RICHARD HARTE Jr.

1921 - 2016

HARTE, Richard Jr. Of Beverly Farms, Massachusetts, died on October 15, 2016 at the age of 95. He was born in Boston on June 28, 1921 and grew up in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in the class of 1943 and became a lieutenant in the US Marine Corps serving on the USS Enterprise in the Pacific until the end of WWII. After the war he joined the family business, The Ames Shovel Co. in North Easton MA and later ran its large manufacturing plant in West Virginia. He returned to the Boston area in 1955 and joined the Kidder, Peabody & Co as an investment banker, running the Boston office until 1991. Being an avid Patriots fan, he was instrumental in securing the 1970 funding that built Schaefer stadium, the team's first permanent home. Richard was active in the Greater Boston community and served on the boards of many non-profit organizations including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, the Brookwood and Pingree Schools, and the Schepens Eye Research Institute. He worked with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston for 60 years beginning in 1956 when racial tensions were high. He was able to forge relationships with parents, clergy, and civic leaders forming a Community Executive Board. These groups are still retained today as local Advisory Boards. He had a long-term interest in education, believing that each child must be respected for whatever talents he or she might have. He was instrumental in bringing together community members to found the Brookwood and Pingree Schools on the North Shore. He was a member of the Myopia Hunt Club and served as President from 1988-1994. His dedication to the Schepens Eye Research Institute spanned 30 years. He is survived by his wife Jane Harte, his sister Jane Choate, his five children: Edith Harte, Richard W. Harte, Suzanne Sears, Winifred Harte, and Alison Miniter; by his step children Cameron, Derek and Jeffery Witt. He leaves 9 grandchildren and 3 step grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife Isabel Seyburn Harte, his sister Nancy Harte Fitz, and his brother Oliver Ames Harte. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 11:00 AM at St John's Episcopal Church, 705 Hale Street, Beverly Farms, MA 01915. In lieu of flowers the family invites donations to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, 200 High Street, 3rd Floor Boston, MA 02110

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