Necrology

Sydney “Gil” Gilmer Towell '50

Dec. 18, 1928-Mar. 30, 2022

Sydney “Gil” Gilmer Towell ’50, P’83 died in Maplewood, N.J., on March 30, 2022. Born on Nov. 18, 1928, in New York City, Gil was raised in Bronxville, N.Y., and came to Hamilton from Bronxville Senior High School. 

On the Hill, he was a member of the Squires Club and majored in economics and history. A passionate downhill skier, he joined the Outing Club all four years. He was on the staff of WHC radio station as a sophomore, ran track in his second and third years, sang in the Glee Club while a junior, and helped oversee a Student Opinion Survey in his junior and senior years. As a senior, he received the Darling Prize in American History for the most distinguished academic record in that subject in his class and was also admitted to Phi Beta Kappa.

From Hamilton, Gil proceeded to Harvard Law School, earning his degree in 1953. Following two years of service in the Army, he began his legal career in 1956 at the firm of Royal, Koegel & Wells in New York City and, in 1960, moved to the legal department of Prudential Life Insurance of America in Newark, N.J. He retired as Prudential’s assistant general counsel in 1994.

On Feb. 1, 1958, Gil married Juli Galway Shea in New York City. After their marriage, Gil and Juli lived in Bronxville until 1969, when they relocated to Short Hills, N.J., which remained their home for the rest of his life. They had a daughter and a son. 

Gil was strongly committed to community service. He served on Bronxville’s planning commission and on the board of directors of Planned Parenthood of Westchester County. In Short Hills, he was scoutmaster of Troop 15 of the Boy Scouts of America and, later, a member of the executive board of the Essex Council of the BSA. A longtime member of the building and grounds committee of Christ Church in Short Hills, he received the Saint George Medal in 2020 for his dedication to the church and the Boy Scouts. From 1982 until 1984, he was a member of the board of education in Milburn, N.J. In addition to joining the child care committee of the United Way of Essex and West Hudson, he served on the board of the Family Service and The Child Guidance Center of the Oranges, N.J. He was also vice chairman of the Milburn, N.J., chapter of the American Red Cross. 

Among his other accomplishments, Gil completed the New York City Marathon in 1986 in a time of 3 hours, 36 minutes, and 49 seconds. He ran half-marathons as well. Along with running, he was dedicated to maintaining his home and developing skills in carpentry, furniture making, and house painting.

Gil actively served Hamilton, promoting contributions by fellow alumni, serving on the major gifts, reunion gift, and planned giving committees, and volunteering as a class agent and gift chair. He took an active role in the Priorities for Hamilton and Campaign for the ’90s campaigns. For two years, he led such strong giving efforts that the Class of 1950 won the Brockway Cup, awarded to the non-reunion class that achieves the highest dollar total. He was also a Joel Bristol Associate, served on the Alumni Council, and was president of the Alumni Association from 1976 to 1978. 

S. Gilmer Towell is survived by his wife, his son Geoffrey G. Towell ’83, daughter-in-law Elizabeth Clayton Towell ’83, his daughter Jennifer Towell Smith, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

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