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.”