Nelson Doubleday Jr. 1933-2015

Nelson Doubleday, Jr. Eaglebrook ’47 passed away Wednesday, June 17 at his home in Locust Valley, NY. He is survived by his wife Sandra, has two sisters Ellen Violet and Neltje, his four daughters Wendy Havens, Lillian Woodworth, Nanki Doubleday, and Phoebe Timpson, two step children Duke Barnett and Alexis Barnett, and 13 grandchildren. Like most of us in the late 1940s, Nelson dealt with wartime, being away from home for the first time, and how to gain self-confidence and find his own identity when he came to Eaglebrook. He eased down the hill to Deerfield Academy along with classmate Dick Chafee who became an architectural historian, Dave Huggins who was a senior vice-president at Morgan Stanley, Victor Mahler, an architect who gained considerable respect for solving how to keep the window glass in place for the John Hancock Building in Boston, and Steve Mahoney, who became a prominent urologist in Cleveland and at the Cleveland Clinic.

Nelson came into his own after graduating from Princeton working at the family publishing house where he wisely put in place the best management he could and then let them do their job without much interference. He became quite the entrepreneur in other fields as well, starting enterprises ranging from a golfing company to an explosives factory. He was responsible for a gift of fireworks to celebrate Eaglebrook’s 75th anniversary at Winter Carnival with a truly magnificent display in the midst of sudden and spectacularly beautiful snowstorm. Purchasing the then cellar-dwelling Mets, he brought in the management (Frank Cashan) that won a World Series Championship. Also under his ownership he revived the Islanders hockey team as well wining four Stanley Cups, a legendary achievement. Nelson knew how to delegate and make valuable suggestions as he did while active on Eaglebrook’s Board of Trustees, suggesting Eaglebrook should prepare a long range (10-year) plan to be reviewed and revised annually.

He had a knack not only for the quick bon mot and lightning fast repartee but also for making those around him have fun and feel respected. In his adult years he displayed increasing athleticism not only on the golf course but also on the tennis and paddle courts, and he never let a competitor escape without his jokes and witticisms. He became quite the yachtsman (and bon vivant) on his yacht Mandalay where he established the Around the Island Race, known ever after as the Nantucket Bucket. Libations were free.

As a board member he took seriously the charge of supporting Eaglebrook’s management and faculty in any way he could. We all were happier for his respect, suggestions, and humor, and we will always treasure his long-term support, which included recommending without any pressure ever appropriate if not wonderful boys and families to Eaglebrook. He will be sorely missed. His smile says it all for he was instinctively committed to making happy those whose lives he touched.