Necrology

George “Gerry” Rhodes Sherwin '63

May. 8, 1941-Jun. 8, 2022

George “Gerry” Rhodes Sherwin ’63, P’90 died at his home in Murrells Inlet, S.C., on June 8, 2022. Born in Worcester, Mass., on May 8, 1941, he came to Hamilton from Wachusett Regional High School in Holden, Mass. He majored in history and was a member of Gryphon fraternity. Using figure skates, he played intramural hockey for his house and was also a golfer who succeeded in breaking 50 on the College’s nine-hole course only two weeks before he graduated, a belated success reportedly due to his unorthodox swing.

Before entering the U.S. Navy that summer, Gerry worked for Filene’s Department Store in Worcester. When he applied for a job, he was told all of the summer positions were filled. Noting that he was a Hamilton graduate, the intake person brought his application to the store manager who immediately offered him a management trainee position. His luck held: while working there, he met Jane Alicia Stumpf. They were married on Jan. 21, 1967, in Auburn, Mass., the start of a 55-year marriage that only ended with his death. They had a daughter and two sons.

In fall 1963, Gerry joined the Navy and was sent to its Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I. He served five years of active duty on two ships, the USS Havre and the USS Mazama. Gerry’s final assignment as an active duty officer was in the U.S. Naval Communications School in Newport. In 1968, he joined the Naval Reserve Sealift Command and served for another 19 years, principally in Boston. By the time of his retirement he had risen to the rank of captain. His formal retirement ceremony was on the deck of the USS Constitution in 1987. 

The same year Gerry completed his active duty in the Navy, he became a management trainee at the Shawmut Bank of Boston, after which he relocated to the bank’s Worcester branch and worked there until 1976, rising to the position of associate vice president. From there, he moved to the Worcester office of the Safety Fund National Bank of Fitchburg, Mass., as vice president. In 1980, Gerry became the vice president for commercial lending in the Worcester office of the Bank of New England. In 1992, he and Jane moved to Plattsburgh, N.Y., where he first became regional and then senior vice president and senior lending officer at the Champlain National Bank. He retired in 2006. 

Gerry was a dedicated public servant wherever he resided. While working in Boston, he was a member of the Dorchester Kiwanis, the Brookline Chamber of Commerce, and the Plymouth Congregational Church. After moving to Worcester, he was active in the Greater Worcester Chamber of Commerce and served on the Worcester Corporation Council as its treasurer and director of its executive committee. As a member of the First Congregational Church of Worcester, he served on its board of administration and finance. He was also a member of the Worcester Country Club, enabling him to work on his golf game, and a volunteer for the United Way. Gerry was active in the Small Business Association of New England, including as a member of the board, treasurer, and director. Upon his retirement, he was honored as the U.S. Small Business Advocate of the Year for Syracuse.

During his residence in Plattsburgh, Gerry served on the board of the local public television station, WCFE-TV, and its radio counterpart, WCFE-FM. He was chairman of the Development Corp. of Clinton County for two years and was active in the Plattsburgh Rotary Club, serving for a time as its president; in 2005-06, he was honored as Rotarian of the Year and was elected a Paul Harris Fellow for his generous donations to the Rotary Foundation. He chaired the annual fund campaigns for the Foundation of Champlain Physicians Hospital Medical Center and the United Way.

Retiring to Murrell’s Inlet in 2007, Gerry once again involved himself in community service. He became president of the Men’s Golf Association of the Wachesaw Plantation Club in 2011 and served as captain of the club’s all-inclusive Tuesday/Friday golf group. He was active in the Grand Strand (Myrtle Beach) Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America as well as in the Unity Christ Church of the Grand Strand. He became a member of the Low Country Barbershop Chorus, fulfilling a lifelong dream of participating in organized singing.

According to his 50th reunion yearbook, he felt Hamilton was where he “learned to write properly and succinctly, to think critically, and [learned] the importance of staying mentally and physically active.” He placed high value on the College’s Honor Code, was a regular donor to the Hamilton Fund, volunteered for the Career Center, and served as a member of his class committee and class reunion gift committee. 

George R. Sherwin is survived by his wife, two sons, including G. Marcus Sherwin ’90, a daughter, and a granddaughter.

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