Paul L. Sweet ’46 died on May 9, 2011, in Kennebunk, Maine.
(The following was provided by the Portland Press Herald on May 11, 2011)
KENNEBUNK — Paul LeBaron Sweet, DMD, formerly of Danbury, Conn., and Wells, passed away on May 9, 2011, at Huntington Common, Kennebunk, after a long illness.
Dr. Sweet was born on Sept. 10, 1924, in Somerville, Mass., to Walter Prescott Sweet, former superintendent of Danbury Public Schools, Connecticut (1941-1963), and Lillian S. LeBaron Sweet.
On July 30, 1949, he married the former Mary F. Chase in Utica, N.Y., and they enjoyed a fifty-six-year marriage until her death on Dec. 3, 2005.
Dr. Sweet was a direct descendant of Dr. Francis LeBaron, the first-known physician and surgeon in the Plymouth Colony.
Dr. Sweet attended Medford public schools and in 1942 graduated with honors from Danbury High School, Connecticut, where he played on the football and baseball teams. He attended Bowdoin College, Brunswick, where he was a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity and played on the football team as a freshman. He took part in the V-12 Officer Training program at Bates College, before serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Dr. Sweet graduated from Harvard Dental School in 1948 and was a member of the Aesculapian Club. He served as a dentist and performed oral surgery for the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War.
Dr. Sweet had a successful dental practice for more than thirty years until he retired to Maine in 1986. He was often on-call for emergencies at Danbury Hospital and taught dental hygiene to nursing students. He was a member and past president of the Danbury Rotary Club.
An avid golfer, he was a member of the Ridgewood Country Club and twice represented the club as part of a foursome at golf tournaments in Scotland and Italy in 1960s. He was also a member of the First Congregational Church and sang in the church choir for several years.
A talented clarinetist, Dr. Sweet often gathered with fellow musicians to play Dixieland jazz. He also liked to ski with family and friends.
During his retirement in Maine, Dr. Sweet enjoyed playing golf and bridge, oil painting, stamp collecting, reading, and taking long walks on Drakes Island beach, where he had spent many childhood summers. He participated in the creation of the Laudholm Land Trust in Wells. He was a loyal Red Sox fan and the devoted companion of two golden retrievers and a dachshund.
Dr. Sweet is survived by his sons, David of San Francisco, Jeffrey of Sharon, Mass., and Robert of South Freeport; daughters-in-law, Elisabeth S. and Marliss H. Sweet; grandchildren, Nathaniel, Anna, William, Benjamin and Nicholas; a brother and sister-in-law, Russell and Madeleine Sweet of Simsbury, Conn.; and many nephews, nieces, and cousins.