Sybil B. Paton, Library Trustee and Arts Activist
Sybil B. Paton died June 5th at Wadsworth Glen in Middletown, Conn, at the age of 84. A Middletown resident for more than 50 years, Mrs. Paton was notable for her leadership in many community organizations, including the Russell Library, the Connecticut State Library, the Wesleyan Potters, the Middletown Commission on the Arts, and Middletown’s Bicentennial celebration. Her efforts created a large number of innovations that took on a life of their own, and continue to enrich the life of the community.

She served as a member of the Russell Library Board of Trustees for more than three decades, from 1966 until 2007, serving twice as the President of the Board. She also served on the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut State Library in Hartford from 1976 to 1981. She was named Friend of the Year by the Friends of Connecticut Libraries in 2002, and Outstanding Library Trustee of 2004 by the Association of Connecticut Library Boards.

Mrs. Paton delighted in the inclusiveness of the library. She championed the expansion of children’s programs at Russell Library and chaired the building committees during two major library renovations that gracefully merged a former bank building with the library’s existing building, a former church. She chaired the search committee that brought the current Director of the Library, Arthur Meyers, to Middletown in 1997. She helped establish the Friends of the Russell Library and founded the John W. Paton Storytelling Contest in memory of her husband. Since 1997, the contest has showcased the writing of unpublished adult writers in the community.

Mrs. Paton was also notable for longstanding contributions to arts in the community. She was appointed in 1972 as one of the founding members of the Middletown Commission on the Arts and served on the commission until 1975. In that role, she worked to expand awareness of local art resources by helping to create a series of music and theater performances, an annual Showcase of the Arts, and a monthly arts calendar for the city. She also helped launch the city art collection and establish the grants programs which supported the start of The Oddfellows Playhouse and many other arts programs. Mayor Sebastian Guiliano declared March 12, 2007, Arts Advocacy Day in Middletown, in honor of “the standard for advocacy and volunteerism” she set for the city.

Her passion for the arts included active involvement in pottery, photography and Bonsai cultivation. She was a charter member of the Wesleyan Potters. She taught pottery classes, was active in the development of the Wesleyan Potters teaching facility, organized the first of many annual sales and won numerous awards in statewide exhibitions. She was a longtime member of the Castle Craig Photography Club in Middletown and the Bonsai Society of Greater Hartford.

Mrs. Paton took on many special challenges for the city of Middletown and community organizations. During the racial tensions of the late 1960s, she served as a Board Member in the TOPS (Teens Organized to Protect Society) organization, working with African-American teenagers to solve community problems. From 1975 to 1977, Mrs. Paton was the Bicentennial Coordinator for the City of Middletown and then from 1977 to 1979 she was Coordinator of Special Events. In both of these roles, she helped showcase Middletown’s rich multi-cultural heritage. She served from 1979 to 1988 as Coordinator of the Building Program for the Idella W. Howell Child Development Center on William Street, and as Coordinator of the Renovation Program for the Green Street School.

Before coming to Middletown, Mrs. Paton was employed as a secretary for the National Council of the YMCA in New York City and from 1950 to 1952, served as coordinator for one of the nation’s first pollution control campaigns to protect the Raritan River in New Jersey.

She first came to Middletown when her husband enrolled as a student at Wesleyan University in January 1946. She moved to Middletown permanently with her family in 1952. While raising three children, Mrs. Paton volunteered for a wide range of community activities. She served as a Brownie and Girl Scout Leader from 1958 to 1963. She was also a founding member of the Wesleyan University Monday Club, a group of faculty wives who originated many ideas for local improvements to the City of Middletown.

Mrs. Paton graduated from The Katherine Gibbs School in New York in 1943, and earned a Bachelor of Arts at Wesleyan University in 1970, in the first graduating class that included women. She later earned a Masters of Arts degree in Anthropology from Wesleyan.

She was married to the late John W. (Jack) Paton for 50 years. She is survived by three children: Laura P. Arnold of Middletown, Bruce Paton of Sunnyvale, CA, and Douglas Paton of Piedmont, CA, as well as five grandchildren. She was born Sybil Lorraine Busch in Yonkers, New York. A private memorial service will be held later this year. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Russell Library, 123 Broad Street Middletown, CT 06457.

