Wilhelm F. Zantow ’54

Wilhelm F. Zantow ’54, of Orleans, Mass.; Jan. 9, of pancreatic cancer. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and taught electronics at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. He was recruited by IBM in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., then worked at Raytheon Corp. in Sudbury, Mass., finishing his career in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His proudest achievement was his design of the core rope memory for the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. He retired to Cape Cod in 1992 and began a new career building small boats and cabinets. He was a mentor and sponsor in the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous for more than 20 years and a founder of Club Drydock in Harwich, Mass. He was a member of the Nau-Sets Square Dance Club in Dennis and traveled the world attending square dance conventions. He was an active supporter of human rights and social justice activities. He is survived by his partner Elizabeth Kelley; nine children; six grandchildren; a sister; nieces; a nephew; and his former wife, Mary Guinn Zantow.