Rivers Community Remembers Frank Waterman ’41
Frank Waterman with sons John ’69 and Sturdy ’74
T
he Rivers community lost one of its most faithful alumni with the passing of Frank S. Waterman III ’41 on October 7, 2015. Waterman attended The Rivers School on Dean Road from 1930 through 1937, then returned for a post-graduate year, becoming president of the Class of 1941. Waterman graduated from Harvard in 1945, attended the Babson Institute of Business Administration and the New England Institute, and subsequently served as CEO and director of J.S. Waterman and Sons and general partner of Waterman Realty
Management. He also served on the boards of five other Bostonarea banking institutions. His sons John and Sturdy both graduated from Rivers, in 1969 and 1974 respectively. Waterman remained an active Rivers alumnus throughout his life, becoming a member of the Board of Trustees in 1964 and receiving the Rivers Cup in 1977 in appreciation of his involvement in the school. He was named a Life Trustee in 1979, and continued to be a generous supporter of Rivers and frequent attendee at Rivers events. In 1978, Waterman stepped up to fund a proper football field for his alma mater. After tearing up the “grass” on the old field, leveling it, and introducing proper drainage, new sod was installed, and the Waterman Field was born. The grass was replaced with a turf field in 2006, greatly extending the availability of the field for games and practices. “I have great feeling for Rivers and my time there,” Waterman noted. “My two sons both graduated from Rivers in the early 1970s, and I wanted to do something for the future benefit of the school. I was very proud to sponsor the original Waterman field.” “My time at Rivers was a pleasure because my instructors gave so much of their time in assisting everyone for the success of the student and the class,” he recollected. “The school featured small classes, with close supervision by experienced and well-educated teachers who became well-acquainted with their students.” Waterman’s many accomplishments in life can be traced back to this observation he made in his autobiography: “As a youth it was the unwavering love and support of my parents that instilled in me…a joy for life, and an emphasis on the importance of perseverance, integrity, conscientiousness, and hard work.”
Board of Trustees 2015–2016 President: Robert J. Davis
Term Trustees Jon M. Baker, Jr. ’85 Dennis Baldwin Benjamin R. Bloomstone Robert E. Buonato ’81 James F. Carlin ’81 Louise Cummings ’98 Todd A. Dagres Howard G. Davis ’70 Ben D. Fischman Mark R. Florence 6 • M. Riparian • Spring 2016 Jay Grossman
Stephen M. Jennings Daniel A. Kraft Hongmei Li Barbara V. Ligon Deborah H. McAneny Jonathan H. Paul Daniel R. Revers Alan D. Rose, Jr. ’87 Solomon B. Roth Peter Saperstone Laurie Schoen Eileen Sivolella Andrew P. Slifka
Laurie Q. Slifka Richard L. Smith Steven J. Snider Michael P. Stansky Matthew Vettel Eric M. Wolf Life Trustees David M. Berwind Charles C. Carswell Stephen R. Delinsky Peter A. Gaines
Clinton P. Harris G. Arnold Haynes Harriet R. Lewis Thomas L. Lyons Roy S. MacDowell, Jr. Joel B. Sherman Frances B. Shifman William B. Tyler ’43 Joan A. Vaccarino Cai von Rumohr Joan C. Walter Dudley H. Willis
Honorary Trustees of the Corporation Joan T. Allison Thomas P. Beal, Jr. Marie Fitzpatrick Louis J. Grossman ’67 Joshua M. Kraft ’85 Warren M. Little ’51 Virginia S. MacDowell Deborah S. Petri Frederick G. Pfannenstiehl ’59 A. Tozzer Spalding ’62