Category Archives: Class Decades

Sarah Sessions Chapin ’49

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Sarah Sessions Chapin, born in Massachusetts in 1931, who lived most of her life in Concord, died peacefully on December 6th, 2017. She was raised on the family farm in Hadley, Mass. and earned a B.A. from Smith College and later in life an M.Ed. from Harvard. Sarah was a music teacher, educator and the author of several books, which include a history of Concord. Sarah had many pursuits and interests including art, botany, social work, support and work at the Concord Library. She leaves a son, grandson, sister, niece, many cousins, and dear friends. Her wit, humor and fierce spirit will be greatly missed.

Posted in: 1940s

Lynn Harrison Cheney ’71

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Lynn was born on February 5, 1954 in St. James, New York. It was there she spent her childhood, excelling at school and athletics. She was a member of the first graduating class of Harbor Country Day School in St. James where she was the top scholar and athlete, earning the Trustees Prize at her graduation. From there she attended the Northampton School for Girls, achieving the highest academic rank in the school and recognized as a National Merit Scholar. She attended Colorado College, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science, Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Lynn was never one to bring any attention to her remarkable accomplishments. She was reserved, genuine and without guile. She had a radiant smile that powered a quick and infectious sense of humor that she instinctually used to spark laughter or to diffuse difficult situations.

Lynn was unabashed about expressing her point of view with disarming frankness and insight. Her sense of values and integrity were unassailable. She was well respected for her leadership as Chairman of the Cornwall Consolidated School Board in northwest Connecticut, and on the Boards of the Cornwall Conservation Trust and the Cornwall Library Association. Her membership in two local book groups and weekly Scrabble games were evidence of her love of words, reading, and the expression of her thoughts that were out of the ordinary and well-stated. It was a common day for Lynn to play tennis with friends, work hard in her beautiful gardens, and purge the day with a long swim across Cream Hill Lake. Evenings were spent either immersed in a book, working a crossword puzzle, or pestering her husband.

Of all aspects of this life that brought her joy, Lynn’s greatest pleasure was her family. Lynn met Hugh at Colorado College and they married in 1976. Their children Hope, Rusty, Ted, and Tyler soon followed. Lynn’s children and her husband received the benefit of being raised by a mother and a spouse who combined her humor and strong sense of values to develop individuals who are kind, honest, and loving as she was. Her love of her husband, children, and grandchildren had no bounds, a love she expressed by a loyal and active interest in their lives. While Lynn made them work and study, she tempered her discipline by playing board games, pitching baseballs, and rolling about on the ground with her children or several of her eight grandchildren. Lynn intuitively knew when to intervene or stand aside to let mistakes educate. She was fiercely competitive, even with her children, and they loved her for it. It was a wonder to see Lynn together with her three sisters Gay, Sandy, and Marian and the love they held for each other. They easily fell into childhood rank and mannerisms, yet Lynn would scatter them in terror when her competitive nature surfaced over some slight she felt in a game of cards or Scrabble.

It is difficult to convey the core of this extraordinary woman who endured two of life’s most daunting challenges. With unfailing grace and remarkable courage, Lynn shouldered the death of her son Rusty in 2015 and the glioblastoma that took her life on May 7, 2018. Lynn was not in a battle with her brain cancer. Rather, she treated it as an inconvenient intrusion in her life, and she simply adapted to it with resilience and without complaint. While these two events cast a shroud over the last three years of her life, there is so much more about her that defined how she lived.

Lynn’s death has unraveled some of the fabric that held her close-knit family together, and we feel diminished by her absence. Her deep love of family and our love for her have made this a hard grief. In time, however, we trust that our memories of her remarkable life will eclipse grief. At times, we will miss her more than we can bear, yet we are thankful for this life she shared so generously with us all. Now may she be at peace, with no more hard challenges to conquer.

Our family would like to thank a large community of friends and neighbors for their consistent kindness, care and support of us over the past three years. We are convinced that, as a result of all the love that embraced us, Lynn far outlived her prognosis. We felt secured by all of you and lifted above the worries. We have experienced the best of humanity.

 

Posted in: 1970s

John M. Gibbons ’41

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Captain John M. Gibbons of North Falmouth, MA, passed away peacefully at home on May 8, 2018 surrounded by his loving family. He was the husband of the late Doris (McGavin) Gibbons; the two had been married for 56 years at the time of her passing in 2003. He was 95.

