Barr Clayson, a far-seeing investment counselor; at 72

BARR CLAYSON

Even though his view was mostly the ceiling as he sliced through pools competing in the backstroke, Barr Clayson always kept his focus on the destination he couldn't see, en route to winning masters swimming events into his 70s.

Colleagues say he also anticipated what lay ahead as he helped keep New England Baptist Hospital fiscally healthy and worked as an investment counselor at Standish, Ayer and Wood.

"He understood that recessions always end, and he had a wonderful way of selecting sound, long-term investments for the clients," said John Wilkins, a friend and colleague who is chairman of the New England Baptist Board of Trustees that Mr. Clayson once served as vice chairman. "Even when things were challenging, he just kept forging ahead. Barr could always see the sun on the other side. He didn't always know how we were going to get there, but he knew we were going to get there."

Mr. Clayson, who won three races during a masters swimming competition 17 months ago, died of cancer Sunday in his Weston home. He was 72 and had divided his time between that residence and one in Naples, Fla.

An All-American swimmer at Brown University, Mr. Clayson was training to compete in trials for the US Olympic team in 1960 when illness curtailed his aspirations. Taking up swimming again more than 30 years ago, he quickly became competitive, and his athletic grace was as visible in the boardroom as it was in the pool.

"You always noticed his physical presence," said Joseph Dionisio, president and chief executive officer of New England Baptist Hospital. "He was a tall, handsome man and he carried himself well and was impeccably dressed. He got your attention. You had to fixate on him when he was in the room, and after the initial impression, he wowed you with his intellect."

Davis Barr Clayson was born in Pittsfield and graduated in 1954 from South Kent School in Connecticut. While there, he began dating Pamela Farrington, and they remained a couple, marrying after he graduated from Brown 50 years ago.

"He was just always kind and gentle and lots of fun," she said. "Anyone who needed some sort of advice or help or anything, he was always there to give it to them. He always thought of other people before himself."

Initially a football player at Brown, Mr. Clayson suffered a concussion and sought another sport. He excelled on the swimming team and earned a spot in the university's athletics Hall of Fame.

An ROTC student, Mr. Clayson served with the US Navy and was training with the ROTC swim team to compete in the Olympic trials and the Pan American Games when an illness sent him to New England Baptist Hospital. One of the doctors he met suggested that Mr. Clayson become involved with the hospital's financial affairs.

As a member of the Board of Corporators, then as a trustee, he assisted with the hospital's fund-raising efforts and used his business acumen to guide New England Baptist through the changing healthcare landscape of the past few decades.

"He had a gift for recognizing trends that required organizational response," said Sam Fleming, a longtime friend who chaired the New England Baptist Board of Trustees when Mr. Clayson was vice chairman. "He could see out a few years and, as a board member, pick out those things that really needed attention."

For example, Fleming said, Mr. Clayson anticipated in the 1970s that the hospital would need to shift its focus after Lahey Clinic, which had been referring many of its admissions to New England Baptist, built its own medical center in Burlington.

"Despite Barr being one of the younger board members, he saw the importance of the hospital changing its major thrust and was instrumental in changing it to a leading orthopedic center," Fleming said.

At Standish, Ayer, and Wood, which Mr. Clayson joined in 1963 when the firm operated under a different name, "he was one of the major forces, a very senior leader in shaping the business of what was a very successful investment management firm," said Ted Ladd, the company's chairman emeritus and a former president and board chairman at Standish. "He exuded energy. He was particularly interested in the international area and did an extraordinary job of formulating an approach to international investing. He was always interested in what were the fundamental forces that were changing our world."

Whether he was at Standish, New England Baptist, a swimming meet, or at home, Mr. Clayson had a calm demeanor that put those around him at ease.

"He had a great temper - I should say a lack of a temper," said his son, Davis of Weston. "I look back through the years, and I don't think I ever saw him lose his temper, ever."

Mr. Clayson remained unruffled as he squired his family around the world. He worked in Paris and lived there with his wife and children for several months in the 1970s and organized family trips to places as different as Barbados and a dude ranch in Colorado.

"He was so adamant about bestowing upon his family the values he most cherished and keeping us together in a good way," his son said. "I mean, who's going to turn down a vacation to the Caribbean? But it became more than just a vacation; it became time to be with the family. He was always the catalyst behind that."

In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Clayson leaves two daughters, Jennifer Rapp of St. Louis and Wendy Harris of Wellesley; two brothers, George P. III of Newport, R.I., and Alan of Stamford, Vt.; two sisters, Nancy Anne Forster of Nantucket and Mary Kneisel of Westport, Conn.; four granddaughters; and four grandsons.

A memorial service will be held Thursday at 11:30 a.m. in Wellesley Hills Congregational Church. Burial will be private.