NEW BEDFORD -- Donald M. "Don" Tucker, Esquire, 63, of New Bedford died unexpectedly Sunday, Aug. 17, 2003, while enjoying a run through Buttonwood Park.
Born in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, he was the son of the late Frederick A. and Marion M. Tucker.
He graduated from Episcopal Academy in Devon, Pa., in 1957. At Princeton University, he majored in history, a lifelong passion. He was a member of the Cottage Club and graduated in 1961. He received his JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1964. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1982.
He had a long and successful career as a lawyer and executive in Philadelphia, New York and Massachusetts. He began his career as an associate with Rawle and Henderson, a law firm in Philadelphia. He was senior counsel at Celanese Corp. in New York, and later vice president and general counsel of Worthington Compressors in West Springfield. He was general counsel and vice president for law and administration for Wyman Gordon in Worcester, where he founded its in-house legal department. At Wyman and Gordon, he also was president of International Titanium in Moses Lake, Wash.; Rome Industries in Cedartown, Ga.; and Reisner Metals in Los Angeles. More recently, he took on a variety of management and legal consulting roles, including directing privatization projects with the World Bank in Skopje, Macedonia.
At the time of his death, Mr. Tucker was executive director of the Lloyd Center for Environmental Studies in South Dartmouth. His work there was more than a job; it allowed him to nurture his lifelong passion for the outdoors and spread his firm belief in our responsibility as human beings to the world we inhabit. His activities included rejuvenating the center's stewardship of coastal wetlands, teaching visitors and youths about the beauty and preciousness of our natural habitat, and fostering understanding of our natural environment. He established research projects with institutions such as UMass Dartmouth, the Coalition for Buzzards Bay and Tufts University. Under his guidance, the center gained a new stature in the local and scientific communities of southeast New England.
He was a loving and supportive father. His friends and family will remember him as a gracious and generous man who had a great laugh, a tremendous sense of humor and a great love for life and the outdoors.
He committed his time, energy and active support to numerous organizations and causes devoted to social and environmental good in Massachusetts. His lifelong involvement with his faith included serving as the stewardship chair for St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Wellesley.
An avid fly fisherman and outdoorsman, he enjoyed sea kayaking, hiking, golf and racquet sports, especially squash; he was a long-standing member of the Maugus Club in Wellesley and the Weston Golf Club in Weston. These passions often led him to far-away places; he fished and kayaked in Alaska, hiked in Patagonia, bicycled in Tuscany and explored India. He also was a long-standing supporter of the National Outdoor Leadership School and was a regional fund-raising leader. His all-encompassing zest for life informed his work, his faith and his life, and inspired friends and colleagues alike.
Survivors include two daughters, Elise T. Toland of Glen Ridge, N.J., and Rebecca J. Tucker, Ph.D., of Colorado Springs, Colo.; a son, Benjamin B. Tucker of Boston; his loving partner and friend, Kumkum Amin, as well as Woody Tucker of Cambridge; five grandchildren; and a brother, Frederick A. Tucker of Bryn Mawr, Pa.
A memorial service will be held at the Grace Episcopal Church, 422 County St. at the corner of School Street, New Bedford, Ma. on Saturday, August 23rd at 1PM. In liew of flowers donations may be sent to The Lloyd Center for Environmental Studies, 430 Potomska Road, South Dartmouth, Ma. 02748.