After fighting a serious respiratory disease for some time, and other skeletal issues that made moving about difficult, Pete Cruikshank passed away on May 1, 2014 in Williamsburg, VA. Pete, Nan and their family moved to Williamsburg in 1978 when Pete was invited to be the VP for Human Relations of Colonial Williamsburg. He and Nan, who passed away in 2004, were known and revered by everybody. I visited them in the mid-90s when I took a boy to visit William and Mary College, and have seen Pete off and on ever since. The last time was in early November, 2013 when my wife, Sandy, and I had lunch with Pete at the Williamsburg Landing, his last home base. Being in his company was akin to being with a rock star. People hollered greetings in the parking lot, and paraded by the luncheon table to shake hands and exchange gossip.
Pete loved his time at Deerfield, and we spoke often of the experience of being catcher and pitcher on the 1949 baseball team. We’ve lost a wonderful friend and first rate human being.
John Beard
1949