Arthur R. Quimby Jr

Arthur R. Quimby, Jr., 77, of Columbia died Monday (December 6, 2010). Born in New London in 1933, he had a storied high school basketball career, leading his Bulkeley High School team to undefeated state and New England championships in 1951. Sought by many colleges, he chose UCONN where he was a standout player and still holds several school and national rebounding records. Turning down opportunities to play professionally, he pursued a career as an educator, first as a gym teacher at Windham Tech, then as principal at Ellis Tech, eventually serving as Superintendent of the Connecticut Vocational Technical School System. While at UCONN, he received his commission in the Army Reserve, and continued to serve for over thirty years, retiring in 1986 as a Colonel. A lifelong fisherman and avid golfer, he enjoyed his retirement years with family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Judy; his three children, James Quimby, Kathleen Quimby Garcia, and Paul Quimby; his daughter-in-law Corinna Quimby; his son-in-law Oliver Garcia; his six grandchildren, Katie and Jessica Quimby, Alexander and Nathaniel Garcia, Caroline and Jack Quimby; and his sister Gloria Hratko. A memorial service will be held on Sunday (December 12) at 1:00 p.m. at Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson St. (Rte. 195) in Willimantic. His family will receive friends at the funeral home for one hour prior to the service. Memorial contributions may be made to Windham Technical High School Student Activity Fund, 210 Birch Street, Willimantic, CT 06226 (memo: Arthur Quimby Memorial Scholarship). For online memorial guestbook and directions to the funeral home, please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com .