Obituaries

By The Editors / September / October 2003
June 22nd, 2007

1920s

Lyla Rogers Wickenden ’25, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Jan. 14. She earned a master’s in English medieval history and taught school for four years before she became a stay-at-home wife and mother. She was actively involved in many organizations, including Phi Beta Kappa, the Christian Science church, and the Council of Canadians, as well as in local issues. Deeply interested in the people and customs of India, where she and her husband had lived for a year, she sponsored the upbringing of a young Indian girl through a church-related program. She is survived by a son, Nicholas, 9809 110th St., #1201, Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2J9. She was the widow of Robert Wickenden ’26.

Sanford D. Mosher ’26, of Warwick, N.Y.; Jan. 29, 2001.

Jessie Olch Brodie ’28, of Royal Palm Beach, Fla.; Dec. 11.

1930s

Elmer Alex ’31, of West Hartford, Conn.; May 22. He owned and operated the Alex Shoe Shop in Wallingford, Conn., with his brother. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he was a longtime member of Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford. He is survived by his wife, Bertha; a son-in-law; and five grandchildren.

Rosamond Danielson Bellin ’31, of Parker, Colo.; June 27, 2002. She was a retired librarian at Cornell Univ. She was married to Robinson Bellin ’32 (see below).

Eleanor Green Driscoll ’31, of Overland Park, Kans.; May 26. She enjoyed bowling and golfing as well as playing bridge. She also played the piano and the organ. She is survived by a daughter, Joan Millon, 25820 W. 104th Terr., Olathe, Kans. 66061; a grandson; and a great-grandson.

Robinson O. Bellin ’32, ’54 A.M., of Parker, Colo.; April 23, 2002. He was a retired colonel in the U.S. Army. He was married to Rosamond Danielson Bellin ’31 (see above).

Graham P. Hunt Jr. ’32, of Cincinnati; Sept. 12, 2002. A lawyer, he was appointed a U.S. commissioner in the early 1960s and took cases until late in his life. He practiced general law with his father, then began his own firm in downtown Cincinnati in the 1950s, after his father’s death. He served in the U.S. Army in California during World War II. He was a longtime member of the Cincinnati Bar Association, the Sierra Club, the Cincinnati Tennis Club, Progressive Hikers, Hog Killers, the Swedenborgian Church, First Families of Hamilton County, the Society of Colonial Wars, and the Neahtawanta Association. He was also a longtime adviser to the American Youth Hostel Association and had great knowledge of Cincinnati history. A dedicated outdoorsman, he enjoyed canoeing and hiking. He is survived by a sister and several nieces and nephews.

David N.C. Hyams ’33, of Centerville, Mass.; May 17. He owned and operated the Osterville (Mass.) Manor, a restaurant and hotel on Cape Cod. An avid golfer, he worked in the pro shop at New Seabury Country Club after retiring. He previously co-owned Cape Motors in Hyannis, Mass. He played varsity hockey at Brown. He is survived by his wife, Elsie; a daughter, Linda Hyams Horgan ’62; two grandsons; and two great-grandsons.

Gladys Burt Jordan ’33, of Bay Harbor Island, Fla.; May 5. She was a travel agent until she retired a few months before her death. A yoga devotee, she supported the arts and Miami Children’s Hospital. She was a member of the Church by the Sea in Bal Harbour, Fla. She is survived by two daughters; a son; five grandchildren; a brother, Guy Burt ’35; and two sisters.

Alfred E. King ’33, of Largo, Fla.; April 24. A pioneer in breast-cancer research, he was chief of staff and chief surgeon at Woonsocket (R.I.) Hospital. He also operated the King Clinic medical practice for more than forty-five years. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he served as a captain in medical services for General Patton’s Third Army, helping liberate prisoners of war from concentration camps. He was a member of the American Medical Association and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He was also a member of the Pinellas Rose Society and past commodore of the sailing club in Dunedin, Fla. He is survived by three sons, five daughters, eleven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

James J.O. Stone ’33, of Kingston, Mass.; May 30, after a long illness. A stockbroker for twenty-five years, he worked for such firms as Shearson Lehman Brothers and Salomon, Smith, Barney. He served on the boards of the Crescent Credit Union of Brockton, Mass., and the former Shawmut National Bank of Brockton. He was previously president and treasurer of Fraser’s department store for twenty years. He had been an assistant to the president of the Cary Maple Sugar Co. A lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, he was a receiving officer at the Naval Ammunition Depot at St. Julien’s Creek Naval Station in Virginia. He was president of the Retail Merchants Association, a director of the Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the 1953 United Appeal fund drive. He was former president of the Kiwanis Club and a member of Thorny Lea Golf Club. He raised an autistic child and supported local mental-health services; he founded and chaired the board of the Sun House, a halfway house for mental patients. He also chaired an advisory board of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and Retardation. He is survived by his wife, Rose; two daughters; two sons, including Bradford ’79; and three grandchildren.

