Steve Maxwell

STEVE MAXWELL 71, of Greenwich, Conn. passed away on a beautiful spring day, April 22, 2010, doing what he loved to do most, playing tennis. He was born on April 16, 1939, in Buffalo, N.Y., the first child of John and Laurie Maxwell. After the passing of his father, he and his mother and younger brother Woody moved to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Steve graduated from Fort Lauderdale High School in 1957. Many of his longest-lasting friendships stem from his high school years, and he attended every class reunion, including the 50th since graduation. It was during his time in Florida that Steve developed his life-long passion for the game of tennis. He was a member of the Belle Haven Club for 23 years, chairing the tennis committee on two occasions, captaining a number of the club's teams and playing more recently with the "Good Old Boys." Steve received his BA in English from Davidson College (N.C.) in 1961, and two years later, he earned his MBA from the Wharton School. On June 3, 1963, he married the former Kay Jean Ferguson, whom he met while working summers at the Saranac Inn in the Adirondacks. That same year, the couple moved to New York City where Steve began working for Time, Inc. He transferred within the company to Time-Life Books in 1966. In 1974, Steve, Kay and their six-year-old son, John, moved to Tokyo where Steve managed Time-Life Books in Japan for a year. Two years later, he was promoted to Vice President and General Manager of Time-Life Books and coordinated the move of the company to Alexandria, Va. He would later be promoted to Executive Vice President, and also sit on the Board of Directors of HBO. In 1983, Steve returned to Time, Inc. headquarters in New York as General Manager of the company's magazine group, and he and his family became residents of Greenwich. After retiring from Time, Inc. in 1985, he began pursuing his true calling, teaching. Over the remaining years of his life, he taught English as a Second Language classes as part of the adult and continuing education programs offered in Greenwich and Stamford. Steve was honored as the "Educator of the Year" in 2004 by the Connecticut Association for Adult and Continuing Education, and by the time of his passing, nearly 3,000 students had benefitted from his teaching and tutoring. He also served the town of Greenwich as a member of the Board of Social Services, concluding his service as Vice Chairman of the Board in 2009. Steve traveled extensively during his lifetime to the four corners of the globe: from exploring the Galapagos Islands, to trekking in the Himalayas, to touring the pyramids of Egypt and walking the Great Wall of China. In addition to teaching, traveling and tennis, his passions included spending time with friends and family at the Belle Haven Club, attending the theater in New York, gardening, grilling out on the back patio, and spending way too much time at the AMC Movie Theater in Port Chester, N.Y. watching matinee showings of really bad movies. He is survived by his wife, Kay (Greenwich, Conn.); his son, John (Riverside, Calif.); and his brother, Woody (Mullins, S.C.). A Celebration of his Life will be held on Friday, April 30 beginning at 3 pm at the Belle Haven Club, and will be followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Steve Maxwell Fund For Teaching English As A Second Language may be made by check or credit card to the Fairfield County Community Foundation (fccfoundation.org), 383 Main Avenue, Norwalk, Conn, 06851-1543, (203) 750-3200.