All posts by jpilgrim

Nicholas Veeder ’52

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VeederNicholas Schermerhorn Veeder went to live with his Lord Jesus Christ on Sunday January 18, 2015 as he exited his home for the last time.

Nick was born in Schenectady NY on August 2, 1932 to Raymond Bradt Veeder and Emilie Battin Randall Veeder. He was educated in the Schenectady public schools and at Williston Academy, East Hampton, MA. His Associate Degree in Agriculture was earned at Long Island AG. and Tech, Farmingdale, NY. Further years of study were pursued at the University of Georgia, Athens where he met his wife to be Donna Clark Veeder. They were married in Nashville, TN on August 24 1957. Nick received his Bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry and Economics in 1957 and his Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics in 1958 at UGA. Further post graduate work in Special Education was earned at College of St. Rose, Albany, NY.

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Posted in: 1950s

Philip Barnhart ’44

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Phillip BarnhartPhilip McKernon Barnhart, 89, a longtime resident of Somers, CT and Longmeadow, MA, passed away peacefully, Saturday, February 7th, 2015 at Redstone Rehabilitation Center.

He was born in Pittsfield, MA on July 27th, 1925 the only child of Philip S. Barnhart and Alice (McKernon) Barnhart.

Phil attended Williston Academy in Easthampton, MA. He went on to attend Bates College, and then Tufts University where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business. He also participated in the V-12 Navy College Training Program where he was honorably discharged in 1946. While at Tufts, Phil excelled in sports, as he was named MVP of the football team, was the High Scorer on the basketball team, and he also set a New England track record in the 440 yard dash.

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Posted in: 1940s, Class of 1944

Robert W. Griffin ’37

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Robert W. Griffin '37Robert Wendell Griffin died January 26, 2015 in Falmouth, MA.  He was 95.

Mr. Griffin was born in Newtonville, MA. He was the son of George Appleton Griffin and Ellen (Gifford) Griffin of Woods Hole. A 10th-generation Cape Codder, he lived in Falmouth for most of his life. Through his mother, he traced his ancestry in Falmouth and Woods Hole back to the Giffords, Hatches and Robinsons, who settled the area in 1661.

Mr. Griffin was married for 49 years to Martha (Vincent) Griffin until her death in 1992. In 1994, he married Catherine B. Enos of Edgartown.

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Posted in: 1930s

Stephen Cook ’50

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Stephen Cook '50Stephen B. Cook, 80, of New Bedford died June 27, 2013 at St. Luke’s Hospital after a brief illness.
He was the husband of Gertrude S. (Shea) Cook.

Born in Springfield, MA, the son of the late Lauren W. and Marion M. (Moran) Cook, he was raised in New York City, attended Williston Academy, and lived in Provincetown, MA before moving to New Bedford 35 years ago.

Steve was a commercial artist, commercial fisherman, and realtor who enjoyed painting boats and seascapes. He displayed his art in many local galleries and at the Maritime Museum in Mystic, CT. He was a member of Gallery X, the Bierstadt Society, and the Beachcombers Club in Provincetown.

Steve had a good sense of humor and enjoyed the company of his family, friends, cats and dogs.

Survivors include his wife; a son, Lauren Cook and his companion Pam Zimmerman of Philadelphia, PA; a daughter, Stephanie Barrett and her husband Michael of Dartmouth; 3 grandchildren, Patrick Barrett, Timothy Barrett and Samuel Cook; and 2 great-grandchildren, Gage and Andreia.

Posted in: 1950s, Class of 1950, Uncategorized

Frederick Moore ’49

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Frederick E. Moore 'Fred' '49Frederick Moore passed away on January 21, 2015.

He was a resident of La Puebla, NM since 1981. He was born in Pittsfield, MA in 1931 to parents, Harwood and Lauretta Moore, now deceased. He lived in Williamstown, MA until he moved to New Mexico. He graduated from Williston Academy, Easthampton, MA in 1949. He attended Nichols Junior College in Dudley, MA until he joined the 103rd Fighter Wing of the Ct. Air National Guard at Bradley Field in 1951.

He became disabled while in the service and was discharged in 1952. He returned to Williamstown, MA and started his own excavating company and later added heating oil delivery to it.

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Posted in: 1940s

Paul Basamania ’65

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Paul Basamania '65Paul Basamania, 67, of Bridge Road, Florence, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015, at his home, after a brief illness.

Paul was born Oct. 18, 1947, in Northampton, the son of the late Dr. Walter and Frances (Niksa) Basamania. He attended local schools, graduating from Williston Academy and later American International College with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He lived in Boston briefly after college before returning to Northampton where he has resided ever since.

He leaves behind his sister Gail Trudeau and her husband Roger of Whately, and four nephews, Lance Wade of Florence, Nathan Wade of Bernardston, David Trudeau of Sharon, and Jonathan Trudeau of Chicopee. He also leaves three great-nieces and a great nephew.

Posted in: 1960s

William Sleeper, Jr. ’35

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William Hobbs Sleeper, Jr. 'Bill'William H. Sleeper (99) passed peacefully on December 17, 2014 from metastasized prostate cancer at his retirement home in Mill Creek, WA.

Bill was born in Exeter, New Hampshire on August 5, 1915 to William H. Sleeper and Florence (Clark) Sleeper. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy and Williston Academy, graduating in Physics from Harvard University.

As an electrical engineer, and radar and weapons system specialist, he worked at Foxboro Instrument, Sperry Gyroscope, Bendix Aviation, M.I.T., Caltech, General Electric, Boeing, and Raytheon, finally retiring in 1990 at age 75.

Bill joined the Navy during World War II and served as radar maintenance officer on the U.S.S. Quincy both in the Atlantic and Pacific Theatres. His ship carried President Roosevelt to and from the Yalta Conference in Malta, then traveled through the Panama Canal to support military efforts in the Pacific until the war ended. During a 3-day shore leave in NYC, he married his “child bride” Norma Jean Pribyl, had a 1-day honeymoon, then shipped out to sea for 9 more months. He and Norma were happily married for 66 years until her death in 2011.

Bill is survived by his two children, Barbara Sleeper and William H. Sleeper III, three grandchildren, Kelly (Citron) Galloway, David Citron and Josh Citron, and six great-grandchildren, Grady and Gretta Galloway and Paige, Claire, Noah and Sam Citron.

Posted in: 1930s

Harold Bohmer Jr. ’48

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Harold Bohmer, Jr. '48Harold “Hal” Bohmer died Monday, December 29, 2014, at home in Tucson, Arizona surrounded by his loving family after a short illness.

His profession as a geologist brought him to Tucson for work during graduate school in the fifties and he later returned with his wife Cynthia to retire and bask in the beauty of the mountains.

Hal was born in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1930 and attended Williston Academy, now known as the Williston-Northampton School. He graduated from Amherst College following four years of service in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Hal went on to complete both an M.S. Degree and a Ph.D. in geology at the University of Cincinnati where he was awarded two National Science Foundation Fellowships. Later, Hal was honored with membership in the scientific research society Sigma Xi.

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Posted in: 1940s, Class of 1948