John Gibbons grew up in Granville, MA and graduated from Williston Academy in 1941. Having an ambition to attend Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA), he worked at Colt Firearms in Hartford, Connecticut, earning much needed money to assist his widowed mother. Granted admission in December of 1943, John arrived at the Hyannis campus for a war time accelerated matriculation that included sea days aboard the SS AMERICAN PILOT cruising in Long Island Sound. After graduating in May 1944, John was commissioned and immediately deployed as Assistant Navigator and Boat Officer aboard the USS PRESIDENT HAYES (APN 20). He was promoted to Navigator during deployment in the Pacific. Serving during the Leyte Gulf landings, John witnessed General Douglas wade ashore and earned the Asiatic Pacific 1 Star and American Area Victory Philippine Liberation 2 Stars amongst other honors. It was aboard the President Hayes, he met Doris McGavin. She was serving as a commissioned Navy Nurse. They were married on August 1, 1946 in the Navy Chapel on Treasure Island in San Francisco. The couple moved to Holbrook, MA that September.

John joined Pocahontas Steamship Lines as Second Mate aboard the coal collier SS JONANCY in May of 1947 – thus beginning a 30-year career that included promotion to master in 1952. In 1967 Captain Gibbons joined Maritime Overseas Corporation as Master aboard bulk carriers and tankers. The walls of Captain John M. Gibbons’ North Falmouth home tell the tale of a well-traveled life. Above the chair in which he often sat is a hat, one he got while he was in Leyte. He often remarked that there was only a small section between Singapore and Saigon that he hadn’t been to.

Having summered in New Silver Beach for 20 years, it was natural for Doris and John to retire to Wild Harbor in 1978. The Wild Harbor Yacht Club was a great way to sail and fish with his family. As often as possible, he would hunt. A 2015 photo shows results of his skillful deer hunting.

In January of 1978, John took on a new role as a professor at Massachusetts Maritime Academy where he became well-known for stringent adherence to every exact word in the Rules of the Road – a stance that earned an appointment to the United States Coast Guard Rules of the Road Advisory Council. He worked tirelessly in unifying the “Inland Rules of the Road” with the newly established international “Collision Regulations”. Captain Gibbons was Master of the TS Patriot State for four cruises from 1988 to 1991.

Captain Gibbons was honored by the MMA with the Alumnus of the Year Award in 1992, Gold Membership in the Boston Marine Society in 2004, the Navy League of Boston in 2009, and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Alumni Association Special Recognition Award in 2016 for naval and merchant service.

Captain Gibbons was a member of the Boston Marine Society for 64 years. This long association included numerous committees and terms as President from 1984 until 1987. John received a gubernatorial appointment as Deputy Pilot Commissioner for Massachusetts Pilot District Three, providing oversight and commissioning of state pilots from 1993 until 2008.

John is survived by his loving children, Elizabeth Gibbons of Campbell, California and Fred Gibbons of Los Altos Hills, California; his wonderful grandson, Alexander Will and Alexandra Cole Will of San Francisco, CA; Eduard and Beth Will of Los Angeles, CA; Marco Will of Frankfurt, Germany; the O’Konski family of Bethesda, MD; Lt. JG Alex O’Konski, San Diego, CA; the Schumacher and McGavin families of Upstate New York; the Beattie families of Maryland and California; and many dear friends on the Cape, across the country and around the world. John is preceded in death by his wife, Doris Gibbons and daughter, Mary Gibbons.

Posted in: 1940s

Roma I. Donais W’27

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Roma I. Donais, 100, of Easthampton, MA passed away Sunday, May 13, 2018 in her home with her family at her side. She was born in South Hadley, MA on August 13, 1917, the daughter of Hector and Clemencia Isabelle Huot. Roma attended schools in South Hadley and pursued a profession as a Registered Nurse. She was the widow of Dr. Henry E. Donais ‘27, a well-respected physician in Easthampton, who died in 1997. Roma was active in Easthampton as a member of the former Town of Easthampton Finance Committee, member and Corporator of Emily Williston Memorial Library, member of Tuesday Afternoon Club, Helping Hand Society, Garden Club and a former President of the Easthampton Historical Society.

