David Benedict

David died February 4, 2015 - Read Obit

(10/30/08 - Email from Dave Benedict) Bill – Thanks for your note. I don’t know anything about the book (Jack Davidson's sci fi work in progress) since I saw Jack in April but he hoped to be wrapping it up this year. He doesn’t always get his e-mail and sometimes he only gets messages when he attends a weekly computer class. I was planning to call Jack so I will check and let you know.

The most interesting thing in my life right now is a company of which I am on the board called GestureTek. It is billed as the “world leader in gesture control” but this is an exciting area that is very competitive and many large companies are trying to capture as much of this space as possible. It is fun and keeps me busy trying to keep up. You can check out the company at www.GestureTek.com and see the different areas including health. It won’t be long before you will be able to control TV sets, interactive picture frames, games and even your home with gestures. Also, in the small world department, the CEO of the company is Bill Leckonby who is a friend and the former husband of Pam Page HGHS ’58. Regards - Dave

(Editor's note. The following updates were provided by David on 01/09/07)

2007 update. Retired from First Albany in June ’05 and moved full time to my home in Nantucket. Pam and I were divorced in 1996 so I decided to add a larger house next to the cottage we had built in 1982 since I needed a place to live. My children spent each summer in Nantucket until Julia and David graduated from college and had to get jobs. I sold the house in Nantucket in October ‘06 and have moved to Wilmot NH which is home of America’s current Poet Laureate, Donald Hall. Wilmot is between Concord and Hanover and next to New London NH. I spend the winter in Palm City, FL and now the summer in Wilmot. Enjoy playing golf, traveling and trying to stay involved with several small venture firms. I have included a picture of myself and Pam from this past summer of ’06 while visiting a college friend and his wife in Strathmere, NJ and another of my family at Christmas last year in Bermuda. I look forward to seeing everyone at the reunion - David

1997 recap: Worked in NYC for several firms including EF Hutton and Dillon Read. Married Pamela Greenwood in 1978. Pam was a widow with two children, Christopher and Jennifer and we lived in northern Westchester until 1980 when we moved to Dover, MA. We had two children, David (1980) and Julia (1983). I continued to work in the securities business in Boston for several firms including Bear Stearns and Alex Brown. In 1987, founded the Capital Markets Division of First Albany with four other partners and I moved the Boston Office to Wellesley, MA. In 1983 to celebrate Pam’s 40th we went to Italy where I was lucky enough to re-established my friendship with Fortunato Sorrentino and his family. We have remained close ever since and there have been many visits both here and in Italy. Fortunato and his wife Gabriela have two daughters, Sarah and Antonella. Fortunato recently retired from a successful career in the computer business and lives in Turin and has a small apartment in Albisola on the Mediterranean. I’m sure Fortunato will update his page so I’ll let him tell his story. I have included a picture I took of Fortunato last year when we were together in Italy (see Fornutato's page).

1982 recap: BS & BA from Lehigh University in 1962. Jack Davidson and I were roommates and fraternity brothers at Lehigh. Nancy Hamblenand I were married in September of 1961 before my fifth year at Lehigh. 3 years USMC. We were in Quantico, VA for Basic School then I was a Hawk Missile Officer with the 2nd Marine Air Wing in North Carolina where our son, Ken was born in 1963. I was sent to Japan for a little over a year in 1964-1965. Unfortunately, Nancy and I were divorced several years after I returned from Japan. I worked for IBM in New York City as a marketing representative selling computers to retail oriented clients such as Bloomingdales and Macy’s and worked with Bill Leckonby who was married to Pam Page HGHS ’58. I left IBM in 1970 when I began my career in the securities business.