Alexander C. Bainbridge (March 1, 1947 – March 12, 2010)
Alexander C. Bainbridge, Sandy to his friends and family, died on March 12th after a long struggle with seizure disorder. Sandy was born in Pelham, NY to William W. and Florence Thompson Bainbridge. Sandy graduated from Pelham Memorial High School in 1965; he was President of the Varsity Club, a member of Phi Lambda Fraternity, and excelled at cross country, track, and wrestling. He received a BS in Civil Engineering from Tufts University in 1969.
His high school friend Braighton Shanely remembered that, "he was totally and completely and unfalteringly unafraid to be who he was" and "apparently oblivious to who might be unimpressed or ruffled or somehow concerned."
Followeing Tufts, he studied Fine Art at the University of Connecticut for two years and then moved to Martha’s Vineyard where he began a career that combined fine carpentry and fine art, a combination that he continued all his life, with his own special twist. His work had strong design and color with a love of tractors, trains, trucks, and toys –and wry humor added. His sculptures combined primary geometric forms in unusual and compelling ways. His largest piece, an abstraction of a red tractor, is in East Hampton, NY at Windmill Village, where Sandy lived for several years. He was always eager to share his work; much of it was displayed at his studio, Bainbridge Engineering, on Railroad Avenue. He was a meticulous craftsman and enjoyed working on exacting woodworking projects, including carpentry for the interior restoration of the Montauk Light House.
As his college friend John Klingman said, “Sandy was an amazing person - intense, active, strong willed and kind. He was enchanted by five things: women, art, dogs, building crafts, and sailing (not necessarily in that order).” I was assigned to be Sandy's freshman roomate, and we became lifelong friends. He never ceased to impress me.
During the thirty years that he lived in East Hampton, he was a familiar face wherever he went, often dressed in his trademark colors of aqua and coral. His black Ford pickup truck was a fixture in town, always with a dog in the back. Some may remember him as “The Manic Prince” a moniker announced by a circled sign on his pickup’s door and certainly earned from his inexhaustible energy. He often worked twelve hour days, only stopping for a lunch overlooking the ocean, with coffee and chocolate.
For several years, Sandy owned and raced the J-24 sailboat, Sweet Jelly-roll, keeping it in Three Mile Harbor and competing during the summer in Greenport and around Shelter Island. Later,he purchased a 42 foot Sabre and cruised to Martha’s Vineyard, Block Island and Cape Cod.
His many friends and his cousins remember him as a loyal and loving friend, a talented artist and a unique personality. The body was cremated; and his ashes were scattered at ocean beaches on Martha’s Vineyard and in East Hampton, his two homes.
Donations in his name can be made to the Animal Rescue Fund (ARF), 90 Daniels Hole Road, East Hampton, NY 11937, which sheltered and cared for his wonderful dog Zippy after Sandy became too ill to do so. His zest for life, his passion for whatever caught his interest, and his enduring charisma are the memories we will carry in our hearts.
John P. Klingman
Alexander C. Bainbridge (March 1, 1947 – March 12, 2010)
Alexander C. Bainbridge, Sandy to his friends and family, died on March 12th after a long struggle with seizure disorder. Sandy was born in Pelham, NY to William W. and Florence Thompson Bainbridge. Sandy graduated from Pelham Memorial High School in 1965; he was President of the Varsity Club, a member of Phi Lambda Fraternity, and excelled at cross country, track, and wrestling. He received a BS in Civil Engineering from Tufts University in 1969.
His high school friend Braighton Shanely remembered that, "he was totally and completely and unfalteringly unafraid to be who he was" and "apparently oblivious to who might be unimpressed or ruffled or somehow concerned."
Followeing Tufts, he studied Fine Art at the University of Connecticut for two years and then moved to Martha’s Vineyard where he began a career that combined fine carpentry and fine art, a combination that he continued all his life, with his own special twist. His work had strong design and color with a love of tractors, trains, trucks, and toys –and wry humor added. His sculptures combined primary geometric forms in unusual and compelling ways. His largest piece, an abstraction of a red tractor, is in East Hampton, NY at Windmill Village, where Sandy lived for several years. He was always eager to share his work; much of it was displayed at his studio, Bainbridge Engineering, on Railroad Avenue. He was a meticulous craftsman and enjoyed working on exacting woodworking projects, including carpentry for the interior restoration of the Montauk Light House.
As his college friend John Klingman said, “Sandy was an amazing person - intense, active, strong willed and kind. He was enchanted by five things: women, art, dogs, building crafts, and sailing (not necessarily in that order).” I was assigned to be Sandy's freshman roomate, and we became lifelong friends. He never ceased to impress me.
During the thirty years that he lived in East Hampton, he was a familiar face wherever he went, often dressed in his trademark colors of aqua and coral. His black Ford pickup truck was a fixture in town, always with a dog in the back. Some may remember him as “The Manic Prince” a moniker announced by a circled sign on his pickup’s door and certainly earned from his inexhaustible energy. He often worked twelve hour days, only stopping for a lunch overlooking the ocean, with coffee and chocolate.
For several years, Sandy owned and raced the J-24 sailboat, Sweet Jelly-roll, keeping it in Three Mile Harbor and competing during the summer in Greenport and around Shelter Island. Later,he purchased a 42 foot Sabre and cruised to Martha’s Vineyard, Block Island and Cape Cod.
His many friends and his cousins remember him as a loyal and loving friend, a talented artist and a unique personality. The body was cremated; and his ashes were scattered at ocean beaches on Martha’s Vineyard and in East Hampton, his two homes.
Donations in his name can be made to the Animal Rescue Fund (ARF), 90 Daniels Hole Road, East Hampton, NY 11937, which sheltered and cared for his wonderful dog Zippy after Sandy became too ill to do so. His zest for life, his passion for whatever caught his interest, and his enduring charisma are the memories we will carry in our hearts.