EMERSON H. CHANDLER

1926 - 2014

Chandler, Emerson H. 88, of Berlin, Massachusetts, passed away at home on Wednesday, September 17th. Emerson is survived by his wife, Karen, and three daughters, Ellen Chandler of Worcester, Leigh Chandler and her husband Aaron Shechet of Los Angeles, and Jennifer Stephens and her husband Peter of Southborough. Emerson's first wife, Mary, predeceased him in 1977. Emerson was born on February 19, 1926, in Newton, Massachusetts, to Daniel M. and Mabel E. Chandler. After his graduation from Newton High School in 1943, Emerson promptly enlisted in the US Army Air Corps. Upon his honorable discharge from the Eastern Flying Training Command at the end of World War II in 1945, he attended and graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology. He worked for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife as Regional Supervisor for Central Massachusetts, transferring to the Massachusetts Water Resources Commission in 1968. He edited and published Massachusetts Water Law in 1970, and in 1972 he obtained his law degree. Emerson was an early advocate of the acquisition of open space by his agency. There exists today thousands of acres available for passive recreation under agreements he negotiated with the M.D.C., the Army Corps of Engineers, and the US Department of Agriculture. Among his proudest accomplishments were his steadfast support for the acquisition and construction of the trout hatchery adjacent to the Swift River below the Quabin Reservoir. He also established fish and wildlife management areas on the Swift, Ware, Quabog, West, Millers, Nashua, and Thames Rivers. He was a leader in getting harmful drainage projects eliminated in the Suasco and Quabaog River Watersheds, which resulted in the establishment of a national wildlife refuge. Emerson was a charter member of the Massachusetts Pubic Access Board which opened the inland waters to recreational use for boats and canoes. He was also a member of the National Resources Technical Team which assisted cities and towns in natural resource planning. During his long career with the state, Emerson was the recipient of several awards for his service and dedication to the protection of water resources. He retired as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Commission in 1985. He maintained a limited law practice, trying cases in Worcester, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Middlesex Counties, and concentrated on developing his choose and cut Christmas tree plantation in Berlin. Emerson served for decades on the Board of Appeals and Conservation Commission in Berlin, the town he loved. He was a strong supporter of the Worcester County League of Sportsmen, and anyone who shared his love of Labrador Retrievers. The biggest love of his life was his home and his family. The immediate family extends an invitation to family and friends to attend a gathering in Emerson's honor on Sunday, September 28th, at Chandler's Tree Farm, 189 Crosby Road, Berlin, Massachusetts, at 2:00 P.M. In lieu of flowers, Emerson requested that donations be made to a charity of your choice.