Jim Perkins, entrepreneur, writer, sportsman, conservationist and patriot, died April 16, 2019. He was 85.
Born in Littleton, NH, a hardscrabble town near the Canadian border, he was the son of Nick and Lucia Perkins, who emigrated from Greek Macedonia. His parents built a life in Littleton opening a popular restaurant, The White Mountain Café, where Jim learned to wash dishes, bake pies and make friends. The family later opened the Perkins Motel, the first Florida style resort motel in the state.
Jim grew up hiking, hunting, fishing and skiing, fostering a lifelong love of the mountains and respect for the environment. The beneficiary of his parents’ reverence for education, Jim graduated from Williston Academy and Dartmouth College.
While at Dartmouth he was mentored by Corey Ford, a prolific humor and nature writer. While still in college, Jim was published in The Saturday Evening Post and Field and Stream and co-wrote a screenplay for John Wayne’s independent film company, Batjac Productions.
Jim described his rich and varied career as “moving words and pictures in various ways.” His early achievements included executive positions with Curtis Publishing, Doubleday & Co., Playboy Press and The Times Mirror Company, where he initiated successful book projects such as the Outdoor Bible Series and the Audubon Nature Encyclopedia, which sold millions of copies.
Following his corporate publishing career Jim started his own marketing agency. He went on to originate The Home Shopping Show, a half-hour program delivered by satellite on which national advertisers such as Revlon, Pillsbury and Chevrolet demonstrated their products. Advertising Age called Jim a “new media visionary and one of the original cable idea men.” He joined with the Hearst Corporation and ABC Television to head a venture specializing in cable programming and is credited with creating the original Lifetime and ARTS networks. Next, he followed the developing technology, creating communication projects for a joint venture between Citibank, Nynex and RCA called CNR Partners.
Conservation was a continuing thread in Jim’s life. As an Air Force lieutenant he worked in the Office of Public Information. He became a captain and as one of the most junior officers in the Pentagon, Jim developed a program to designate Air Force bases as conservation areas. His concept was accepted and it is credited with protecting some 30 million acres and hundreds of endangered species of plants and animals on military bases around the world. For this big idea Jim received The U.S. Commendation Medal, the nation’s second highest peacetime award. More recently he was honored again by the Department of Defense for “One Good Idea.”
After moving to Litchfield County, Connecticut, Jim became a trustee of the Sunny Valley Association, protecting 2,500 acres. He originated and chaired The New Milford Inland Wetlands Commission and was president of The Housatonic Valley Association. He received an official citation from the Connecticut General Assembly for helping to protect thousands of acres in Kent from projected casino development.
An avid athlete, Jim loved cruising on his trawler The Chimera, and was still skiing in his 80s in Colorado and Montana. He also loved golf, heading up the Northwest Seniors League, and was a 28-year member of The Lake Waramaug Country Club.
Fearless, intelligent, hardworking, stylish, curious, generous and fun, he was known as “a guy who makes things happen.” Beloved husband, father, brother and patriarch, Jim is survived by Judy, his wife of 40 years, and daughters Susan (an MBA, CFA, attorney and skydiver), Karen (a PhD in molecular biology, educator and triathlon competitor) and Elizabeth (a stage, film and television actor). His survivors also include his sister Pamela Perkins; brothers-in-law Bruce Berger and James Holb; sons-in-law Julio Macat and Jon Stark; his aunt Catherine Tegu; eight grandchildren; and many talented cousins, nieces and nephews, all of whom Jim loved and respected as individuals. He was preceded in death by his sister Nitsa Perkins Bailey.
Jim’s autobiography By Way of Luck – How Chance Shaped a Storied Life, chronicles his ever evolving adventures.
Services will be held June 8, 2019 at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Kent, where Jim was a member of The Vestry. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Kent Memorial Library, The Kent Volunteer Fire Department or the Kent Land Trust.
Those who cannot attend may wish to send a note with a memory of Jim to judyperkins77@gmail.com.
