WINDSOR, Conn., Sept. 27, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- William H. Flammer Jr. of Vero Beach, Fla., and Devon, Pa., has pledged $8.6 million toward the construction of a performing arts center at The Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, Conn. His pledge represents the single largest gift to the school in its history.
A 1943 graduate of The Loomis School (now Loomis Chaffee), Flammer has had a long history of involvement with his alma mater. He has donated generously to the school's Annual Fund, contributed to the John Ratt‚ Fund for Faculty Salaries, and chaired the fundraising committee for his 50th reunion, raising a record $589,600 in actual and deferred gifts. Additionally, Flammer has been active as an Annual Fund volunteer for his class. He has served on the Loomis Graduate Council and as a school reception host in Philadelphia and in Vero Beach, Fla.
At Loomis Chaffee, Flammer established the Olive Maud Spence Scholarship Fund, awarded to a boy or girl of Jamaican or West Indian descent. He writes, "Olive Maud Spence came into our home when I was a child to cook and do housework. She gained great respect from us all over the years and in some ways both my sister and I were considered by her as her children. She gave us words of wisdom, advice and lots of love."
Born and raised in Bronxville, N.Y., Flammer was a two-year boarding student at Loomis. He was in the military drill, the octet and the Glee Club; and he served on the Dormitory Entertainment Committee. He was on intramural soccer, hockey and track teams. After serving as a corporal in World War II, he then earned his A.B. degree from Princeton University in 1950.
Flammer then embarked on a career in insurance, working for Penn Mutual Life Insurance in New York. In 1961, he moved to the Philadelphia area and became agency vice president for Reese and Company, Inc., affiliated with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance. In 1976, he relinquished his management duties and returned to life insurance sales, concentrating on estate and business planning. After more than 40 years in the business, he retired from Massachusetts Mutual in 1992.
Flammer's first wife, Betsy Ann Gage Flammer, died in 1976. Married in 1952, they had three children, William, Hope, and Lucy. Flammer and his second wife, Patricia Sinnett, were married in 1981. An art historian with particular expertise in furniture, she studied at the Barnes Foundation and lectured widely in the Philadelphia area, including at the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, she served as a guide at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as a Park House guide at Fairmount Park and as a docent at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware. She died in 2000.
At Loomis Chaffee, the William H. Flammer Jr. '43 Center for the Performing Arts will include a large main stage area and auditorium for theatrical and musical performances; state-of the art technical equipment; practice rooms for bands, choruses, orchestra and chamber music ensembles; rehearsal and performance rooms to accommodate dance programs; and individual practice rooms. The Center will complete the school's Ratt Quadrangle, named for previous Loomis Chaffee Headmaster John Ratt‚ with whom Flammer enjoys a close and admiring friendship.
"Loomis' impact has driven me -- subtly -- to think about how some day I might make a similarly meaningful contribution to others -- only on a larger scale," explained Flammer. "I am delighted to help honor such a special person and my friend, Dr. Ratt. How wonderful it is, and how grateful I am, to be able to make a difference for Loomis Chaffee."
Photo available for this release: William H. Flammer
To view photo, go to www.enewsrelease.com/pressroom and enter release I.D. 29770
-0-
CONTACT: The Loomis Chaffee School
Media:
Linda C. Fellows, Director of Public Relations
(860) 687-6108
Fax: (860) 687-6552
Email: linda_fellows@loomis.org