William H. Boardman, Jr.

William Hall Boardman, Jr. passed away peacefully with his family by his side on February 18, 2025, he was 83. Bill, as he was known, was born on July 18, 1941 in Boston, MA to William Hall Boardman and Jane Carrott Boardman. He was the eldest of three children with a brother Richard Browning Boardman and sister Anne Calef Boardman. During his childhood the family lived in Boston, MA, Bristol, RI, and Seekonk, MA, spending summers in Little Compton, RI and Sutton Island, ME. As a child he forged a deep appreciation and love of Nature that would last his entire life. He also developed a love for dogs, woodcock hunting, sailing and sports of many kinds.

When Bill arrived at Deerfield Academy in 1956 he had every expectation of starting as a pitcher on the baseball team and a quarterback on the football team. He soon learned that a diagnosis of childhood scoliosis would prevent him from participating in contact sports. Undeterred, he took up tennis and swimming. In swimming he achieved remarkable success. He was a three-time All-American and winner of the school's Most Outstanding Swimmer award. He set numerous records and captained the first undefeated team in Deerfield history. Though he fell just short of making the 1960 Olympic team, he retained his love of swimming, often in the cool waters of New England and the Adirondacks.

From Deerfield Bill went on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he graduated in 1964. After college he returned north to his alma mater Deerfield, where he taught English.

In 1965, Bill met the love of his life, Alice Korff of Washington, DC. The couple were married in 1966 in Keene Valley, NY and then moved to Deerfield, where Bill continued to teach. In 1967, Bill began working in the Development Office at Deerfield. Shortly afterward the couple moved to New York City. Bill took a fundraising position with the John Price Jones Company. He was assigned to various institutions including the American University of Beirut and Union Theological Seminary.

Bill and Alice lived in New York for seven years where they welcomed two children, Alexandra Robinson Boardman and William Hall Boardman III. In 1974, the family moved to Chestnut Hill, MA and Bill began what would be an outstanding 37-year career in development at Harvard. Some called this era "the Golden Age of fundraising" and Bill was among the very best in the profession, all but creating the field of Principal Gifts. In the process he became life-long friends with many donors, faculty and staff. As Director of University Capital Giving, Bill was instrumental in raising a number of the University's most transformative gifts and was an architect of several capital campaigns. He was an important advisor to four different university presidents and was proud to have worked alongside his brother Dick, who also had a long, successful fundraising career at Harvard.

In 1999, the Boardmans built a year-round home in Keene, NY, and began spending more time in the Adirondacks. Bill retired from Harvard in 2008 but continued work as a development consultant advising educational institutions and other non-profits including: Columbia University, the U.S. Military Academy West Point, The Adirondack Nature Conservancy, NatureServe, North Country ASPCA, Trinity Church, Boston, Middlesex School and Governors Academy.

Bill's devotion to the Adirondack mountains led him to serve on several boards to offer expertise and help with fundraising efforts for the places he loved. He served as trustee for three consecutive terms at the Adirondack Museum, was a trustee of the Adirondack Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, and Vice President of the Ausable Club/Adirondack Mountain Reserve.

Bill was a true gentleman with a special knack for connecting with people, offering genuine kindness and an endless optimism that radiated from him. Unassuming, dignified and thoughtful, he touched many lives. His favorite pastimes included cooking a meal for his family, tending his vegetable garden, rowing an Adirondack guideboat, standing on the deck of a sailboat, and taking walks with his treasured spaniels.

Bill is survived by his wife of 58 years, Alice, his brother Richard, two children; Alexandra Reynolds (John D. Reynolds, Jr.) and William H. Boardman III (Anna G. Boardman) as well as six beloved grandchildren; Olivia, Jake, and Anna Reynolds, and Alex, Jane and George Boardman. His sister Anne Fordyce predeceased him.

A celebration of Bill's life will be held on August 6th, 2025 in Keene Valley, NY.