NORMAN P. SEAGRAVE

NORMAN P. SEAGRAVE Norman P. Seagrave, a decorated World War II veteran, aviation lawyer and international law professor who set national swimming records into his 90s, died peacefully Aug. 24 in Santa Fe. He was 97. Warm-hearted, civic-minded, witty and exuberant, he lived a full and fascinating life. As a young Army officer commanding American and British troops in North Africa, he received both the Bronze Star and membership in the Order of the British Empire, and eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. As international law counsel for Pan American World Airways, he negotiated the first flights between New York and Moscow at the height of the Cold War. A lifelong Democrat who believed strongly in community service, he served 12 years on Board of Selectmen for the town of Darien, Conn., before moving to Brunswick, Me., in 1992. He and his beloved wife, Mary (Ryan), had moved to Santa Fe in 2010 to be with his eldest daughter, Anne Fullerton. Mrs. Seagrave died in March. Born Jan. 31, 1916 in Uxbridge, Mass., and raised in Fall River, Mass., he was the second of three sons of Margaret and Arthur E. Seagrave. He graduated in 1937 from Bowdoin College, earned his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1940, then worked briefly as a lawyer before joining the Army. After a distinguished war service, he joined the State Department, where he met and married his wife, and represented the U.S. in early international efforts to organize air transportation. They lived in Washington and Montreal before moving to Rome where he was civil air attach� to the U.S. Embassy. In 1954, the family settled in Darien when he accepted a job in New York with Pan Am, where he negotiated international agreements for about 25 years. He later taught international law at Franklin Pierce Law Center, now the University of New Hampshire School of Law. Mr. Seagrave had lifelong interests in swimming and oratory. As a U.S. Masters swimmer, he was a member of three relay teams that set All-American records, most recently when he was 92. A lively raconteur, his early success on his college debate team won him the nickname, "Soapbox," which stuck. He loved to recite long narrative poetry, including "The Cremation of Sam McGee," was much in demand to give civic speeches and to perform wedding ceremonies as a justice of the peace, and served as the auctioneer for the biennial community auction on Cliff Island, Maine, his summer home. He was as happy discussing global or local politics as he was fishing, tending his tomato plants or baking bread, as he did twice a week for most of his adult life. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he and his wife traveled widely until their 90s. Even after his hearing, sight and finally even memory began to fail him, he was invariably gracious and congenial. In addition to his daughter, Anne, and her husband, Reese Fullerton, Mr. Seagrave is survived by three other daughters and their husbands: Molly and Walter Channing of Bridgehampton, N.Y., Jane Seagrave and John Kennedy of Martha's Vineyard, Mass., Martha Seagrave and Kurt Kaffenberger of Burlington, Vt.; 10 grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. The family thanks the staff at Kingston Memory Care and Ambercare Hospice in Santa Fe for their loving kindness and tender care. A memorial service is planned for Friday, Oct. 4 at 2:30 p.m. at the First Parish Church in Brunswick, Me. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Norman P. Seagrave Scholarship Fund, c/o Peter G. Collias, P.O. Box 2519, Fall River, Mass. 02722.