Alfred Eipper died peacefully at his home in the Lathrop Community, Easthampton, Mass. on April 17. Al was born on Nov. 16, 1919 in Montague, Mass.
In 1929 the family moved to Dalhousie, New Brunswick, where Al’s father Donald was offered a position with the International Paper Company. Because educational opportunities were slim in northern New Brunswick, Alfred and his mother Margaret stayed in Deerfield, Mass. during the school year. Al was a student at the recently founded Bement School and Margaret was hired as one of the school’s first teachers. They lived in Dalhousie, New Brunswick during the summers, often visited by the Keith family from Deerfield, Mass. During this period, Al’s affection for Molly Keith, which began in elementary school, continued to grow. After attending Deerfield Academy and the Putney School, Al studied at Harvard University from 1938 to 1939. He then transferred to Reed College where he received a BA in psychology in 1941.
During WWII Al served as a Lieutenant in the Coast Guard. From 1941 to 1945 he was stationed in Astoria, Ore., Ketchikan, Alaska and finally in Staten Island, N.Y. In 1945 he was ordered to leave the Brooklyn Navy Yard on a destroyer escort, assigned to go to Pearl Harbor. In the Pacific, they learned that they were to be the “antennae” of a naval invasion of Japan, radioing back information to the fleet until they were sunk. This plan was aborted because of Japan’s surrender following Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Molly Keith and Al were married on Sept. 27, 1942 in Oregon. Their first child, Margo, was born in 1945, followed by Steve in 1947 and Eric in 1958.
Al attended the University of Maine in Orono from 1946 to 1948, receiving a M.S. in Wildlife Conservation in 1948. The family then moved to Ithaca, N.Y. where Al was a graduate student in Fishery Biology at Cornell University and was awarded a Ph.D. in 1953. From 1952 to 1975, Al was first an Assistant Professor and then an Associate Professor of Fishery Biology at Cornell, where he taught graduate students and conducted research on trout pond and warm water fisheries management. He was the author of 25 technical papers and a contributing author of four books on fisheries, environmental problems, and natural resources policy. In the mid 1960s a nuclear power plant was proposed on Cayuga Lake near Ithaca. The plant was to use cold lake water for cooling its reactors. Al was a leader in assessing and educating the public about the potential harmful effects on the lake of this planned warm water discharge. Due in large part to his work, the plant’s operating license was ultimately denied.
In 1975 the family moved to Harvard, Mass. From 1975 to 1980 Al was the Power Plant Activities Leader of the Northeast Division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He coordinated Fish and Wildlife Service environmental impact assessments and recommendations for power plant operations in the mid-Atlantic and northeast region. After his retirement in 1980, Al and Molly built a home on the Damariscotta River in midcoast Maine. They led an idyllic life there for 22 years. Al was a masterful flower gardener and continued this passion in Maine. Molly continued her lifelong career as an artist, and both shared their love of the outdoors, camping and cross-country skiing. Both Molly and Al were active in the Midcoast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Al lectured extensively on the dangers of unchecked population growth, resource depletion and environmental degradation.
During their years in Maine, Molly and Al were active in founding CONA (Citizens Opposed to Nuclear Arms). In 2000 Molly and Al moved to Western Massachusetts, joining the Easthampton Lathrop Community in 2001. At Lathrop Al was very involved in the interrelated problems of population growth and climate change. He was active in forming the Green Committee to educate Lathrop residents about climate change and facilitate their adoption of energy conservation measures.
In 2006 Molly died following a long illness. During his last 10 years, Al developed progressive orthopedic problems causing decreased mobility. He was remarkable in his grace, equanimity and consistently positive outlook as he adapted resourcefully to increasing physical limitations. Al was exceptionally caring and loving toward family and friends.
Al is survived by his daughter, Margo Guertin of Lexington, Mass.; sons, Steve Eipper of Deerfield, Mass., and Eric Eipper of Seaford, Del.; 12 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at a date to be determined.
Al asked that memorial contributions be made to the National Resources Defense Council.
New England Funeral & Cremation Center, LLC, 25 Mill St., Springfield, Mass. has been entrusted with the arrangements.
