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Alfred WECHSLER Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
for Alfred WECHSLER
Anthony Coates
January 25, 2010
Some men are their own monument...My heart and those of my family go out to my friend Billy Weschler, his family and his loved ones.
Senator Weschler was a breed we don't see anymore...there are still some "gentleman farmers" but it is rare to find a "gentleman legislator". He will be missed.
John Daly
January 25, 2010
Marge, Bill, Barbara and family, I'm so sorry about the passing of your husband and father.Sen.Wechsler was a man I admired very much as a lawyer, writer of landmark legislation and institutional memory of the Democratic Party of Connecticut.
Because he was content to work behind the scenes, Sen. Wechsler was not as well known as John Bailey, Abraham Ribicoff and Tom Dodd, but like them, he was a giant of Connecticut politics. I will miss him. My prayers are with him and all of you. Requescat in pace.
Marge
January 23, 2010
Dear Susanne & Family,
Please accept my deepest sympathies. A co-worker of yours from
Ladder of Learning in Farmington, CT
A citizen and friend
January 23, 2010
Thank you Mr. Spear for the VERY enlightening story(s) of this amazing man. Truly, we will not know another. Condolences to the Senator's family.
Gerard McCarrick
January 23, 2010
Dear bill our sincere sympathy on the passing of Sen. Wechsler the rest of the of your family.
You dad was such a wonderful person. I admired how he came to the office every day as if was if it was his own Library. The office was full of all the remarkable things he did in his life. I know I will never cross a man with such gratefulness. Hartford and CT. Lost an Icon. I hope somewhere the state will honor him with a bronze statue. I think he thought of so many this difference's between right and wrong and was just so fair. I am sorry I couldn't make the service, but he will be in my thought and prayers.
I know he was the rock of your family. He lived his life beyond the average. He left an example for all or us to follow.
Sincerely,
Jerry McCarrick
[email protected]
January 22, 2010
Our family mourns the passing of Mr.Wechsler who our family met many years ago. I found Mr. Wechsler to be a very genuine and lovely person. Our conversations confirmed the idea of six degrees of separation. Mr. Wechsler was fascinated to learn that we lived in the same neighborhood in which he grew up. His talk with our daughter Diane revealed that they were proud Beavers and graduates of Weaver High School. Our oldest daughter is completing her Doctoral program at NYU so there was another connection. I enjoyed the stories of his service in the Army during the war which reminded me of the stories my father told about his service in the war as a member of the British Army. He proudly recited his army ID number and produced the card from his wallet for me to confirm. He fondly recalled visiting our native Barbados in 1933.
My husband Austin cherished all the long conversations they shared while enjoying CocoCola which was always generously offered.
Mr. Weschler was truly a remarkable man with a brilliant mind that remained completely sharp until the end.
It will be hard next spring not to select that tomato plant especially for him.
Our deepest sympathy to the entire family and may he rest in peace.
Austin,Yvette,Gail and Diane Drakes
Michelle M. Murphy, Director of Communications, Northwest Catholic High School
January 22, 2010
On behalf of Principal/Chief Administrator Margaret Williamson and the entire Northwest Catholic High School community, I offer our sincere sympathy on the passing of Sen. Wechsler. Because three of his grandchildren are NWC alums, we feel that he was part of our school family, too, and we mourn his passing along with all of you. Please know that we will remember him, and all the family, in our prayers at our next schoolwide Mass in February.
January 22, 2010
I remember visiting the Wechsler house with my father on many Christmases. Later my father would take our son. The Senator was always a central figure in our family history and it an end of a wonderful and bigger than life era.
Please accept our condolences.
David and Barbara Klau
leroy gaby dunn
January 21, 2010
dear marge and family, we were sorry to har the sad news ,he was a great guy and we have may memories of him specially his wonderful sense of humor,he had a full live
regards to all Leroy and gaby dunn
chevy chase md 2o815
Charles Spear
January 21, 2010
I am Alfred’s son-in law Chip. I have only known Alfred for seven years which really makes me a neophyte, but our relationship was special in that our relationship comes at a time when Alfred was already into his 90’s. Even though his body started showing the ravages of time, his mind was a sharp as a tack.
