David Eddy Clinkenbeard

1927 - 2024

David Eddy Clinkenbeard

Peterborough, NH - David Eddy Clinkenbeard, 97, died on April 8th, 2024 at Rivermead, a retirement community in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

He was born in Seattle, Washington on April 9, 1927, the son of Rose Eddy and Joseph B. Clinkenbeard. His mother died of complications of childbirth in the month he was born, and when he was 5, his father married Bobby Parker who adopted and raised him and his brother. Although he had an uncommon family name, he was the eighth generation on the paternal side and tenth generation on the maternal side to be born in this country. William Van Clinkinbeard arrived from Holland in New Amsterdam in 1674 and settled in Bucks County, PA. On the maternal side, his ancestor Samuel Eddy, together with his brother Joseph, landed in Plymouth MA on October 29, 1630 after a 12 week crossing from England on a small vessel, the "Handmaid". The Eddy Family Association, Inc. is still based in the family homestead in Middleboro, MA, which is considered the oldest frame house in the country still under original ownership.

He graduated from public school in Seattle, and in 1944 at the age of 17 he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and served 14 months during World War II attaining the rank of Aerographer's Mate 3/c. He then attended the University of Washington and graduated with honors, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and received a commission from ROTC in the U.S. Army. He served in the Korean War as an Army Aviator where he flew 104 missions and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. He then attended Harvard Law School and received the Juris Doctor degree in 1956. He was admitted to practice in the State of Washington and has been a Member of the Bar for 68 years.

Following Law School, he joined the management consulting practice at Arthur D. Little, Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and during 16 years there he led assignments for corporate and government clients on six continents. During his ADL tenure in Cambridge, he was also on the faculty at Metropolitan College at Boston University and taught courses in Investment Management and Securities Analysis for six years. He established and was Managing Director of Arthur D. Little – Hellas, a consulting subsidiary in Athens, Greece. With his family, he lived in Greece for five year, leaving all of them devout philhellenes. After returning to the U.S., he joined an ADL client, American Express Company, as Vice President with responsibilities in acquisitions and divestitures of travel related and other companies. Six years of living well on Park Avenue in New York City were enough, and the day after his daughter graduated from her NYC school, he and his family moved to Temple, N.H. where he lived even better in the historic General Miller House.

For eleven years David was the President of Peterborough Industrial Development Company managing properties in Peterborough and elsewhere in New Hampshire, as well as starting several new ventures. PIDC became a partnership and was successfully liquidated in 1990. He then became an independent management consultant with a clientele of management consulting and executive recruitment firms. Several of the largest U.S. consulting firms were among his clients. He also completed four consulting assignments for the World Bank: examining the feasibility of establishing venture capital funds in Kenya and in the Philippines, and developing programs for expanding tourism in Belize and Costa Rica. During his business career, he served on the Board of Directors of five independent companies. He was honored to have served on the Board of Directors of Athens College in Greece and as a Trustee of Vermont Academy.

David married Barbara Garland of Wellesley, MA in 1957 and began the most enjoyable part of his life encompassing 67 years of marriage. They lived in Cambridge, Wellesley and Weston in Massachusetts; Glyfada and Kifissia in Athens, Greece; New York City; Dataw Island, SC; and Temple, Fitzwilliam and Peterborough in New Hampshire. They raised a son and daughter and 16 retriever dogs during this period. Their son, Steven, lives in Jamaica Plain, MA with his wife, Pamela, and children, Ian and Melissa. Their daughter, Susan, lives in Keene, NH and is Minister of the Fitzwilliam Community Church UCC. As a young family, they traveled with great enjoyment to the southern Caribbean, England, Ireland, Scandinavia and extensively in Greece. Barbara and David particularly enjoyed trips to the wine districts of Burgundy and Bordeaux, small barge tours on the French canals and several holidays in Tuscany.

David was a person of faith and was rewarded by guidance, comfort, and peace of mind from his belief. He served on the Vestry of the Church of the Resurrection in New York City and All Saints' Church in Peterborough.

Life with Barbara was a great joy sharing travel, concert music, gourmet food and wine and the company and accomplishments of their two children. Over the years, life was made more pleasant by the ownership of sixteen retriever dogs – training them for field trials in the early years and quiet walks and swimming in the recent years. To the end, David appreciated how well life had treated him and was grateful to Barbara, his children, friends and dogs for making this possible.

A memorial service will be held at All Saints' Episcopal Church, 51 Concord St. in Peterborough NH on May 7th at 11am. In lieu of flowers, donations in David's memory can be made to: Animal Rescue League of NH, at rescueleague.org or 545 Route 101 Bedford, NH 03110.