A. Reid Cross Jr. ’49

A. Reid Cross Jr. ’49 died February 26, 2013, in New Haven, Conn., of lymphoma. He was born on December 31, 1927, in Stamford, Conn., and graduated from Darien (Conn.) High School. He enlisted in the Army during after completing one year at Bowdoin and served to technical sergeant in Italy. He returned to Bowdoin, a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, and graduated in 1950, remaining a member of the class of 1949. He was recalled to active duty in the Army and attended Officer Candidate School. He then went to work for Pitney Bowes in Stamford but took a leave of absence to join the U.S. Agency for International Development in Washington, D.C., where he served as Kenya Desk Officer and attended The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He and his young family then relocated to Nairobi, Kenya, for two years, where he served as assistant program officer. In 1968, he returned to Pitney Bowes’s headquarters, where he held a number of executive positions, including a two-year assignment in London. He retired in 1988 after thirty-four years with the company. He held a leadership role in the early years of the Stamford United Way, served as a director and officer of several organizations in the field of mental health, and as a director of the Stamford chapter of the American Red Cross. He was active with the Interfaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut, as well as serving as president of Interfaith of New Canaan. He played the trombone in a number of community bands in Darien, New Canaan, and Westport. He was an active member of the United Methodist Church of New Canaan and was a director of the former Citizen’s Savings Bank of Stamford and its successor, Gateway Bank. He was named Stamford’s “Outstanding Young Man of 1960” and won the Distinguished Service Award from the Stamford Jaycees in 1961. He is survived by his wife of fifty-seven years, Nancy Bechert Cross; daughters, Alison Hubley ’79, Martha Stewart, and Susie Davidson; sons Bruce and Jeffrey Cross; sister Shirley Duff; and eight grandchildren. He was predeceased by a granddaughter, Angela Hubley.

Add a Reminiscence:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *