Kathryn Wasserman Davis: Wellesley College Alum, Benefactor

Kathryn Wasserman Davis, a leading funder of international studies, Wellesley alum, and well-traveled philanthropist passed away at age 106.

  A member of the Wellesley College community, for whom one of its buildings, passed away earlier in the week.  On Tuesday, she passed away in her Hobe Sound, Fla. home with her family. She was 106 years old, and believed to be the oldest Wellesley College alumna. She also served on the College's board of Trustees from 1984 to 2002, according to a Wellesley College obituary.  The Wall Street Journal reports that she has early memories of advocating for women's suffrage, and had a keen desire to travel. She made more than 30 trips to Russia, specifically the Caucasus region, and joined a group of anthropologists traveling the region on horseback in 1929.  She was the college's biggest donor, giving the college over $50 million in her life …

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John Tracey, 94, Retired Wellesley Police Officer

Wellesley Police say farewell to retired 32-year veteran, Wellesley resident John Tracey, aged 94.

  Retired Wellesley Police Officer John Tracey passed away on Feb. 28.  He served the Wellesley Police Department for 32 years, and retired in 1983. A post on the Wellesley Police site says he worked as the school's Safety Officer--what the schools now call the School Resource Officer.  Before working in Wellesley, Tracey served the US Coast Guard during World War II, in the Pacific theatre, central Marianas area. He was active with the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. He is survived by his six children. According to his Legacy.com obituary, Tracey died surrounded by his family. The funeral was Monday at George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home. On their site, the WPD remembers him thus: Member of the Wellesley Police …

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On the 50th Anniversary of Sylvia Plath's Death

Sylvia Plath, who grew up in Wellesley and wrote "The Bell Jar," took her life in February 1963. Wellesley College is celebrating with an art installation.

  Fifty years ago, a Wellesley resident and artist took her life in a small London flat, and soon after became a feminist icon.  Sylvia Plath, poet and author of "The Bell Jar," died on Feb. 11, 1963. Plath sealed the door to her childrens' room, left a note for her neighbor to call her doctor, placed her head on a towel in the oven, and let gas fill the room.  You can read "Edge," thought to be Plath's final poem, on the Guardian. Before her death, she published the 1960 collection of poems "Colossus and Other Poems," and published 1963's "The Bell Jar" under the pseudonym, Victoria Lucas, in January of that year. Plath's name did not appear on the book until the 1967 edition. While living in Wellesley in 1953, Plath attempted suicide by …

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Wellesley Fire Department Mechanic Has Heart Attack on Way to Work

The fire chief announced he was saddened by the passing of William Miller, the department apparatus mechanic.

Wellesley Fire Department Mechanic Has Heart Attack on Way to Work

The fire chief announced he was saddened by the passing of William Miller, the department apparatus mechanic.

  Fire Chief Rick DeLorie announced yesterday that the apparatus mechanic for the department, William Miller, died on the way to work yesterday morning of an apparent heart attack. He was described as a "terrific person and an excellent fire apparatus mechanic." In a letter published on the Swellesley Report, DeLorie added "Bill was truly a professional and was always looking to advance the fire apparatus mechanics profession advocating to increase specialized certifications." See the full letter on the Swellesley Report.

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Rex Trailer Dies at 84; Share Your Memories, Photos

Boston TV icon hosted a children's show in the 1950s-1970s. Do you have any photos from back in the day?

    Rex Trailer, a Boston TV icon who had been recovering from pneumonia recently, has died. Trailer hosted “Boomtown,” a children’s show with a Western theme on WBZ-TV from 1956-1974.  How did a Western cowboy make his mark in Boston? According to Wikipedia, his corporate overlords gave him a choice of Cleveland or Boston. But he's remembered for more than his cowboy get-up. The Boston Globe wrote in an editorial last year: Kids adored Trailer’s rodeo tricks. But mostly they adored him for his consistent kindness and competence. Trailer was 84. A funeral is being planned, but no date has been set yet, according to his website.  Meantime, what are your memories of Rex Trailer? Did you ever meet him or have your picture taken with him? If …

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Neighbor Brigade Co-Founder Pam Washek Loses Battle with Cancer

Pam Washek died Sunday, Dec. 2.

  A wife, mother and volunteering icon has died after a 10-year battle with cancer. Pam Washek, the co-founder of the Wayland Angel Food Network (now the Neighbor Brigade), passed away Dec. 2, according to an obituary published on Boston.com. Today, Wellesley's chapter of Neighbor Brigade is just one of more than 30 in the state of Massachusetts, and has 36 volunteers. There is also a chapter operating in Nashua, N.H.--it's the only non-Massachusetts chapter at this time. Washek and fellow Wayland resident Jean Seiden came together in the midst of their individual cancer treatments to found, in 2003, the Wayland Angel Food Network, a group dedicated to organizing neighbors to provide meals for one another in times of need and crisis. …

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America Loses A 'Reluctant Hero' — Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012 [POLL]

Vote in our Patch Poll on the legacy of Neil Armstrong's historic first steps on the moon.

His family called him "a reluctant American hero,' who was just doing his job. But Neil A. Armstrong, who died Saturday of complications from heart bypass surgery, certainly was a hero. He was just shy of his 39th birthday when he lumbered down the ladder from the Apollo 11 spacecraft and stepped onto the stark lunar landscape on July 20, 1969. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," he said, as Americans around the country watched in awe at the live footage from dark space, so far away. That step fulfilled a challenge President John F. Kennedy issued in the early 1960s —to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Armstrong began his career as a Navy fighter pilot and test pilot before being tapped for a highly …

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Ed Ellis

1:39 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

I'm sure Commander Armstrong would agree, sir.   more ›

Funeral for Pat Roche Today

The Roche Bros. co-founder died Memorial Day weekend.

The funeral for the co-founder of Roche Bros. is today. Patrick E. “Pat” Roche, who co-founded Roche Bros. Supermarkets with his brother Buddy in 1952, died Saturday at age 83, according to his obituary. Funeral services for Roche will be at St. Christine’s Church in Marshfield will be held today at 11 a.m. Wellesley’s Roche Bros. store, located at Linden Square, opened in 1981.

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Roche Bros. Co-Founder Patrick Roche Dies

Patrick "Pat" Roche, who co-founded Roche Brothers supermarkets, has died at the age of 83.

Patrick E. “Pat” Roche, 83, died on Saturday. The co-founder of Roche Brothers supermarkets, and Sudbury Farms in Sudbury, lived in Marshfield. He founded the supermarket chain, based in Wellesley, in 1952, with his brother Buddy. The first location was in Roslindale, where they grew up. There are now 18 stores including Wellesley and Westborough. He was a graduate of Boston Latin School class of 1946 and Boston College class of 1951. Pat and his family moved to Marshfield in 1964. He was a member and past treasurer at Marshfield Country Club. He was a proud alumnus of Boston Latin School and Boston College. Roche was a long time member and Hall of Fame member of Massachusetts Food Association. He was married to Barbara (Travers) Roche. He…

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