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AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION' 



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Es!ab1Mu.l 1ST 



Incorporated, Massachusetts, 1892 Incorporated. Connecticut. 1910 



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IN MEMORIAM. 



HONORABLE ZENAS CRANE 



DALTON. MASSACHUSETTS 



BORN DECEMBER 8. 1840 

 DIED DECEMBER 17. 1917 



In the death of the Honorable Zenas 

 Crane, The Agassiz Association has 

 lost one of its best friends and liberal 

 supporters. He was an Incorporator 

 from the first incorporation in Pitts- 

 field, Massachusetts, in 1892, to Decem- 

 ber 15, 1908, when the headquarters 

 were changed to Stamford (later to 

 Sound Beach), Connecticut, and the 

 present Board of Trustees was orga- 

 nized — later incorporated in Connecti- 

 cut in 1910. 



Zenas Crane received at W'illiston 

 and elsewhere a thorough business 

 education. In 1865 he rented the Bay 

 State Mill and operated it until May 

 15, 1877, when it was destroyed by fire. 

 Upon its site was immediately erected 

 a larger mill by the new firm of Zenas 

 Crane, Jr. & Brother, the junior part- 

 ner being Winthrop Murray Crane. 



Mr. Crane served as a member of the 

 Executive Council during the adminis- 

 tration of Governor Robinson in T884- 

 1887. He was the senior director of the 

 Berkshire Mutual Fire Insurance Com- 

 pany, a director of the Chicago and 

 Northwestern Railroad, St. Paul and 

 Omaha Railroad, Boston and Albany 

 Railroad and the Pittsfield National 

 Bank. 



He gave the Museum in Pittsfield 

 known as the Berkshire Museum of 

 Natural History ; also the Boys' Club 

 in Pittsfield erected in 1906. 



Mr. Crane married Ellen J., daugh- 



ter of Charles J. and Frances Kitt- 

 redge of Hinsdale. Those who survive 

 him include Mrs. Crane ; a daughter, 

 Airs. Samuel G. Colt of Pittsfield ; two 

 sons, Z. Marshall Crane of Dalton and 

 Charles K. Crane who is now in Paris 

 engaged in war work ; three sisters, 

 Mrs. George T. Plunkett of Hinsdale, 

 Miss Clara L. Crane and Mrs. Harry 

 O. Bates of Dalton, and one brother, 

 Winthrop Murray Crane, former Gov- 

 ernor and United States Senator. 



In all ways Mr. Crane was a helpful 

 citizen, a painstaking trustee of the 

 wealth that became his and a factor in 

 the local life always to be counted up- 

 on. His kindly personality will be 

 missed beyond the Berkshire environ- 

 ment. He gave money to Williams 

 College, and in other well considered 

 ways that included the country and 

 causes which took in the welfare of the 

 world. For some time back Mr. 

 Crane's activities had been restricted 

 because of limitations which years and 

 failing health had put upon him. His 

 was a good life, representing substan- 

 tial usefulness to his fellow men, and 

 so he will be remembered and honored. 



Mr. Crane was greatly interested in 

 the study of nature. He sent us a lib- 

 eral check frequently. His last contri- 

 bution was received the week before 

 his death. We have lost one of our 

 very best friends. 



