Necrology

David Monteith Close '45

Sep. 14, 2019

In applying for admission to Hamilton, David Monteith Close ’45 indicated that he planned to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a wholesale salesman. As events would prove, though not precisely pursuing that occupation, he did not stray far from sales, working first in marketing and then advertising.

David Close died on Sept. 14, 2019, in Redding, Conn. Born in Portchester, N.Y., he came to Hamilton from Rye High School in the fall of 1941 and joined Sigma Phi fraternity. World War II interrupted his studies and he withdrew from the College on Jan. 31, 1943, to enlist in the U.S. Army. Having learned to ski in childhood, David was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division and was sent to Camp Hale, Colo., to become a ski instructor. Injured while in training, David was reassigned upon his recovery to the 35th Infantry Division and sent to Fort Benning, Ga., to become a paratrooper. There he was also commissioned as a second lieutenant and, after a period of time at Camp Fanner in Tyler, Texas, he and his division were sent to Europe.

By this time, the Allies were pushing into Germany just a few weeks before it surrendered, although resistance remained heavy. On April 1, 1945, as David’s platoon was relocating to a new position, it came under enemy fire. The citation that accompanied his Bronze Star with “V” for Valor stated that “his disregard for personal safety while commanding his platoon and aiding the rescue of the wounded reflected great credit on David M. Close and the armed forces.” 

He would later recall a remarkable incident in which he delivered a baby to a German woman resident of a town that his unit was helping to liberate. After one of his men reported that the infant was not coming out, despite his best efforts, David approached the woman. As he later put it: “I had no idea what I was doing. I just reached in, turned the baby’s shoulder, and it popped out.” The grateful mother named her new son after him.

Discharged in the spring of 1946, David promptly returned to Hamilton and restarted his studies in the summer session of that year: the College had adopted a year-round academic calendar of four, 12-week sessions to accommodate returning veterans. Majoring in economics and political science, he graduated in June 1948. He maintained allegiance to the Class of 1945 with whom he had matriculated.

At some point following his return to the Hill, David met Anne Goodeve, a student at Smith College. They were engaged in the spring of 1948 and married in August 1949. They had two daughters and a son.

Also in 1948, David went to work for Coca-Cola as a marketing representative in the company’s national sales office in New York City. Three years later, after a brief stint at United States Rubber where he was in charge of sales promotion, he became assistant product manager for Farmington Chocolate, a component of the Walter Baker Chocolate and Cocoa Division of General Foods Corp. 

In 1956, he and Anne settled in Wilton, Conn., which would be his home for much of the rest of his life, and David became a commuter to New York City when he joined New Ayer Advertising. Two years later, he was hired by the Vick Chemical Co. (makers of, among other things, VapoRub), a division of Richardson-Merrill, Inc. From there, David moved on to SSC&B, an advertising agency, then worked for a period of time for Doyle, Dane, Bernbach before joining Kenyon & Eckhardt Advertising as an account supervisor in 1969. He was promoted to vice president in 1970. He would move once more, to the advertising agency Rosenfeld, Sirowitz & Lawson, later Rosenfeld, Sirowitz & Humphrey, and would retire at the end of 1989 as senior vice president for marketing and account services. 

There was more to David than advertising. He was a lifelong skier (true to his initial assignment in the 10th Mountain Division), played tennis, and sailed out of Norwalk, Conn., on Long Island Sound, frequently in 8-foot Dyer Dinghies and even during the winter months when he joined fellow “Frostbite Sailers.” During summers, he and his family took longer cruises on larger sailing vessels. He was also a gardener, built model ships, and was a painter of marine subjects, his preferred medium in acrylic paint. He and Anne also frequently traveled abroad.

In retirement, David immersed himself in the work of the Wilton Kiwanis Club, where he and the other members raised funds for local organizations. Beyond the Wilton Club, he was elected lieutenant governor of Kiwanis in Connecticut and, in that capacity, helped other clubs in enlarging their membership and services. He also volunteered for Meals on Wheels and as a mentor for students at the Cider Mill School, an elementary school in Wilton. He was a volunteer at the Fairfield County Juvenile Court in Bridgeport, where he earned the respect of both the presiding judge and participating attorneys. A longtime member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, he served on the vestry and sang in the choir.

Following Anne’s death in 2011, David moved to a retirement community in Redding, a town next to Wilton, residing there for the rest of his life.

Reflecting on his undergraduate education in his 40th reunion yearbook, he contrasted the “very collegiate pre-war Hamilton” with “the much tougher post-war Hamilton.” He served the College as a member of his class’s reunion gift committee and for several years played on the alumni hockey team.

David M. Close is survived by his three children and four grandchildren.

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