Hugh Neville Jr. ’34, of North Dartmouth, Mass.; April 29. He was founder and president of the former Anawan Plastics and Machine Corp., retiring in 1977. He also cofounded the Acme Neville Co. in Fall River, Mass. He was past president of the Fall River Kiwanis Club and past commodore of the Tiverton (R.I.) Yacht Club. He was a former member of the National Association of Plastic Engineers and the Southern New England Textile Association, as well as a member of King Philip Lodge (AF&AM), Fall River Country Club, Lanark Village Golf Club and Boat Club, and Pocassett Hilaman Golf Club. He is survived by two sons, a daughter, seven grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Howard D. Segool ’35, of Amherst, Mass.; April 30. He was an engineering professor at the Univ. of Massachusetts at Amherst from 1965 until he retired in 1979. He established and ran a liaison program between the university and industry. He previously worked in the chemical industry and moved to Chicago in 1950 to work in the field of pipeline corrosion protection. One of four founding members of the Jewish Community of Amherst, he was its second president. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Abeshaus Segool ’35; a daughter; a son; and five grandchildren.

Marion Hall Goff ’36, of Swansea, Mass.; June 15. During World War II she worked in the bond department of the former Rhode Island Hospital Trust Bank and volunteered for the American Red Cross. She sang in the choir and served as church secretary at First Christian Congregational Church, where she was also a former deacon. She was an associate member of Beneficent Congregational Church. She was active in the Brown Alumni Association and was a former member of the Fall River (Mass.) Women’s Club, the Swansea Garden Club, and the Swansea Historical Society. She is survived by two sons, including Bert ’67; a daughter; six grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; five step-great-grandchildren; and two brothers.

Henry E. Rabin ’36, of Newport Beach, Calif.; Feb. 17. A rabbi, he served for fifteen years as executive director of the Los Angeles Hillel Council, where he supervised Hillel at forty colleges, before retiring to become a certified marriage, family, and child counselor. He maintained a private counseling practice for many years and was instrumental in starting the peer-counseling program at the Southern California Counseling Center. He was previously Hillel director at colleges in the Los Angeles area for twenty years. He wrote two books of Jewish humor and coauthored five. He coached such tennis players as world-ranked Leslie Hunt and his nationally ranked granddaughter Kimberly Singer ’06 in the mental side of the game. At Brown he played tennis for four years. Phi Beta Kappa. He is survived by two daughters, including Melanie Singer, 10 Torrey Pines Ln., Newport Beach 92660; and five grandchildren, including Kimberly and Brian Singer ’04.

Priscilla Bryant ’37, ’38 A.M., of Wilmington, Del.; Aug. 16, 2001. She was a retired French teacher.

Dorine Laudati Linnane ’37, of Cranston, R.I.; May 7. She taught library science in Cranston public schools for eighteen years until she retired in 1981. She was a member of the Greater Providence Teachers Association, the Rhode Island Retired Teachers Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Society. She was a member of the Mount Pleasant Senior Citizens Association and the Cranston Senior Center. She is survived by two sons, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and three sisters, including Marie Laudati D’Avanzo ’43 and Elaine Laudati Regine ’45.

Charles W. Gavitt ’38, of Cullman, Ala.; May 3. He retired as an engineer at FMC Corp. He is survived by his wife, Edna; a son; a daughter; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

Robert L. Scowcroft ’39, of Palm Harbor, Fla.; Feb. 28. After retiring as a sales manager for several national companies, he owned and operated a business with his late wife. He was a U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot in World War II and a flight instructor in the Korean War; he retired with the rank of major in 1959. He is survived by a daughter, Marcia, 8 Wilshire Park, Needham, Mass. 02492; and a brother, Milton ’44.

1940s

Barbara Payton Allen Bliss ’40, of Madison, Wis.; May 21, suddenly. She was an educational consultant and lecturer who taught adult dyslexics and trained teachers to use the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching phonics. She taught hundreds of children and adults how to read and trained more than 1,000 reading tutors; she was active in that work until her death. She devoted her career to helping people overcome dyslexia after serving as a guidance counselor in Barneveld, Wis., from 1969 to 1976. She wrote three editions of Understanding and Using the Orton-Gillingham Approach to the Teaching of Reading and Spelling. She was president of the Madison Literacy Council and the Wisconsin branch of the International Dyslexia Association. A fellow of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators, she was an elder and a choir member at Dale Heights Presbyterian Church. She previously taught high school biology in Newtonville, Mass. She is survived by two daughters, including Nancy Shook, 7092 Blackhawk Rd., Middleton, Wis. 53562; two sons; and seven grandchildren.

