Skewes, who handed away on Mar. 27, served beneath 4 Dartmouth presidents and labored for plenty of Hanover neighborhood organizations.
Supply: Courtesy of David Skewes
Over the course of his life, John Greenslade Skewes ’51 TU ’56 had a “peaceable” angle that profoundly impacted everybody round him, based on his son David Skewes.
“He was one of many kindest folks I ever knew,” his son, David Skewes, mentioned. “Everyone that knew him liked him.”
Skewes, who handed away on Mar. 27, served as Director of Enterprise Affairs for the Faculty and led and based a number of organizations in Hanover. Skewes is survived by his two sons, two daughters, 5 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, based on his on-line obituary. He was 93 years outdated.
Skewes was extremely concerned on the town life, based on David Skewes. He based the Hanover Youth Hockey Affiliation, served as president of the Hanover Enchancment Society, was a member of each the Hanover and Dresden Faculty Boards and the Hanover Board of Selectmen. Skewes additionally chaired the Hanover Inn Board of Overseers, directed the Hanover Water Works Firm and was concerned with the Hanover Rotary Membership. In 1993, Skewes was named Hanover’s Citizen of the Yr.
Born in Claremont, New Hampshire, in 1929, Skewes moved to Harmony, Massachusetts, for his senior yr of highschool earlier than graduating in 1946.
As a born and raised Granite Stater who grew up attending Dartmouth soccer video games and observe meets, Skewes by no means doubted the place he wished to attend faculty, he mentioned in a 2003 interview.
“I used to be a Dartmouth fan from being a child,” Skewes mentioned. “I simply by no means thought-about the rest.”
Dartmouth was the one faculty utilized to, and he was “semi-recruited” to play soccer by backfield coach Milton Piepul, based on Skewes’ interview. Whereas in faculty, Skewes majored in historical past and based Dartmouth’s first rugby staff.
“[John Skewes and other students] began the rugby program as a result of there was a match in Bermuda,” David Skewes mentioned. “They thought it could be an excellent excuse to go to Bermuda on spring break, which was certainly one of his fondest recollections.”
After graduating from Dartmouth in 1951, Skewes enlisted within the Military “with three different pals” from faculty, serving as an officer throughout the Korean Struggle. Whereas on go away from officer candidate faculty, Skewes met his spouse Constance again in Harmony. David Skewes recalled his father’s story of assembly his mom on the division retailer, the place she labored on the time.
“He went as much as her and mentioned ‘Would you wish to go to a hockey sport?’ to which she responded ‘with who?’ and he mentioned ‘with me,’ and that was their introduction,” David Skewes mentioned.
Hockey was an necessary a part of Skewes’ life, based on David Skewes. He was his son’s hockey coach, and took their staff to Lou’s Restaurant & Bakery — which was then owned by his good friend and founder Lou Bressett — after each follow.
“I might nonetheless be in my hockey tools sitting on the counter with my dad, having certainly one of Lou’s crullers and a cup of sizzling chocolate,” David Skewes mentioned. “I’d say that’s certainly one of my favourite recollections.”
John Hochreiter, who served as President of the Hanover Enchancment Society after Skewes, and as a member of the Hanover Rotary Membership, remembered Skewes as “confident, dynamic and one of many brightest folks I’ve come throughout.”
In line with Hochreiter, Skewes had a “precious” connection to the Hanover neighborhood, including that Skewes “engineered the subsequent two presidents” of the Hanover Enchancment Society by “placing his arm round and saying ‘wouldn’t you want to do that?’”
Skewes helped the Rotary Membership to type a greater relationship with the Faculty, Hochreiter mentioned. As a member of the Faculty’s administration, he facilitated the conversations that gave Rotary a “town-gown relationship,” based on Hochreiter.
“[Skewes] all the time believed within the rotary traditions of service above self,” Hochreiter mentioned.
Skewes by no means forgot the lifelong pals he made whereas at Dartmouth. He may nonetheless recall the names of his classmates eighty years after commencement, working into and sitting with outdated pals at Dartmouth soccer video games, David Skewes mentioned.
“That’s a reasonably neat legacy,” he mentioned.
Every time Skewes left Hanover, he discovered his manner again. After graduating from the Tuck Faculty of Enterprise in 1956, he and Connie briefly moved to Connecticut. Ultimately, the couple discovered that they might not justify residing in Connecticut once they wished to spend their time in New Hampshire, based on David Skewes.
When requested what saved Skewes in Hanover, David Skewes answered, “Dartmouth.”
“He simply liked the Faculty,” David Skewes mentioned. “He walked to work. He was simply so accustomed to the place and he liked being part of that neighborhood.”