Tag Archives: Class of 1937

Sally Hitchcock Pullman ’37

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Sally Hitchcock Pullman passed away peacefully of natural causes on August 5, 2020 in Lafayette Hill, PA. She was 101 years old, born on April 20, 1919 in Bristol, CT to the late Arthur Cornwall and Ruth Harriet (Thayer) Hitchcock.

Mrs. Pullman lived a wonderfully long and storied life, including her service during WWll as a US Army Nurse in the south Pacific, achieving her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, teaching nursing for a number of years and being the wife to John S. Pullman, Jr., and the mother of their three children.

Sally married John on May 22, 1948 in Brattleboro, Vermont. Their first child John H. was born in 1952. They moved to Wyoming in 1953 where her two younger children Sally and David were born. In 1955 they returned to Connecticut where husband John received his Masters in Public Health from Yale University leading to an job with the Connecticut State Health Department. The family moved to Granby, Connecticut in 1959. The house at 10 Wells Road was her beloved home for close to 60 years until she took up residence in the Sunrise assisted living facility in Lafayette, PA.

Early on she taught pottery classes to 4Hers, ran a Brownie troop, canned and froze the bounty of her and John’s gardens, she enjoyed her horses, geology and all things having to do with earth sciences, healthcare, teaching, knitting, drawing, telling stories, and mowing her lawn at top speed on her tractor. She was an avid reader and got particular enjoyment from history books. She wrote and published a book “Letters Home” now for sale on Amazon about her experiences caring for the wounded in the hospital tents on New Guinea after the return of McArthur. After their retirement John and Sally traveled extensively making new friends from around the world.

She is survived by her daughter, Sally Pullman-Mooar, son-in-law Pekka Antero Mooar; sons: John H. Pullman, daughter-in-law Laura Elise McGhee Pullman, and David L. Pullman; grandchildren Lakin Caldwell Pullman, Jaime Marie Pullman Beaulieu, Ethan Pullman Mooar, Rebecca Hitchcock Mooar Kelleher, Sarah Kasanen Mooar and Dana McGhee Malone-White and six great-grandchildren: Sally, Netta, Lakin, David, Shea, and Ragnar, plus many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband of 47 years, John S. Pullman, Jr. who passed away in 1995, and brother, John Thayer Hitchcock.

Due to the distance and the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual services will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mrs. Pullman’s honor to: Yale School of Nursing, (nursing.yale.org) First Congregational Church, (firstchurchgranby.org) Vermont Land Trust, (vlt.org).

Posted in: 1930s

Alan A. Roberts ’37

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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.”

Posted in: 1930s

Phyllis “Bunny” Gavin Robinson ’37

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Phyllis Gasvin RobinsonPhyllis “Bunny” Gavin Robinson, a social worker, died on February 29, 2016 in Sarasota, Florida. She was 95. The cause of death was dementia.

When she was born, her grandfather, Milo Whitaker, remarked that she looked like a cute little bunny. Thus, she got her nickname, which she used all her life. Bunny attended the Northampton School For Girls, Class of 1937. Her aunt was Sarah B. Whitaker, one of the founders of Northampton School For Girls. Following graduation she went to Smith College where she graduated cum laude with a degree in economics in 1941. During World War II, Bunny volunteered for the Red Cross and served on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.

Following the war, she married John Parker Robinson, whom she had known since childhood. As a US Embassy spouse she lived in Paris and Madrid during the reconstruction of Europe under the Marshall Plan. She also lived in Santiago, Chile, before returning to Washington, D.C. where they were divorced in 1965. She then redefined herself by getting a master’s degree in social work at the University of Maryland and subsequently worked in social services around Washington, D.C. and later in Montpelier, Vermont. In 1989, she moved to Siesta Key in Sarasota, Florida. She enjoyed painting and traveling. She has always been known for her keen sense of humor and directness.

