When Richard Batchelder ran for President of the National Education Association in 1964, his campaign slogan was “Time for Batch.” There were many “times” for Batch in his long life, which ended on February 26, 2013 after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease, just three weeks shy of his 88th birthday. He died peacefully in his home in Chatham, with his wife, Martha, and elder daughter, Anne, at his bedside.
Richard David Batchelder was born in Canton, Massachusetts on March 19, 1925, the first child of Nelson and Marjorie (Curra) Batchelder. Batch graduated from Canton High School in 1942, and entered Northeastern University. After seeing Noël Coward’s In Which We Serve, which had its premiere shortly after he entered college, Batch decided to leave college and enlist in the Navy, where he served as an aviation radioman in the South Pacific through the end of World War II. His father also enlisted, making father and son both members of the Greatest Generation.
Following the war, Batch went to Boston University on the GI Bill. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, as well as a BU cheerleader. He loved telling stories of driving dignitaries to football games in his Model A Ford Phaeton.
After graduating in 1949, Batch came to Chatham to teach in the Chatham Public Schools. At the time, all students were in the Main Street School, and Batch taught five different subjects, ranging from American History to math. You had to be quick on your feet back then, as he had over 40 students in his math class alone. While teaching in Chatham, Batch received a Master’s degree from Bridgewater State Teachers College in 1952. The school (now Bridgewater State University) later honored him with its Nicholas P. Tillinghast Award. A born leader, Batch was elected President of the Chatham Teacher Association, the first of many organizations he led over his lifetime. It was in the role of CTA President that he welcomed a young, 24-year-old teacher to Chatham in September 1955 by the name of Martha Hall Cook. They married in December of that year, and were inseparable for the next 57 years.
In 1957, Batch moved on to Newton High School, where he taught for eight years before taking office as NEA President in 1965. He was the youngest elected president in the association’s 108-year history, and the NEA went over the one million member milestone during his presidency. Batch led the fight for desegregation of the NEA from the time he joined the Executive Committee in 1961, and saw it through with the landmark merger between the NEA and the all-black American Teachers Association in 1966. He and Martha enjoyed going back to the NEA convention each year as honored guests, and they maintained lifelong friendships with Batch’s many NEA colleagues.
Al-Tony Gilmore, retired NEA historian, described Batch as a “powerful and influential leader,” who left a “lasting and indelible” mark on the organization, which now has over three million members and is the nation’s largest and most inclusive labor union. Dr. Gilmore lauded Batch for his role in the NEA-ATA merger, noting that he will be remembered most as NEA’s “ultimate champion of social justice.”
Following his term as NEA president, Batch was a leader of statewide teacher organizations in California for six years, and then Florida for eight years. During this period, he spent part of every summer in Chatham with his family.
Batch returned to Massachusetts in 1981, and after a three-year stint at Southeastern Massachusetts University as Director of the Labor Education Center, retired to Chatham. He became a realtor, but his real passion was volunteering. Batch served on numerous Town committees, and became chairman of each one, including the Chatham School Committee, the Historic Business District Committee, the Long Range Planning Committee (where he spearheaded development of the Comprehensive Long Range Plan), and the Land Bank and Open Space Committee. As a member of the HBDC, he made sure that the façade of the old Orpheum Theatre remained intact during the conversion to a CVS, always hoping that the theatre would one day return. An avid boater who was committed to preserving Chatham’s unique character and waterways, Batch helped found the Friends of Chatham Waterways, later serving as its president. In 2008, the Friends presented him with the Captain’s Award, their highest honor. His citation read in part, “For distinguished service in the protection, preservation and enhancement of Chatham’s waterways and surrounding lands – for the many years and many ways you have been the conscience of our community.”
Batch’s community involvement extended to the Chatham Drama Guild, where he acted in many plays in the 1950s and served as president, and to Stage Harbor Yacht Club, where he enjoyed sailing on his catboat, Quintessence. Batch was a devout Episcopalian, and served on the vestry of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church. He loved the theatre, and despite his illness, attended every single play this past summer at Monomoy Theatre. He was honored to be selected Grand Marshal for the Town’s 2005 Fourth of July Parade.
Batch’s love of Chatham was exceeded only by his love of family. He was a supportive and loving husband to his wife Martha, and father, confidant, and best friend to his three children, Anne, Amy, and Richard, Jr. He took great pride in their families, welcoming Craige Winn, Rich Harris, and Peggy (Fazzano) Batchelder with open arms. Batch is also survived by five grandchildren, Nathan Batchelder Riley, who followed his grandfather’s footsteps into the teaching profession, David and Suzanne Harris of Silver Spring, Maryland, and Teddy and Will Batchelder of Weston, Massachusetts. Batch is also survived by his younger brother, Dr. Nelson D. Batchelder of Canton, and several nieces and nephews.
The Bible tells us “To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die.” With thanks to God, there was a long and wonderful “Time for Batch” on this earth, and we will cherish his memory always.
Visiting hours will be at Nickerson Funeral Home, Crowell Road, Chatham, on March 8, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The funeral will be held at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, Main Street, Chatham, on March 9 at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be private, but a reception will be held after the service at Eastward Ho! Country Club, Fox Hill Road, Chatham. In lieu of flowers, donations in Batch’s memory may be made to the Batchelder Scholarship Fund, c/o Cape Cod Five, 548 Main Street, Chatham, MA 02633. The Fund will be used to support graduating seniors of the new Monomoy Regional High School. Batch was a proponent of regionalization for over 50 years, and his family would like to honor his memory in this way. For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com
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