William Burgess Doherty

I met Burgess as a 15 year old high school student around 1980. I was a dish washer and Burgess was a part time bartender at the Tin Palace in Durham. He was very kind to us "kids" . A mentor of sorts. When I told him I was going to join the Army after graduation he always had words of encouragement and stories about his time in the Army with the 101st Airborne Division. I always appreciated his encouragement as many folks wondered why I was joining. After my 4 years in the Army I came...

A long time friend who was always ready to assist me in a variety of ways. His support was and will be treasured ever more.

Burgess was a fixture at the UNH pool, well known for his friendly banter and curmudgeonly assessments of the water temperature, which was always too cold for him. He chatted with everyone and created a sense of community among we lap swimmers who otherwise tended to keep to ourselves.

Burgess encouraged my year-long process to refine my strokes and develop my flip turn by connecting me to a more accomplished swimmer for tips and then always offering enthusiastic assessments of my...