Tag Archives: Class of 1951
Ann Hyde Ahlquist ’51
Ann H. Ahlquist, 86, passed away unexpectedly on Feb. 18, 2019 at Maine Medical Center in Portland. She was born Sept. 8, 1932, in Portland to Samuel and Elizabeth (Swan) Hyde. Ann graduated from Cape Elizabeth High School, and then Northampton School for Girls in Northampton, Mass., in 1951. From there, she entered Boston Bouve School and Tufts University, majoring in physical education. Ann taught in that field at King Junior High School in Portland for some 30 years until her retirement. Ann grew up in Cape Elizabeth and became an accomplished horse rider by age 15, earning many ribbons with her horse, On Parade. She competed in many horse shows throughout Maine, Pennsylvania, and Madison Square Garden in New York. She boarded her horses in Scarborough at a small farm owned by Leon H. Ahlquist, who shared the same love of horses, and on April 4, 1977, they were married. She had seven massive display cases in her home filled with winning ribbons in 3-gaited and saddle classes. Many more ribbons decorate the home’s woodwork and walls. She rode for The Dressage Riding Club of Cape Elizabeth, and the Pleasant Hill Riding Club. Ann and Leon were very much in love and were 
always with one another throughout their marriage, sharing the farm work equally in what became a land-locked Noah’s Ark. Noah had two of everything; Ann and Leon had multiples of many, both animal and fowl. Although not all at once, there were at times eight cows, two bulls, a pair of draft horses, 14 mini horses (for show), three mini goats, 17 beagles (for trials), two pair of peacocks, Cochin and bantam hens, seven types of ducks, and pheasants, countless hens, and 17 bee hives. When the livestock grew in numbers, the old barn on the back of the house was torn down, and a brand-new expanded barn was erected further back behind the house to ease the workload. They sold eggs, honey, and beeswax candles. Besides all this, they also had landscape and lawn care customers in the Prout’s Neck area for 18 years. Ann worked part time at two Pratt Abbott Dry Cleaners during this time as well. Both Ann and Leon were big Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics fans, watching many of the games. Ann belonged to the Maine Farm Bureau Association, The Maine Miniature Horse Club, The American Miniature Horse Association, and The Southern Maine Beagle Club. Ann was predeceased by her parents; and one sister, Elizabeth H. Stone. Survivors include, one sister, Jane and husband, Robert Chesebro, of Portland; nephew, Carl Ahlquist and wife, Judy, of Scarborough; nephews, Jeffrey A. Stone of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Mark A. Stone and wife, Kristen, of Franklin, Tenn.; and niece, Kathleen S. Haarbauer of Cudjoe Key, Fla.; many grandnephews and nieces also survive. Per Ann and Leon’s wishes, no services are being held at this time.
Barbara Prager Worthley ’51
Barbara Louis Worthley, of Lady Lake, FL, passed away Feb. 21, 2019.
Born in Brooklyn, NY, she grew up in Bay Shore, Long Island, NY and Amherst, MA. She attended schools in Three Rivers, QC, Canada, Stuart Hall in Staunton, VA and was a graduate of Northampton School for Girls in Northampton, MA. Her college days were spent in Briarcliff Manor, NY and UMass Amherst.
For several years she was a research assistant at Amherst College, a phlebotomist at Cooley Dickinson Hospital and a surgical nurse assistant in Wayne, NJ.
Bobbie was married for 52 years to William ( Bill ) Worthley who predeceased her in 2007.
While in Amherst she was a member of the Republican committee, the Grace Episcopal Choir, president of the Alpine Garden Club, a member of the Amherst Woman’s Club and the first woman director of the Amherst Girls Club, where under her watch the membership increased from 8 to 80 young women.
After moving to Wayne, NJ, she was president of the Wayne Elks Lodge 2181 and president of the Past Presidents.
In 1981 she gave up her medical career for Real Estate and in 1989 was awarded the coveted President’s Award for being the Top Dollar Producer in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. She was employed by Jones Real Estate for the last 25 years.
