Walter Wadsworth Simons Jr. ’52

Walter Wadsworth Simons Jr. ’52—of New York City; Mill River, Massachusetts; and Orvieto, Italy—died peacefully in his home in the Berkshires of Massachusetts on February 16 surrounded by his family. Born in Yonkers, New York, he graduated from Roosevelt High School and served in the U.S. Army for 18 months before attending college. At Dartmouth he majored in sociology. He received his master’s from New York University. Walter’s international career began in Indonesia, as the director of communications for Standard Oil. He went on to work as the deputy executive secretary for a division of the UN food and agriculture organization based in Rome, Italy. He returned to the United States and founded the Industry Council for Development, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to agricultural development in Third World countries. An accomplished artist, Walter had studios in Italy and the Berkshires. He was a longtime member of the Art Students League of New York City. He and his wife, Mary, were married for some 60 years; she predeceased him on February 9, 2014. His daughters, Alexandra and Hilary, their spouses and six grandchildren survive him.