William D. Hutchens

William D. Hutchens was born in Johnstown, New York in 1932. He is the son of Harold W. and Genevieve B. Hutchens. His grandfather, William C. Hutchens, was Frank Hutchens’ brother.

Bill Hutchens first and only encounter with his Uncle Frank was at Hutchen’s Mill House in Silvermine, Connecticut. He is the grandson of one of the founders of

Livingston Lake Club in New York’s Adirondack region.

Hutchens graduated from Dartmouth College and served in the United States Navy. After his stint in the Navy, Hutchens received his MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth.

Hutchens joined the Price Waterhouse accounting firm in New York City in 1958. He was admitted to the partnership in 1969 and served as managing partner in Syracuse until 1987.

He authored the book, “Livingston Lake- 1901-2001”, and several hunting and adventure articles for various newspapers and magazines. He lives in Fayetteville, New York.

So, why did I write this book?

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams,

And happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”

Those words have always had a special meaning for me. Dreams do play a big part in our lives. As I reflect on writing this book, it occurs to me that the words fit the life of my great- uncle, Frank Hutchens.

Uncle Frank possessed the drive necessary for creative effort - his dreams - but he always reminded himself and others that the pursuit of excellence is a matter of reaching for the stars. By all accounts, he had an enormously happy and productive life.

What drew me to write this book was a 1977 visit to the Ontario County Historical Society in upstate New York to view Hutchens' paintings stored in their attic. The experience led me to wonder about his life as an artist and for years I nibbled around the edges gathering bits of information about him.

In 1986 the Historical Society received a request from a group in Silvermine, Connecticut. They were putting together a historic district application and needed biographical information about Hutchens. In turn, the Historical Society contacted me and that was the catalyst I needed.

Of course I knew about Uncle Frank from hearing my parents talk of him and indeed I had met him as a youngster. It wasn't until I found my grandfather's scrapbook - he was a pack rat like me - that I had a treasure-trove of information.

Soon I had enough to start digging elsewhere and my efforts to write the Hutchens story reached ramp speed.

Writing this book has been a privileged experience. To have access to well over 100 personal letters written by Hutchens to clients, friends and relatives, to find his speeches recorded in various venues, and to talk with art historians who could translate his work as it developed through the years, was a unique opportunity.

Given these resources, my intent was to tell the story of his life. I wanted to give the reader a sense of the kind of person he was, how he developed his skill as an artist and how he nurtured his relationships. I wanted to tell the story of his interest in teaching others and promoting art appreciation and how he had a sense of preservation about his property interests in Silvermine, Connecticut. I wanted to tell the story about his love for his wife Mabel. Above all, I wanted to bring together a record of Frank Hutchens and how he fulfilled his dreams.

As someone said, "he was an artist of consequence". I hope this story of his life helps to endorse that.