We are reposting this 2015 memory of our long time friend and fellow Rotarian Don Whiston who sadly left us on July 11 at age 93. His friend and Rotarian, Nat Puslifer, said recently that he will be remembered as an honorable and wise man.
Speaking to the club in 2015, Don regaled us with anecdotes from his then new book “Winning Silver” which recounts his years as a hockey pioneer at Brown University and a silver medal winning goaltender for the US team at the 1952 Oslo Winter Olympics. At Brown, Don was the 1951 NCAA tournament MVP and a First Team All American. He later served as head hockey coach at Brown.
That day, Rotarians had a rare opportunity to hold a real Silver Medal. He also was the first college goaltender to wear a mask, proving there are no dummies at Brown; Don still had all his teeth.
He served with the Coast Guard in the Pacific theater during the final year of World War II, was a former President of the First National Bank of Ipswich, and was known for his philanthropy, including serving on the Board of the Coburn Charitable Society in Ipswich.