Retired 1951 Alumnus Remains Active on Boston’s South Shore

As one of six German students who spent his high school years under the pines, Class of 1951 alumnus Wilfried Mehring, or Willie as he was then known, remembers his time at Hamden Hall with fondness and has stayed in touch with our school community over the decades. Wil retired many years ago, but remains active through his volunteer work, daily exercise, and, of course, family life.

“I am amazed at the growth and excellent reputation Hamden Hall has achieved and maintained respectively,” said Wil.

With the growth of international education and culture in the late 1940s, the former late Headmaster E. Stanley Taylor and his wife Margaret T. Taylor brought six German students over to the school during the 1948-1949 school year to live with them in their home. Wil noted that the Taylors wanted to do something meaningful and provide experiences for in-state students to broaden their thinking on a global level.

Wil did not return to Germany following graduation because he received a full international scholarship to college – an opportunity he chose to fully embrace. He graduated from Principia College in 1955 and went on to obtain his master’s degree in international economics from John Hopkins University - School of Advanced International Studies in 1957. He spent his professional career in the international banking industry specializing in Latin America before retiring in 1989.

Upon retirement, Wil wanted to “give back time” and reciprocate the generosity of the Taylors. His focus became service to his fellow citizenry including membership to four Masonic bodies (like Mr. Taylor, Wil is also a 32° Mason) and joining the Rotary Club in 1979. For many years Wil chaired the club’s International Committee and coordinated projects in India, Honduras, Belize and Colombia. He was also made a Paul Harris Fellow, a prestigious acknowledgement within the Rotary organization.

Wil also volunteered for 20-plus years on a special project group of Habitat for Humanity.

“Over that period, we did over 200 projects on Boston’s South Shore, building ramps and converting bathrooms for the handicapped. Our Habitat group quit about six years ago, but we still gather for lunch once a week,” he explained.

Wil and his wife, Judy, live in a 275-unit condominium association with 35 buildings located on 60 acres in Hingham. Next year, Wil will conclude his two-term service on the condominium’s Board of Management, which included overseeing a $17 million envelope change of all buildings. At his second home in East Orleans on the Cape, Wil continues to enjoy some yard work and interior maintenance as a change of pace from condo living in Hingham.

Perhaps most importantly, Wil is writing and publishing his memoir and family history, which he is dedicating to his three grandsons.

“I’m most grateful to still enjoy good health and be able to take a one-mile walk each day in a beautiful park nearby, an area abundant with water fowl, deer, and even a fox now and then,” maintained Wil. “And as to us six German students who came to attend Hamden Hall 75 years ago, Heino Eichmann, the youngest among us, and I are still in frequent touch with each other via Facetime!”