MEDFORD - Tufts University is mourning the loss of Walter E. Huskins, a 1963 graduate for whom the Jumbos' baseball field is named.
Mr. Huskins was born on September 10, 1939 in Dorchester, Mass., and passed away on Wednesday (April 8, 2020). Following his graduation from Tufts, he received his law degree from Boston University Law School. He also served as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
According to the website of Ridge Hill Partners, where he was a Partner and Senior Broker, Mr. Huskins practiced law both in the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General and in private practice during his career, and started an equipment leasing company which he took public and then sold to a large financial services company. He also owned several franchises including Prudential Real Estate and AT&T Home Security Systems. The capstone effort of his career was as a key member of the turn-around team at US Trust Bank, a regional financial institution which was brought back to full financial health and subsequently sold to Citizen's Bank.
Huskins Field was dedicated on April 21, 1990 following a generous donation by Mr. Huskins. He had played baseball at Tufts and developed a relationship with current head coach John Casey after responding to the team's alumni outreach efforts. Like Coach Casey, a 1980 Tufts graduate who has led the Jumbos since 1984, Mr. Huskins was a Boston native who went to Boston Latin School and then Tufts.
"I'll never forget it," Coach Casey said. "I got a phone call on a Friday afternoon I think it was, during the summer, from (former Athletic Director Rocky Carzo) saying this guy had called up and he just donated a lot of money to build the field."
The project included the construction of dugouts, batting cages, fencing, bleachers and other enhancements.
"It turned it into a facility as opposed to just a pasture," Coach Casey said. "It allowed us to take advantage of practicing in terms of having batting cages out there. It just changed the way our guys looked at the place, to be honest with you."
Coach Casey recalled coming back from the team's spring trip in 1990 and the field had been recently completed.
"Our guys were so excited, it was a Sunday afternoon, and we actually practiced running in and out of the dugout," he said. "We never had them before. There's no question Walt was one of the great friends Tufts Baseball has ever had."
Mr. Huskins also had two daughters who went to Tufts, Laura Leigh McGonagle J92 and Kimberly Huskins J87. He was also a long-time member of the Jumbo Club and was a member of the Diamond Club for baseball in recent years. He also helped support the funding when Cousens Cage became Carzo Cage in 2002.
No services are scheduled at this time. Visit Mr. Huskins' obituary on the Nichols Funeral Home website at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/orleans-ma/walter-huskins-9122916.
