Baxter Patrick
- Published: September 1, 2011
Former Yellow Springs resident Baxter S. Patrick died peacefully on Aug. 12 at Carolina Meadows in Chapel Hill, N.C., three weeks after celebrating his 98th birthday with family and friends.
Born in New York City in 1913, the only child of Scottish immigrant parents who became naturalized U.S. citizens, Baxter enjoyed a lifelong passion for music as a violinist. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in English at Wesleyan University in 1936 and a master of arts in teaching at Columbia University. His career in education and administration included service as Antioch College’s associate director of student personnel, the dean placing students in cooperative education, from 1949 to 1956, and as the director of alumni relations at Wesleyan University from 1956 to 1968.
Baxter married Grace “Peggy” Farley in 1940, and they raised three sons, James, Robert and David. All fondly remembered their years in Yellow Springs. After more than 20 years in Middletown, Conn., in 1977 they moved to western Connecticut where Peggy succumbed to cancer. In 1983 Baxter moved to Chapel Hill; he joined Carolina Meadows in the community’s early years. An avid musician on his own and in ensembles, he strongly supported the North Carolina Symphony and helped lead a fund-raising effort to acquire an excellent piano for Carolina Meadows. He loved traveling, playing croquet, performing on the violin and introducing people to each other to build community.
Baxter is survived by sons James (and Melissa) of Carlisle, Mass., Robert (and Martha) of Gumusluk, Turkey, and granddaughter Jessica of Boston, Mass.
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