William Lowell Putnam III (October 25, 1924 – December 20, 2014) was an alpinist, author and retired broadcasting executive. He was Trustee Emeritus of the

Lowell Observatory Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landma ...

, a private astronomical research facility. He was the son of politician and businessman

Roger Putnam Roger Lowell Putnam (December 19, 1893 – November 24, 1972) was an American politician and businessman. A member of the prominent Lowell family of Boston, he served as Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1937 until 1943, and as director ...

and a member of the prominent

Lowell family The Lowell family is one of the Boston Brahmin families of New England, known for both intellectual and commercial achievements. The family had emigrated to Boston from England in 1639, led by the patriarch Percival Lowle (1571–1665). The surn ...

of Massachusetts.

Biography

Putnam studied geology at Harvard University and later was founder and chief executive of the

Springfield Television Springfield Television Corporation was a group owner of television stations based in Springfield, Massachusetts. The company was founded by William Lowell Putnam III, who launched the company's first television station, WWLP, on March 17, 1953. ( ...

Corp. (Massachusetts), a company which he sold in 1984. During World War II, he served in

10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to rec ...

, was wounded in combat twice and awarded both the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

and the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. W ...

. Over several decades beginning in the 1940s, Putnam made many first ascents and difficult exploratory expeditions centered in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia. After serving as the

American Alpine Club The American Alpine Club (AAC) is a non-profit member organization with more than 24,000 members. Its vision is to create "a united community of competent climbers and healthy climbing landscapes." The Club is housed in the American Mountaineerin ...

guidebook editor for western Canada beginning in 1957 and subsequently in other capacities, Putnam was the club's president from 1971–73. Related to these activities, Putnam was U.S delegate to the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (or UIAA) for 30 years, and for much of this period also represented Canada. The construction of three mountain cabins in western Canada, two of which are operated for the public by the Alpine Club of Canada (Bill Putnam at Fairy Meadows, and The Ben Ferris Great Cairn Hut), the other privately (Battle Abbey), was spearheaded and completed by Putnam. One of these accommodations, in the northern Columbia, or the

Selkirk Mountains The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mica ...

, was renamed the Bill Putnam Hut in 2002 by the

Alpine Club of Canada The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) is an amateur athletic association with its national office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler, ...

to recognize his contribution to Canadian mountaineering. Among his books are ''A century of American Alpinism,'' as well as ''K2: The 1939 Tragedy'' about the 1939 American Karakoram expedition, and a biography of Swiss-Canadian mountain guide Ed Feuz (the last two together with Andrew J. Kaufman) as well as ''A Yankee Image: The Life and Times of Roger Lowell Putnam.'' In 1953, Putnam founded WWLP (analog/PSIP channel 22, virtual channel 11), the first television station in his hometown of Springfield; his initials formed the basis of the station's callsign. His

Corporation bought four more stations before Putnam's retirement in 1984. Putnam ran the station along with his secretary Kathryn "Kitty" (Broman) Putnam, who hosted the popular cooking show "At Home With Kitty" at the station. Putnam and Broman went on to marry after the death of Putnam's first wife, philanthropist and community activist, Joan Putnam (née Fitzgerald; in 1963, Springfield Television purchased Dayton, Ohio station WONE-TV, and changed the callsign to WKEF, derived from Kathryn's maiden name of Kathryn Elizabeth Flynn). Kitty Putnam died on January 5, 2014, at the age of 97. He served as the sole trustee of

from 1987 to 2013. During his tenure, the Observatory built the Steele Visitor Center, added the Friends of Lowell membership program, constructed the Lowell Discovery Telescope, and began construction on the Putnam Collection Center. Putnam died on December 20, 2014, aged 90.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Putnam, William Lowell 3 1924 births 2014 deaths American mountain climbers Harvard University alumni Recipients of the Silver Star Historians of mountaineering American chief executives in the media industry