Francis Elliott Carlson, 97, died July 8, 2017 at home in Hingham, MA. A life member of the Appalachian Mountain Club, he was a former Hutman at Pinkham (1939), Carter Notch (1940), and the Lakes (1941). Frank was a co-founder of the Washington, D.C. chapter, serving as its Chair, and also as a Hike Leader for several years. He was also a member of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. He hiked into his 90s on many trails in the United States, Europe, and Scandinavia. He was also an accomplished artist and often
depicted the Appalachians in his works. Born in Winchester, Massachusetts in 1920, he was a graduate of Harvard College, Class of 1942. He served in the U.S Army in four European campaigns and was awarded two Silver Stars, the Bronze Star, and the Croix de Guerre. Two days after his death, his family was notified that he had been awarded the French Chevalier d’Honneur for his WWII service.
A Certified Public Accountant, he was Audit Manager at the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C. until his retirement. He worked at the Office of the Comptroller of the Navy, also in Washington, and prior to that, in private practice in Boston, MA.
The family patriarch, he was deeply loved and will be sorely missed by his children, Francis Jr., of Steinmaur, Switzerland; Julia, of Cambridge, MA; Amelia Maddock and her husband, John, of Pittsburgh, PA; and William and his wife Carole, of Derwood, MD. He also leaves 5 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Marguerite (Moll) in 1987, and his second, Patricia (Wagner) in 2012.
Memorial donations can be made to the Appalachian Mountain Club.