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- The Times Advocate, Massachusetts, March 9, 2020
Robert Dalglish Bassett (Picture included)
Robert Dalglish Bassett Former Walpole School Superintendent age 87, died peacefully on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Warwick, Rhode Island. He was born in Taunton (he was really born in Boston), Massachusetts, the son of Clarence Eustus Bassett and Clarissa Gray (Buffum) Bassett, and the stepson of J. Russell Edgerton. His life was filled with outdoor adventures, a steadfast commitment to the public good, and dedication to family. Bob graduated from Dartmouth College Hanover, New Hampshire in 1954 where he earned his A.B. in Botany and was an active member of the outing and glee clubs. He attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, completing his Master of Arts in Teaching in 1955, and taught science in the Manhasset, New York, public schools, also serving as chairperson for Science & Mathematics. Bob met his wife, Suzanne Posson Bassett, in Cambridge, MA and they were married in 1963. Bob continued at Harvard, conducting research for the Massachusetts Education Commission, and in 1968 completed his Ed.D. He joined the Walpole, MA. public schools as Assistant Superintendent in 1965, and advanced to serve as the Superintendent of Schools through 1982. Throughout these 17 years of advocacy for Walpoles teachers and students, some of Bobs greatest professional satisfaction came from mentoring young teachershe hired as many as 80 new teachers in a yearand implementing progressive, experiential education inclusive of all students. Following his years in the public schools, Bob worked at the Boston Museum of Science with educators from across the Northeast. From a young age Bob attended Camp Lanakila on Lake Morey in Vermont. He later worked there as a counselor, and it was there that he honed his knowledge of camp craft and of the White Mountains, but more importantly, developed leadership skills and commitment to community. Continuing to this day, the network of Aloha Foundation summer camps, of which Lanakila is one, is a second home for four generations of Bobs family. Environmental stewardship is foundational to Bobs legacy, and he will be remembered for teaching all the campers about the Appalachian Mountains establishing the environmental education program in Walpoles elementary schools, coordinating groups to clean up public land, wilderness camping with his family, and tending to his bountiful vegetable and flower gardens.
In retirement, Bob was a fervent genealogist, diving deep into historical research, well before the advent of internet search engines. He frequented the New England Genealogical Society in Boston to locate original documents and scoured cemeteries in the Northeast to explore New England colonial history and the fascinating stories within every family. He was one of the first in the country to join a DNA bank tracing genealogical roots and was a prolific contributor to Bassett genealogy projects worldwide. Hiking and birding trips took Bob and Sue to the tundra of Alaska and the rainforest of Costa Rica. Bob was an active member of the United Church in Walpole for over 50 years. Several years after Sues passing, Bob moved to Warwick, Rhode Island to live with his daughter Katherine. Bob is survived by his daughter Sarah and her husband Paul Mackey of Needham, MA; daughter Katherine and her husband Richard Kavanagh of Warwick, RI; daughter Carolyn and her husband F. Lewis Goff of Pelham, MA; and beloved grandchildren Dana Heino, Brandon and Steven Kavanagh, Willem Goff, Ian and Ronan Mackey, great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his brother David Bassett of Rochester, NY, and his twin sister Elizabeth Bassett Wolf of Palo Alto, CA. He was predeceased by his wife Suzanne in 2002. Expressions of sympathy in Bobs memory may be donated to the Aloha Foundation at alohafoundation.org/give/. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 4 at 1:00 p.m. at the United Church in Walpole (30 Common Street). Burial will take place at a later date in Walpole. The Barrett & Cotter Funeral Home in Warwick, RI is assisting the Bassett family.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1932 - 2020 (87 years)