Arthur H. Nelson

1923 - 2015

Arthur H. Nelson, 92, of Weston, November 28, 2015. For over 65 years, Arthur Nelson was one of Bostons leading entrepreneurs founding over twenty diverse Massachusetts companies in technology, real estate, international management, and education. Along the way he mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs in what has only recently become known as the innovation economy. Among the companies he founded were Associates for International Research, Inc. (AIRINC), Technical Education Research Centers (TERC), and The Nelson Companies which developed the Newton-Wellesley Executive Office Park and Prospect Hill Executive Office Park in Waltham. He also co- founded over a dozen non-profit organizations, many of them in Waltham, including the Charles River Museum of Industry, Historic Waltham, Inc., the American Innovation Institute, the Boston Computer Foundation, and the 128 Business Council. Born in Lawrence, Kansas in 1923, Nelson graduated from the University of Kansas in 1943 with a degree in physics. As a Naval officer he was stationed during WWII at MITs Rad Lab working on the development of the first AWACS radar planes and high frequency radar. Arthur lived in Weston for 57 years until the time of his death. He was an avid walker on the Weston forest trails and on the shores of his summer house in Cataumet. He was also an active tennis player, sports fan and traveled extensively with his wife and family. Husband of the late Eleanor Thomas Nelson, he is survived by brother, Stanley; son, Carl, and his wife, Christine; daughter, Frances McSherry and her husband, Michael; daughter Pamela and her husband, Stephen Pyne; and grandchildren Scott, Eleanor, Patrick, Paul, Mollie, Tim and Christopher. A celebration of Arthurs life will be held on January 14, 2016 at 9:30 AM at the First Parish Church of Weston. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his memory to The Weston Forest and Trail Association, 266 Glen Rd, Weston, MA 02493 or the Bourne Conservation Trust, PO Box 203, Cataumet, MA 02534. For addition information, tributes and guest book please visit www.Duckett-Waterman.com.