Robert B. Dewey Sr. ’40, of Bennington, Vt.; April 9. A lumber product buyer, he worked for such companies as Green Mountain Furniture, H.T. Cushman Manufacturing, and General Interiors. He started his career as a lumberjack. He enjoyed designing and building furniture, hunting, and fishing. A first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, he served in the South Pacific as a navigator. He was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Bennington. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; four sons; three daughters; and several grandchildren.

Virginia A. Trimble ’40, of East Providence, R.I.; April 29. She was a founder in 1940 of the Pawtucket (R.I.) Clinical Laboratory, one of the first blood laboratories in the state, and retired from the laboratory in 1988. She is survived by two nieces.

Mary Christopher O’Rourke ’40, of Tiverton, R.I.; April 2. She was the fourth president of Salve Regina Univ. and a member of the Sisters of Mercy. Later she was a family therapist, most recently at St. Thomas Regional School in Providence until she retired, only a month before her death. She was previously a therapist at St. Anne’s School in Fall River, Mass., and Holy Ghost School in Providence. She taught Jungian sand-play therapy in Australia. Before entering the Sisters of Mercy in 1942 she was a social worker in Woonsocket, R.I. She joined Salve Regina in 1949 and chaired its sociology department; she was appointed president in 1968. She later taught at Boston Univ. and at the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota. She had also worked for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. In 1985 she became provincial administrator of the Providence Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy. The city of Newport named her its woman of the year in 1967. She is survived by a friend, Sister M. Michaelinda Plante, 31 Farnsworth Ave., Tiverton 02878; and several cousins.

R. Douglas Davis ’41, of St. Petersburg, Fla.; June 18. He worked in public relations. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he was a lieutenant commander aboard the USS Yorktown. He served seven years of active duty and eleven years in the naval reserve. Kappa Sigma. He is survived by a daughter, Penny Gottlieb, 18 Pond Pl., Cos Cob, Conn. 06807; two sons; a stepson; and two grandchildren.

Robert H. Hackett ’41, Oakmont, Pa.; May 14, of bladder cancer. He spent his professional career at IDL Inc., where he held positions including president, general manager, and head of the art department. After retiring in 1984 he taught weekly classes at Glenn’s Art Studio for several years. A regular golfer at the Oakmont Country Club, he served on its board for twenty-four years and as president for five. He was instrumental in making Oakmont the first golf course to be listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. A World War II veteran, he served in the U.S. Army’s 27th Engineering Training Battalion, the U.S. Army Air Forces, and the U.S. Navy, rising to the Navy rank of lieutenant junior grade. He served in the U.S. Naval Reserve for another eight years. He is survived by his wife, Betty; a daughter; a son; and three grandchildren.

Paul E. Affleck ’43, of Shapleigh, Maine; June 6. He retired in 1983 as president and treasurer of Avalanche Inc., a full-service resort in Manchester, Vt. He was previously executive director of Residential Rehabilitation Centers, a treatment center for emotionally disturbed children. He had also been executive director of Goodwill Industries in Springfield, Mass., for several years. He was appointed to several offices and committees by Massachusetts governors and by President Nixon. A U.S. Army veteran, he served in the European theater. He was an Eagle Scout. He wrote several textbooks on health and hygiene and was at one time an authority on U.S. soccer. A golfer, he is survived by his wife, Yvette; two sons; a daughter; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Leon H. Farrin ’43, of South Weymouth, Mass.; May 7, after a long illness. He was superintendent of schools in Weymouth for twenty-five years until his retirement in 1991. Under his leadership the school district offered special education long before it was required by law and became one of the first in the region to offer programs for gifted and talented students. He was previously superintendent of schools in Boyertown, Pa., and Lewes, Del., and was an English teacher in Cranford, N.J. A U.S. Army Air Forces captain during World War II, he worked in intelligence on the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. He was a past trustee of South Shore Hospital, past clerk of the corporation for South Weymouth Savings Bank, and past corporator of South Shore Savings Bank. A past president of the Weymouth Rotary Club, he was a Paul Harris fellow and past deacon of Old South Union Congregational Church. He was past commodore of Crescent Cruising Club in Niantic, N.Y., and cofounder of the Niantic Bay Yacht Club. He sailed in many races and enjoyed golfing. He is survived by a daughter, two grandchildren, and two sisters.

Allen Huntington ’43, of Westport, Conn.; Oct. 12, 2002, of cardiovascular disease. He was a retired engineer. Survivors include a son, Frederick.

