John B. Gray, Hon. ’04
John Bullard Gray died on June 14, 2010. He was 82.
Gray served as a corporator at the Institute for 26 years and was a member of the Institute’s Board of Trustees from 1990 to 2004. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Wentworth in 2004.
In 1951, Gray began a 40-year career at Dennison Manufacturing Company in Framingham, MA. In 1985, he was elected president and chief operating officer at Dennison, a position he held until his retirement in 1990. Over the course of his career, Gray also served as a director of the State Street Bank Corporation, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, EG&G (now Perkin-Elmer), Stackpole Corporation, the Reece Corporation, Butler Automatic, and at Dennison. In addition to his service to Wentworth, he was a trustee of the New England Aquarium, the Regional YMCA, the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, and the Executive Service Corps.
Gray resided in Dover, MA, for 52 years, where he served as a selectman and chairman of the finance committee. Gray is survived by his wife of 60 years, Virginia Hamilton; two sons, John Jr. of Redding, CT, and David M. of Baltimore, MD; and a daughter, Lucinda Carey of New Canaan, CT; as well as seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
G. Kendall ‘Ken’ Nylin ’55
G. Kendall “Ken” Nylin, AME ’55, passed away September 16, 2010. He was 75.
Nylin was born in Worcester, MA, son of C. George and Lily M. (Sjoberg) Nylin. He was a member of the Worcester Economics Club, the Melha Shriners of Springfield, MA, and a 50-year member of Morningstar Lodge of Masons in Worcester.
Nylin owned and operated Nylin Supply Associates and was also a real estate developer. He was involved and active in Charlton, MA, serving on several town committees, including the municipal building committee, the master plan committee, and the Charlton ambulance board. He and his wife summered at Point O’ Woods in South Lyme, CT, for 26 years.
Nylin is survived by his wife of 26 years, Patricia (Fogarty) Nylin, and his sister, Marilyn.
Donald Wilson, Hon. ’95
Longtime Wentworth Trustee Donald Bagge Wilson died February 14, 2010. He was 89.
Wilson served on Wentworth’s Board of Trustees from 1970 to 2003, and was presented with an honorary doctorate in 1995.
Wilson was born in Winchester, MA. He served as a lieutenant in the Pacific during World War II aboard the USS North Carolina and was president of A. O. Wilson Corporation in Cambridge, which was founded by his father in 1923.
In addition to his work at Wentworth, he was a member of Rotary Club International, where he was named a Paul Harris Fellow for service to the community. Wilson served as president of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Museum of Science in Boston.
Wilson was an avid boater and gardener, especially at his former summer residence in Rhode Island, where he served as commodore of the Saunderstown Yacht Club. As a licensed lobsterman, he and his family enjoyed his yearly catch from Narragansett Bay.
Wilson was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Ruth “Skip” Wilson. He is survived by his five children, Susan King of Jamestown, RI; Amanda Curtin of Cambridge, MA; Cynthia Wilson of the Netherlands; Christina Wilson of Cape Neddick, ME; and Albert O. Wilson III of Breckenridge, CO; as well as seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