She is survived by three sons, Philip Gavin Robinson ‘66, John Preble Robinson ’68, and his wife Aya, and James Milo Robinson ’74 and his wife JoAnn, and one sister Caroline Preble Arnold ’47. Bunny also had four grandchildren, Margaret, Bridget, John and Patrick, as well three great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Bunny’s memory to Sarah B. Whitaker Memorial Scholarship Fund at Williston Northampton School at 19 Payson Avenue, Easthampton, Massachusetts 01027. She will be interred in Norton, Massachusetts at a later date.

Posted in: 1930s

Phoebe Ferris McCoy ’37

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ferrisPhoebe Ferris McCoy died peacefully on November 4th in Greenbrae, California. She was 96.

Phoebe’s keen intelligence, enthusiasm and joy were the foundation of her life. Whether she was Mother Nature at her grandson’s school, or hosting the Dalai Lama at the Sacred Art of Tibet Exhibit at the Asian Art Museum, or running her own winery, she brought a gracious zest to whatever she undertook. Notable for limericks, poetry and obscure songs from the 1930s she maintained her sense of humor and many friendships until the end.

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Posted in: 1930s

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

John Loeb ’37

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John LoebJohn Eric Loeb, 95, of Branford, passed away on October 28, 2014.

He was born August 11, 1919 in New Haven, son of Adeline Klein Loeb and Morton Loeb.

He is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Rhoda Leshine Loeb and his son Michael (Riva) of Toronto and sister Prudence of Walpole, MA.

John attended Hopkins and Williston Academy. He graduated from Franklin and Marshall College.

He was a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force during WWII, stationed in Guam. John was an Editor of the Branford Review and President of The Branford Printing Company. He was a member of the Branford Rotary Club and the New Haven and Branford Historical Societies. He was one of the foremost collectors of antique candle snuffers. In his retirement years his primary focus was the development and administration of the Annual Blackstone Library Book Drive. John lived a long, healthy life and shared his intelligence, wit, charm, and good humor with family and friends.

He will be missed.

Posted in: 1930s

Margaret Munsell Palmer ’37

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Munsell palmerMargaret Munsell Palmer, 94, of Randolph, died Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, VT.

She was born on March 5, 1919 in Springfield, MA; the daughter of Samuel and Florence (McKenna) Munsell. She graduated from Springfield Classical High School and Connecticut College for Women.

She was married to Donald F. Palmer in Springfield, MA on July 25, 1941. He passed away in 2003.

She lived in Trenton, NJ, Moorestown, NJ, and Wellesley, MA, until moving to Randolph in 1991. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown, Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, and Bethany Church of Randolph. She was an avid Boston Red Sox fan, and enjoyed church activities, P.T.A., Junior League, reading and travel. She is best remembered as a woman of faith, and as a loving mother who enjoyed family gatherings.

Survivors include her daughters, Margaret P. Stiles of Plymouth, IN and Anne P. Strother of Old Greenwich, CT; sons, Donald F. Palmer of Drexel Hill, PA, David M. Palmer of Randolph and Richard L. Palmer of Ventura, CA; 8 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; and a nephew. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her sister, Ruth Downs.

Posted in: 1930s

Babette “Betty” Stone Parker ’37

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Parker, Babette “Betty” (Stone), 93, of Westwood a longtime former resident of Wellesley Hills and Osterville passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at home.

Born in Attleboro, MA on July  25, 1919, the daughter of the late Samuel Stone and Tilda (Baer); she was the devoted wife of Dr. Jack Parker of Westwood for 68 years; the loving mother of Jack Parker Jr. of San Diego, CA and Diane and her husband Gregory Peters of Shelburne, VT; cherished grandmother of Tracey Grady and her husband Vaughn Collins of Seattle, WA, Raine and her husband Tony Pushckor of Maui, HI, Faith and her husband John James of Shelburne, VT and Andrew Peters of NY, NY; great-grandmother of Christopher, Justin, Dillon, Sky, Addison and Hadleigh; the dear sister of the late Samuel Stone Jr., Stephanie Baker and Harriet O’Keeffe and aunt to 6 nieces and nephews. Continue reading →

Posted in: 1930s