Edwin R. Keppler ’43, of Port Richey, Fla.; April 4. He was a retired sales representative. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he served as a translator at the Nuremberg trials after the war. He was a member of the German-American Society. He is survived by his wife, Rita.

Paul A. Lathrop ’43, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; May 22, 2002. He was a team leader of the group of engineers that sent the first camera into space and retrieved images from it. He spent his career working on space programs for such companies as RCA, General Electric, and Aerojet Inc. He served as an electronics technician for the U.S. Navy during World War II. A longtime member of the Barbershop Men’s Chorale, he is survived by five sons, including Bryan, 4324 Spruce St., Philadelphia 19104; four daughters; six grandchildren; and a brother, Don ’50.

Lee M. “Pete” Greenwood ’44, of Pacific Palisades, Calif.; April 22. He was a certified public accountant. After he retired, his interests included the travel industry and investments; he often attended stockholders’ meetings. He is survived by two daughters, Lisa Martin, 6911 N. Stardust Cir., Tucson, Ariz. 85718, and Laurie Maynard, 4487 Central Ave., San Diego 92116; three grandchildren, including Erika Martin ’01; and his former wife, Roberta.

Carolyn Penta Curran ’45, of Pawtucket, R.I.; May 5. She was a retired clinical social worker. She had worked for the department of public assistance in Newport, R.I.; the U.S. Veterans Administration; Rhode Island College; and the Johnston, R.I., school department. Active in the Rhode Island National Association of Social Workers, she was a member of Temple Beth-El in Providence. She is survived by her husband, Alton ’50, a daughter, and a sister.

Donald H. Holmes ’46, of Essex, Conn., and Lago Vista, Tex.; May 11. He retired in 1989 as an executive with Southern New England Telephone, where he had worked since 1946. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. He served on the boards of the Connecticut Society for Prevention of Blindness, the Madison (Conn.) Historical Society, and the Alice Bushnell House. He was a member of the First Congregational Church in Madison, the Scranton Memorial Library, the Grave Foundation, the Madison Winter Club, and the Madison Beach Club. He was a life member of the Madison Land Conservation Trust. At Brown he was sports editor of the Brunonian, a member of the track team, and president of Delta Upsilon. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; a daughter; and a son.

Lois Hart Sammis ’47, of San Antonio, Tex.; April 15. She was a pediatric nurse at Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital in San Antonio. She previously worked at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and at Robert B. Green Hospital in San Antonio. She enjoyed gardening and traveling the world. She is survived by six daughters; a son; twelve grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and a brother.

Carl J. Bradley ’48, of Potsdam, N.Y.; Dec. 2. He was a business owner.

Leonard A. McMahon ’48, of Quincy, Mass.; May 21. He retired from Sverdrup and Parcel after a career as a civil, structural, and cost engineer for several firms. He authored The McMahon Guide to Heavy Works Construction, a cost-estimate guide. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering and a speaker at several association meetings. He enjoyed golf, travel, and photography. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he is survived by a daughter, two brothers, and two sisters.

Walter B. Crooks ’49, of Gilbert, Ariz.; April 13. He had been an agent for Aetna Insurance and a math teacher in Utah, where he also coached football and baseball. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he was a member of the American Legion. He played varsity football at Brown. Phi Gamma Delta. He is survived by his wife, Pauline, 4140 E. Strawberry Dr., Gilbert 85297; a daughter, Susan Crooks Neville ’71; a son; and six grandchildren, including Laura Neville ’06.

Alfred Kozar ’49, of Lincoln, R.I.; April 26. He was university architect and director of planning and construction at Johnson & Wales Univ. from 1984 until he retired in 1993. He previously established his own architectural firm. He designed public and private buildings in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Florida. He was past president of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He served on the boards of the Providence and Pawtucket, R.I., chambers of commerce; the Providence Rotary Club; the Pawtucket YMCA; and Episcopal Charities. He was a past master of E.L. Freeman Lodge 41, A&FM. He was a vestryman, Sunday school teacher, convention delegate, and Eucharistic minister at St. George’s Episcopal Church. He was a life scout and scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts. He had also been a member of the Pawtucket Country Club and the Nooseneck Hunting & Fishing Club. A U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II, he is survived by his wife, Shirley, 10 Grandview Ave., Lincoln 02865; a son; a daughter; two granddaughters; and a sister.

John C. McClain ’49, of Dallas; May 25. He was senior executive vice president of Transport Life Insurance Co., retiring after twenty-five years. He previously worked at the Connecticut General Life Insurance Co. A veteran of World War II and the Korean War, he retired as a U.S. Marine Corps captain. He was twice inducted into the Pingry School Athletic Hall of Fame. At Brown he played football and baseball. Sigma Chi. He is survived by his wife, Virginia, 2 Parliament Pl., Dallas 75225; three daughters; nine grandchildren; and a sister.