Bobbie and Bill also operated the Tinker’s Damn Casual Furniture store in Avalon and Stone Harbor, NJ. She had many interests including Bridge, golf, antiques, decorating and shopping.
Bobbie is survived by her sons, Brad and his wife Lee and 3 grandsons, Nick, Joe and Stephan; and Jim and his wife Donna and granddaughter, Sarah Piontkowski; and her daughter, Linn Anne Rossi and her husband Jim and grandsons Anthony and his wife Carolyn and Christopher, and 2 great grandchildren, Leo and Chase; along with several nieces and nephews and their families. She was predeceased by her sister Judith Ann Dortone.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Cornerstone Hospice, 601 Casa Bella, The Villages, FL 32162.
A memorial service is planned for early April 2019.
James A. Openshaw, Jr. ’51
James Arnold Openshaw, Jr., 84, of Edinburgh, IN, formerly of Ellicott City, MD, died on Saturday, July 28, 2018 at his home after a long illness.
Born November 14, 1933 in Newport, RI, he was the son of Dorothy Harvest and James Arnold Openshaw. The family moved to Southampton, MA, where he spent his boyhood years. Jim attended the Williston Northampton School, Class of 1951 and was captain of the ski team. He matriculated with the Class of 1955 at Virginia Military Institute and graduated with distinction in civil engineering.
He received a commission in the US Army and was assigned to the 1st Engineer Battalion (Combat), with duty at Ft. Belvoir, Ft. Benning, Ft. Riley and Verdun, France. He was honorably discharged in 1959 and returned to the DC area with his young family to begin a civilian career in the construction industry.
After several years managing federal building const
ruction projects for the Arthur Venneri Construction Co., he joined Cherry Hill Sand & Gravel Co., Inc. as General Manager and later as President, establishing it as a civil construction business with headquarters in Jessup, MD. He purchased the company in 1978 and changed its name to Cherry Hill Construction, Inc. Under his ownership and leadership, the company flourished and grew to become a major highway and heavy construction contractor in the mid-Atlantic region.
Jim is survived by his wife, Pamela Openshaw, his first wife Barbara Falge Openshaw, his two sisters, Mrs. Walter Findeisen (NSFG ’50) of Killington, VT and Mrs. Benjamin Naylor (NSFG ’56) of Calais, VT, his three sons, James A. Openshaw, III of Norfolk, VA, David B. Openshaw of Annapolis, MD and Mark F. Openshaw of Jacksonville, FL, and his daughter, Ann O. DeLawder of Bel Air, MD. He had 14 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Peter P. Gerquest ’51
Peter Prior Gerquest, of South Freeport, ME, passed away June 1, 2018. Peter was an impassioned sailor, hobby lobsterman, and a career shipbroker; the sea was his garden. For the last 20 years of his life, Peter watched the sea every day from his home in South Freeport, overlooking Casco Bay. Peter was brought into the world by poet, family friend, and physician William Carlos Williams, in Passaic, N.J., on March 3, 1932. He was the son of Llewellyn Prior Gerquest, a painter and sculptor, and Arthur Stevens Gerquest, an engineer and potter. Peter and his sister, Sonja, grew up among a community of creatives who influenced his lifelong appreciation for art and music. Peter attended Williston Academy, Hamilton College, and graduated from Columbia University, with an interim stretch serving in the Korean War. As an avid sailor, Peter raced on such famous yachts as The Weatherly and The Ticonderoga. He lived with his wife Mabel in Riverside, CT for 35 years. There, they raised their children, Heidi and Chris, while Peter ran his own shipping company Sea Quest, later renamed Sea Reef Chartering and Beaufort Navigation. Peter traveled the world in both personal and professional capacities throughout his life. In 1995, Peter and Mabel moved to Freeport, where they lived down the street from their daughter, Heidi and granddaughter, Fiona. He was deeply involved in his community both by land and sea. Peter devoted his time to the Harraseeket Yacht Club, the Freeport Historical Society, served as the president of the South Freeport Congregational Church, and as a board member of the Maine Maritime Museum. For those lucky enough to have received a knowing smile from Peter, his charm and wit were an understated but ever-present way of connecting with friends, family, and strangers alike. He will be greatly missed by many. Peter was predeceased by his sister, Sonja, and his much-beloved dog, Phoebe. Surviving members of the family include his wife, Mabel Gerquest; his daughter, Heidi Gerquest and her partner, Johnny Walker; his son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Heather Gerquest, and his adored grandchild, Fiona Prior Harbert.
