James Carlaw Obituary

James B. Carlaw, 87, of Yarmouthport, passed away at McCarthy Hospice Care Center on Monday, August 30 after a long illness. He was the husband of Theodora (Barlow) Carlaw. They would have been married 62 years in September. Mr. Carlaw, a native of Maplewood, NJ and a graduate of Columbia High School in South Orange, received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers College of Agriculture in 1947 and a Masters Degree in Forestry and Forest Management from Yale University in 1949. He served his country honorably during WWII as a 1st Lieutenant with the 82nd and, later, with the 101st , Airborne Divisions in the European Theatre. He was called to the Korean War in 1951 in the Army Reserve. After serving as an operational officer in the Replacement Battalion in Pusan, Korea, he was honorably discharged in 1953. Mr. Carlaw joined International Paper Company in 1950 as the Companys first professional forester and spent the next 34 years serving in numerous executive positions in New York City; Glens Falls, NY; Mobile, AL; and Dallas, TX. Notable positions he held were Manager of the Northern Woodlands and Manager of Planning and Utilization for Forest Resource Allocation. He was instrumental in opening up company land for public recreation in the Adirondack Park in New York State and the Long Trail and Stratton Mountain in Vermont. He was a Trustee of the College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry at Syracuse University. After retirement in 1984, Mr. Carlaw and his wife, Teddy, moved to Yarmouthport where he was active in a number of community organizations. He was a member of the first class of the Barnstable County Extension Service Master Gardeners program in 1987. An active member of the Historic Society of Old Yarmouth, managing the Botanic Trails for over 20 years, Mr. Carlaw developed the popular Pond Trail which circles Miller Pond. He was a long-time member of St. Marys Church, Barnstable, serving on the vestry and devoting many hours to maintaining the beautiful church gardens. He was the father of Ann Carlaw Evans (Robert) of St. Charles, Illinois; Robin Carlaw Calderwood (William) of Harvard, Massachusetts; and the late Christopher Bruce Carlaw (Gaye Brown). He is also survived by six grandchildren: Eric and Katie Evans, Lily and Alex Calderwood, and Lee and Julia Carlaw. A memorial service was held at St. Marys Church, Barnstable, on Wednesday, September 8 at 11 am. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to the Garden Fund at St. Marys Episcopal Church, 3044 Main Street, Barnstable MA 02630 or Hospice and Palliative Care of Cape Cod, 765 Attucks Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601. Notes of sympathy and comfort to the family may be submitted at www.MorrisOConnorBlute.com