Jessie
REMEMBERING JESSIE C ARVER ENGLISH 1915 - 2012
Jessie Graham was born on November 21, 1915, in Lebanon, NH. She married Frederick E. Carver on June 17, 1936, and the Carvers began their lives at Kimball Union shortly after that.
On the occasion of her 95th birthday, Jessie was a special guest at All School Meeting where the entire school community joined in the celebration.
-HVVLH IXOÀOOHG WKH PDQ\ LPSRUWDQW UROHV RI D IDFXOW\ VSRXVH EHIRUH EHFRPLQJ WKH $FDGHP\·V ´ÀUVW ODG\µ ZKHQ 'U &DUYHU ZDV DSSRLQWHG Kimball Union’s 14th headmaster in 1952. Jessie undertook her role with enthusiasm and devotion to her own family and to the larger KUA family. She acted as the school’s chief hostess, took on a female role in a play, attended games and concerts at home and away, and represented KUA at weddings and countless other events. She welcomed students and faculty into the Carver home in Rowe House for coffee hours and social time and was a second mother for generations of boys.
Most recently, Jessie acted as an advisor to her daughter, KUA’s archivist Jane Carver Fielder, as Jane wrote the school’s commemorative history book and provided research for KUA’s ELFHQWHQQLDO GRFXPHQWDU\ ÀOP -HVVLH ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ VR SURXG to know that Jane, on the occasion of her 25th year of service to Kimball Union, was awarded an honorary degree at Commencement 2013. So although Jane was unable to attend KUA, she now joins her siblings as a KUA degree recipient.
After Fred Carver’s death in 1969, Jessie remained closely connected to Kimball Union. Her three sons had attended the Academy: James ’56 (d. 2002), David ’57, and Douglas ’61, and Jessie often joined them at alumni and school events over the years. While her daughter Jane Carver Fielder H’13, P’90,’91 was unable to attend KUA since it was still a boys’ school at the time, both Jane’s children, David Fielder ’90 and Abigail Fielder Heim ’91, attended the Academy and Jessie loved to go to their activities on The Hilltop. In 1993, Jessie was invited to become an honorary member of the Alumni Council, where she served until 1996. In 2009 Jessie was awarded Kimball Union’s highest honor, the Kimball Union Medal, at the Carver Courtyard Dedication ceremony.
PHOTOS: Top: Jessie was awarded the Academy’s highest honor, the Kimball Union Medal, at the dedication of Carver Courtyard in May 2009 Right: Jessie with Tom Fay ’53 at Reunion in 2009.
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KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE
Jessie maintained her close ties to the Meriden community and to Kimball Union throughout her life. She will be greatly missed but her legacy at Kimball Union lives on, as was evidenced on Commencement Day when Mike Schafer read Jessie’s “Ten Rules to Live By.”