Frederick Davis Watkins Jr.

Frederick Davis Watkins Jr., a former insurance executive, avid sportsman, and civic leader in the Hartford area, died on Oct. 16, 2011, in Bloomfield, Conn. He was 96. An influential figure in the property and casualty insurance industry for nearly a half century, Mr. Watkins spent 43 years with the Aetna Insurance Company, including 13 as its president. A major in the U.S. Army during World War II, he served under General Charles Philip Hall during a five year tour of duty in North Africa and the Pacific Theater. Originally from Little Rock, Mr. Watkins lived in the Hartford area for nearly all his adult life. He married Katherine "Kitty" Rose Wills, also of Little Rock, in 1951, and raised their three children in West Hartford. He was a dedicated family man, an accomplished hunter and fisherman, and an extensive traveler. Born Sept. 13, 1915, Mr. Watkins was the only child of Frederick Davis Watkins and Rosa Augusta Leigh. His father taught him to hunt and fish at an early age and cultivated in him a lifelong passion for the outdoors, while his mother encouraged his schoolwork and instilled the diligent work ethic that he became known for in later life. As a Boy Scout, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout at the age of 14. He was a 1937 graduate from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma during his junior year. Mr. Watkins joined the Aetna Insurance Company in 1937 as an assistant examiner in the Hartford office, moving to the Little Rock office as a special agent in 1939. Following World War II he rejoined Aetna in Little Rock, and in 1948 he was reassigned to the Hartford office. In 1966 Mr. Watkins became Aetna's 13th president, serving in that office until April 1979. Eager to affect change at the industry level, he held leadership roles with several insurance industry organizations in the United States and London. He also served on the boards of the Commercial National Bank of Little Rock, the Hartford National Bank and Trust Company, Connecticut General Insurance Corporation, Kaman Corporation, and Terra Nova Insurance Company, among others. Outside of his professional life, Mr. Watkins was a devoted husband and father who drew his greatest joy from his family, his friends, and his flyrod. He is survived by his three children, Frederick D. Watkins III and his wife Kim, of Mahwah, N.J., Elsie Patrick and her husband James, of Darien, Conn., and Nancy Shott and her husband William, of Park City, Utah; and six grandchildren. Kitty Wills Watkins, his beloved wife of nearly 60 years, predeceased him on July 28, 2011. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 11 a.m., at Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in the name of Frederick D. Watkins either to the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, Conn., 06105, or to "HFPG, Inc. for the Frederick D. and Katherine W. Watkins Family Fund," at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, 10 Columbus Blvd, Hartford, Conn., 06106.