STEPHEN GALPIN

GALPIN--Stephen Kellogg,

93, of Southport, Conn., died April 3, 2015 of cancer at home with family at his side. Father of four, grandfather of 10 and great-grandfather of six, he was a sailor, paratrooper, newspaper reporter, OSS intelligence agent, humorist, local politico, business executive and renowned dog lover. Born February 2, 1922 in New York City, he was the son of Perrin C. and Stephanie E. Galpin, and grew up in Pelham Manor, N.Y. He graduated from The Harvey School, The Hotchkiss School and Yale University, Class of 1943. In World War II, he served in the Galapagos Islands in an anti-aircraft battery and in Southeast Asia as an intelligence agent with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services. He was honorably discharged from the Army as a first lieutenant. He joined the Hartford Courant as a reporter and later The Wall Street Journal, first in NYC and then in Washington, D.C., covering labor, Congress and the White House. In 1950, he married Ruth Bliss Schwab. She was his beloved wife for 58 years, predeceasing him in 2008. They moved to Rye, NY, in 1955 when he joined General Electric at its NYC headquarters, first as a speechwriter then manager of public affairs. He retired after 26 years with GE. In Rye, he indulged his long interest in sailing and local government, serving as City Councilman, deputy mayor and on various commissions. He was chairman of the Rye United Fund and a trustee of the American Yacht Club. When GE headquarters moved to Fairfield, Conn., Galpin and family moved to nearby Southport. He served as Fairfield Town treasurer and on several town commissions. He was commodore of Pequot Yacht Club and a regular contributor to the Pequot Pilot newsletter. Galpin led creation of Southport Harbor's annual Blessing of the Fleet, a multidenominational event that caps a parade through the village. As a tribute to him, the State of Connecticut declared June 16, 2007, as Southport Blessing of the Fleet Day. He was Grand Marshal of the 2012 Southport Annual Street Parade. Galpin is survived by his four children: Stephen K. Galpin, Jr. of Bernardsville, N.J.; Mary G. Barnes of Guilford, Conn., Priscilla G. Twombly of Easton, Conn., and Susan G. Knowlton of Old Tappan, N.J., as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is also survived by a sister, Lucy G. Moorhead of Westwood, Mass. His other sister, Anne Perrin Judson, died in 1990. A memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, Southport, at 11 a.m. on April 27. Contributions in his memory may be made to The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, Conn., or to Mystic Seaport, Mystic, Conn.