James O. Starkweather ’45, of Riverside, Conn.; Oct. 22, two weeks shy of his 98th birthday. He joined Brown’s Naval ROTC, graduating in two and half years as a Navy ensign with a mechanical engineering degree. Upon the completion of his military service, he earned a master’s degree from MIT. He went on to work in the paper industry, first at Great Northern Paper Company (Me.) as a chief engineer supervising the construction and start-up of their large new paper mill. In 1957 he and his family moved to Greenwich, Conn., and his career evolved from designing mills to focusing on energy conservation. He became active in paper industry association efforts to analyze industry energy usage and reduce dependence on foreign oil. After moving to Riverside, he was recruited as a crew member for several ocean-racing opportunities, including many Newport to Bermuda races, as well as Vineyard, Block Island, and Halifax races. He was an accomplished navigator and was featured on the August 1949 cover of Yachting magazine. He was a member of Riverside Yacht Club, where he served as Commodore in 1975 and was awarded the Club’s highest service award. He also served as treasurer of Greenwich Hospital Auxiliary and deacon of First Congregational Church of Greenwich, was an elected member of Greenwich Representative Town Meeting, and was a longtime volunteer in the AARP tax assistance program. He is survived by his wife, Mary; five daughters, including Martha Altreuter ’79, Julie Halloran ’85, and Mary Bushman ’86; 12 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
