New Milford High School graduating seniors Brooke DeMague and Thomas Setear are the recipients of the 2025 Henry B. “Hank” Anderson Memorial Scholarships.
Two scholarships of $500 each are presented each year by Cramer & Anderson to honor Founding Partner Hank Anderson, who died in 2019 at age 101.
The distinguished scholarship recipients were selected by Attorneys Keith Rado and Elizabeth “Lizzy” Gilbert. Attorney Gilbert, who grew up in New Milford and graduated from New Milford High School (NMHS), presented the scholarships on behalf of the firm at the Scholarship & Awards Night on May 29.
Hank Anderson Memorial Scholarship applicants are required to write an essay responding to this prompt: “Describe areas in your life where you demonstrated leadership attributes to overcome one or more obstacles experienced in school, the community or family life.”
DeMague, who plans to attend Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I., to major in marketing and minor in sales and communications, wrote about stepping up after the death of her father last year. Her essay said, in part:
I took on a bigger role at home caring for my younger brother. I became responsible for him in most ways, providing comfort and support. Balancing these responsibilities alongside school, extracurriculars, and 2 jobs required strong discipline. I learned to manage my time carefully, prioritize what should come first, and remain present for my family during this extremely hard time. At the same time, I continued leading my nonprofit, Letters to Pat, with success. I organized events and coordinated volunteers to address senior loneliness in my community.
Rather than stepping back, I leaned into my different forms of leadership. … .
Setear, who plans to attend Northeastern University in Boston with a combined major of chemical and environmental engineering, wrote about the challenges of an Eagle Scout project. His essay said, in part:
I carried out my Eagle Scout project by leading my team to create reinforced picnic tables for Flanders Nature Center. We faced many challenges, including fluctuating weather, limited funding, various volunteer skill levels, and a fast-approaching timeline. By creating stations for each element of the project, matching volunteers’ abilities to the jobs required, and remaining focused on maintaining safety and quality, I was able to create a structured system for others to follow, which allowed us to continue working on the project and ultimately deliver those much-needed picnic tables for the nature center. … .
The Cramer & Anderson scholarships were created in 2020 to honor Founding Partner Hank Anderson, who died at age 101 in June 2019 at home in Brewster, Mass., where he lived with his wife “Bunny” (Theresa Virginia).
See Our 2018 Tribute to Hank Anderson
A proud graduate of Wesleyan University and the University of Connecticut School of Law, he was a decorated Navy veteran who survived kamikaze attacks on two ships during World War II. The first was an attack by two kamikaze pilots on the USS Bunker Hill on May 11, 1945, as it supported the attack on Okinawa. Nearly 400 sailors were killed. The second came only days later, when the USS Enterprise was attacked by a kamikaze pilot, killing 14.
Following the war, and after finishing his master’s and law degrees—graduating from Wesleyan and UConn on the same day—Anderson came to western Connecticut to live and work, joining the firm of Attorney Harry Bradbury before partnering with Attorney Francis S. Ferriss to form the firm Ferriss and Anderson.
After Attorney Ferriss died in 1957, Anderson and his friend Attorney Paul B. Altermatt formed Anderson and Altermatt. In 1962, they joined their firm with Cramer, Blick, Fitzgerald & Hume to create Cramer & Anderson, which was originally based in New Milford and Litchfield and has grown to include offices across western Connecticut.
Among his many state and national roles, Anderson served as president of the Litchfield County Bar Association and was a Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Association and American Bar Association. In addition to guiding Cramer & Anderson, he helped to shape the practice of law in Connecticut and beyond.
“Anderson was the recipient of numerous distinguished legal awards,” a UConn Law story recounted. “In 1989 he was voted Citizen of the Year by the State of Connecticut Courts of Probate. In 1990, The Connecticut Bar Association awarded him the John Eldred Shields Award for his professional services to the community at large—over 900 hours of pro bono services. He was also voted Probate Attorney of the Year by the Connecticut Probate Assembly.”
In 2018, the Connecticut Law Tribune honored Anderson with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
About Cramer & Anderson
Cramer & Anderson provides sophisticated legal services, close to home, with regional offices in New Milford, Litchfield, Danbury, and Ridgefield. For more information, see the website or call the flagship office in New Milford at (860) 355-2631.