To give you all a little flavor as to where I am at, at this moment, let me tell you I was involved with probably a half dozen or so eulogies during my naval career. The nature of the military business made those events tragic and for all involved, a significant loss. Recently, somebody offered condolences on hearing about Alfred’s passing, by saying he was sorry for my loss. At that moment, I realized there was some sadness, but a much greater feeling of having the privileged to have known such a special guy, Alfred Wechsler.
As our rapport blossomed, I could not help but draw the comparison of Alfred’s life to a fictional character Victor “Pug” Henry, the character from the Novel, turned into a TV mini series, “The Winds of War” by Herman Wouk. Pug some how manages to know all the leaders and he seemed to be at all the pivotal events of World War II. Well, I believe Alfred was the Victor “Pug” Henry in real life!
In sports, he knew Leo Durocher, probably from his days playing for the Hartford Senators or maybe he just knew him because Leo was from West Springfield, as Alfred told me he was a West Springfield boy.
As a young man, Al worked as a soda jerk in a local drug store -low and behold, wouldn’t you know it, - he told me he met Babe Ruth as he served Babe a drink. Al also knew Lou Gehrig from his playing days with the Hartford Senators and talks about the day Lou fleeted up to replaced Wally Pip – truly, Alfred knew some of the legends of the game of baseball.
Al’s real connections came from his life in politics. From his time on the Hartford City Counsel, Connecticut Legislature, as minority & majority leader, to his run for the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, which Al was extremely proud of, despite losing in one of the closest races Connecticut has had. Al told me he attended the 1952 Democratic National convention in Chicago. After the convention, he drove Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr the President son, a Congressman from New York, back to his home in New York City I also understand he drove Adlia Stevenson around New Haven, Connecticut on a campaign tour.
As most of you know, his law partner, John Baily, was the democratic national chairman during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. So, it was fair for me to assume that Al might have had some personal experiences with President Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and others. One of those others was Senator Joe Lieberman (Senator Lieberman was in his third year of Law School) who spent hours interviewing him to garner information on John Bailey for the book titled “The Power Broker.
Alfred and I had many one on one times as he had to middle age sit me from time to time. On one occasion, I asked if he ever met John Kennedy and he said he had met him many times before he was President, but only met him once when he was President. At the time we were having this discussion, we were in the kitchen at Scarborough Street, I was fixing something and he was eating his breakfast. Well, he disappeared for about 20 minutes, going upstairs to the second floor and returning into the kitchen, he was carrying a little jewelry box. He than told me he met President Kennedy for some sort of meeting in Washington DC and when “Jack” walked in, that is what Alfred called President Kennedy, President Kennedy than addressed him as “Alfie”, - Al noticed the Presidents tie clip and asked if he could look at it. After Alfred looked at the tie clip, he handed it back and President Kennedy told him to keep the tie clip. At this point, Al opened up the jewelry box and showed me the tie clip. The tie clip was PT 109 with Kennedy written on the bow.
When Al was at the Governor’s House, the rehab facility in Simsbury, CT vice the real Governor’s House, I would always do something, “out of the box”, so to speak - to spice up the day and our conversations. One day, I told him we were going on a road trip, what Al did not know was I had already arranged to have him sprung for the day, it was like John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, a Blues Brother escape. I just wheeled him pass the nurse’s station, out the front door to the waiting van. During this whole break out, I could tell he really thought we were escaping! It was a beautiful summer day – not too hot. I rolled down the windows and we started driving around. We were both having one of those adolescence moments when the conversation came up about President Johnson. Unfortunately, the non-verbal communications plays an important role in this story, but …. I think you can guess the mood, Al leans over and tells me that President Johnson had a very good looking travelling secretary – I quickly chuckled and said without missing a beat, she probably doesn’t look like that anymore and than he laughed and without missing a beat said, she’s probably passed away!!!
I grew up in Suffield, so many times our conversations focused on Mead Alcorn. Mead was the Republican National Chairman during the Eisenhower Administration. Can you imagine Connecticut’s clout at the National Level having both Democratic and Republican National Chairman? Wow!!! Even though Al was a staunch Democrat, he was good friends with Mead. On the day President Kennedy was shot, Al and Marjorie were having dinner at Mead and Marcia’s home. I actually pointed out I knew Marcia as she attended the same church and than he told me he knew Marcia before she met Mead. He was always one up on me!
