In Memoriam

Charles A. LaMarca ’47 of Barnstable and Falmouth, Mass., died peacefully after a long battle with dementia on Sept. 1, 2021. He was 92 years old. An accomplished athlete who graduated from Boston Latin before taking a post-graduate year at LA, he supported his father in the family's Italian wholesale grocery business throughout his early years before enlisting in the Marines in 1951 to serve as a Marine corporal and rifleman in the Korean War until 1953. He was a successful entrepreneur and businessman in the Boston area throughout his life before retiring to the Cape.

Charlie is survived by a sister, two daughters, and his dedicated partner, Elaine Joseph. His wife, Betty (Dobbie), predeceased him.

Terry Marinos ’54 passed away peacefully at his home in Hampton, N.H., on Feb. 23, 2023, at the age of 86. A 1958 graduate of Boston University, he enjoyed a career of more than 30 years as a teaching principal, first in New Durham, then in South Hampton, N.H. He also remained active as an antique dealer until his passing. It was Terry who suggested to South Hampton native Jay Gibson ’68 that he apply to Lawrence (see inside back cover).

Terry is survived by one son, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, as well as a sister, a niece, and two nephews. He was predeceased by his wife of 38 years, Helen (Stevens), and by a daughter, Jeanne Mann.

Charles Richard (Dick) Murdoch ’58, of Hampton, N.H., died on Nov. 5, 2022, after a sudden illness. After LA, Dick attended Colby College and earned a bachelor’s degree from Babson College and an M.Ed. from Salem (Mass.) State University. From 1966 to 2000, he taught at Robin Hood Elementary and Central and Stoneham Middle School in Stoneham, Mass.

A defining quality in Dick’s nature was his love for people. He made friends everywhere he went. He volunteered for many different organizations, from Parks and Recreation in Stoneham to coaching JV and varsity baseball in Reading. He served as the Booster Club president, volunteered at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, and coached his three sons in several sports. After a long day teaching, Dick had various side jobs, from a rug-cleaning business to a chain of laundromats. He was a voracious reader and an avid runner. Dick could never sit still; everything he did was in service to others and to his family.

Dick leaves Pamela, his wife of 61 years, as well as three sons and their families, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, and two brothers.

Dick Pleasants ’65 died on Nov. 8, 2022, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. A native of Groton, Dick was a gifted three-season athlete at LA, where he played football, hockey, and baseball. When he was 10 years old, he discovered his passion for radio. With a friend who owned a small transmitter with a range of about a mile, he began what would become a 40-year career as the premier folk radio host in New England. Dick graduated from Emerson College in 1970 and began hosting folk radio programs on the South Shore. In 1978 he joined WGBH, where he hosted and produced the Folk Heritage show for more than 25 years. The last 15 years of his broadcasting career were spent at WUMB, the public radio station at UMass-Boston.

Moonlighting as a concert promoter through his production company, Ear to the Ground Productions, Dick launched the careers of many prominent folk singers, as well as numerous folk festivals, music stores, societies, and all manner of organizations to promote the art of folk music. He was the founding executive director of Summer Acoustic Music Week camp on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, where aspiring musicians take classes with established folk singers.

Dick is survived by his former wife, Kathleen Shugrue, a daughter, a step-daughter, and two sisters. He was predeceased by a third sister.

Will Baker ’69 died on Nov. 20, 2022, after a battle with cancer. At LA, he was co-captain of varsity soccer and captain of the tennis team, as well as a student councilor and president of the Glee Club. Will went on to Boston University, where he captained the soccer team, then to the physician’s assistant graduate program at Duke, where he discovered that his academic difficulties were the result of dyslexia, which was still not widely recognized as a legitimate learning disability. This knowledge led Will to his life’s work: He wanted to prove definitively that dyslexia was indeed a condition that could be attended to through research, awareness, and appropriate teaching methods. After working with several distinguished people in the field, he formed what is now known as The Dyslexia Foundation. Under Will’s leadership for over 35 years, TDF brought together more than 150 researchers from various disciplines, inspiring new ideas and new research projects and programs. TDF remains the first and leading non-profit organization in the field of dyslexia research.

