Wallace H. Rowe III

"We had fun in Mr. Rowe’s class! He inspired generations of us to think, speak, and laugh. He reveled in the ribald, the malaprop, the incongruous, and transformed Shakespeare from boring to pure joy." 

"On the wrestling mat or in his classroom, Wally was a passionate teacher. He didn’t drive us. He didn’t need to. He just truly connected with us and made us take an extra step we didn’t know waited inside us to be taken."

Those quotes came from a compilation of letters from former students. Wally loved teaching, and his students loved him for how he taught. His enthusiasm for his subject,resounding laugh, love of colorful clothing, trick raffles of desserts at meals, silly bonus points on quizzes for such things as knowing the names of his dog, his eagerness to engage and his warmth defined him. 

He was born in Pittsburgh,then moved to Pasadena. Wally’s parents’ plans to send him back East to boarding school were thwarted as he chose a very different unknown Fountain Valley School, an adobe-styled former ranch, on a prairie in Colorado. His  four happy years there, with  pack trips on the one hand and Gilbert & Sullivan productions on the other, all under the guidance of an extraordinary set of teachers, determined his own  future career.

Princeton, the Army, Harvard School of Education where he met his future wife, Carol Hawkins, followed. He reveled in his next 41 years as a schoolmaster, English Department Head, wrestling and tennis coach, first at The Gunnery in Washington, CT, then at Gov. Dummer Academy, interspersed with three sabbatical years in Lebanon, England, and Singapore.

 He and Carol raised three children who survived the "faculty brat" challenge, the sabbaticals, family camping, and the dependably embarrassing behavior of their irrepressible father, such as making them sing the Ice Cream Song wherever that treat was served. But they also felt his loving warmth, his humor, and his pride in and support of them. 

In retirement, Wally continued read voraciously, sang in choral groups, became a BSO docent, served on the the boards of  Rockport Library and Shaliu Liu Music, and volunteered teaching. He and Carol enjoyed many cycling tours in Europe and other global travel. He loved sailing his little catboat around Conomo Point, Essex, the family’s anchorage for nearly 50 years.

 His final four years were at RiverMead  CCRC in Peterborough NH, where he found new friends , and, ultimately, a wonderfully supportive staff who helped care for him as his health failed. 

He is survived by Carol, his wife of 67 years, Wallace Rowe IV (Melissa) of Dublin, NH; Heidi Rowe (Will Speers) of Center Sandwich, NH; Marshall K. Rowe (Suellen), of Lookout Mt., GA; three granddaughters: Anne Marie Rowe, Gretchen Rowe Cork (Bobby); Jessica Rowe Teague (Gralyn); three step-grandsons: Joshua Speers (KC); Carter Speers (Leighton); Christopher Speers (Rosy) and their two sons.

 A Memorial Service will be held on Nov. 9th at 11 A.M. in All Saints Church, Peterborough NH. 

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be sent to:

Fountain Valley School, 6155 Fountain Valley School, Colorado Springs, CO 80911 (online at fvs.edu/give)  or to

The Frederick Gunn School Development Office, 99 Green Hill Road, Washington, CT 06793 (online at gogunn.org/give)

The Governor's Academy, at thegovernorsacademy.org/give