Obituary of Alan-H. Anderson

Alan H. Anderson, author, advertising executive, and son of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Maxwell Anderson, died peacefully in Sonoma, CA, where he moved with his beloved wife Nancy in 1997. He would have turned 90 in December. A long-time resident of New City, New York, he wrote The Songwriter Goes to War, a memoir of his years as stage manager of Irving Berlin's World War II all-Army production of 'This Is the Army.' He reveled in the challenge of bringing a full-scale Broadway musical review to battle-weary troops in Great Britain during the Blitz, the Italian front lines, the Persian deserts, and the jungles of New Guinea, and the round-the-world effort raised millions of dollars for war relief. After the war, he continued his interest in theater as stage manager of Picnic, Key Largo, Knickerbocker Holiday, and other Broadway productions. He then directed television dramatic programs for the Kraft Theatre Hour and other programs during the brief era of live TV theater. In the 1960s, he joined the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency (now JWT), where he wrote and produced Kodak commercials for more than 25 years, retiring as a vice-president. He was active as a public servant in Rockland County, accepting leadership roles at the Rockland Center for the Arts, New City Public Library, and West Branch Conservation Association, giving up many long evenings to work against the overdevelopment he felt threatened the quality of life in his once-rural county. After moving to Sonoma, he continued his local service in that community. Gregarious, warm, and athletic, he was always quick to offer his time, friendship, and talent to others, attracting and keeping friends of all ages. His door was always open, and an invitation to "Alan and Nancy's" house on South Mountain Road was always followed by good food, good cheer, and most of all, good conversation. To satisfy his love of tennis and provide a gathering place for his friends, he built his own tennis court - and then wrote a book about the experience, published by Dutton. He was busy writing to the very end, working on a memoir about his parents. Alan attended Street School Elementary School in New City, the experimental Lincoln School in New York City, and Columbia University. He is survived by three sons, Alan Jr., of Asheville, NC; James, of Santa Monica, CA; and Douglas, of Sonoma, CA; sister, Hesper Anderson, of Thousand Oaks, CA; sisters-in-law, Thelma Anderson and Anastasia Anderson, of New York City, and Sylvia Bouscaren, of Casenovia, NY; six grandchildren; and many friends. A Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 24 at Rockland Center for the Arts, 27 S. Greenbush Rd., West Nyack.