C. Arthur “Art” Eddy P’78,’80,’81, GP’23, mathematics teacher and coach at Hotchkiss for three decades, passed away on Feb. 19, 2023, after a brief illness. He was 90 and lived in Salisbury, CT, where he leaves a legacy of community involvement, having served as a volunteer for numerous organizations, including the School Board, the Board of Finance, the Board of Tax Review, and the Salisbury Association. He was a longtime member of the Northwest CT Unitarian Fellowship.

Born in Gardner, MA, on May 11, 1932, Eddy earned his B.A. from Colby College in Waterville, ME, in 1954 and was a pitcher on Colby’s baseball team. He received an M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1962, and an M.A. in mathematics education from the University of Oregon in 1969.  

Before joining the Hotchkiss faculty, Eddy worked for a year in the Colby College Admissions Office and then enlisted in the Army, serving in the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps during the Korean War. He began his teaching career at Amherst Regional High School in Amherst, MA, where he taught math from 1958 to 1963.

Eddy first came to Hotchkiss to work in the School’s summer program in the early 1960s. He became interested in learning more about what he heard was an unusual approach to teaching math at Hotchkiss; an approach that condensed the usual four-year math preparation into three years (grades 9-11), all to prepare students to study calculus in the 12th grade. He was told about an opening for a full-time position, applied, and joined the Hotchkiss faculty in the fall of 1963. 

In addition to teaching math, Eddy served in a variety of other roles during his years at Hotchkiss: dorm faculty in Buehler and Dana; referee for soccer and basketball games; teaching faculty in the Greater Opportunity (GO) Program, a summer enrichment academic and athletic program for teenage boys from inner-city neighborhoods in Connecticut and New York; class scheduler; and, for 16 years, coach of girls varsity softball. For a number of years after his retirement, The C. Arthur Eddy Softball Award, given in honor of his years as coach, was awarded to that girl who, through attitude and effort, made the greatest contribution to the spirit and success of the varsity softball team. 

David Bolmer ’73, now retired after more than three decades teaching in the Hotchkiss math department, remembers, “Art Eddy was my geometry teacher when I was a lower mid. I returned to Lakeville to teach 13 years later, and he was one of my mentors in the math department. He was always patient with his students, and they admired him in return.

“All of us lucky enough to be at Hotchkiss when the faculty put on The Pirates of Penzance will remember him as the police captain. The faculty police literally stopped the show because the students clapped and cheered until we got a repeat of the number before going on. Art was the leader and the star of the police,” Bolmer says.

“After his retirement, Art became one of the most loyal fans of the varsity volleyball team I coached for many years. It was not a surprise to see him in the stands when we went to Deerfield or other faraway matches, as well as all of the home matches,” he recalls.

Robin Chandler ’87, former co-athletic director, remembers, “Mr. Eddy was a terrific softball coach. I remember so clearly all of my four years playing for him. In all that time, he never changed his bunt signal. I can remember vividly him sitting on the bench with a bat across his knees, and if you missed the signal, look out. Thankfully I was always too slow, so I rarely got that signal.

“Well after his retirement, you could still find Mr. Eddy cheering on Hotchkiss athletes or see him playing golf on the School course. He will be missed,” said Chandler.

Eddy loved teaching. He remained connected with a number of his former students until his death, and those relationships were very dear to him. He loved and was proud of his family. He loved a good pun and Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream. And he loved golf, which he played throughout his 30-year retirement—as many times a week during golfing season as he could.

Arthur Eddy was predeceased by his first wife, Barbara J. Eddy, in 1988, with whom he had four children, and his second wife, Anne Rudd Eddy, in 2011. He is survived by his daughters, Sara Eddy ’78, former director of alumni and parent programs at Hotchkiss, and Joanna Lewton ’80 (Christopher Lewton); sons Clark Eddy ’81, P’23, academic coach in the Class of 1964 Teaching and Learning Center (Wendy Levithan, the Edgar Cullman ’36 Teaching Chair and head of Classical and Modern Languages) and Josh Eddy (Robin Eddy); grandchildren Zachary Lewton, Caleb Eddy ’23, Meghan Eddy Zambada, Joey Eddy, and Jacob Eddy; great-grandchild Elijah Zambada; his sister, Lorna Rivers; brother, David Eddy; and loving nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Art Eddy’s life will be held at the Congregational Church of Salisbury (30 Main Street, Salisbury, CT) on Saturday, April 15, at 1 p.m.