Joseph J. Rosa ’49, of Melbourne, Fla.; April 21, after an illness. He served in the U.S. Air Force for twenty-two years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He then chaired the psychology department at the Univ. of Dayton. He joined the service in 1942, and the following year his B-26 was shot down on a mission over France. Captured by Germans, he was held captive until 1945. He received an air medal and a purple heart. He was in the Mercury program at Patrick Air Force Base at the start of the U.S. space effort. He enjoyed reading and gardening and was a member of the Caterpillar Club. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; four sons; a daughter; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and two sisters.

W. Goddard Sherman ’49, of Valdosta, Ga.; Feb. 26. He was a retired Methodist minister in the Florida conference. He was also a freelance cartoonist. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and is survived by his wife, Sally, 1214 McRee Dr., Valdosta 31602; two sons; a daughter; and three grandchildren.

1950s

Ramon W. Barger ’50, of Apache Junction, Ariz.; April 14. He retired in 1978 as manager of administration at the West Coast office of Grumman Aerospace Corp., where he had worked for twenty-eight years in El Segundo, Calif., Woodland Hills, Calif., and Bethpage, N.Y. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he served in the 86th Blackhawk division in the European and Pacific theaters. Sigma Chi. He is survived by his wife, Midge, Apache East Estates, 3500 S. Tomahawk Rd., #200, Apache Junction 85219; a son; a daughter; and three grandchildren.

Carol Edwards Fisher ’50, of Newnan, Ga.; March 22, after a brief illness. After her husband’s death in 1975, she worked for three years at Newnan Hospital and then became a caseworker with the Newnan Coweta Department of Family and Children’s Services. She retired in December. She previously volunteered with several organizations and served as president of the Newnan Junior Service League, the Newnan Hospital Auxiliary, the Driftwood Garden Club, and the Parents’ Club at the Heritage School. She was a member of Central Baptist Church. She is survived by two sons, including Jett “Jay” Fisher Jr., 380 University Ave., Sewanee, Tenn. 37375; four grandsons; two sisters; and a brother.

William A. Leach ’50, of Lillington, N.C.; Sept. 14, 2002. He was a dentist in Springfield, Vt., for thirty-four years. A member of the Rotary Club in Springfield, he enjoyed golfing, hunting, fishing, wood carving, and gardening. He is survived by his wife, Frances, 1353 Keith Hills Rd., Lillington 27546; and two daughters.

Robert T. Perdue ’50, of Columbia, S.C.; April 6. He retired from South Carolina National Bank as vice president of marketing in 1991. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and in the army reserve. He was an active volunteer and master gardener with Clemson Univ. Extension and was a volunteer with the Riverbanks Botanical Gardens. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis, 120 Rose Creek Ct., Columbia 29229; three sons; two daughters; nine grandchildren; three sisters; and a brother.

Cynthia Ruder Seifert ’50, of Newport, R.I.; Dec. 7, following a long recovery from a car accident. She was an active volunteer at Sturdy Memorial Hospital, Mansfield (Mass.) Public Library, and the Citizens Scholarship Foundation. An avid reader, she is survived by four children, including Melissa, 1 Russo Ct., Newport 02840; and seven grandchildren.

Paul M. Wasseth ’50, of Falmouth, Mass.; May 29, after a long illness. During his long career in the Falmouth school system, he was an English teacher, baseball coach, class adviser, school-paper adviser, guidance counselor, and assistant principal. With his family he owned and ran Oak Crest Inn in Falmouth Heights for many years. He joined the U.S. Army after his Brown graduation. He was a member of the Woods Hole Golf Club, the Masons, the Falmouth Yacht Club, and St. Barnabas Parish. At Brown he joined the baseball team during the school year and played AA baseball in the summer. He is survived by his wife, Geraldine; two daughters; a son; and three grandchildren.

Vahan Bedrosian ’51, of Lincoln, R.I.; June 20. He worked at Quonset Point Naval Air Station for many years before retiring. He was previously an electronics engineer at Brown & Sharpe Co. in Providence. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he served as an instructor of lab technicians. He is survived by his wife, Ann; a son; a daughter; three grandchildren; and a sister.

James M. Lennon ’52, of Miami; April 20. He retired from the Miami Herald after eighteen years. He was previously an advertising copywriter at Benton & Bowles, Y&R, and J. Walter Thompson. He was active in the Institute for Retired Professionals at the Univ. of Miami. He served in the U.S. Army special services in post–World War II Japan, where he entertained troops with impersonations, acting, and song and dance. He was a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans. His interests included history, writing, politics, and the Boston Red Sox. He is survived by his wife, Helen, 7925 S.W. 21st Terr., Miami 33155; two daughters; a son; and four grandchildren.

