William Gustave Kurth ’54 died on January 6, 2005, in Andover, Massachusetts.

Born on January 6, 1932, in Andover, he prepared for college at Tabor Academy in Marion, MA, and became a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity at Bowdoin. Following his graduation in 1954, he joined the A.B. Sutherland Department Store in Lawrence, MA, founded by his grandfather, Andrew B. Sutherland, and in 1963 succeeded his father, William W. Kurth ’25, as president of the firm. In 1975, he became a ship broker with Hemisphere Yacht Brokers of Fort Lauderdale, FL, working in Massachusetts. In 1983, he became the owner of Ad Specialty Sales, which provided advertising and business services. He was a member of the Andover Chamber of Commerce and served as a member of National Retail Merchants, the Massachusetts Merchants, the Greater Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, the Lawrence Rotary Club, and the Cape Ann Tuna Club. Surviving are his wife, Barbara Nichols Kurth, whom he married in 1954; a son, Alan Kurth of Tenafly, NJ; two daughters, Susan Blane of North Andover, and Sandra Muscatello of Andover; a sister, Elizabeth McDonell of Danvers, MA; and six grandchildren.