Beyond the realm of basketball, Lavietes donated another $3 million to establish a scholarship fund at Harvard.

In 1994, the Harvard Alumni Association awarded him the Harvard Medal for his “far-reaching, imaginative and enthusiastic” service.

He was a member of numerous alumni committees, and served two terms as the Alumni Association’s regional vice president.

He also served as president and board member of the Harvard Club of Southern Connecticut.

Beyond Harvard, Lavietes was the director of the Boys and Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, to which he donated his former factory site as a headquarters.

“Kids need someone to pay attention to them, to teach them about good sportsmanship, compassion and tolerance,” Lavietes told the Gazette in 1996.

“Through the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club and Junior Achievement, we offer not only fun and games, but a structured, supportive learning environment,” he added.

A memorial service for Lavietes will be scheduled at the Boys and Girls Club in Shelton, and his wife said she plans also to hold a ceremony in his honor in Memorial Church.

In addition to his wife and son, Lavietes is survived by two stepsons, Steve and Mark Fogel, as well as four grandchildren.

—Jaquelyn M. Scharnick contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer Nathaniel A. Smith can be reached at nsmith@fas.harvard.edu.