In Pursuit of Clean Air

Rosanna Trestman

In the tradition of city dwellers of the early 20^th century who flocked to the country for the restorative value of its clean, cool air, in 1962, New Yorkers Bill and Barbara Gridley whisked their four-year-old son, who suffered from asthma, and his older sister, to Norfolk, CT.

Billy recovered in two years, but they were smitten by Norfolk and have stayed on ever since. “We couldn’t believe that there was this town in the mountains so near to New York, with outstanding musical offerings, artists and intellectuals to meet and options for outdoor activities,”Barbara Gridley enthused. She also reminisced that their children “could lie on their back and look up at the sky.”

Barbara Gueinzius and Bill Gridley met on a blind date while in college. Following a friend’s strong endorsement, he journeyed from New Haven to New London to meet the co-ed. Subsequent blind dates were superfluous. The success of their longevity is a partnership of opposite personalities with identical interests, and a symbiosis perfectly described in Mrs. Gridley’s offhanded remark, “I like to cook and he likes to eat.”

Bill Gridley’s demeanor is soft spoken and gentle tempered. Underneath is a quiet force that is persuasive and professionally effective. Barbara Gridley is a perennially youthful bundle of energy whose cards are on the table.

The Gridleys manage to add Norfolk’s array of offerings to their already busy schedule in New York City. Since they were married in their 20s, they have both held full time jobs, she teaching grade school, he using his legal training in investment finance. They have traveled the world, raised two children, pursued numerous hobbies, such as gardening, book clubs and bridge, and devoted themselves to non-profit organizations.

When the children were still very young, Barbara Gridley returned to her teaching job at St Bernard’s, a private boys school in Manhattan. Drawing on her college anthropology training, she developed a unique curriculum on animal behavior. “She was so engrossed in her work,” recalls her husband, “the best Christmas present I ever gave her was a book, “The Mating Habits of 300 Mammals.”

Concurrently, he was busy at American Express, where he developed AMEX overseas, focused in Southeast Asia. There are now over 40 branches worldwide.

The Gridleys have given back to a town that they feel has given so much to them. They have served on numerous boards and committees including the foundations for Battell Arts, Affordable Housing and the Norfolk Foundation for Living. Bill Gridley’s role as a trustee of the Battell Stoeckel Estate and manager of the campus of Yale’s School of Music and Art in Norfolk ties in to the couples’ involvement in Norfolk and shared passion for music.

Referring to his 30 years of service on the board of the JCC, a Childs family foundation that funds medical research, he likens it to an exciting window into the world of science. “I’ve even started a science library,” he says, “which I’m avidly reading through, though a bit slowly.”

Given the global nature of his business, the Gridleys’ frequent travel sometimes took them to exotic lands well in advance of today’s tourists. They were among the first 100 Americans allowed in China. Usually, foreign hosts would entertain Barbara Gridley, sometimes royally, while her husband worked. In India, their host managed to fulfill her request to meet Mother Theresa at her hospice in Calcutta.

As both Gridleys neared retirement, they yearned for a little less globetrotting and a little more relaxation. However the intrepid couple still cross country ski, swim, ice skate and are avid gardeners. “We just love the outdoors and the peace and quiet here,” she says, referring to the house they built in 1985 with a beautiful view of Benedict Pond. In fact, they erected a 10-man tent in the woods near their house where the family sometimes sleeps.

As for more sedentary pursuits, Barbara Gridley belongs to two reading groups and is working on an oral history of Norfolk. An accomplished artist, Bill Gridley creates magical watercolors. When his wife draws attention to his paintings, he beams, then, with characteristic modesty, steps back out of the limelight. He has been painting since childhood and shows with his daughter, Kate, at the Norfolk Library.

After 58 years together, 50 of them in Norfolk, the Gridleys might consider putting their feet up. He might just do that. She might cook, garden, and garden some more. 

Do they ever find time to take a breath? “I do,” says Bill Gridley, “Barbara does not.”