Robert H. Fraker

Robert Hale Fraker of Lanesboro, MA, died at age 70 on Tuesday, May 2, 2017. Born in White Plains, NY, to Evelyn Holliday Fraker and Guy Cronice Fraker, he grew up in North White Plains and graduated from Valhalla High School in Valhalla, NY. He attended Lake Forest College, where he met his wife of over 50 years, Lillian Fraker.

Following their college years, the couple lived in New York City, where Robert worked as a film librarian, writing catalogue descriptions of classic films.

In 1971 they moved to rural Savoy, Massachusetts, where they founded Savoy Books, selling antiquarian books and manuscripts, a profession from which Robert never retired. He became a member of the ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America,) the ILAB (International League of Booksellers,) SNEAB (Southern New England Antiquarian Booksellers,) the Ephemera Society of America, the CBHL (Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries,) and was elected to membership in the American Antiquarian Society.

Robert served as chairman of the Savoy School Committee for a number of years, and as the town's representative to the McCann Vocational High School Committee. While living in Savoy he became a passionate gardener, researching early gardening practices and experimenting with older varieties of roses and fruit trees.

In 1982 the Frakers and their two children relocated to Lanesboro, MA, where Robert found new outlets for his horticultural enthusiasms, volunteering at the Berkshire Garden Center and serving, eventually as chairman, on the Lanesboro Tree and Forest Committee. Later, in his capacity as bookseller and scholar, he was asked to appraise the vast library of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in Boston.

Robert's mother and brother Bill helped instill in him a love for many types of music. From his youth, he was an avid instrumentalist on banjo, fiddle guitar and mandolin. He and Lillian were founding members of the Bear Bridge Band in 1989, performing bluegrass in the northeast region and spending many happy hours camping and playing music with friends at bluegrass festivals. He was a talented, published songwriter throughout his adult life and penned a portion of the Bear Bridge Band's repertoire. More recently, Robert and Lillian played in the bands, "Tex's Troubadours." and "The Old Time Bluegrass Singers". They also hosted a long-established and still ongoing weekly bluegrass jam in Hancock, MA.

Robert was respected by colleagues and librarians for being able to recognize the unique or significant in any given book or manuscript. This talent extended into the personal realm: he saw and encouraged the unique qualities in friends and acquaintances. He was a mentor to many.

Aside from his wife, Robert leaves a son, Ben Fraker of New Rochelle, NY and his wife, Lupe Fraker, a daughter, Maud Paré of North Clarendon, VT, three grandchildren, Madeline and Jakob Paré and James Fraker, a brother, Guy Fraker of Bloomington, IL and his wife Ruth Ann Fraker, two sisters-in-law, Vera Fraker of Springfield, MA and Lori Steiner of Northampton, MA, four nephews and a niece and a host of beloved friends and colleagues. He is predeceased by his brother, William Fraker.