Obituary of Arthur Whitman

Arthur Whitman passed away peacefully on January 7. He was on hospice for four days before he passed away, and during that time a steady stream of friends and family came to visit him, talk with him, and play music for him. He had a robust and active life until the very end, with his good friend John Brown picking him up to take him out to lunch, senior college, a concert, or just a drive around the countryside almost every day. His life was filled with adventure, inquiry, and activism. Here is Arthur in his own words from an article he wrote for the Melrose Mirror in 2007: “I was born in Melrose on May 31, 1926 and graduated from Melrose High in ‘44. Then Navy Reserve enlistment 1945-46, Seaman 1st class (Quartermaster striker) on the USS Arlington Ap174 in the north Pacific and Whitman College (Walla Walla, Washington) on the GI Bill for a BA in Political Science in 1950. Immediately following graduation I began three years teaching English at Robert College (the oldest American College abroad) preparatory division on the Bosphorus, Istanbul Turkey. There followed six years in New York with the Near East Society and the Near East College Association before marriage to Marianne Morse 1957 (also of Melrose) and returning to Istanbul to oversee the financial affairs of schools and medical institutions in Greece, Turkey, Syria and Lebanon. In 1966, the Centennial Year of the American University of Beirut, I was invited to Beirut to establish a public relations and fund-raising program in the Middle East that would sustain AUB in perpetuity. In 1976 I returned to the New York office of AUB to work with Howard Page of Standard Oil of New Jersey and the AUB trustees on a major gifts campaign. I retired at 65 in 1991 having returned to the family farm in Auburn, Maine and taking up a variety of community, national and international interests: Editorship and production of local newspapers with circulation of 22,000; Executive Director of the World Affairs Council of Maine; Executive Director of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association; Treasurer of the Veterans for Peace/Maine founded just 21 years ago about a mile from our farm.” ...and this doesn’t even describe half of what was a very full life. To add just a few things: Arthur was active in the Boy Scouts of America in his early years, and started the first Boy Scout troop in Turkey when we was teaching at Robert College. When he lived in Lebanon he was an active member of Americans for Justice in the Middle East, served as Treasurer for the organization, and organized a two day march from Beirut to the the city of Tyre in an effort to bring attention to the plight of Palestinians. In Maine, he was a dedicated member of numerous social justice and social outreach organizations including VFP, MOFGA, Community Concepts, and NoCircMaine. He ran several successful political campaigns for Auburn State Senator John Cleveland. He facilitated numerous Great Decisions and other discussion groups around the state. He was a member of the East Auburn Community Unit, and helped to successfully negotiate the transfer of property from the Community Unit to the East Auburn School next door so that the school was able to expand and stay open as a local community elementary school. He actively supported the teachers at the East Auburn Community School, and opened his farm to regular field trips, which became a central experience for the children at the school, as his place was close enough so that the classes could walk up the dead end road to his farm to be able to experience the joys of lambing season in the spring, sugaring off in the late winter, and making cider in the fall. He and his wife Marianne were enthusiastic supporters of all things musical. They rarely missed a concert at Bates college, and they opened their hearts and home to support artists young and old (particularly fiddle and other stringed instrument players). He was pre-deceased by his four brothers John, David, Robert, and Philip as well as by his wife of 56 years, Marianne Morse Whitman. He is survived by his daughter Beth, son Alan, and granddaughter Caroline. There will be a memorial service for Arthur will be held on Saturday Feb 4th at 11am at the First Congregational Church in Melrose, MA. (121 W. Foster St). The service will be followed by a reception where we can gather and share food and memories. There will also be a "remembering Arthur dinner" at cohousing in Belfast in early May for folks here in Belfast Maine and surrounds. If you are interested in attending that event and want me to send you the details as they emerge, please let his daughter Beth know at whitmanbeth@yahoo.com.