Roma is survived by son Paul C. Donais and daughter Harriet E. Tatro ‘57, both of Easthampton, two grandchildren Harriet A. DeVerry ‘81 and John H. Tatro ‘87, and one great-grandson Devin DeVerry ’17. She was predeceased by her son Henry E. (Hank) Donais, Jr. ’59.

Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, May 17, from 4pm to 6pm at Mitchell Funeral Home, 15 Park Street, Easthampton.

In lieu of flowers’s, a gift in Roma’s memory may be given to the Williston Northampton School, Donais Scholarship Fund.

Posted in: 1920s, 1950s, 1980s, Former Faculty

Miriam Goldstein Sommer ’46

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Miriam Hilda (Goldstein) Sommer, age 89, of New Haven, Conn., died peacefully on May 9, 2018, at The Connecticut Hospice. She was born on May 2, 1929, in Springfield, Mass., to Nathan and Annie (Ginsberg) Goldstein. Mimi, as she was known to many, attended Northampton School for Girls and Wells College and later earned a master’s degree in art history at Southern Connecticut State College. For many years, she worked in the Department of Music at Yale University. She was proud of her second career as a freelance journalist; her interviews and stories were published in The New York Times and in various travel magazines. She was a champion of the arts and a devoted cinephile. For many years she held a weekly “story hour” for her neighbors’ children. She leaves behind many loving and devoted friends and relatives, including her “French family.” She was predeceased by her three older brothers and is survived by her daughters, Babette, of Forest Hills, N.Y., and Annie (David Rabinowitz) of Hamden, Conn. She was previously married to Leonard Samuel Sommer of Key Biscayne, Fla.

Posted in: 1940s

Alan A. Roberts ’37

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Alan A. Roberts, of Chatham, NJ, passed away April 19, 2018.  He is survived by his sons, Jeffrey ’68 and Christopher ’69.

Jeff writes, “Thursday night Alan Roberts went to another place. After more than 98 years, death was caused by an infection, a brief but difficult illness. You may remember Dad who grew up in Medford MA, was a 1937 graduate of Williston Academy where he lived in the then new Ford Hall. Personally I remember him as an advertising guy commuting on the train to Chicago’s Loop or New York’s Madison Ave, telling stories and quizzing the three of us about the names behind BBD&O. (Batten Barton Dursten and Osborne). But looking at the time line, Dad was a numbers guy building algorithms, like a carpenter needs lumber, Alan needed numbers and industrial scale agriculture has lots of numbers. That’s what he did, an ag numbers guy. Away from work it was local politics, the Bruins, travel, bridge and travel. On the first count, he had a regular place in the local newspapers letters to the editor section and took pleasure in the feedback.”

Posted in: 1930s

Warren A. Rival ’54

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Warren Allen Rival completed his life journey on April 18, 2018 at his home in Laconia, New Hampshire, at age 82 with his family by his side. Warren was born in New Britain, Connecticut on March 7, 1936 to Matthias and Loretta (Koerber) Rival. Warren attended New Britain Public Schools until he was fourteen when he went to Williston Academy and then on to Yale University where he continued to use his beautiful baritone voice singing with the Baker’s Dozen and the Yale Glee Club. He was graduated with the class of ’58. Warren started his career in aerospace manufacturing as a manufacturing engineer and factory manager. As an entrepreneur and patent holder he grew his small successful aerospace manufacturing business from three to seventy five employees. The good work of others was always greatly appreciated and respected by him. Whatever recreation Warren allowed himself was for the benefit of his family mainly in the mountains of New Hampshire, Maine, Wyoming and Switzerland, the birthplace of his paternal grandmother. Summer vacations were always on the coast of Maine. In his later years his tennis game became part of the “Old Mens” group. Warren’s quiet intelligence, integrity and industry are carried on by his son Chris and his daughter Mimi who saw their father live his life and endure his long illness with grace. Warren is survived by his wife Jean; his son Christopher (’78) and his wife Suzanne of North Reading, Massachusetts, and his daughter Maria “Mimi” Tlougan and her husband Bruce of Jackson, Wyoming; grandchildren Dr Brook Tlougan and spouse Vijay Karia of New York City and Jackson, Wyoming, and Jay Tlougan and his wife Liza of Jackson, Wyoming; great grandson Rowley Tlougan. Also surviving are nieces Marcia Richmond and her husband, Al, of Westfield, Massachusetts and Susan Nock and her husband, Randy, of Twinsburg, Ohio and nephew Bryan Rival and his wife, Caroline, of Hilliard, Ohio. In addition to his parents Warren was preceded in death by his brother Richard.