Will was an avid sailor, tennis player, and Red Sox fan. In the winter, he would often be found on the slopes enjoying the pastime of skiing. Family was dearest to Will’s heart, though, and he spent as much time as he could with all of them.

In addition to his wife, Deborah, Will leaves three children, two grandchildren, a brother and two sisters, and many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

Katherine Stetson ’74 died in Cuenca, Ecuador, on Aug. 15, 2022, after a long illness. Her brother, Phil Stetson ’73 and classmate Rich Johnson sent us this note in commemoration: “Katherine was a true free spirit. She thought and acted outside the proverbial box, from running cross-country barefoot at LA to playing men’s soccer at Virginia Wesleyan University. She was a world traveler, visiting and living in many different places and countries, including Brazil, Russia, Korea, and finally Ecuador. She also lived all over the United States, including Massachusetts, Virginia, New Hampshire, and California … She was uniquely gifted in the creative arts. She combined her biggest passions of photography and writing by creating a blog (or two) and sharing posts on Facebook. Her other creative endeavors included painting and playing or dancing to music.”

Besides her brother, Kathy leaves her sister, Martha (Stetson) Clarke ’79, and other family members.

Former LA Trustee Henry (Harry) Russell died peacefully in his sleep in Dec. 21, 2019. A native of California, he graduated from the Cate School and, in 1950, from Harvard College, which he attended after serving in the U.S. Navy. In that same year Mr. Russell married his wife, Patty Jewell, and the couple settled in Stow, Mass., where they lived fo 40 years. After retiring from Waltham Bag and Paper, he became dean of admissions at Chapel Hill Chauncy Hall School in Waltham, Mass. For 12 years, from 1974 to 1986, he was a trustee of Lawrence Academy, serving as chairman for much of that time. In 1993 the Russells moved to Green Valley, Ariz., where he sang in the community chorus — a love he passed down to several family members — and served as senior warden and vestry member of the local Episcopal church.

Besides being a passionate reader and crossword puzzler, Mr. Russell had a love of travel, good wines, and music, but above all he was a devoted family man. He leaves his wife, Patty, daughter Sally, and sons Sandy ’70 and Ted ’75, as well as seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and his sister Susan. He was predeceased by his brother, Col. Howland S. Russell, father of Howdy Russell ’78

We learned of the death of George Carter ’73 just after the deadline for submissions to the Fall 2022 Journal, so we were able to include only a relatively short obituary. Since this year marks the 50th reunion of George’s class, we wanted to honor his memory by telling you a bit more about his achievements and the trail that was named for him — and to include the photo that we didn’t have room for last fall! We thank George’s family for this information.

In honor of George and his exceptional achievements, the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation held a special ribbon-cutting event on April 27, 2022, complete with discovery table and guided tour of the newly named George Carter Will Rogers Trail. Named after George and his Saddlebred horse, Will Rogers, The trail is a half-mile stretch within the 12 miles of Los Penasquitos Canyon County Preserve, the largest urban park in the United States, located in San Diego, Calif.

George earned a well-known reputation in the horse community for his unique, marathon trail rides and adventures riding his horse. He was the first and only person to travel entirely by horseback from the beach in Del Mar, Calif. to Cuyamaca State Park Group Horse Camp, a rigorous and unchartered journey through desolate mountain terrain that would take 4-6 days, depending on the route. This feat, which he achieved five times in his lifetime, took him through Los Penasquitos Canyon County Preserve, where he also volunteered as a mounted equestrian patrol.

George’s partner, Karen Harrison, wrote of George’s experience at Lawrence, “George frequently talked about the incredible experiences he had while attending Lawrence Academy, especially his teachers and the culture … He attended Lawrence during those critical development years, and the man he became is, in large part, due to the influences he received while attending the Lawrence Academy.”