Alfred seemed to know all the Governer’s of Connecticut, from Bowles, Lodge, Ribicoff, Dempsey, Meskill, Grasso, to O’Neill. He told me he had permission one year to have a holiday party at the Governors House, the real Governor’s House, this time – and he quickly said no tax payer’s dollars were used to fund this party, it was all out his pocket. The party was a smashing success – as the party wound down, the remaining guess made their way to Scarborough Street for more holiday cheer. When the party really finished, one of the special guess went out side to see his car was stolen, which was quickly reported to the police, who quickly found his car still parked at the Governors House.
Alfred’s granddaughter, Carolyn plays AAU basketball. At one of the first tournaments of the season, her teammates and parents met at restaurant between games. Low and behold, there was a connection between one of Carolyn’s teammates via Alfred. When we told the story to Al, he told me to go up to the second floor and grab this picture hanging on the wall. The picture shows Alfred, with than Lt Governor of Connecticut Sam Spencer, and Harry Pearl, the person with the connection to Carolyn’s teammate. I could tell there was a story behind the picture and sure enough - the picture was taken in Havana, Cuba. The US Ambassador, who was a friend of the Lt Governor’s, was off on business, but allowed them to use his residence for a little vacation – just think – how many people do you know have been to Havana, Cuba during its heyday and stayed at the US Ambassador’s residence?
One day, I found this letter in Alfred and Majorie’s sunroom signed by Gussie Busch (August Anheuser Busch, Jr.). When I asked Alfred about the letter he told me he had done some work for the Anheuser Busch Company back in the 50’s and Gussie Busch had personally been involved. Al said that Gussie never flew; he always travelled in his personal Pullman train car, which Gussie would bring to New Haven. Well in appreciation, Gussie sent Alfred four cases of a brand new beer that Anheuser Busch was bringing into the market and wanted Al and the other Lawyers in the firm to try and provide some feed back on what they thought of the new beer. Al told me he thought there was still one case down in the basement, which would still have the typewriter written labels. Looking at the date on the letter, my guess the brand was Busch Beer introduced in 1955. Recently, when I was down in the basement, I noticed that unmistakable beer case shape and excitedly open the case to find a case of Carling Black Label beer – probably just as old, 50 plus years, but no history to that case or none that we know of.
Alfred won a Bronze Star at the Battle of the Bulge. One of the most horrific conflicts of World War II. After the war, when Al was still over there, Tom Dodd, another personal friend, was one of the lead lawyers for the Nuremburg Trails. Wouldn’t you know it; Al got to sit in on Hermann Goering’s trail as a special guess.
There are many more stories he told me –, but I think my analogy to the fictional character Victor “Pug” Henry is not too far off. Alfred led a fantastic life filled with history. Alfred was a loving, supportive husband, he was an adoring, encouraging, and exemplar father. For all the grand children, I hope you will remember your grandfather as one of those special human beings – you will not know another!
Leslie Sinclair
January 21, 2010
Dear Susanne and Family,
When I come to the end of my journey and I travel my last weary mile, forget if you can, I ever frowned and remember only my smile.
Forget unkind words I have spoken; remember some good that I have done, forget that I ever had a heartache and remember I had loads of fun.
Forget that I ever stumbled and blundered and sometimes fell by the way.
Remember I have fought some hard battles and won, ere the close of the day. Then forget to grieve for my going. I would not have you sad for a day.
In the summer gather some flowers and remember the place where I lay. Come in the evening when the sun paints the sky in the west. Stand for a few moments beside me and remember only my best.
May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His light shine upon you. We are keeping you all in our prayers.
Love,
The Sinclair Family
Leslie, Hugh, Ashley and Alyssa
Michael Morgan
January 21, 2010
To the Wechsler Family - please know you are in my thoughts and prayers at this time. He was a great man and left a lasting impression on many, including me. I have such fond memories while growing up and spending time with Al and the whole family. He,Johnny & Nana can watch over all of you now. Good bye to a wonderful man. May he rest in peace
Marc Shafer
January 21, 2010
I have so many fond memories and so many good stories to share. I am only sorry that I am out of town and will miss the service.
My love to the entire family.
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