Bruce McEwan passed away peacefully on Nov. 23rd, 2017, surrounded by family members and M.L., his engaging and devoted wife of 44 years. As reported earlier, Bruce had been in declining health for the past year. He inspired others with his trademark joviality throughout the trying time. In a note to classmates for our 50th Reunion in 2005 he wrote: “I hope to see y’all in ’05, but I am still smoking and drinking and according to The New England Journal of Medicine, I’ve already been dead for 4 1/2 years.” Well, Bruce’s upbeat presence bested the Journal’s prediction by 17 years! He’ll be circulating among us in spirit sharing his abounding enthusiasm when we gather for our 65th Reunion in 2020. Mike Grant writes: “No member of our class loved Deerfield more, and he constantly talked up reunions and getting together through trips and regional associations. He was a colorful guy with magnetic energy and a puckish sense of humor. He was also a local legend in Florida politics, and represented the Orlando area in the state legislature with panache.”
Bruce was an active participant in his community. He served in the Florida Legislature for 12 years and had a perfect attendance record in his Orlando, Florida, Rotary Club for 45 years! He and M.L. traveled extensively, and, on one occasion in 2004 they met Margarita and Manning on an Amazon River cruise. The Curtis’s were traveling with a group of alumni from Andover Academy where Margarita was a member of the faculty. They quickly became friends and later, on a visit to Cape Cod, Bruce and M.L. urged Margarita to apply for the position as Head of School at Deerfield that had just become available. Well, since 2006 Deerfield continues to thrive with Margarita at the helm. Thank you Bruce, M.L., and Margarita.
Please refer to the Baldwin-Fairchild Ivanhoe Obituary for more details of Bruce’s many accomplishments and family members.
Captions for photos:
1. Bruce McEwan
2. A gathering at our 55th Class Reunion in 2010. (l-r) Tom and Merry L’Esperance, Jerry Rood, Bruce McEwan, Margarita Curtis, M.L. McEwan, Manning Curtis, Jay Morsman, and Joyce Rood
3. Terry Fuller and Bruce McEwan at our 60th Reunion in 2015
4. Bruce McEwan endures the elements with his matching umbrella
5. Bruce and M.L. McEwan en route to a wedding in 2017
