William Barthel Conklin

Newport, RI - William Barthel Conklin, 76, of 26 Brinley Street Newport, died Sunday, February 13, 2005 at home.He was the husband of Gene Murray Conklin. Born in Middletown, NY on December 8, 1928, he was the son of the late William and Ruth Herman Conklin. Mr. Conklin attended Florida State University on a full scholarship, and later would study at the Lodon School of Economics. He served in the Korean War as a corporal and also worked as a journalist for several army publications. His wartime journalism earned him a Freedom Foundation Award. Following an honorable discharge, he moved to Manhattan in 1954, where he worked as a copywriter for BBDO Advertising. He continued to work for BBDO in New York, San Francisco and Boston, rising to the position of Creative Director and Vice President. He married artist Gene Murray in 1957. A member of Manhattans Players Club, Bill was active in the arts and co-wrote and produced the Off-Broadway musical ?O Say Can You See?? in 1962. Bill and family moved to Walpole, NH in 1974 where he worked as a contributing editor for Yankee Magazine. He published numerous short stories, humor and p oetry in Yankee as well as Readers Digest, the Herald Tribune and other publications. Bill moved to Lynn, MA, in 1996 and later settled in Newport, working as a creative consultant for a variety of firms including Whittle Communications. Bill will be deeply missed by family and friends for his unique humor, passionate intelligence and vast generosity of spirit. Besides his wife he is survived by two daughters Laura Gene Conklin of Port, OR, and Amy Ruth Conklin of Belmont, MA, her son-in-law Mark Dolny and grandson Nathaniel William Dolny of Belmont, MA. Funeral services and burial will be private.