William Mercer; was president of New England Telephone
As an Eagle Scout, William Mercer learned how to be a leader at a young age. As a businessman, Mr. Mercer kept true to the Scout oath he had taken decades earlier and turned being a leader into a profession.
Mr. Mercer started working as an auditor at what was then New England's largest communications company and rose to become its president. He was even elected president of his retirement home a year after he moved in.
"He was just one of those guys who did the best he could in any position, and when you do that you just sort of rise to the top," said his son Bob of Old Mystic, Conn.
Mr. Mercer, former president of the New England Telephone Co., died of heart failure Wednesday at the Clark House Nursing Center at Fox Hill in Westwood. He was 88 and had lived in Wellesley for almost 30 years.
Mr. Mercer, a native of Philadelphia, grew up in New Jersey, where he was a Boy Scout. It was the beginning of a lifelong affiliation: He earned the Eagle Scout rank in 1935 and was awarded the Scouts' Ralph Lowell Distinguished Citizen Award in 1980 for honoring the Scout oath that pledges helping others.
Mr. Mercer earned bachelor's and master's degrees in business from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in 1940. A year later, he joined the Army Air Force. He graduated at the top of his navigation class and was asked to teach the subject, his son said. He finished his military service as a captain in 1946.
He was a salesman for
Mr. Mercer's management skills and inviting personality helped him quickly rise through the company's ranks, co-workers said. He was named general manager in 1959 and two years later became vice president of personnel for Atlantic Telephone and Telegraph, the parent company of New England Telephone. He also moved to Connecticut that year.
Mr. Mercer became president of New England Telephone in 1971 and moved from Connecticut to Wellesley.
"He would have to go before the Department of Public Utilities, which regulated the telephone companies then. He would make his case and they believed him because he was a credible man. When you saw him or saw his picture you just sort of believed him," said Dick Hill , former chief executive of the Bank of Boston, who knew Mr. Mercer for 35 years.
Mr. Mercer served as a member of various boards of trustees including Bank of Boston, John Hancock, and the Museum of Science, his son said. He was head of the 1974 United Way campaign, and a year later named president of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay.
In 1982, as AT&T , the parent company of New England Telephone, prepared to restructure its company as the result of a federal antitrust ruling, Mr. Mercer retired from his position.
In retirement, Mr. Mercer worked to build up another institution -- Colby-Sawyer College in New London, N.H., the alma mater of his wife, Ramona (Wells) , who died in 2005.
"He did a lot for Dartmouth College, and one day my mother got a call from Colby saying they'd like her to contribute some of her time. She said 'I don't do that very well, but my husband does,' and that was the beginning of years on their board," said his son.
Mr. Mercer felt he could make an impact at the 900-student college and served almost 20 years on its board of trustees.
"He saw the difference that he made, he saw the difference others were able to make, and there was a part of that that was very fulfilling," said Anne Winton Black , chairman of the Colby-Sawyer board of trustees who had served with Mr. Mercer.
Colby-Sawyer's athletic field and exercise and science building are named for Mr. Mercer.
His philanthropic and business efforts were recognized by other area universities as well and he received honorary degrees from institutions including Suffolk University and Northeastern University.
In addition to his son, Mr. Mercer leaves three other sons, Lee of Arlington, Va., Raymond Ilg III of Wilmot, N.H., and John of Barre, Vt.; two sisters, Margaret Eastman of Placerville, Calif., and Elizabeth McChrystal of Carlsbad, Calif.; 10 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were private. 