He is survived by his wife, Carol of Brunswick, ME; his daughter Jennifer Markell (spouse Jay Rosenberg) of Jamaica Plain, MA; his son Adam Markell (spouse Rose Marie) and granddaughter Sarah of Dedham, MA; and his sister Lorraine Markell Balkin (spouse Emanuel).
After graduating with honors from Brookline High School in 1950, Bill attended Bowdoin College, finishing in 1954 with an A.B. degree in history and economics. He was a member of the Alpha Rho Epsilon fraternity and was active in the Sailing Club and the Political Forum. He earned an M.B.A. from Columbia University in 1956.
In 1956, Bill began his business career at RCA as a financial analyst. Among his numerous entrepreneurial enterprises, Bill ran an automobile transportation company, became vice president and director of marketing at Linguistic Systems, Inc., a translation firm, and assumed the presidency of Cambridge Institute in Boston, a notable computer school. He returned to Linguistic Systems in 1986, creating marketing programs for their three major business segments. He retired in 1988.
Bill, a gentleman and lifelong learner, traveled extensively and considered travel a vital part of life. He collected and retained friends along every path he took. He was passionately appreciative of theatre, music and art. He was an avid skier, sailor and tennis player. He played bridge with enviable skill. As a retiree, Bill divided his time between the Harpswell/ Brunswick, ME area and Key Biscayne, FL. Sharing his business acuity as a volunteer member of SCORE in Portland, ME was a way of giving back to the Maine community he loved.
A strong supporter of Bowdoin College, he established the Markell/Balkin Family Scholarship Fund and the A. William and Carol Smith Markell Gallery at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
A memorial service will be held in Dover, MA on Dec. 19. A public reception will be held in Brunswick, ME on Jan. 12 at Bowdoin College.
Donations in Bill’s memory may be made to the Bowdoin College Museum of Art shyde@bowdoin.edu.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
