Archibald Douglas III of Narragansett, Rhode Island, died March
19 2013 after long illness bravely borne. Born July 18, 1929 in New York
City, he attended Buckley School, St. Paul's School, and Yale University
'52. He also served proudly as a Marine lieutenant in the Korean War.
A business executive at many companies, he found his greatest success at
Kingsford and Wite-Out, Inc. Archie's life was distinguished by fierce
competitiveness and accomplishment. A superior athlete at St. Paul's, in
1947 he became the first non-senior to win the Gordon Medal. As a
senior, he traveled to England as a member of the Winant Volunteers,
serving war-torn Britain and receiving a royal audience with the King.
At Yale, his proudest affiliation was his 3-year participation on the
ice hockey team under legendary coach Murray Murdoch. The 1951-1952
team, arguably the finest in Yale's history, ascended to the finals of
the NCAA tournament. He loved to regale his children with stories of how
he was a poor skater but "good in the corners." Most memorable was his
tale of spitting his false teeth onto the ice to draw a major penalty
against any opposing player who checked him. Archie won the National
Junior Squash Championships at 18 and went on to excel in racquet sports
throughout his life. From Old Black Point CT,Gates Mills OH, Louisville
KY, Princeton NJ and finally Narragansett RI, he and his wife Wayne
competed vigorously and loudly as a team in tennis and paddle tennis for
decades, while miraculously staying married.
Blessed with a strong tenor voice, Archie loved to sing and play the
piano. He participated in the St. Paul's School Choir, the O's & B's at
Yale, and was a passionate extra for the Louisville Opera, his oft
repeated solo - "The Supper's Ready" - becoming a matter of family lore.
He also performed in memorable musical revues at the Louisville Country
Club. Archie was a founding Board member of St. Francis School in
Louisville.
He led the fundraising campaign for the St. Paul's Class of 1948's 50th
reunion, resulting in a new record for contributions. In his 70s, he
served on the Board of Governors of the Yeamans Hall Club in Charleston,
SC where he and Wayne made their winter home. He enjoyed a lifelong love
for fishing and hunting, nurtured by boyhood summers spent at the
Adirondack League Club in Old Forge, New York.
Archie introduced each of his children and grandchildren to the world of
fly-fishing for trout on Little Moose Lake and the South Branch of the
Moose River, a world that, for him, possessed almost mystical power and
significance. Later in life, he developed a passion for the pursuit of
Atlantic salmon, travelling to northern Quebec and Labrador and twice to
Russia. He also enjoyed frequent trips to New Brunswick's famed
Miramichi River. In retirement, when not fishing for salmon, trout,
bonefish, bluefish, or striped bass, Archie devoted himself to the
pursuit of birdies, eagles and pars. He remained a dedicated golfer even
after being declared legally blind. His keen memory and understanding of
each course's challenges meant that he was always a threat to win the
hole. He could be counted upon to explain that he was a great putter but
needed distance.
Archie is survived by his wife of almost 57 years, Wayne Goss Douglas,
his daughters Daisy Savage, Eliza McErlean and Deirdre Carey, his son
Archibald Douglas IV, eight grandchildren, his brother and sister
Geoffrey Douglas and Eleanor Douglas, and numerous cousins, nieces and
nephews. His brother, James A.M. Douglas, predeceased him.
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