ROBERT C. ORESKO, an editor, publisher, and private scholar, died Feb. 15, 2010. He was 63. A member of EQV, he received his degree cum laude. After studying at Columbia University, he moved to England, where he began his research, particularly on the Savoy–Piedmont region of Italy. Interdisciplinary in nature, his studies crossed the boundaries between political, social, and cultural history, and his seminars in London attracted distinguished scholars. His civil partner, Roger Clark, survives.

PETER W. ODELL, 66, who worked in college admissions and in real estate, died Jan. 15, 2005. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and received a master’s degree from Middlebury College. He was the former dean of admissions at New College in Sarasota, Fla. Survivors include two sons, two sisters, and several nieces and nephews.

LEON S. OLSON, 70, a retired human resources executive, died June 29, 2003. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and served in the U.S. Marines. Survivors include his wife, Joan, three children, and two grandchildren.

KENNETH G. ORVIS, 74, an attorney, died June 9, 2005. He was a member of Sigma Nu and received a law degree from Cornell University. A member of the law firm of Orvis and Orvis in Albany, N.Y., he later became counsel for the Rensselaer County Department of Social Services and did pro bono representation of court-appointed clients. He is survived by his wife, Caroline Comly Orvis, three children, six grandchildren, and a large extended family.

THOMAS A. OSBORNE, V.M.D., 40, a veterinarian in the Philadelphia area, died of a brain tumor Aug. 27, 2005. He received a degree from the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania and had practiced in Washington State until 2002. He is survived by his wife, Natasha Kassell, a son, a daughter, his parents, two sisters, and a brother.

ROBERT S. NICKOLOFF, an attorney and venture capitalist who was instrumental in starting several television stations in Minnesota, died June 22, 2007. He was 78. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received his law degree from the University of Michigan and served in the US Marine Corps during the Korean War. He was involved in numerous organizations and companies throughout Minnesota. Survivors include his wife, Anne Nickerson Nickoloff, three children, nine grandchildren, and a sister. (For more information, see the Pioneer Press of June 23, 2007.)

JOHN M. NELSON ’53, the retired chairman of the board of the TJX Companies, Inc, and a former Wesleyan trustee, died Jan. 21, 2013. He was 81. The son of Martin H. Nelson of the class of 1926 and the nephew of John D. Nelson of the class of 1931, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta and received his degree with honors. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he received an MBA from Harvard University. He joined the Norton Company as a sales trainee and rose through the ranks, becoming Chairman and CEO in 1988. After the company was acquired by Saint Gobain, he joined the Wyman Gordon Company, the second largest manufacturing firm in Worcester, Mass. In 1995 he became chairman of the board of the TJX Companies, after which the company acquired the Marshalls stores and started its European expansion.

He volunteered extensively in the Worcester community, served on many boards, and won numerous awards for his service. The recipient of several honorary degrees, he was also a co-founder and chairman of Commonwealth National Bank. He was a trustee of the University from 1978 to 1981, and he had also been chairman of the Alumni Council. In 1988 he received Wesleyan’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. Among those who survive are his wife, Linda Nelson; his daughter, Murrey E. Nelson ’81; his son; two stepdaughters; and six grandchildren. retired statistician with Uniroyal, died Nov. 15, 2012, at age 91. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. After his retirement he became an active community volunteer. Predeceased by his wife, Betty McFarland Norton, five children, eight grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and a sister survive.

TIMOTHY E. NOBLE, a retired newspaper editor, died Feb. 11, 2012. He was 74. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was the son of Francis O. Noble of the class of 1917 and the grandson of Eugene A Noble of the class of 1891. During his long career in journalism, he won five first-place awards as an op-ed page editor, was the sole editor responsible for the Watergate coverage his newspaper’s readers received, and rewrote a book for a Nixon apologist. He also served six years as president of his fraternity’s alumni chapter and 22 years as a trustee of the organization, years characterized by a feud with the international body of the group over coeducation.

PETER D. NIXON, a retired manufacturer’s representative, died Dec. 13, 2009. He was 76. A member of Chi Psi, he received his MBA degree from Northeastern University and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was also an enthusiastic basketball player and coach. He is survived by one son; his friend and companion, Alyce Carella; his former wife; his brother, David L. Nixon ’53; and many nieces and nephews.