Deceased February 5, 2022
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In Memory
In his later years at his home in Sherman, Conn., where Rich Gray ’53 and Doug Williamson ’52 had nearby summer places, Bill showed them the chestnut trees he was trying to grow blight-free, some 12 feet tall and crossed with Chinese chestnuts. Doug writes that Bill stayed in touch with organizations working on reviving the trees. Doug also comments that Bill’s outdoor interest extended to his years as board member of the local land trust and as volunteer inspector of its conservation easement properties.
Dinner parties at the Garrisons’ home were, in Doug’s words, “cousins of classic old salons. The guest lists were seemingly limitless, for six or eight interesting people, and the conversation invariably substantive and spirited.”
Bill grew up in Amherst—where his father was an Amherst College professor of English and public speaking—and prepared for college at Salisbury School. He majored in geology; joined Phi Gamma Chi; and was active in football, track and wrestling, as well as Sabrina and The Amherst Student.
After earning an MBA from NYU and working in banking and investment, Bill started his own consulting firm in New York in 1974 and continued with it until 2021, specializing in close analysis of small companies with growth potential while serving long-term family clients.
Bill’s family fondly remembers his “explaining rock formations on family trips, keeping antiquated equipment running, topping up hummingbird feeders, making pancakes on the weekend” and “relishing outdoor chores and music of Bach and Schubert.” He belonged to the Grolier and University Clubs and served on the board for Salisbury School.
Bill died on Feb. 5, just one month after his twin daughter Kate ’86 died. He also leaves his wife, Helen, and his other daughter, Mary.
Garrison family, Douglas Williamson ’52 and Richard Gray ’53