Joan Herscovitz Clarke ’53, of Danville, Calif.; Sept. 27, 2000.

Carl H. Cordes ’53, of York, Pa.; Dec. 10, 2001. He was a lawyer.

Milton E. Irons ’53, of Annandale, Va.; Jan. 21, 2001. He retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1979 and was awarded the Legion of Merit for his twenty-eight years of continuous active duty. He later worked for Raytheon and Syscon Services.

Richard B. Paige ’53, of Pittston, Maine; April 14, of a heart attack. He was a retired bank executive who became a sheep farmer upon retirement. He had been chief executive and chairman of Coastal Savings Bank in Maine until he retired in 1990. He was previously president of Brunswick Savings Institution, president of Milton (Mass.) Savings Bank, and senior vice president of Suffolk-Franklin Savings Bank in Boston. An avid fisherman, he and his wife traveled frequently to Central America to catch bonefish and to explore ancient ruins. He was involved in such organizations as the Maine Audubon Society and the United Way. He was also an active volunteer, treasurer, and board member of the Morris Farm Trust, a nonprofit environmental education center. He served as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. He is survived by his wife, Elisabeth; four sons; six grandchildren; a sister; and a brother.

Valerie Butler Cotter ’54, of Worcester, Mass.; May 5. She taught for nine years at Grafton Street Junior High School in Worcester. She was active in the Brown Alumni Association and is survived by her husband, William, 9 Westbrook Rd., Worcester 01602; two sons; and two grandchildren.

Helen “Lynne” Johnson Loschky ’55, ’70 Ph.D., of Jefferson City, Mo.; April 25, of cancer. She was a professor emerita at Lincoln Univ., a historically black university in Jefferson City. She taught courses in literature and writing, served as a department head, and developed and ran the honors program. At Brown she cofounded the Chattertocks. In the mid-1970s she became the first woman permitted to teach prisoners at the Missouri State Penitentiary; she taught at least one course each year for ten years. A founding member in 1978 of the Zebra Organization, which is dedicated to breaking down social barriers, she was an active member at the time of her death. In the 1960s, when local bowling alleys opened their businesses to all races, she joined the Lincoln team and was an active member until her recent illness. She is survived by a son; a daughter; two granddaughters; her former husband; and three sisters, including Peg Johnson Whitehouse ’53 and Mudge Johnson Anderson ’59.

Eric D. Schwartz ’55, of Villanova, Pa.; May 10, of a brain tumor. He cofounded CPM Engineers and Kelley-Schwartz Engineers. A longtime member and two-term chairman of the Radnor Township Democratic Committee, he was a Democratic committeeman in the fifth ward of Philadelphia in the 1960s and 1970s. He helped initiate the adopt-a-classroom program of the Literacy Action Project/100 Book Challenge for needy students. In the 1950s he served in the U.S. Navy for three years aboard the USS Clarence K. Bronson. He enjoyed birding, fishing, and gardening. He is survived by his wife, Julie Swenson Schwartz; two daughters; a grandchild; and a brother.

Richard E. Valicenti ’55, of Orleans, Mass.; May 28. He taught economics and social studies in the Roslyn, N.Y., middle and high schools for more than thirty years. He developed an interest in acting and singing at an early age, interning at the Cape Cod Melody Tent during the summer after his graduation from Brown. After retiring he returned to the stage in productions at the Academy Theater in Orleans, the Chatham (Mass.) Drama Guild, and the Cape Repertory Theater. He was an active volunteer, lector, and Eucharistic minister at St. Joan of Arc Parish. Delta Phi. He is survived by his wife, Joan, 56 Old Colony Way, Orleans 02653; two sons; and a granddaughter.

Martin L. Ludington ’56, of Christiansted, V.I.; Nov. 15. He was president of King’s Kroner Corp. Raymond J. Loomis ’56, of Tiverton, R.I.; June 18. He was a math teacher at Tiverton High School for twenty-five years until he retired in 1990. A U.S. Navy veteran, he enjoyed woodworking and is survived by his wife, Frances; two sons; two grandchildren; and a sister.

Lawrence A. Winans ’57, of Denver, Pa.; Jan. 21, after a long struggle with cancer. A municipal bond analyst and portfolio manager, he retired in 1995 as vice president of the CNA Investments division of Loews Corp., where he had worked for more than ten years. He previously worked for Citibank and Continental Insurance. He began his investment career as an analyst at Standard & Poor’s. He served for two years in the U.S. Army. He is survived by his wife, Claudia Hakala; a son; two daughters; five grandchildren; a brother; and a sister, Barbara Winans Harris ’53.

