Just wanted to mention that my father-in-law passed away a few minutes ago, around 9:40 p.m. P.S.T. this evening.

Certainly, if anyone was a living embodiment of New England "Trad" in all its aspects, it was he. He was raised at Exeter School, where his father became a very eminent master, and graduated from that institution. He attended Harvard from 1936 to 1940, was on the swimming team with Jack Kennedy, and Kennedy later sponsored him into the elite Spee Finals Club. He was an officer in Army Ordnance during WWII and later served in the military government of Germany during the occupation. He later worked many years in the steel industry (his background was metallurgical engineering) and then owned and ran an avocado "ranch" for about 20 years. He was enthusiastic sailor and yachtsman most of his life. His deeply loved wife of 62+ years had passed away in December 2005.

He certainly embodied the Trad style in many respects. Brooks Brothers and to a much lesser extent J. Press were his clothiers of choice for his entire life. I don't know if he had any dress shirts other than OCBDs. His primary dress shoes were several pairs of Brooks/Alden shell cordovans that had been giving him good service for about 40 years. He was also partial to the more playful aspects of Trad--two-tone saddle shoes, striped surcingle belts, striped fabric watch straps, red pants, patch madras shorts, that sort of thing.

His virtues were typically New England--strong, stoic, emotionally self-contained, industrious, frugal, resourceful. He was a most capable man in many respects and a thoroughly admirable one. He shall be missed by many.