50
initially operated as a private club before
Mr. Benjamin eventually took up residence
in the mansion.
Mr. Benjamin had already led a full life
when he was elected mayor of Manalapan
in 2002, at the age of 78. He served the
people of the small Florida town for six
years, smoothing tensions between two
neighborhoods and earning a reputation
for his leadership. His late-blooming
political career did not stop Mr. Benjamin
from enjoying boating and other favorite
hobbies, including gardening, although
he did miss his 60th St. Paul’s reunion in
2002 because, as he wrote to the School,
he was “making progress and beginning
to restore a little civility, courtesy, and
common sense” as mayor.
In an interview with the
Palm Beach
Daily News
when he resigned as mayor
in August 2008, Mr. Benjamin said of his
time as Manalapan’s leader, “I think that
was my major accomplishment, bringing
harmony back to the town.”
In retirement, Mr. Benjamin remained
active, splitting his time between Florida
and Maine. He owned various boats named
Lyon
and volunteered with a number of
organizations. He was president of the
board of the Palm Beach Academy, presi-
dent of the Palm Beach Community Foun-
dation, and a member of the Council on
Community Foundations and the Maine
Community Foundation. He was a found-
ing trustee of JFK Hospital in Atlantis,
president of the Norton Art Museum, a
board member of the Society of the Four
Arts, and a member of several clubs,
including the Pot & Kettle Club in Maine
and the Silverbacks of Palm Beach. In
addition, he was a member of many social
clubs, including the Everglades Club and
the La Coquille Club.
Mr. Benjamin will be remembered as a
thoughtful gentleman, who always tried
to do the right thing.
Survivors include his third wife, Maura;
five children, William E. Benjamin III,
Beatrice Benjamin, Alexandra Benjamin,
Christopher Benjamin, and Anne Green;
two stepchildren, Marjorie Moore and
James Riordan; 13 grandchildren; and
many friends. He was predeceased by a
stepdaughter, Elizabeth Atterbury, and
by his brothers, Henry Benjamin ’39 and
John Benjamin ’39.
1942
William Barton Eddison Jr.
a naturalist,
adventurer, and
World War II
veteran, died on
December 13,
2014, at Broad-
mead Retirement
Community in
Cockeysville, Md.,
at the age of 90.
The son of W. Barton and Mary C.
Eddison, Mr. Eddison was born on May 15,
1924, and spent his childhood in Ardsley-
on-Hudson, N.Y., and Northeast Harbor,
Maine, with his family, which included
two sisters and two brothers.
He arrived at St. Paul’s as a Second
Former in the fall of 1937. Mr. Eddison
sang in the Choir and the Glee Club and
was a member of the Cadmean Literary
Society, the Scientific Association, and
the Missionary Society. “Sparky,” as his
formmates knew him, rowed with
Halcyon and played football and hockey
for Isthmian. He earned Second Testi-
monials three times and was awarded
a Dickey Prize.
Mr. Eddison’s education at Harvard
was interrupted by World War II. He
served in Italy as an aerial gunner with
the 15
th
Army Air Corps. He was shot
down over Austria and spent a year as
a prisoner of war, until he was liberated
in 1945.
After the war, Mr. Eddison returned to
the United States and to Harvard, where
he graduated with an A.B. in 1948. He
went on to earn advanced degrees from
both Columbia University (M.A.) and the
University of Pennsylvania (M.C.P).
In 1967, Mr. Eddison married Maria
Elizabeth “Marice” Wehmeijer of the
Netherlands and the couple settled first
in Baltimore, Md., and then in Lyme,
Conn., later moving to Broadmead Re-
tirement Community. Bill and Marice
were married for 34 years before her
death from cancer in 2001.
For many years, Mr. Eddison worked
with the Bucks County Planning Com-
mission and as chief planner for the City
of Lancaster. Later, he joined the City
Planning Commission of Philadelphia,
where he worked until his retirement.
After retirement, he served as vice pres-
ident and trustee of his local Land Con-
servation Trust and had a fondness for
preserving natural areas.
Mr. Eddison was an avid birdwatcher,
traveler, and competitive sailor. He sup-
ported St. Paul’s through membership in
the John Hargate Society and recalled his
time at the School fondly.
Mr. Eddison is survived by his sisters,
Mary Eddison Welch and Anne Eddison
Brainerd; and 11 nieces and nephews,
including Martha Eddison Sieniewicz ’80.
He was predeceased by his wife, Marice,
and his brothers, John Corbin Eddison ’38
and Lee Corbin Eddison ’45.
1943
Robert Barr Deans Jr.
an energetic
adventurer, who
readily shared
his experiences
with his family
and friends, died
peacefully at Glen
Cove Hospital in
Glen Cove, N.Y., on
August 13, 2014.
He was 89.
Born on April 9, 1925, in Buffalo, N.Y.,
to Robert B. “Sheriff” Deans and Lucy
Bemis Pomeroy Deans, Bob Deans
attended the Buckley School in New York
and Aiken Preparatory School in South
Carolina, before entering St. Paul’s as a
Third Former in the fall of 1939. St. Paul’s
had a substantial and enduring impact on
his life and Mr. Deans returned the favor
by serving the St. Paul’s community as
form agent from 1965 to 1975 and through
his continued support.
At SPS, Mr. Deans was known as a com-
petent athlete, who played squash and
football, ran track, boxed for Delphian,
and rowed for Halcyon. He was a member
of the Missionary Society and the Acolyte
Guild and served as editor of the
Pictorial
.
He was particularly proud of his iconic
photograph of the winter rinks, taken from
the Chapel tower, which is still on exhibit
in the Captains Room of the Matthews
Hockey Center.
DECEASED