1960s

Robert D. Benedict ’60, of Trenton, N.J.; April 30. He was an underwriter for New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co. for more than thirty years. He was a captain in the U.S. Air Force. He is survived by his wife, Amelia.

Marilyn A. McQuade ’63, of North Smithfield, R.I.; May 16. She retired as administrator of long-term care at the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, where she had worked for thirty-five years. After retiring she worked for the Catholic Diocese of Rhode Island. A former pro golfer, she had been a member of the Rhode Island Ladies Professional Golf Association and a member of the Glocester Country Club. She served on the Lieutenant Governor’s Commission on Long-Term Care, the Rhode Island Children’s Cabinet, and on other boards and commissions. She is survived by her mother, Mary Deslauriers; a brother; a nephew; and a niece.

John J. Dystel ’68, of Rye Brook, N.Y.; June 7, from complications of multiple sclerosis. He was a lawyer in Seattle for four years before moving to Washington, D.C., in 1979, where he was a lobbyist for the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities. He later worked for the Department of Education during the Carter administration. A figure skater, he won the Middle Atlantic Senior Men’s Championship in 1964. A year earlier hehe won the Junior Men’s North Atlantic Championship and finished second in the Novice Men’s Finals at the Nationals. An injury in 1965 sidelined his skating ambitions, but he continued skating noncompetitively while in law school. He contributed to the Yale Law Review. Symptoms of multiple sclerosis began to develop in his final year of law school; he suddenly became virtually blind while taking the bar exam. He was president of his class at Brown and took part in designing the New Curriculum. Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Nu. He is survived by his parents, Oscar and Marion, 3220 Theall Rd., Rye, N.Y. 10580; a sister; a niece; and a nephew.

1970s

Gary R. Helman ’77, of St. Paul, Minn.; Dec. 28, after a long illness. He is survived by his wife, Nancy; his parents, Joy and Gilbert; a brother; and a sister.

1980s

Kirkman O’Neal III ’82, of Andover, Mass.; April 13, after a long struggle with multiple myeloma. He was a founding member of the environmental division of Abt Associates in Cambridge, Mass., where he was a project manager and senior policy analyst. His specialty was applying quantitative methods to the analysis of environmental policies. Many of his studies contributed to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations for herbicides, insecticides, lead, and sewage sludge. Most recently, he developed computer models for analyzing the impact of global warming on cold-water fish populations. He began his career at the Urban Institute’s Public Finance and Housing Center in Washington, D.C., where he coauthored a computer simulation of housing quality for use in developing countries and applied the model on site in Sri Lanka and Honduras. He enjoyed bicycling, hiking, canoeing, and running. He played the flute, banjo, and piano. He is survived by his wife, Colleen; his father, Emmet; his stepmother; two daughters; two brothers; and a stepsister.

Nicole Cox Mason ’89, of Ann Arbor, Mich.; April 1, after a struggle with lung cancer. She was the western regional attorney for Covansys Software Development Concern of Farmington Hill, Mich. She was previously an attorney for MCI/WorldCom of Los Angeles and Lewis, Clay & Munday of Detroit. She is survived by her husband, Nathaniel ’88; her father, Elroy Cox; and five sisters.

1990s

Mary Alice Olmstead Stephens ’99, of Los Lunas, N.M.; murdered Aug. 4, 2001.

GS

Charles L. Morris ’41 Ph.D., of Palm Harbor, Fla.; April 27. He retired as director of research administration for Allied Chemical in Morristown, N.J. He was a member of the American Chemical Society. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he was a former member of the Presbyterian Church of Palm Harbor. He sang baritone in a barbershop quartet and was a member of the chorus and the men’s forum at Marriott Stratford Court, where he lived. He enjoyed golfing, gardening, and listening to big-band music. He is survived by a daughter, a son, five grandchildren, and two great-grandsons.

Robinson O. Bellin ’54 A.M. (see ’32).

J. Bruce Brackenridge ’59 Ph.D., of Appleton, Wis.; May 3, of cancer. He was the Alice G. Chapman professor of physics at Lawrence Univ., where he taught physics and the history of science until last year. He had been director of the Lawrence Univ. Center in London for several years. He previously taught for four years at Muskingum College. His research focused on making Sir Isaac Newton’s Principia accessible to the public. He published The Kepler Problem and Principia: The Key to Newton’s Dynamics. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Rossi ’57 A.M.; a daughter; two sons; a brother; and a sister.

