David Anderson

Obituary

David Anderson, Stonington

November 28, 1925 – June 11, 2023

The youngest of three brothers from a prominent Long Island family, David Anderson was born on November 28, 1925, in New York City. At a young age, David envisioned a different, far-ranging, more adventurous life for himself than he experienced in childhood. These adventures began with his first encounters with jazz music on the radio and the work of Russian novelist, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, which presented him the intriguing curiosity about humanity—a curiosity that persisted across his life.

            David graduated from the Adirondack-Florida School and Philips Academy at Andover, then completed military service as a quartermaster in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II (1943-46). David became a Russian scholar at Yale University (B.A. in 1949 and M.A. in Russian and Eastern European studies, 1970) and continued a lifelong devotion to Russia making six trips, including several with groups of high school students and later 20 fellow Connecticut state legislators. In 1972, David wrote and published Krokodil Tears, a curated collection of satire on conditions in the Soviet Union.

David’s first career was at the Electric Boat Company (EB) in Groton, CT, from 1949-58, where he held the position of Director of Education and Training and Management, among other positions. At EB, David worked with Admiral Hyman Rickover, who oversaw building the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine. He also organized records and photographs at EB that became the foundation of the U.S. Navy’s Nautilus Submarine Museum. In 1958 he transferred to EB’s mother company, General Dynamics, in its New York corporate offices. He was assistant to a General Dynamics Executive Vice-President as a management trouble-shooter. He later moved to General Dynamics’ Convair Division in San Diego, CA to help solve that company’s financial problems.

In 1961, David left Convair and pursued teaching – a longtime interest. He joined several of his children, who were students La Jolla Country Day School, where he taught English, History, and Russian and coached wrestling. In 1963, he moved his family back east to Preston, CT and taught Russian history and the history of Jazz and served as Director of the Library at the Norwich Free Academy (NFA). He led student trips to the Soviet Union to spark their curiosity and organized student environmental groups. He would later return to NFA to volunteer with future Russian language classes to continue sparking this passion in other students. As a Preston resident, David served as Justice of the Peace, Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, School Board member, Chairman of the Conservation Commission, Chairman of the Park Development Committee, Chairman of Parks and Recreation, and President of the Norwich YMCA.

David’s commitment to civic life culminated in 1980 when he was 55 years old and was elected to be State Representative for the State of Connecticut’s 45th District. He served 12 years taking a leadership role on environmental and conservation issues. Mary Mushinsky, a longtime Democrat in the Connecticut legislature, shared, “He was a gentleman. He was more a problem solver than partisan. He was always professional. His word was good.” As a Republican, David served as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy and Public Utilities Commission and served on the Environmental Committee, which introduced him to climate change issues. He helped pass legislation to obtain land for a community park in Preston. He was most proud of initiating the first legislation to start statewide recycling in Connecticut, a bill he co-authored with Mary Mushinsky. He also co-sponsored Connecticut’s first bill on solar energy and later installed a solar power system at his Preston home, educating every visitor to his house.

In the years after retiring from the legislature, David expressed frustration about the Republican party’s constant denial of climate change and transitioned to a liberal political platform. Across his career in civic life (including several decades of retirement) David has been an outspoken and educating voice on the realities of climate change and the meaningful actions that citizens can take to address it. David was one of the founding members of The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters. “It’s amazing how sharp he was,” says Lori Brown, The League’s Director since 2001. “He had a great memory, and he was an excellent networker, constantly online connecting people. And so generous. His endorsement meant a lot.” David served on the League’s board for many years.

David was especially proud of his connection with Reforest The Tropics (RTT), an organization based in Mystic, CT that plants forests of varying sizes in Costa Rica to offset carbon dioxide emissions of companies and individuals. He was a board member and driving force of the organization, personally donating to establish an RTT forest in Costa Rica to offset part of his family’s carbon emissions.

David demonstrated a lifelong curiosity about history, literature, the sciences, arts and culture, and politics. For example, in his 90s, he began listening to recordings of the literary classics he read in his formative years. This lifelong curiosity led to an unconventional ongoing growth in his ideas and perspectives on equality, racism, and the responsibility of those with privilege to use their power and privilege for the greater good of future generations. He took this legacy very seriously. Exemplifying his character and humor, David sent out a dispatch of photocopies of the weeks’ most important news articles to at least 20 of his kids and friends, which always included a random photograph of wildlife or nature (often very comical).   

David is predeceased by his two brothers, James Anderson (1992) and Henry H. Anderson Jr. (2020). He is predeceased by his previous wife, Edith Howe Anderson (1986), with whom he fathered Tatiana Anderson, David Howe Anderson, Aminda H. Savage, Nicholas Anderson, Helen J. Anderson, and Katie Estabrook—all of whom survive him. He is predeceased by his previous wife, Martha H. Anderson, with whom he fathered Holley Anderson, Ross C. Anderson, and Cameron B. Anderson, all of whom survive him. He is survived by his wife, Judith (Christie) Camp Anderson. In total, he is survived by nine children and four step-children. He is also survived by 18 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, and many others whom he loved like family.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, June 18, 2023 at 1:00 pm at StoneRidge, 186 Jerry Browne Road, Mystic, CT. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to Reforest the Tropics (www.reforestthetropics.org) and the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (www.ctlcv.org).