Category Archives: 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

Margaret Hill Greenberg ’51

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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.

 

Posted in: 1950s

Robert H. Moore ’52

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Robert Hilliard Moore, 84, of East Falmouth, MA passed away on Friday, March 9, 2018 at the Falmouth Hospital. He was born in Winchester to Robert L. and Dorothy (Hilliard) Moore.

Bob was a graduate of Williston Academy and attended Boston University. He served in the United States Army and then went on to attend Employers Insurance School in Boston. He worked for Paul Peters Insurance Agency for over 40 years.

Bob was a charter member of the Elks and was on the board of directors for the Falmouth Co-operative Bank for over 20 years. He also was one of the founding fathers of Falmouth Youth Hockey, and a lover of the ocean and the Mountains, his favorite pastime was boating.

Bob leaves behind his 4 sons: Bobby and Linda Moore of Sandwich, David and Cathy Moore, Paul and Laura Moore, and Tom and Trish Moore, all of Falmouth; his 8 grandchildren: Marissa and Nicole Moore, Brandon, Jordan and Rachel Moore, Brittney, P.J. and Marianna Moore; and his siblings, Steven and Rick Moore. He also leaves his first wife, Sally Peters, and his second wife, Janet Moore and her children, Brad and Kristen Fish. He was predeceased by his sister, Sheila.

Posted in: 1950s

Basil A. Petricca ’50

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Basil August Petricca, the former CEO of Petricca Industries, and founder of Unistress died on March 7th at the age of 86 in Pittsfield, MA.

Basil “Rick” Petricca, born October 2nd, 1931 in North Adams, MA was the son of Basilio Augusto and Rose Mancuso Petricca. He graduated from Williston Academy in 1950 and Tufts University in 1954. He later served in the U.S. Army, stationed at Ft. Belvoir, VA.

Rick started his business career as a child, raising and selling chickens and eggs to help support his family. When his father died unexpectedly in 1962 Rick stepped into a leadership role in the family business and dedicated himself to its success and growth. Rick was an entrepreneur by nature and loved to make deals. Over the years he founded or acquired over a dozen businesses ranging from pre-stress concrete to telecommunications and travel.

Rick was a communicant of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church and St. Marks Church and attended mass every day. In 2007 he was honored for his years of service to the church with indoctrination into the Bishop’s Circle of Stewards. He was also involved in numerous civic and charitable organizations, more than the family can remember, but among his favorites were: The Boys and Girls Club; Berkshire Healthcare Systems; The Berkshire Museum; The Berkshire County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association; UNICO; and The Catholic Youth Center.

He will be remembered by his family and friends as a man of boundless energy and enthusiasm who always had time to hear and help with anyone’s problem. No matter how large the family grew he made every child feel special. His sense of humor helped us all accept his passing but he will always be in our hearts, thoughts and prayers.

He leaves his beloved wife and best friend of 61 years, Rosaland Bishop Petricca and five children, Perri Petricca (Michelle Thorpe-Petricca), Richard Petricca ’76 (Priscilla), Gregg Petricca ’79 (Lisa Dachinger), Tina Petricca ’82 and Cara Carnevale ’89 (Marc). His grandchildren, Adam, Grady, Leah, Charlotte, Lauren, Richard, Jr., Nicole, Curt, Jennifer, Nathan, Cole, Ryder, Nicholas and Tyler. His great grandchildren, Makayla, Alanna, Roman, Milania, Victoria, Harrison, and Elle. He is survived by his brother Robert Petricca (Lyn). Rick was predeceased by his brother Peter, sister Virginia and granddaughters Talia and Alora Grace.

Posted in: 1950s

Edward W. Wrobleski ’51

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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.

 

Posted in: 1950s

Patricia Newton Dupre ’50

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Patricia “Pat” Newton Dupre, 86, passed away January 30, 2018 in Ocala, FL. Born April 14, 1931, in Northampton, MA, to Russell and Mary Margaret Bush Newton. She graduated from Northampton School for Girls in 1950, then later graduated from Cooley Dickinson School of Nursing. Pat was affiliated with the Massachusetts General  Hospital  and  received  the Florence Nightingale award for outstanding nursing. Pat was also a member of the DAR (Daughter’s of American Revolution), the Q.O.P for many years, choir, CCA, and making sacrifices beads. She so loved sailing and for many years. She is survived by her loving husband of 62 years, Lawrence A. Dupre; son, Joseph Lawrence Dupre, of Murphy, TX; daughters, Deborah J. Norris, of Bristol, CT, Loreen Ann Dupre, of Ocala, FL, son-in-law Ed Norris, daughter-in-law Diane Dupre and; three grandchildren, Brandon, Kaitlin and Anthony.

Posted in: 1950s

Malcolm M. Stone, Jr. ’53

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Mal M. Stone, Jr, 82, of Hollis, NH and formerly of Peabody, died November 25, 2016 at the Epson Manor Health Care Center following a brief illness. He was the devoted husband of Carol J (Muse) Stone with whom he shared over 13 years of marriage.
Born in Peabody, he was the son of the late Malcolm and Dorothy (Ayer) Stone. He was raised in Peabody and attended high school at Williston Academy in Massachusetts and  Kents Hill School in Maine. He then attended the University of Maine at Orono for two years. He has lived in New Hampshire for the past 8 years.
Mal owned and operated his own trucking company for over 30 years before retiring many years ago. He was a member of the Masons in Exeter, NH and also enjoyed doing woodworking as well.
He is survived by his three sons, Malcolm Stone of Duxbury, Keith Stone of Portland, ME, and Kenneth and his wife Debbie Stone of Newport, his daughter Dorothy-Ann and her husband John Simoneau of Raymond, NH , his brother, Richard and his wife Lorraine Stone of Newport, ME, his grandchildren, Danielle Simoneau and Nathan Rice of Raymond, NH, and Katie Trask and Abigail Stone of Newport, ME, his step children Ryan Shepherd of Nashua, NH, Lisa Pezzella of Peabody, and his step grandchildren, Erin, Kendra, and Cady Shepherd, Madison and Jacob Pezzella.

Posted in: 1950s

Natalie Field ’53

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Natalie Field, of Jackson, Michigan, died November 8, 2015. She is survived by her sister Harriet (Tat) Field Miller ’55 of Grand Rapids, MI and her Jackson family of friends: Lynne Loftis, Liz Wierzbicki, Judy Horn, Janeen Cargill and her extended family at Rex Terrace. She was born March 18, 1935 in Jackson to Leonard H. and Janet McGee Field. Natalie graduated from Smith College in 1957 with a degree in mathematics. After college she worked for General Electric with a team of engineers designing nuclear submarines, and then returned to Jackson where she was active in the Jackson Junior Welfare League, the Jackson County Republican Party and the Ella Sharp Museum. She loved reading, cats, train travel and everything connected with Elk Lake.

Posted in: 1950s