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Thayer William Elliott, former teacher, coach, and the sixth headmaster (1991-1995) of Thayer Academy, passed away February 3, 2012 after a three-year battle with melanoma. He was 68 years old and is survived by his companion, Stephanie Reid, his daughter Julia, and other family members. Bill devoted his life to teaching at the secondary school level. A Braintree native and 1961 graduate of Braintree High School, Bill went on to graduate from Amherst College in 1965 and Fordham University Law School in 1973. His long teaching career began at the Loomis-Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut where he taught biochemistry, chemistry, biology and physics. While there he also coached lacrosse, basketball and club football. From Loomis, he moved to New York City where he taught and coached at the Friends Seminary from 1968 to 1974. He then returned to Braintree and taught science and math at Thayer Academy until 1986. While at Thayer, he also he coached varsity basketball, an activity that culminated in Thayer’s first New England Class C Division Championship in 1978. While at Thayer, Bill was also very proud of his involvement in the metro program, befriending and mentoring scholarship students from the inner city. Throughout his life as an educator - headmaster, teacher, coach, father and friend - Bill considered education as a lifelong process and sought to incorporate the spirit of cooperation, friendliness and collegiality for one another into his daily activities. In 1986 Bill moved his family to Encinitas, California and founded the Success in Learning Center. He taught learning enhancement, learning disability correction, tutoring, and college and career counseling, and ultimately became head of the upper school and college counselor of the Francis W. Parker School in San Diego. IN MEMORIAM 2012
In Memoriam When he was offered the job as the sixth headmaster of Thayer Academy in 1991, Bill was very eager to return to Braintree and the school environment he loved. As Headmaster, Bill displayed his strong concern for the personal and moral development of young people and sought to balance the educational value of athletics, arts and extracurricular activities. Upon his retirement in 1995, Bill moved to Monticello, Kentucky to pursue his many interests. These included hiking, gardening, horseracing, woodworking and bluegrass music. He returned to Concord, MA in 2002. He will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends.
TO SUBMIT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PASSING OF A LOVED ONE, PLEASE EMAIL US AT alumni@thayer.org. THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR NEXT FALL’S ISSUE IS OCTOBER 31, 2013.
2012 Thayer Magazine