Category Archives: 1950s

Edwin Anderson, Jr ’51

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Edwin Anderson Jr. '51Edwin N. Anderson, Jr., 82, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 1, 2015 at Life Care Center of Wilbraham.

Born March 6, 1933, son of the late Edwin and Lelia (Conger) Anderson, Sr., he lived in Westfield for the past twenty years.

Edwin graduated from Williston Academy and was also a graduate of Amherst College, Class of 1956, having played for the college baseball team. In 1958 Edwin, a member of Tau Beta Pi, graduated Magna Cum Laude from UMass-Amherst Graduate School, finishing first in his civil engineering class. He received the Sloan Foundation Fellow at Purdue University in 1960.

Edwin was a registered professional engineer in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York and a member of ASCE and NSPE. He was principal structural engineer for the building of eighty buildings in Springfield and Boston, mainly with the former McClintock and Craig firm, where he was a partner. He then was a project engineer for General Electric Co. in Pittsfield for nineteen years, retiring in 1993. In his younger days he was a Tri County All-League outfielder with the Buick Aces and Six Corners Café.

Among the most important things in his life were his family, friends, and education. Edwin is survived by his three loving children, Kurt E. Anderson and his wife Katy, Karl F. Anderson and his wife Debbie, and Heather J. Anderson; three cherished grandchildren, Brian Anderson, Jessica Anderson and Kayla Anderson; and a sister, Paula Bothfeld and her husband Hank.

Posted in: 1950s, Class of 1951

I. Charles Feldman ’57

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FeldmanI. Charles Feldman, of Shavertown passed away Saturday, April 18, 2015, surrounded by his loving family.

Charles was born in Wilkes-Barre on March 29, 1938, the son of the late Samuel Feldman and Rebecca Leibman Feldman.

He attended Wyoming Seminary Preparatory School, and graduated from The Williston Academy in Easthampton, Mass., and was a dedicated alumnus to both schools throughout his life. Charles donated to the Annual Fund at Williston for 57 consecutive years!  He was also a proud and loyal alumnus of Middlebury College in Vermont, where he took great pleasure in wrestling, debate, the Snow Bowl, and fraternity life as a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon.

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Posted in: 1950s

Deborah Saybolt Merker ’55

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SayboltDeborah Saybolt Merker, “Debby” of Haverford, PA, age 78, died unexpectedly in an automobile accident in Cleveland, Tennessee on April 10th.

Beloved wife of 53 years of James J. Merker and loving Mother of Lisa and (John) Allen and Jenny and (Bart) Anthony. She is survived by grandchildren, Tyler Conway and Caroline Hayes Allen and is the sister of Peter M. Saybolt and Janet S. Bowers. Debby was the daughter of W.D. and Marion Saybolt of Haverford, PA.

Debby attended Baldwin School and graduated from Williston Northampton School; attended Brown University and was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

Debby was a stewardess for Eastern Airlines in the 60s. She later joined her husband’s firm, Merker Associates, as a partner.

She was an active member of St. Christopher’s Church of Gladwyne and a long time dedicated member of the choir. One of Debby’s great passions was her love for animals, especially her dogs. She also loved art, design and music. She was an avid gardener. Her generosity and kindness were legendary.

Posted in: 1950s, Class of 1955

H. Tucker Machette ’51

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H. Tucker Machette died at home surrounded by his family on March 7, 2015 at 7:43 pm.

He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 58 years, Terry Wingate Machette; his children Marc and Liz Machette, Piper and James Sleight, Jill Wooldridge and seven grandchildren Morgan, Deven, Sawyer, Wyatt, Penn, Tucker and Gabby.

Tucker was born on June 6, 1932 in White Plains, NY. He attended Williston Academy before graduating from Pleasantville H.S. and went on to play football at Lehigh University where he earned a B.S. in 1959.

He worked as a National Sales Manager at ITT Rayonier until retirement.

Tucker was a man of broad interests and many of his passions live on in his family. An accomplished skier, he was a member of the National Ski Patrol; every summer weekend he could be found on his beloved sailboats. He loved camping in Maine with family, dining out for a fine meal, baking elaborate desserts, EVERY one of his dogs and cats, renovating his 1884 house, UConn Women’s basketball, and telling irreverent stories.

Posted in: 1950s, Class of 1951

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

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

Raymond Montgomery ’54

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RA MontgomeryAuthor R.A. Montgomery, co-founder of the company that first published the popular Choose Your Own Adventure interactive book series in the 1970s, died at his home in Warren, Vt., on November 9 following a brief illness. He was 78.

Montgomery was born in Connecticut in 1936. Growing up in New England, he attended Williston Academy before matriculating at Williams College, from which he graduated in 1958. Throughout his early life and education he developed a passion for finding and developing innovative teaching methods that inspired children to learn. Among his achievements in this area were his role as assistant dean of faculty at Columbia University from 1963–65 and the 1966 founding of the Waitsfield Summer School in Vermont, which featured an experiential curriculum and used gaming to teach math. Montgomery went on to develop role-playing games for the Edison Electric Institute and for training programs used in the Peace Corps.

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Posted in: 1950s

William Yahn ’54

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Will YahnWilliam “Bill” Yahn passed away on December 14, 2014.

Bill was the son of Earl Edwin and Martha Blodgett Yahn of Fairfield, CT and Santa Barbara, CA. Bill is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Nancy; sister Meredith Grenier of Palos Verdes, CA; devoted daughter and son-in-law Betsy and Chris Gillon; and 4 adoring grandchildren.

Bill was born in Detroit, MI on March 20, 1937. After graduating Trinity College (CT) in 1959, he served in the U.S. Navy as Lieutenant (J.G.), then earning an M.B.A. at the Wharton School of Business. His early life was spent in Fairfield, CT, but he and his family moved to Maryland, Mississippi and then Austin in 1981. He was a partner at Harrison-Pearson and Associates from 1991 until his retirement in January 2014.

Bill was a member of the Austin Rotary Club throughout his professional life, and a member of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, singing in its choir for many years. He was a passionate fisherman and enjoyed training his two dogs, Bart (deceased) and Sam.

Posted in: 1950s

Peter Clapp ’56

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ClappPeter Dudley Clapp died at his home on Monday, November 10, 2014, at the age of 78.

Peter was born in Framingham, MA. He graduated from Williston Academy in Easthampton, MA, attended Dennison University in Ohio, Clark University in Worcester, MA and served in the United States Army.

He was President and CEO of Stafford Iron Works in Worcester, MA.

After retiring in 1996, he and his wife, Brenda moved to Marco Island. Peter loved music and had been involved with many choral groups, both in New England and the Marco Island area. He was a former vice-president of the Marco’s Men’s Club, a member of the Marco Island Historical Society, and past member and instructor of the Marco Island Sail and Power Squadron. He was an active member of the Wesley United Methodist Church where he served as a choir member, soloist, and hymn leader.

Peter is survived by his wife, Brenda ( Booth) Clapp; their daughter, Hilary (Derek) Kreitenstein; three grandchildren, Jonathan, Alexandra, and Samantha, as well as his brother Gerald; and sister, Janet (Clapp) Mortenson.

He was preceded in death by his son, Jonathan Welles Clapp.

Posted in: 1950s, Class of 1956