Earl Denton Chambers

Earl Chambers was the son of Earl Henderson Chambers and Florence Denton Chambers and was born on Flag Day 1925 in Norwalk Hospital, a location that he pointed out to the family every time he passed it on I-95. To earn money as a boy, he played the banjo on a sightseeing boat that cruised Long Island Sound. He graduated from Norwalk High School in 1943 and immediately volunteered for service in the U.S. Navy. He completed V-12 training at Dartmouth College, U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipman’s School at Columbia University, and Communications training at Harvard University, becoming a Communications Officer. The Navy knew their man: one of his duties was as “Welfare and Recreation Officer.” In August 1945, his ship, the U.S.S. Cruise (AM-215), left San Francisco for minesweeping duties in Japan. While en route, he received a coded message directing the ship to return to California. Knowing Earl to be a jokester, the Captain did not believe him and demanded confirmation from a nearby ship before reversing course. In 1946, Earl returned to Dartmouth College to finish his education, graduating in 1948 with a BA in Economics. He went directly to Wall Street and started at Manufacturers Hanover Bank, a predecessor of JP Morgan Chase, beginning a lengthy career in investment services. He also attended the NYU Graduate School of Business (now Stern). In the fall of 1949, he met his future wife, Ann (Nancy) Keating, on a blind date at a Yale-Dartmouth football game at the Yale Bowl; they married on September 9, 1950. His first daughter, Sarah Ann, was born in New York City in 1953. The new family moved to Providence, Rhode Island, where Earl began working in the Trust Department of Rhode Island Hospital Trust Bank. His second daughter, Lydia Denton, was born in 1960. In 1964, he was among a select group invited by the Japanese government to visit Japan in order to stimulate investment there. A year later, Earl joined the Trust Department of Marine Midland Bank in Rochester, New York, as vice president, and in 1966, he became a Chartered Financial Analyst. Earl moved the family to Riverside, Connecticut in 1970 when he joined Marine Midland’s Manhattan office. Never at home in a large city, Earl and the family came full circle and moved back to Rhode Island in 1972 when Earl joined AMICA Mutual Insurance Company to manage their investment portfolio. As senior vice president, he took a novel and daring approach and invested heavily in the stock market; his success with this strategy greatly solidified the company’s financial position. Upon retirement from AMICA, he went on to manage the public and private investments at a Providence family office for over 17 years. Not done yet, at age 83, he and two partners founded Newport Investment Management LLC, where he served as the equities advisor. In addition to his paid work, Earl served on the boards of numerous charitable organizations and non-profits, usually leading investment oversight. He shared his investment expertise generously with these organizations helping to build and maintain their financial strength. His vast community work included serving as a Trustee and chair of the investment committees for Women and Infants Hospital, Butler Hospital, Care New England, and Providence Public Library, where he held various officer positions, including president. Earl also served on the investment committees for South County Hospital, St. Andrew’s School, Rhode Island School of Design, Rhode Island Foundation, South Kingstown Land Trust, Providence Art Club, Central Congregational Church, and Providence Athenaeum, among others. He was a long-standing and active member of the investment club, IGWE (In God We Trust). He was a member of the Agawam Hunt, Providence Art Club, Turks Head Club, Willow Dell Beach Club, and the Dunes Club. He loved spending time with his family, playing tennis, skiing, fishing, growing tomatoes, following Dartmouth football, and traveling abroad. He enjoyed time at the shore - swimming in the ocean, walking along the beach, clamming, crabbing, and boating, especially fishing for bluefish off Block Island with friends and family. He also enjoyed crewing for a friend on the inland waterway. Best of all, he loved to get into mischief with his good friend, Dick Pretat – whether sneaking into the Brown alumni/ae campus dance, flying in Dick’s plane under the George Washington Bridge, or skiing out west with the guys. He had a love of life and endless enthusiasm for learning things and meeting new people. Everywhere he went, he was struck by ideas that inspired his investment strategies. He was loved and respected by many, he always had a funny thing to say, and he thrived on making people laugh. He passed away on December 12, 2014 and is survived by his wife and daughters, his sons-in-law, Robert Killian and William Stusnick, his step-granddaughter, Somers Killian, and his grandsons, Hunter and Henry Stusnick. A service will be held at Central Congregational Church, 296 Angell Street, Providence, on Friday, January 2, 2015, at 11:00 a.m. with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Butler Hospital, South County Hospital, or South Kingstown Land Trust.