Canton’s Arthur Curry, standout wrestler at University of Hartford, passed away

Arthur Curry grew up in Collinsville and attended Canton High.

CANTON, July 6, 2020 – Canton High established a varsity wrestling program in November of 1971. But a decade earlier, an athlete from Canton excelled in wrestling at the collegiate level.

Arthur Curry graduated from Canton High in 1961 and attended the University of Hartford, where he was a two-time captain on the Hawks’ wrestling team. Curry, who was living in Unionville, died recently at the age 76.

When Curry was at Canton High, the only athletic opportunities for boys was football, basketball and baseball and he earned varsity letters in all three sports.

At the University of Hartford, Curry wrestled three seasons (1963-65), compiling a career record of 21-3 with eight pins. He served as captain for his junior and senior seasons and was named the team’s most outstanding wrestler following the 1964 and 1965 seasons. Curry, who graduated from the Barney School of Business, was named the school’s most outstanding athlete in 1965.

As a junior, he finished third for Hartford in the New England championships at 123 pounds. At that time, that event was open to schools at all levels – NCAA Division I, II and III. He led the team in wins and points as a junior (9-0, 33 points) and senior (7-1, 31 points).

In 2005, Curry was inducted into the University of Hartford’s Athletic Hall of Fame for his ability on the mat. The school had a varsity wrestling team for 20 years from 1960-80.

After college, Curry served in the U.S. Air Force for nearly eight years with one year of service in Vietnam and Thailand. He worked 27 years for Pratt and Whitney Aircraft as a material supervisor and spent three years as a substitute in the Farmington school system.

Curry passed away on March 29, 2020. A full military funeral will be held with graveside services on Saturday, July 11, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. in Calvary Cemetery jn Collinsville. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675-8516. Please click on the respective link to leave an online condolence.

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