“But the sea, which no one tends, is also a garden” -William Carlos Williams.
Margaret Hill Greenberg ’51
Margaret “Maggie” Greenberg, 83, died on April 10, 2018 at her home. She was the daughter of Smith College English professor Charles Hill and his wife, Ruth, of Northampton, MA.
Mrs. Greenberg graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College, where she also won the history prize, and later received an M.A. degree in history from the University of Maryland. Subsequently, she was awarded the Diplome de Langue Francaise with highest honors from the Alliance Francaise in Paris, France.
Mrs. Greenberg traveled extensively in Europe, spending two years in Greece and two years in France. As a result, she became fluent in French and was able to converse in German, Italian, and Greek.
An accomplished classical pianist, Mrs. Greenberg studied under professor Sklarevsky, a Russian pianist at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD. After moving to Mount Gilead, OH in 2005, she enjoyed giving piano lessons to her younger grandson.
Following 18 years of teaching history and French at college preparatory schools in the Washington, D.C. area, Mrs. Greenberg moved to Sanibel Island, FL. During her 20 years on Sanibel, she played team tennis in Florida’s “A” league, was Tennis Director at Sanibel’s largest resort, became very involved in local civic affairs, and began a new career as a freelance writer. The publication of over 200 articles and six books earned her a listing in “Who’s Who in U.S. Writers, Editors & Poets.”
Mrs. Greenberg endowed two academic scholarships for students at the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, MA and at the American College in Athens, Greece. She was also a generous contributor to the Mt. Gilead Public Library, the Morrow County Hospital Foundation, and United Way of Morrow County.
Mrs. Greenberg was predeceased by her husband, Louis M. Greenberg, a history professor at the University of Maryland. She is survived by her daughter, Alison Hirt of Mount Gilead, and grandsons Jaccob Hirt and Stefan Showalter, also of Mount Gilead.
Edward W. Wrobleski ’51
Edward W. Wrobleski, 86, of Easthampton, MA, passed away Feb. 21, 2018 at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton.
He was born in Northampton, July 20, 1931, the son of the late William and Mary (Bednarz) Wrobleski. He was educated in the Easthampton schools, was a graduate of the Williston Northampton School, Class of 1951, and later earned his Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Class of 1957.
Mr. Wrobleski was a Korean War veteran serving as a Corporal in the US Army. He was employed for 37 years as an Engineer for the FM Global Protection Mutual Insurance Co., based in Chicago, IL. Edward was a communicant of the former Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, presently the Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Easthampton. He was a member of the Dalton-LaVallee American Legion Post #224 in Easthampton.
Edward was predeceased by his sisters Anne Green and Sally Parzych, and Phyllis Barber and his brother William Wrobleski Jr.
