Tag Archives: Williston Academy

Kenneth Langbehn ’46

1 Comment

Ken LangbehnKenneth Peter Langbehn, Jr. died at home August 18, 2013 at the age of 85, in the arms of his wife of 35 years, Veleria Richmond Langbehn.

Kenneth was born at home in Vero Beach, FL on Sept. 13, 1927, to Kenneth P. Langbehn, Sr. and Barbara De Kold.

He was married to Patricia Laub Langbehn Nelson (dec.) and they had five children, Sharon (Art) Noriega, Vero Beach, Leonissa (Tom) Abraham-Dean, NH, Wayne (Wendy) Hopkins-Langbehn, CT., Cynthia (Robert) Gruber, Vero Beach, Georgenna (Michael) Biganzoli, Ocala. Kenneth had one sister, Mary Jo Mancini (dec.), four grand-children, one great grandchild, two nieces, and 3 cousins.

Continue reading →

Posted in: 1940s, Class of 1946

Jim Graves, Former Faculty

Leave a comment

Jim GravesHarold O. “Jim” Graves, 91, passed away on May 23, after a brief illness.

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, teacher, coach, banker, and woodworker extraordinaire, he was born on May 8, 1924 son of Harold and Ethel Holmes Graves, in Worcester.

A native son of West Boylston, he graduated from Wilbraham Academy and attended Wesleyan University. He was a US Army Veteran and Purple Heart recipient in World War II, serving with the Combat Engineers in Northern France. He was a graduate of Clark University and received a Master’s Degree in Education from Springfield College, and was also a graduate of the Brown University School of Banking.

After being a teacher and coach at Wilbraham Academy and Williston Academy, he joined Ware Savings Bank in 1958. When Country Bank and Palmer Savings Bank merged in 1981, he became Executive Vice President, and then served as President until his retirement in 1986.

He was a past member of the Ware Industrial Financial Authority, a long time director of Mary Lane Hospital, and of the Young Men’s Library Assoc., and former Trustee of Country Bank and of the United Church of Ware.

He leaves behind his wife of 64 years, Charlotte Crandall Graves, four daughters, Susan Voss and her husband Gary of Peterborough NH, Cindy Bernhardt and her husband Peter of So. Burlington VT, Martha Robertson and her husband Peter of Peru VT, and Laura Manchester and her husband Scott of Hillsdale NH, and a granddaughter Kate Bernhardt of So. Burlington VT.

Posted in: Former Faculty

Richard Seybolt ’60

4 Comments

Richard Alan Seybolt '60Richard Alan Seybolt, of Duluth and Boynton Beach, Florida, died unexpectedly on May 19, 2015. Rick was born on October 4, 1942, in Columbus, Ohio, to Alan Upson Seybolt and Dorothea Hoover Seybolt. Shortly after his birth, his family relocated to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where his father worked during the war.

Rick spent his grade school years in Scotia and Schenectady, New York. He attended high school at the Williston Academy in Easthampton, Massachusetts (now known as the Williston Northampton School) where he lettered in soccer, basketball and baseball. He completed his undergraduate degree at Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont. He was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He obtained a master’s degree in Spain, and completed his PhD in Spanish at Indiana University.

Continue reading →

Posted in: 1960s, Class of 1960

Michael Reingold ’55

2 Comments

Michael Henry Reingold '55Michael Reingold lived a life that was based in laughter and love. It is no accident that he made his career in advertising, the profession of great story tellers.

A son of Harold and Thelma Reingold of Boston, he learned the business from his father’s agency, The Reingold Company. Married to Glenda (Danziger) and father to Caren (Francis), Robin (Donegan), and Michael II (Chip), Mr. Reingold moved to New York where he worked with the giants of the golden age of 1960’s advertising at Papert Koening Lois and Lois Holland Callaway.

In the 1970’s the family returned to Boston where Mr. Reingold joined the advertising agency Ingalls, and then really hit his stride at HBM Creamer. After years with the firm, Mr. Reingold branched out on his own as the President and Co-Founder of the acclaimed Lawner Reingold Britton and Partners which became part of what today is Arnold, where Mr. Reingold retired as Vice Chairman.

