TITLE: Carl Siemon , Obituary, Feb. 14, 2001, SUBMITTERS: Portsmouth Herald, http://www.seacoastonline.com 111 Maplewood Aveue, Portsmouth, NH (issue Feb 17, 2001 ) FORMATTED: by CParziale, 2001 ***************************************************************************** Carl Siemon BOCA RATON, Fla. - Business leader and conservationist Carl Siemon died at the age of 78 on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2001, at Boca Raton Community Hospital, after a courageous battle with prostate cancer. The son of Carl M. and Betty Tripp Siemon, he was born in Bridgeport, Conn., on July 8, 1922. Following his years at Stratfield Grammar School, Fairfield Country Day School and Choate, he attended Yale and graduated with the Class of 1945. His college education was interrupted by World War II. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and proudly served for four years as a lieutenant in the South Pacific. After graduating from Yale, he went to work for The Siemon Co. in 1947, where, in his words: "Along with my family and my friends, the company was to become my life, as it was my father's and his father's." After working in purchasing and sales, Carl was voted president by its board of directors in 1957, and served that office until 1982. He then became chairman of the board of directors and held that position until his death. In 1951, he was responsible for bringing The Siemon Co. from Bridgeport, where it was founded in 1903, to its present home in Watertown, Conn. From the time of his first part-time summer job on his 16th birthday in 1938 to his death, he served the company for a remarkable 63-year span. Carl believed in giving back to the community. During the 1960s, he served in the Connecticut state Legislature as a state representative and was an active member of the Republican Party. His community service in Connecticut also included the Rotary organization. He was a founding member of the Watertown chapter. He was also a brother Mason affiliated with the Federal Lodge in Watertown, Conn., and the Unity Lodge in Union, N.H. His love of learning extended well beyond his school years and will live on with his endowed scholarship funds at Yale, Choate, Brewster Academy, Milton and Wakefield, New Hampshire resident college funds. An operating management of The Siemon Co. was transferred to its present president, son Carl N. Siemon. Carl Sr. turned his attentions to the family farm located in Milton Mills. This chapter of Carl's life was rich with accomplishment, stewardship and legacy that will benefit many future generations. He had a deep love for New Hampshire where he spent his childhood summers on his grandparent's farms in Wakefield and then Milton Mills. He had resided in New Hampshire for the past 30 years, dedicating his time and energy into making Branch Hill Farm one of the most respected tree farms in the Northeast. The tree farm began with the purchase of 18 acres of clear-cut forest in 1962, and has expanded to include 3,000 acres of meticulously managed woodlands that are open for everyone to enjoy. Carl actively worked the forest, estimating that he personally pruned more than 90,000 trees. In 1977 and 1991, Carl was recognized as New Hampshire's Tree Farmer of the Year by the American Tree Farm System. In 1982 he received the New England Tree Farmer of the Year Award. To quote him, "The real award, which comes to us as tree farmers, is that it is a continuing personal reward " the reward of the joy and the privilege of working with God's work. Man can sign his signature and create good things for himself and for posterity in many ways " with brush and easel, with pen and paper, with sharps and flats, with inventions. He can also sign his signature with power saws and pruning saws " and all of us who do so receive the further special reward of having lived a part of our lives with Nature." Carl was an active proponent of land conservation. He protected his land in perpetuity with conservation easements given to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and with the establishment of the Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust in 1995. Carl enjoyed hosting numerous groups and tours that came to see and learn first-hand about sustainable forestry and land stewardship. Carl was a past trustee and strong supporter of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Through a donation to the SPNHF, the Carl Siemon Stewardship Fund was established to upgrade and strengthen its conservation easement stewardship program. Under his enthusiastic guidance, he also supported the establishment of the Moose Mountains Regional Greenways, an advocacy group for land protection in the towns of Milton, Wakefield, Brookfield, Farmington, Middleton and New Durham. He envisioned connecting his conservation lands with other protected lands to create corridors of "green" for wildlife, recreation, and to safeguard our natural resources for future generations. He was a past trustee and generous supporter to the New Hampshire Farm Museum in Milton. He was also a past trustee of Brewster Academy and a member and past chairman of the Strafford County UNH Cooperative Extension Advisory Council. Survivors include his wife, Beverly; brother, Robert; daughter, Cynthia Siemon Wyatt; sons, Carl, Hank, John and CK, and their mother, Mary Ruth; stepchildren, Steve McCabe, Erin Gardocki, Lauren Lieberman; and 18 grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, at the Congregational Church of Watertown. A reception will follow at the church. This spring, a service will also be held at the home of Cynthia Siemon Wyatt in Milton Mills, at a date to be announced. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, tax-exempt donations be sent to the Moose Mountains Regional Greenways (MMRG), P.O. Box 191, Union, NH 03887. **************************************************************************** * * * * Notice: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. * * * * The USGenWeb Project makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. It is always best to consult the original material for verification.