Alfred H. Mellett Scholarship Fund

Alfred Mellett graduated from Wakefield High School in 1928 and later attended Lowell Institute School. A professional engineer by trade, he thoroughly enjoyed travel and exploration. During World War II, Mr. Mellett was a member of the Seabees, stationed in the South Pacific and responsible for disposing of high explosives. During the war, he also designed southern US airbases and Russian oil refineries. After the war, he worked on engineering projects in Turkey and throughout the United States. One of his assignments was the St. Lawrence Power Project that he documented with photographs that were in turn used by National Geographic magazine in an article it published on the St. Lawrence River. He went on to work for thirteen years as a freelance photographer for the magazine, traveling to such places as the Middle East and Africa. He once lived for three years inside of a custom self-designed Land Rover equipped with kitchen and sleeping areas while in the Middle East. Mr. Mellett retired in 1985 after overseeing engineering projects in Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Caribbean and the United States. Even in his 90’s he still traveled extensively. In 1993 he was featured in the Senior to Senior feature in the Wakefield Item. During the interview with a Wakefield High School senior, Al urged young adults to seize the opportunities that arise, just as he did. He also said that “work is what you make of it, if you ask questions you will get more out of your experiences”. Mr. Mellett passed away in September of 2007.