Roswell S. Bosworth, Jr., former editor & publisher, Army Air Force veteran

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Roswell S. Bosworth Jr., 90, of Bristol, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017, while he was traveling out of the country. He was the husband of Marcia Walls Bosworth for 42 years.

He was the son of the late Roswell S. and Edith (Howard) Bosworth. His father was editor and publisher of the Bristol Phoenix from 1928 to 1974.

Born in Bristol on Sept. 2, 1926, he attended local public schools through graduation from Colt Memorial High School in 1944.

In addition to his wife, his survivors include his son, Peter Cook Bosworth, of Lee, Mass., and a daughter Barbara Russell Bosworth, of Shoreham, Vt.; two stepsons, Matthew D. Hayes and Jonathan W. Hayes of Bristol; a sister, Nancy B. Crutchfield, of Niceville, Fla.; a nephew, Steven Crutchfield, of Gainesville, Va.; eight grandchildren, including Sarah Magill McLornan of San Antonio, Texas, Andrew B. Magill of Austin, Texas, Emilie Bosworth-Clemens of Pittsburg, Penn., Colin Bosworth-Clemens of San Antonio, Texas, and Rebecca Bosworth-Clemens of Montague, Mass., Kaitryn Hayes, Harley Hayes and Zelda Hayes, all of Bristol; and a great-grandchild, James McLornan of San Antonio, Texas.

Prior to his retirement in 1999, he was the owner and publisher of the East Bay Newspapers for 25 years. Prior to that he served in various assignments with the newspapers beginning in 1949. During his career he founded the Barrington Times in 1958, the Warren Times in 1961, the Sakonnet Times in 1967 and the East Bay Classifieds in 1985.

He was among the founders of the New England Press Association, as well as the Suburban Newspapers of America, and served as president of both groups. Following his retirement in 1999, he was elected to the Hall of Fame of the New England organization, and the Rhode Island Press Association. In 1991, he was honored as the recipient of the distinguished Dean Lesher Award by the Suburban Newspapers of America for "outstanding service and invaluable contributions to the advancement of the suburban newspaper industry."

In 1998, he was presented the Horace Greeley Award by the New England Press Association for "excellence, dedication, courage and excellence in serving the public interest."

The Portuguese government honored him in 1982 as a member of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator.

He was active in several civic roles in his hometown, including chairman of the Bristol Fourth of July Committee for three terms in the early 1950s, and he also served as chief marshal of the 1981 celebration.
In 1969, he served as chairman of the commission that drafted the Bristol Town Charter, which was adopted by the voters of Bristol in 1970 and is still used today.

Earlier, he was a member of the commission that arranged the purchase of 26 acres of land from the estate of Samuel P. Colt which became the Bristol Town Beach and sports complex at Colt Drive.

In 1954, he helped organize and served as chairman of the Bristol Harbor Development Commission. This group oversaw the building of the town dock at Rockwell Park, construction of the launching ramp at State Street, acquisition of the Armory Dock, and purchase of State Street Dock by the town.

During World War II, he served in the Army Air Force and was in the combat air crew training program when the war ended. He later received a commission in the Air Force Reserve and remained in the Reserve and National Guard through 1963.

He was a graduate of Colt Memorial High School and the University of Rhode Island. At URI, he was editor of the campus newspaper and was among the leaders in the campaign to establish the bachelor of arts degree, which paved the way for the change in status from state college to university in 1951. He was honored by the university in 1961 with the URI Award for his editorial leadership in campus issues.

He was a strong supporter of the Bristol Volunteer Fire Department and was a former member of the Defiance Hose Company, and an honorary member of the Hydraulion Fire Company. While a member of the town charter commission, he pushed for adoption of the present merit system in selecting both the fire chief and the police chief of Bristol.

In recent years, he was a trustee of the Mary Bannister Ambulance Fund, which provides funds for public ambulance service.

He was a founder and past president of the East Bay Chamber of Commerce, and a past president of the Bristol Rotary Club.

He also served as president of the Linden Place board of directors for three years after leading a campaign for the Friends of Linden Place to purchase the historic estate from the Colt family.

In the 1960s, he and his father were instrumental in bringing the Roger Williams College campus to Bristol and later served as trustees of the college. Both had misgivings with the management of the college under the direction of Thomas J. Paolino and Ralph R. Papitto, and voiced their opinions on the subject in the columns of the Bristol Phoenix.

He was a member of St. Michael’s Church, where he served as a member of the vestry and senior warden. He was also a member of St. Alban’s Lodge of Freemasons.

He had a lifelong connection to Prudence Island, spending summers there as a child and throughout most of his life, where he and his wife have had a home for almost 40 years. He was a member of the Prudence Island Volunteer Fire Department.

He and his family visited mainland Portugal and the Açores on many occasions, and he was instrumental in organizing the Portuguese language page that appeared in his newspapers for more than 25 years. In 1982, he was honored by the president of Portugal with appointment to the distinguished Order of Prince Henry the Navigator. He was also honored by the Don Luis Filipe Beneficial Society of Bristol.

In recent years, he devoted much of his time to his family, writing of his experiences and impressions and cultivating his gardens and blueberry patch on Prudence Island.

A memorial funeral service celebrating his life will be held on Saturday, March 4, at 11 a.m. at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Bristol, immediately preceded by a Masonic memorial service at the church.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The Linden Place Endowment Fund, c/o Rhode Island Foundation, 1 Union Station, Providence, RI 02903.

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