Thomas S. Cottrell ’51
Thomas Sylvester Cottrell, M.D. of Cutchogue, NY died at age 83 of a stroke at his home on Sept. 17, 2017. Tom Cottrell was born in Chicago to Sylvester V. and Cleo Medley Cottrell, spent his childhood in Detroit and graduated from Williston Academy in Easthampton, MA. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University in 1955 he returned to Williston to teach English. Training at Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., led to a commission in the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1960 aboard the USS Scanner, based in California. Tom married his wife of 58 years, Jane Chichester Cottrell, in San Francisco in 1959. Lieutenant (LTJG) Cottrell received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy in 1965. Dr. Cottrell earned his M.D. from Columbia University in the City of New York, College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1965. His fellowship in pathology at Yale University in 1967 researching diseases of the lung was recognized for excellence by the John and Mary Markle Foundation. In 1968, Dr. Cottrell began his career in academic medicine as Senior Associate Dean of New York Medical College in Valhalla, N.Y. He joined the Stony Brook University faculty in 1979 as a founding architect of the School of Medicine, where he was affectionately known as Doctor Tom. At Stony Brook, few could evade the personal focus that Doctor Tom brought to all those he interacted with during his 21-year tenure as Executive Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Pathology, leading up to his retirement in 2000. At that time, he was given Professor Emeritus status in recognition of his valued service to the university. Doctor Tom’s impact extended beyond the Dean’s Office to all those students and colleagues who confidently sought out his insight and advice as a mentor and friend. Survivors include his wife, Jane; his brother, Stephen; three adult children, including Matthew Thomas Cottrell, Anne Cottrell Patin and Sarah Jane Lazar; and grandsons, Nicholas Cottrell Patin and Andre Thomas Patin.
Clarence L. Simpson, Jr. ’51
Mr. Clarence Lorenzo Simpson, Jr., former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and former Attorney General of Liberia, died January 30, 2016 at his Brewerville, Liberia home. He was in his 83rd year.
Following his return home with a Law degree, Mr. Simpson, son of President Tubman’s first Vice President Clarence Lorenzo Simpson, was appointed Legal Counsel of the Ministry of Public Works.
President Tubman later called young Mr. Simpson as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia.
Following the death of President Tubman and the accession of Dr. William R. Tolbert as President of Liberia, he named Mr. Simpson as Attorney General and Minister of Justice, a job he held for a number of years.
Mr. Simpson was born on June 15, 1933 to the union of Counselor Clarence Lorenzo and his wife Mrs. Abrametta Stubblefield Simpson. He received his high school diploma from Williston Academy in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and later enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. He later took the LLB degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
On July 19, 1961 he married Judith Mars Simpson in Kakata, Margibi County and this union was blessed with seven children.
His survivors include his widow, Mrs. Judith Mars Simpson; children, Clarence L. Simpson III, Mrs. Lorraine Simpson Harvey Mrs. Linda Simpson Emiroglu, Clarine Simpson Vaughn, Cheryl Simpson Cornwall, Christian and Alpha Simpson; several grand children; and sister Amanda Simpson.
Mr. Simpson, Jr., like his father, was a lifelong Episcopalian.
Carlo A. Marchetti ’51
Carlo A. Marchetti, loving and much loved father and grandfather, passed away peacefully in the presence of family on Saturday, December 17, 2016, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was born on June 13, 1931, in Springfield, to parents Serafino and Carolina Marchetti. He was a champion of the City, beginning his professional life as a City Assessor, moving on to become a Vice President of Real Estate for the Third National Bank and, ultimately, doing the job he loved most, as Executive Director of an organization he helped create, Springfield Central. Upon retirement, he moved to Sarasota, Florida where he lived for the last 16 years of his well-lived life. Carlo was a veteran, having served in the Marines, First Reconnaissance Company, during the Korean War. He was predeceased by his sister Esther Marchetti Ferrero and her husband Julian; and he is survived by his sister Rena Libera Jonathan and her husband Jack; his children, Carolyn Marchetti Branthoover, Lisa Marchetti Lamp and her husband Steve, and John Carlo Marchetti and his wife Karen. Carlo shared much love, joy and energy with his six grandchildren, Christopher, Nicholas, Katherine, Lauren, Alexander and Gabriel. Carlo was delighted when he was able to expand and deepen his friendships with extended family in Italy, in his later years. His trips to Italy became an annual occurrence, which he cherished. He was a world traveler whose favorite trips were those taken with family, the most recent of which was to Chicago in April of this year, organized for him by his Grandchildren.