Posted in: 1950s

Robert D. Bates ’53

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Robert Duane Bates passed away March 18, 2015.  He was born on April 24, 1934, in the Catskill-mountain town of Walton, New York. Son of Dr. Floyd R. and Mrs. Mildred (nee Churchill) Bates, Bob grew up spending hours outdoors in the mountain air, camping, fishing, and hunting with his parents and beloved dog, Bonnie. Back indoors, Bob thoroughly enjoyed studying music, and, after mastering the piano, he went on to teach himself the guitar, banjo, mandolin, and harmonica; later in life, he liked to say that he also “fiddled around with the fiddle.”

In the late 1960’s, Bob moved to central New York State, where he soon met his future wife, Marilou (nee Matuszak) Bates of Elmira, New York. Bob and Marilou were married in 1970 and welcomed into the world their own children – a son and twin daughters.

After 45 years of marriage, Bob is survived by his wife, Marilou, of Cortland, New York; by his two children: son John Francis Bates, also of Cortland; and daughter Margaret Aileen Koch of Wenatchee, WA; as well as by many loving in-laws, nieces, and nephews. He was predeceased by his devoted parents and by his infant daughter, Kathleen, who went to be with the Lord in 1973.

Bob will further be missed by his oldest grandson, John Francis Smith-Bates of Ithaca, New York, and by his son-in-law Robert James, grandson Joshua Michael, and granddaughter Caitlin Elizabeth Koch, all of Wenatchee, WA.

Posted in: 1950s

William S. Michael ’53

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William Shaw Michael passed away on April 15, 2018 at age 82. Son of the late Leroy Michael and Katherine Shaw Michael, he was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. Bill, as he preferred to be called, was a graduate of Williston Academy in Easthampton, MA and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and majored in English. He received his law degree from the University of Michigan. He began his fifty-year legal practice in Charlotte, NC at First Union National Bank. Bill then served as corporate counsel at The Ervin Company, and later was a partner in the firms of Williams and Michael, and Weinstein & Sturges. He retired to Pawleys Island in 2011. Bill is survived by his beloved wife of 32 years, Cathy; his three daughters, Helen Michael, Caroline Osborne, Dillon Grenham, and their spouses, Roy Cloud, John Osborne, and David Grenham, all of Washington, DC; stepsons Jeff Phillips and Jonathan Neubauer, and their spouses, Mary and Jeannie, of Charleston, SC; and grandchildren, Meryn, Cole, Lila, Natalie, James, Cate and Ryn. Bill is also survived by his brother Leroy and spouse Joanne Michael of Scottsdale, AZ. Always active, Bill loved Tar Heel basketball, tennis, hiking, politics and socializing with friends. In retirement, he trained Golden Retrievers for Canine Companions for Independence, a nonprofit devoted to helping people with disabilities by providing them with highly trained dogs free of charge. Through that charitable work, he found his treasured dog Lupe, who serendipitously failed to pass a few of the rigorous tests for becoming a service dog. Bill was a member of the ACLU and the vestry of Holy Cross Faith Memorial Church of Pawleys Island. He was a passionate reader, with avid interests in literature, history and theology, and had a great facility for puns.

Posted in: 1950s

Dorothy Alexander Gaylord Phillips ’45

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Dorothy “Dodo” Gaylord Phillips passed away on December 30, 2016.  She was born May 5, 1926 in Binghamton, NY.
She married Frank Gaylord July 12, 1945 and they raised four children in Spokane, WA. Dorothy was involved in antiques most of her life and was well known in the community. In 1976 she married Bob Phillips and they opened Dodie’s Collectibles. She loved her large garden and fed the squirrels and birds for years. She was a member of the Mayflower Society and an active member of the Manito Presbyterian Church for most of her life. Church members cheered her up with visits and cards the past couple of years. Dorothy had a great sense of humor and loved people for who they were. She is survived by her children, Sue Patneaude of Seattle, Chuck (Deloris) Gaylord of Spokane, Sally (Scott) Brand of Woodinville, WA and Linc (Della) Gaylord of Spokane; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Posted in: 1940s