Arthur S. North

Arthur S. North of 75 Water Street Portsmouth died March 17th at Rhode Island Hospital after a month long battle with pneumonia. Mr. North was the son of the late Carl and Helen Ward North and is survived by his wife Edna Nunes North.He was the Foreign Language Department Head at Middletown High School and taught German. He received his AB from Manhattan College and his M Ed from Rhode Island College. He then received a National Defense Grant from Albright College and a Fulbright Student Grant from the Goethe Institute Germany.Mr. North began volunteering to help individuals with disabilities in the early l960s and he played a key role in the formation of the Newport County Chapter for Retarded Citizens Summer Camp Program. He served in various capacities such as president and member of the board of directors and was actively involved on a local and national level with the Arc, a national organization which advocates for people with mental retardation. He served as Chairperson of the State Monitoring Committee, for Special Education and recently was appointed to the Rhode Island Governors Transition Council.Mr. North retired in l990 and became a full-time volunteer advocate receiving the Public Service Award from the Fogarty Foundation in 1994. His focus was on disability accommodations through assisting in developing educational plans for students, their parents, teachers and assisted in mediation and due process hearings.Besides his wife, he leaves a son Christopher C. North of Hollywood, Florida three daughters, Patricia N. Henningson of Northboro, Mass, Stephanie North of Carlsbad, California, Alison N. Scarpelli of Cumberland, RI and 4 granddaughters. He was the brother of the late Jean North Anderson.The Funeral Mass will be held March 23rd at the Portsmouth Abbey Church, Corys Lane, Portsmouth. Burial will be private. Donations may be made to the Newport County Arc, James L. Maher Center, PO Box 4390 Middletown, RI 02842.