Francis Judson Laird III, 75, descendant of area Quaker settlers
Laird dreamed of salvaging wrecked 1585 Spanish galleon, and enjoyed taking underprivileged children on Christmas shopping sprees.
FRANCIS JUDSON Laird III was a member of a family that was prominent in a tiny municipality scrunched into the midst of Nether Providence Township in Delaware County.
His father had been mayor of the .74-acre borough of Rose Valley, whose main attractions have for decades been the School in Rose Valley, Hedgerow Theatre and the Old Mill, a picturesque setting for weddings and other social events on the banks of Ridley Creek.
Jud, as he was known, was part of a family that traced its lineage to Joseph Pennock, a pal of William Penn, and other early Quaker settlers.
But by the 1970s, Jud had put Rose Valley behind and moved to Jupiter, Fla., where he became active in historical preservation, sports and other civic endeavors, and dreamed of salvaging a sunken 1585 Spanish galleon.
He died March 27 at his home in Jupiter. He was 75.
Jud was the son of Judson Laird, a former newspaperman (who once worked for the Daily News), longtime spokesman for Sun Oil Co., and onetime mayor of Rose Valley. His mother, Annette Carter, was a well-known local writer.
Jud graduated from what was then Nether Providence High School, now Strath Haven High, where he was class president. He went on to Dickinson College, where he was a member of the 1959 champion lacrosse team and a member of the honorary society Raven's Claw.
He went to work for American Home Products as the youngest account manager for sales of the antibiotic Terramycin.
He enjoyed flying his Beechcraft Bonanza and wrote for Flying Magazine.
When he moved his family of four children to Florida, he became a member of the board of the Loxahatchee River Historical Society, and helped found the River Edge Tennis Club.
Jud had received permission from Florida to locate and salvage the Spanish galleon, presumably wrecked off Juno Beach in Palm Beach County in 1585, and "dreamed of making it happen," his family said. The ship itself has not been located, but intriguing pieces of its hull have been discovered over the past 20 or so years.
One of Jud's greatest pleasures was organizing an annual Christmas shopping spree for underprivileged children from the Jupiter Head Start program. He wanted to make sure they had presents under the tree on Christmas morning.
"He loved shopping for them, and his enthusiasm spread to those he enlisted to join in," his family said. "His annual 'shop for kids' will continue in his memory."
He is survived by three daughters, Jane, Bonnie and Christine; a son, Francis Judson Laird IV; a brother, Dr. Penn Laird; and five grandchildren.
Services: Memorial service is planned for late spring at the Old Mill in Rose Valley. Contributions in his name may be made to Jupiter Lighthouse and Museum, 500 Captain Armour's Way, Jupiter, Fla. 33469.