Frank McCord Eccles ’48

Skip Eccles died Nov. 1, 2005.

He graduated from Phillips Andover Academy, where he returned to teach mathematics, become a housemaster, and coach lacrosse, as well as being a dean. In summers he frequently taught in Dartmouth's A Better Chance program.

Skip graduated from Princeton with high honors in mechanical engineering. He was a major force on the lacrosse team, served on the editorial board of the Tiger, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He attended the Naval Academy from 1945 to 1947.

On graduation he moved to Schenectady, N.Y., as an engineer at GE. He and Helen were married in 1951. In 1956 they returned to Andover. Helen, too, was known as Skip; to avoid confusion they became Mrs. Skip and Mr. Skip.

Skip had a passion for teaching and for social justice. He wrote a report on the composition of the student body that became the blueprint for Andover's multicultural,

multiracial, multiclass community. He was a tireless volunteer and advocate for less advantaged children. On his retirement from Andover in 1990, Skip and Mrs. Skip were called "the conscience of the academy."

Skip is survived by Helen; his son, Charles; daughters Lydia, Isabel, and Betsy; four grandchildren; and a great-grandson. The class extends condolences and affection to the entire family.

The Class of 1948