Remembering Robert A. Lloyd

Above image: Faculty Emeriti Robert Lloyd and Susan McIntosh Lloyd in the 1970s

Robert Lloyd P'77, '78, '79, beloved father and grandfather, Phillips Academy instructor in art and architecture for more than 35 years, and influential Vermont conservationist, passed away on October 19, 2024, in Rutland, Vermont.

Robert grew up on the campus of Phillips Exeter Academy, where his father taught English and his mother taught dance locally. Upon graduation from PEA, he went on to Harvard. There he met Susan McIntosh, whom he married during their senior year. After graduating magna cum laude, Robert studied to earn a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Design.

In 1962, Bart Hayes, Phillips Academy’s art department chair, asked Robert to run the school’s new woodshop and to teach architecture and the 3-D component of visual studies. Robert, Susan, and their family, which now included three young sons, moved to the Andover campus fall. As art department chair in the 1970s, Robert helped drive a period of significant expansion, emphasizing the importance of art in secondary education. He also led stage set design for many theatrical productions. 

“Bob and I not only shared a vision for the education of the students, we also shared a studio, classroom, and even a desk,” recalls former art department colleague Gerry Shertzer, faculty emeritus. “He was a great teacher, artist, and friend and he loved to have fun. I will miss his stern-faced dry wit, always resulting in big guffaws. Our children were good friends, and our families spent many summer weekends together.”

While working at PA, Robert chaired the Bancroft Elementary School building committee, served as an arts portfolio assessor for the National Board for Professional Teach Standards, had a Klingenstein Fellowship at Columbia Teachers College, acted on accreditation committees for several New England independent schools, and was a board member and construction manager for the Greater Lawrence (Mass.) Habitat for Humanity. He and Susan, an instructor in history and music at both Abbot Academy and Phillips Academy, retired in 1997.

In 1962, Susan, Robert, and a group of friends and family purchased land in Tinmouth, Vermont. Robert first designed and built a cabin and, later, the year-round house to which the couple moved upon retiring. Robert spearheaded the effort to donate the land’s development rights to the (then) Ottauquechee (now Vermont) Land Trust.

Passionate about the causes close to his heart, Robert could be funny, stubborn, persistent, and supportive. His involvement with Vermont planning and environmental organizations was extensive. He served as president of Vermont Coverts in the early 2000s; chaired the Tinmouth Board of Adjustment for 14 years; and served on the Tinmouth Planning Commission and the Rutland Regional Planning Commission, which he chaired from 2007 to 2009. 

Robert also participated in numerous art exhibitions from the 1960s through 2022, including architectural designs, photographs, drawings, and videos. He published several articles and the book Images of Survival. In the 2020s, he self-published a memoir, two photography/art books, a philosophical treatise, and reflections on different parts of his life.

Robert is survived by his sons, Benjamin ’77, Seth ’78, and Thomas ’79, and their families. His wife, Susan, passed away in 2018.