the American Scandinavian Society Culture Grant Award in 2020 for his photography of Scandinavia, its culture, landscape and people.

Brian was a quiet person with a gentle soul who was never boastful about himself or judgmental of others. He was kind, generous, witty, funny and full of life.  Brian didn’t have a mean bone in his body.  He took the news of his diagnosis with ALS with aplomb and made the decision to live the remainder of his life–whatever that might be and whatever it might bring–with dignity and joy.  Brian did not want to be sad nor did he want anyone to be sad for him, and he enjoyed life up until the end.  Thankfully, he did not suffer the way so many with ALS do, but died peacefully and with Michael by his side.  Brian was cremated, and Michael will spread his ashes on the fjords of Norway, which he so loved and where he would always rather have been.

There will be a memorial service for Brian on May 5, 2022 at The Harvard Club of New York City.  If you are interested in attending, please contact Michael Valente, mjvalente2004@yahoo.com, and he will forward an invitation.

Charitable contributions in memory of Brian may be made to The Trustees of Columbia University – The ALS Center and to The ALS Association of Greater New York.