Archer Barber des Cognets

TUCSON, Ariz. —Army veteran; business executive; skier, hiker, jogger, Archer Barber des Cognets, 77, died on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008, in Tucson, Ariz., of complications from Parkinson's disease.

Born in Lexington, Ky., in 1931, to Margaret Coyle Barber and Louis des Cognets Jr., he spent most of his childhood in Worcester, Mass., while summering on his beloved Cape Cod.

He graduated from Governor Dummer Academy, served as first lieutenant in the Army during the Korean War, graduated from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, class of 1957, and received his MBA from Cornell in 1960. He was employed by Kidder Peabody Co. and then Putnam Management Co. in Boston for 20 years, where he became a senior vice president of Putnam Advisory Co. He later joined United Asset Management Corp., where he was responsible for corporate development.

A skier, hiker, fisherman, beach lover and jogger, Archer enjoyed being active and being outdoors. He had a great sense of adventure and loved to travel both internationally and within the United States. He resided in numerous places, including Lincoln, Mass., Nantucket, Chatham, Williamstown, Mass., Waitsfield, Vt, and Melbourne, Australia.

Archer is survived by his wife, Carol Treman des Cognets; his former wife, Gwen Grohmann des Cognets, and their five children, Elizabeth Champagne of Burlington, Vt., Russell des Cognets II of Golden, Colo., Jeanne Mahon of Stow, Mass., Charlotte des Cognets of Acton, Mass., and Archer des Cognets Jr. of Norwich, Vt.; his nine grandchildren; and his sister, Elizabeth Barber des Cognets of Washington, D.C. He is predeceased by his brother, the late Louis des Cognets III of Williamstown, Mass.

Services will be held on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 2 p.m. at the Dennis Union Church, Route 6A and Bass River Road, Dennis.

Memorial contributions in Archer's name may be made to the University of Arizona Foundation (UAF)/Parkinson's Research, P.O. Box 245018, Tucson, AZ 85724, or the Dean Robert and Jan Beck Cornell Tradition Fellowship and Scholarship, Cornell University, Box 223623, Pittsburgh, PA 15251-2623.