AndoverMagSpring2015

courted to run for attorney general when Brookeleft that office. But Mr. Mahony loved the practiceof law and the courtroom too much to go into politics,said his wife, Connaught.A longtime hero of the Beacon Hill Civic Association—hewas the association’s first president, atage 29—Mr. Mahony was devoted to his neighborhoodand his work on historic preservationissues. He was a real family man, who, accordingto daughter Medb Mahony Sichko, came home fordinner each evening before returning to work. Heloved sailing, playing tennis, and living in the city.In addition to his wife and daughter, heis survived by two sons, Ieuan-Gael ’78 andEoghan-Ruadh; and six grandchildren, includingStassja Gaelya Sichko ’10.Richard S. Meryman Jr.New York, N.Y.; Feb. 5, 2015John A. Stevenson Sr.Lake Forest, Ill.; Nov. 23, 2014George C. Sweeney Jr.Spencer, Mass.; Jan. 15, 2015John E. VinselMount Vernon, N.H.; Nov. 26, 20141944John BourneBrooklyn, N.Y.; Jan. 9, 2015William Y. Boyd IIPanama City, Republic of Panama; Dec. 31, 2014After graduating from Andover, William Boydwas drafted into the U.S. Army. Considering theamount of combat he saw in the European Theaterfrom January 1945 through the end of thewar in May, he was fortunate to have returnedhome safely.As part of the distinguished 242nd InfantryRegiment of the Rainbow Division, he participatedin the Battle of the Bulge and fought inAlsace, the Ardennes, the Rhineland, and CentralEurope, earning the Combat Infantryman’s Badge,the Bronze Star for exemplary conduct underenemy fire, and three campaign stars. He was partof the force that liberated the Dachau concentrationcamp. His Antitank Division earned a PresidentialUnit Citation for its heroic and successfulstand against overwhelming odds during the Germanwinter offensive in January 1945. Mr. Boydreceived a Purple Heart for wounds sustained inbattle. Last year, on the 70th anniversary of D-Day,he was awarded the French Legion of Honor atthe French Embassy in Panama City, the city of hisbirth and where he died. He was 88.After graduating from Yale in 1950, he returnedto Panama and joined the family firm of BoydBrothers, Inc., where he ultimately became chairmanof the board of its shipping, insurance,banking, and importing companies. He servedfor nearly six decades as board chair of BoydSteamship Corporation, the oldest and largest shippingagency in Panama.Mr. Boyd was the author of five published novels,including three about World War II: The GentleInfantryman, A Fight for Love and Glory, and A Rendezvouswith Death. He also wrote articles for theWall Street Journal.He is survived by his second wife, VictoriaPhillips Boyd; a daughter, Virginia Boyd Lockhart;three stepchildren; and two grandsons.Carol Paradise DeckerSanta Fe, N.M.; Feb. 24, 2015Carol Paradise Decker—daughter of Scott H.Paradise (Class of 1910), a popular Phillips AcademyEnglish teacher and football coach from 1925 to1956, and Alma Eaton Paradise—passed awayunexpectedly of natural causes at age 87. She wasraised with her brother and sister on the Academycampus, where the rich resources available wereformative influences in her life.A 1948 graduate of Connecticut College, shereceived an MA degree in Spanish from ColumbiaUniversity in 1950. She spent several years workingon community development projects in Mexicoand worked in settlement houses in England andwith migrant workers throughout the United States.She met her future husband, Fred Decker, whileteaching at the Verde Valley School in Sedona, Ariz.They moved to Norwalk, Conn., where they raisedtheir family and where she initiated numerous communityprograms. Graduating from Yale DivinitySchool in 1977, she worked in campus ministrybefore moving to Santa Fe, N.M., in 1980.Over the next 35 years, she traveled the world,striving to resolve regional intercultural and interfaithissues; worked with Andover’s Robert S. PeabodyMuseum of Archaeology; and wrote extensively, combiningthe most meaningful aspects of her life’s work.“Carol Decker was described as one of the 100living treasures of New Mexican history, art, andculture,” said Peabody Museum Director RyanWheeler. “That is certainly true. In the late 1990s,on the heels of the joint Harvard-Andover repatriationof ancestral remains and funerary objectsto Jemez Pueblo, Carol helped forge our lastingconnection with the tribe. She was instrumental inlaunching the long-running Pecos Pathways program,which was one of the first museum-tribe collaborationsthat emerged from federal repatriationrequirements. That bond is stronger than ever, andsomething commemorated in Carol’s two recentbooks on Pecos Pueblo.”Her survivors include a son, Scott Decker; adaughter, Anne Lee; a brother, Scott Paradise ’46;and three grandchildren. She was predeceased byher sister, Polly Paradise Russell ’51.Frank M. Magee Jr.New Bloomfield, Penn.; Jan. 1, 20151945Jean L. JonesRockville, Md.; Oct. 31, 2013James A. LebenthalNew York, N.Y.; Nov. 14, 2014Widely regarded as the spokesperson for the$3.7 trillion municipal bond industry, both aspitchman and lobbyist, James Lebenthal died followinga heart attack. He was 86.For decades, he was America’s best-knownmunicipal bond salesman and considered a financialwizard. Beginning in the 1970s, the former adman wrote and starred in quirky radio and televisioncommercials. He was filmed posing in front ofincinerators, water tunnels, subways, and sewers tomake his pitch for rebuilding America’s infrastructurethrough public works financed by municipalbonds. His 2006 book, Confessions of a MunicipalBond Salesman, recounted his many exploits.After graduating from Princeton in 1949, hisfirst job was covering the movies for Life magazine;his beat was Hollywood. He later wrote advertisingcopy for New York ad agencies Ogilvy & Matherand Young & Rubicam.In 1963, he joined the family municipal bondbusiness, Lebenthal & Company, founded in 1925by his parents. He threw himself into selling bondsand became a crusader against federal regulation ofmunicipal securities. In 1975, he fought successfullyagainst federal legislation that would have removedmunicipal bonds from their tax-exempt status. Thecompany was sold in 2001, but he and daughterAlexandra continued at the company until 2007,when Merrill Lynch took over.“The best memory we have of Dad’s time atAndover is that he got an F in Latin from HoracePoynter—but an A for effort,” said Alexandra.Bruce Gelb ’45 remembered his lifelong friendas “a dynamic little powerhouse” who took someunforgettable photos for the Pot Pourri.Mr. Lebenthal is survived by his wife, BettyWright Landreth; three children, AlexandraDiamond, Claudia Lebenthal, and James Lebenthal;and five grandchildren. He was predeceased by hisfirst wife, Jacqueline Beymer, in 2010.Edward M. MeadErie, Penn.; March 11, 2015Sally Spear MorseCincinnati, Ohio; Nov. 18, 20141946Katharine Johnson CrugerPeabody, Mass.; Jan. 3, 20151948William H. FennBrooklin, Maine; Aug. 21, 2014Bill Fenn died following a courageous battle withcancer. Born in Bangor, Maine, he grew up inWilmington, Del., where he was cocaptain of thetrack team. After graduating from Andover, hematriculated at Yale but instead joined the Marinesfor two years. He then returned to Yale and graduatedin 1954. Bill married Jane Miller and began hiscareer with General Electric in Florida.130 Andover | Spring 2015