A gifted athlete as a youth, Mr. Reingold had a life- long devotion to baseball, especially the Red Sox, and Golf. Mr. Reingold also had strong interests in the arts and education, serving as President of the Board(s) of Emerson College and the Huntington Theater Company, as well as the Advertising Club of Boston. One of his proudest philanthropic achievements was as the founder of The Scleroderma Research Fund, which raised millions of dollars and endowed the Scleroderma Research Program at Boston University Medical Center.

Of all his successes, Mr. Reingold’s greatest joy was his family, especially his grandchildren: Rebecca, Hannah and Andrew Francis and Connor and Dylan Donegan.

Posted in: 1950s, Class of 1955

Edwin Anderson, Jr ’51

1 Comment

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

John M. Newton, Jr. ’42

1 Comment

NewtonJohn M. Newton Jr., 91, of Wolfeboro, NH, father, husband, grandfather, great grandfather and card-carrying member of the Greatest Generation, died peacefully at home on April 12, less than a month before turning 92.

He leaves his wife Ernestine, sons John Newton ‘67 and wife Patricia Fiorelli of Newburyport, Mass, Mark L. Newton ‘70 and wife Susan of Snellville, GA and David Newton ‘74 and wife Lynn Wolff of Boston.  A third son, Peter ‘71, predeceased him. He also leaves six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He was born in Springfield, Mass, son of John M. Newton Sr. and Dorris B. Newton.

Continue reading →

Posted in: 1940s, Class of 1942

I. Charles Feldman ’57

1 Comment

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.

Continue reading →

Posted in: 1950s

D. Gordon Halstead ’35

1 Comment

HalsteadD. Gordon Halstead, of North Branford and formerly of Guilford Connecticut, died Sunday, April 12 at the age of 96 at Yale New Haven Hospital.

He was the devoted husband of Virginia Carpenter Halstead. Ginnie and Gordon were married for over 68 years. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on August 30, 1918 to Vera and Paul Halstead, Gordon grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut. He attended Williston Academy and then graduated from Phillips Exeter in 1936. Gordon was a member of the class of 1940 at Harvard College, where he captained the varsity lacrosse team and was a member of the varsity soccer team. He also was a member of the Pi Eta Club, and starred in many of their theatrical and musical productions.

Continue reading →

Posted in: 1930s

James Gillchrest, Jr ’45

Leave a comment

GillchrestJames A. Gillchrest, Jr., 88, died peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving family, on Wednesday, April 1, 2015. Born in Thomaston on Nov. 28, 1926, he was the son of James, Sr. and Eva Demuth Gillchrest. He began his education in Thomaston, and later graduated from Williston Academy in Northampton, Mass.

Following high school, Jim enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving during World War II. After being honorably discharged, he attended University of Maine at Orono, earning a Bachelor of Science in 1949. While at UMO, Jim was a member of the Phi Eta Kappa Fraternity.

Continue reading →

Posted in: 1940s, Class of 1945

Robert Ceely ’48

Leave a comment

Robert Ceely '48Robert Ceely was born in Torrington, Connecticut and grew up in Longmeadow and Williamstown in Massachusetts.

He attended the Pine Cobble School (?—1945), Williston Academy (Class of 1948), Hobart College (1948/49), the New England Conservatory (Class of 1954) where he studied with Francis Cooke. Further studies were with Darius Milhaud and Leon Kirchner at Mills College where he earned the degree of Master of Arts (1961), and with Roger Sessions. Edward Cone and Milton Babbitt at Princeton University (1958/59).

In 1963-64 he worked in the Electronic Music Studio in Milan as guest of The Italian Government. His compositions include solo, chamber, and orchestral music as well as music for tape alone and tape with instruments. His ballet “Beyond the Ghost Spectrum”, with choreography by James Waring commissioned by the Fromm Music Foundation, was performed at Tanglewood in August, 1969, with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting. His opera” Automobile Graveyard”, after a play by Fernando Arrabal, was presented at the New England Conservatory in 1995.

Continue reading →

Posted in: 1940s, Class of 1948