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Willett Benjamin Sherwood, Jr. '44

Nov. 19, 1920-Apr. 8, 2006

Willett Benjamin Sherwood, Jr. ’44, who practiced law in Vestal, NY, for some 50 years, was born on November 19, 1920, in Hackensack, NJ. The elder son of Willett B. ’15, a printer, and Caroline Merriam Sherwood, he grew up in New Hartford, NY, and was graduated from New Hartford High School. After two years of varied employment, Ben Sherwood entered Hamilton in 1940, with a future career in the law already in mind. He joined Theta Delta Chi, took part in dramatics with the Charlatans, and participated in sports, including track and soccer. Elected to Quadrangle and DT, he remained on the Hill until the end of 1942, when he enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army. He served during World War II with an anti-aircraft battalion in Europe, after landing in Normandy in June 1944, and was awarded several battle stars.

Discharged after the war’s end in 1945, Ben Sherwood never resumed his undergraduate studies, but instead went directly to Cornell Law School. He obtained his LL.B. degree in 1948, and on November 28 of that year, he and Ellen Delfs were married in Albany, NY. The couple settled in Vestal, near Binghamton, where Ben established his law practice in 1949. For the most part it was a solo practice until 1980, when he went into partnership with his son, Michael, forming the firm of Sherwood & Sherwood in Vestal.

In addition to his general practice, which he continued on a limited basis until his death, Ben Sherwood served for 35 years as attorney for the Vestal Central School District and was a past president of the New York State Association of School Attorneys. Beginning in 1978, he also served as an impartial hearing officer in disputes between parents and upstate school districts concerning student discipline and the education of handicapped children.

Fond of tennis, golf, and sailing, Ben Sherwood was also an enthusiastic downhill skier who took up ski racing in his 50s and did not abandon the slopes until the age of 83. He and Ellen often spent winters at their condominium in Taos, NM, where the mountains and ski valley were nearby. They enjoyed travel as well, and their many overseas journeys took them from France and Sweden to New Zealand and China.

Ben Sherwood had, in addition, a great interest in art, and was himself an accomplished watercolor artist. A former director of the Fine Art Society of the Southern Tier and president of the Chinese Art Association of Binghamton, he personally pursued artistic studies with impressive results.

W. Ben Sherwood, an ever faithful and supportive alumnus, died on April 8, 2006, while hospitalized in Johnson City, NY, of complications following surgery. His wife of 57 years and their children were by his side at the end. Besides his wife, he is survived by four sons, Michael D., Jeffrey H., Matthew J., and Peter W. Sherwood; five daughters, Susan I. Sherwood, Sarah Pinfold, Candace Havens ’79, Cynthia Evans ’82, and Jill Mirabito ’83; and nine grandchildren and his brother, Robert M. Sherwood, father of James A. Sherwood ’74.

 

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Note: Memorial biographies published prior to 2004 will not appear on this list.



Necrology Writer and Contact:
Christopher Wilkinson '68
Email: Chris.Wilkinson@mail.wvu.edu

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