Deceased June 14, 2013

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50th Reunion Book Entry

In Memory

Bill Traver, one of the few classmates who attended our 70th Reunion in 2012, died on June 14, 2013.

Bill came to Amherst from Wellesley Hills, Mass., and joined Alpha Delt. He participated in soccer and squash and was captain and manager of the golf team. He was also a member of the Christian Association, Outing Club and Planning Committee.

After graduation Bill enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. He was discharged in October 1945 after duty in the Atlantic in schooners, fishing trawlers, picket boats, converted yachts and one lighthouse.

In January 1946 Bill joined the faculty of Governor Dummer Academy in Byfield, Mass., as a teacher and coach, with a salary of room and board. On June 17, 1950, Bill married Belle Hart, Mount Holyoke ’48, a chemistry teacher. After two more years of dormitory living at Governor Dummer, Belle convinced Bill it was time to move along.

As a result, Bill joined Citizens Savings Bank in Providence, R.I., as a trainee and retired 33 years later as a VP for investment management. During the early part of this period, Bill and Belle had six children—three girls and three boys.

While living in Barrington, R.I., the Travers volunteered in the community, and Bill volunteered for 20 years with Amherst admissions. Since both were skiers, they built a house in Sweden, Maine (population 200), in the foothills of the White Mountains, spending weekends and vacations there. They subsequently retired to Sweden and later moved to an excellent retirement community in Topsham, Maine, near Bowdoin College, where Belle audited classes and Bill watched football games.

Summer months were spent at their house in West Falmouth, Mass., where Bill played a lot of golf. In August 2010 they had a large family gathering there to celebrate their 60th anniversary and Bill’s 90th birthday.

Bill is survived by Belle, their six children and 17 great-grandchildren.

Ted Heisler ’42

50th Reunion

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Following graduation, I enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard's "Temporary Reserve!' I was discharged three and a quarter years later in October 1945 after duty in the Atlantic on a series of schooners, fishing trawlers, picket boats, converted yachts and one light. In January 1946, I joined the faculty at Gov. Dummer Acad., a boys' prep school in So. Byfield,Ma. The job was teaching and coaching - the salary was room and board. I liked it (and of course those terms were hard to beat), so I signed on again for a modest increase. Three years later, on June 17, 1950, I married Belle Hart, Holyoke '48, a chemistry teacher at The Windsor School in Boston. After two years of dormitory life at GDA, she suggested that perhaps it was time for us to move along.

So, in the fall of 1952, I joined Citizens Savings Bank in Providence, RI as a trainee. This proved to be a good choice and I enjoyed a very satisfying career in a strong, well- managed and rapidly growing institution from which I retired  33 years later as a SVP, Investment Management. During these years we  lived in Barrington, RI and before we knew it there were six children - three girls and three boys -running around. When the youngest reached school age, Belle went back to teaching science and math at a local day school. She later became interested in reading disabilities and soon was involved full-time with dyslexic children. We both did the usual volunteer work in the community including 20 years with Amherst admissions, mixing in some tennis and golf and by the early '60s were back in to skiing again. This became such a popular family activity that we finally built a small ski house in Sweden, Me. (pop. 200) and for the next 15 years spent most winter weekends and holidays there.

The decision to retire in Sweden, located in the foothills of the White Mountains, was an easy one. The house was enlarged to accommodate a growing family (which now includes 11 grandchildren) and older bones. We grow hay, trees, flowers, and make maple syrup on 10 acres of fields and a 50 acres of woods. Belle maintains her interest in education by serving on the district school board and as a Trustee of Gould Academy, while I'm active on the local Planning Board and on the Board of a nearby hospital. We do a lot of skiing, some tennis, lots of golf and spend a couple of months every summer at our house in West Falmouth, Ma. Happily, all the children are located in New England, two of them in Maine, so we see a lot of the family up here in the "boonies."