Richard M. Gunmere, who in his 18 years as chairman of admissions broadened the Harvard admission policy, died Wednesday at the age of 86.

A graduate of Haverford College, Gunmere earned his master's and doctorate degree from Harvard. In his years as a graduate student, he introduced soccer at Harvard, and at 85 was still going to Harvard's football games.

He was also a member of the first college soccer team in the U.S. when he played at Haverford.

As chairman of admissions, he encouraged geographical distribution and diversification in selection of students in the university. Besides working on Harvard admissions, he served as chairman of the College Entrance Examination Board from 1936 to 1939.

Formerly a professor at Haverford, he wrote two books on the Roman statesman and scholar, Seneca, and did a translation of Seneca's letters for Harvard.

Since retiring from Harvard in 1952, he published two books-The American Colonial Mind and the Slassical Tradition and Seven Wise Men of Colonial America.

"He had a very personal interest in the Colonial Mind and the Classical Tradition students he admitted," according to David Henry '41, assistant chairman of Admissions under Gunmere. This interest in students carried over into his retirement years, during which he served as curator of the Lowell Lecture Series and was a trustee of Bryn Mawr College, Milton and Thayer academies, Browne and Nichols and Moses Brown schools.

Funeral services will be held at noon today in Memorial Church.