BELMONT - Wallace P. Rhodes, 82, of Church Street, died Monday, July 17, 2017 at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester.
He was born on September 5, 1934 to a prominent Belmont family, who cared passionately about community heritage. The son of the late Ira and Viola (Piper) Rhodes, he was a graduate of the Gale School in Belmont and the University of New Hampshire. As an historical researcher and author, his pride in detail and accuracy adhered to the same standards as his first career in New York with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and for the State of New Hampshire, some 32 years in the Banking department as senior examiner and manager.
Mr. Rhodes wrote and edited “Reminiscences of a New Hampshire Town” published as part of a year-long 1969 Belmont Centennial celebration. Mr. Rhodes was a charter member of the Belmont Historical Society, also founded that year, and was President at the time of his death. He was dedicated to that organization as its Historian, longtime officer, and oversaw a major exterior restoration of the 1792 Province Road Meeting House.
He also served his beloved community as elected Budget Committee member, Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Heritage Commission, Village Revitalization Committee member, Belmont Senior Center Advisory Council, Save the Gale School Committee, citizen consultant to New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources Section 106 reviews, and led the multi-year effort to save the Belmont Mill beginning in the 1980s.
The Belmont 1989 Town Report was dedicated to him as catalyst of the Mill project, including his major personal contribution. Over the years, that adaptive reuse and rehabilitation was also recognized by Inherit New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, New England Chapter of the Victorian Society of America, and New Hampshire Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), among others. Four years ago, the story of the Belmont Mill was added to a New Hampshire Historical Highway marker on Route 140 – still another local history initiative he led.
In 2010 Mr. Rhodes was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Historical Societies of New Hampshire, and in 2015 with a Community Heritage Award from the Belmont Board of Selectmen and Heritage Commission. On that latter occasion he was conferred the title of Town Historian Emeritus.
For decades he researched his extended family and travelled yearly to investigate out of state cemeteries and other archival sources. His collection of local photographs, artifacts and Belmont history is unmatched. The consummate kindness and time of Wallace in passing on Belmont history to students of all ages will be remembered along with his generous spirit.
He is survived by three cousins; Virginia Doble of Gorham, Norman Theberge of Florida and Elaine Corriveau of Belmont, his friend of 46 years, Sherman Gammon of Belmont and good friend Bob Rein of Belmont, as well as many other close friends.
Following his request, there will be no calling hours or memorial service.
The family suggests that his memory be preserved by joining the Belmont Historical Society or contributing to the Province Road Meeting House campaign to restore the interior for community use and Belmont Historical Society collections. Write to the BHS at 229 Dutile Road, Belmont NH 03220.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, N.H. is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.