Mabel Mason Anderson ’60 M.A.T., of Pawtucket, R.I.; May 2, after being struck by a car. She served from 1982 to 2002 in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, where she was on the judiciary committee and the joint committee on energy and the environment. An ardent campaigner and a firm believer in constituent service, she won a lopsided victory during her final run in 2000, even after her opponent raised sharp questions about her health. “She would say to people, ‘I won’t be there for you tomorrow if you don’t vote for me tonight,’ ” Pawtucket mayor James Doyle told the Providence Journal after her death. She is survived by her husband, George ’50; a son, Jon ’83; and a daughter.

Richard A Rhodes II ’61 Ph.D., of St. Petersburg, Fla; May 9. He retired in 1994 as a physics professor at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. He previously taught physics to a U.S. Army unit at Bowdoin College in Maine and worked in the sound division at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. He retired from the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1972 as a commander. He taught at the Univ. of Connecticut for fifteen years and at the Univ. of Florida for four years. He spent two years teaching physics in visiting positions at Randolph Macon College in Virginia and at the Virginia Military Institute. He was active in the Safety Services Program of the American Red Cross and chaired the water-safety committee of the local chapter of the American Red Cross. He taught swimming and served as manager at the Eckerd College pool. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church and its chancel choir. He is survived by two cousins.

Carl R. Cavonius ’62 Ph.D.; of Dortmund, Germany; Jan. 20, of cancer. A neuroscientist, he became director of the sensory and neurophysiology department at the Institut für Arbeitsphysiologie in Dortmund in 1977. A specialist in vision, he focused on discerning colors and perceiving brightness, as well as on binocular interaction, luminosity, spatial vision, and alpha rhythm. After retiring he encouraged young scientists and promoted the sharing of technology to help the handicapped. He continued to work daily in his office while battling cancer. He started his career as a government contractor studying the effects of landing lights on helicopter pilots. He then worked at the Eye Research Institute in Bethesda, Md. He was a U.S. Navy veteran, participating in ice patrols over the North Atlantic and antisubmarine warfare. He is survived by his wife, Rita, 44329 Dortmund-Derne, Altenderner, Strabe 117; and a daughter.

Charles H. Hockman ’63 Ph.D., of Atlanta; March 18. He was at various times a professor and researcher at Mercer Univ. in Macon, Georgia; the Univ. of Illinois; the Univ. of Toronto; and the Medical College of Virginia. A member of the Canadian Merchant Marines during World War II, he is survived by his wife, Mildred, 2997 McCully Dr. NE, Atlanta 30345; two daughters; a son; and a grandson.

Robert L. Comeau ’66 Ph.D., of Halifax, Nova Scotia; April 4, after a brief illness. He was former chair of the economics department at Dalhousie Univ., where he taught for twenty-seven years before retiring. He was also president of the Dalhousie Faculty Association. A social activist, he campaigned for workers’ rights and for Medicare. He previously taught at Boston College, Carleton Univ. in Canada, and the Univ. of New Brunswick. He was active in St. Thomas Aquinas Parish and the Catholic Social Services Commission.

Andreas C. Tsantis ’66 A.M., of Rockville, Md.; Nov. 22. He was retired from the World Bank. As president of Cosmos, Inc., he spent much of his time in Romania. He was a trustee of Old Dominion Univ. and is survived by his wife, Linda; two daughters; and a sister.

Helen “Lynne” Johnson Loschky ’70 Ph.D. (see ’55).

Dean L. May ’74 Ph.D., of Salt Lake City; May 6, after a heart attack. He was a professor of history at the Univ. of Utah, where he specialized in the social history of Mormons and of the American West. In the 1980s he created a twenty-part video series, A People’s History of Utah, that has been shown in the state’s public schools ever since. He also produced the Utah Remembers video series in conjunction with the state’s centennial. He authored several books, including his most recent, Three Frontiers: Family, Land, and Society in the American West, 1850–1900, which was published by Cambridge Univ. Press in 1994 and which was named the year’s best book by the Mormon History Association. He was immediate past president of the Mormon History Association and a fellow of the Utah State Historical Society. He chaired the Utah Board of State History and edited the Journal of Mormon History. In summer 2001 he taught immigration history and was a crew member on the Christian Radich, which reenacted the Mormon passage from Europe to the United States. He received two teaching awards. He sang in the Utah Symphony Chorus. He is survived by his wife, Cheryll; two sons; and a daughter.

Faculty

Charles Kuhn III, of Providence; Dec. 29, of complications from a bone marrow disorder. He was a professor emeritus of pathology and retired chief of pathology at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island. A Brown faculty member for eleven years and an internationally recognized lung pathologist, he was named professor emeritus in 1998. He was previously a pathology professor at Washington Univ. Medical School. He published numerous scientific papers and served on the editorial boards of many journals. He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and other organizations. A U.S. Army Medical Corps captain during the Vietnam War, he is survived by his wife, Nobuko; two daughters; and a sister.

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