1930
Franklin Ernest Burris, Oct. 29, 2007
Frank Burris didn’t let circumstances get in his way. When chopping wood didn’t pay enough, he picked fir and spruce cones for the WPA during the Depression. When he was “too old” to enlist during World War II, he supported the war effort by working as a welder in a shipyard in South Portland, and then by building the runways at the Navy’s new air station in Brunswick. When the weather turned foul and he couldn’t work as an engineer for the Maine Department of Roads, he took on logging jobs. He lived in West Bethel for 60 years and raised his children there with his late wife, Doris (Smith). In 1974 he retired, and they moved to Indialantic, Fla., where they grew grapefruit and oranges in their backyard. His wife died in 1997. Among his survivors are children June Blankenship, Gloria Hopkins, Linda Watson, Margaret Wilson, Mary Lockwood, and Franklin Joseph Burris; 17 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and his sister, Esther Lathrop. A daughter, Cynthia Waugh, predeceased him, as did an infant daughter.

1931
Phyllis Naylor Hoehn, Jan. 25, 2008
Phyl Naylor Hoehn played tennis at Bates and married a tennis professional. Her husband, Edward (“Red”) Hoehn, coached tennis and squash at Dartmouth for many years before serving as tennis pro at Longwood Cricket Club and the Badminton & Tennis Club in Boston. He predeceased her. Among her survivors are children Richard, Edward III, and Nancy Drake; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Helen Pratt Mason, Jan. 5, 2008
Helen Viola Pratt Mason — “Hen” to her friends — graduated with a degree in French and taught for several years in New Hampshire before marrying Lawrence Mason in 1934. Eight years later they returned to Maine, where they owned and operated a variety store in Gorham. She also continued to teach, both at her own alma mater, Porter High School, and in the Portland school system. While at Bates, she played basketball, baseball, soccer, and tennis, among other sports, and was captain of the volleyball team. She was active in both church and community organizations, including St. Joseph’s Women’s Sodality, where she held various offices. She served as class secretary and class agent for the College for many years. Her husband predeceased her, as did a daughter, Beverly Ann. Survivors include children Marie McCann and Norman Mason; six grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and brother Norman Pratt.

1933

Eugene Barrows McAlister, Feb. 15, 2008

The Rev. Eugene McAlister (“Mac”) devoted his life to the Congregational Church, serving as a minister in North Dakota before World War II and in Nebraska, Minnesota, and Connecticut after the war. Following graduation with a degree in religion, he earned a bachelor’s in divinity from Andover Newton Theological Seminary in 1936 and a master’s in 1937. During World War II he volunteered as a chaplain with the Army Air Force and served in Japan and the Philippines. In 1965, he returned to Japan with his wife, Mary, and worked as a missionary for three years. He also taught English there. He served as minister at the Beacon Falls (Conn.) Congregational Church for 15 years, then as minister of pastoral care in Waterbury until he retired in 1991. His father was Milton V. McAlister 1915, his sister Lois McAlister Bean ’41, and his brother Richard E. McAlister ’35. His wife predeceased him, as did another sister, Clarise Armstrong. He is survived by a number of nieces and nephews.

Anthony-Gerald (Lee) Stevens, Sept. 22, 2007

“Every man needs to be where his heart is,” wrote Father Anthony-Gerald (Lee) Stevens, explaining why he was compelled to return to Liberia and the people at the Mbalotahun Leprosy Relief Program. An Episcopal priest, his order (Order of the Holy Cross) sent him to Africa on several occasions. He learned the local languages and received paramedical training in leprosy care to aid his work. Ordained in 1943, he entered the order in 1947, following service as a Navy chaplain during World War II, and was received as a life-professed member in 1951. In 1976, he was bestowed with a new name, and Father Lee Stevens became Father Anthony-Gerald. Even after his order left Liberia in 1984, he returned for three years as a private missionary, without salary, depending entirely on contributions. In addition to working with those with Hansen’s disease, as leprosy is formally known, he worked with their children, believing that education was the “one door of hope for these youngsters to break away from their unfortunate backgrounds,” as he wrote in a letter to his class. His work helped a number of the children enter college, nursing school, and technical schools. He was called home by his order several times because of civil war in Liberia. He was the director of a silent retreat center in Tennessee for 12 years, and also lived and worked as a hermit monk at a monastery in South Carolina. In 2006, he returned to Liberia at the request of its bishop to establish the first indigenous religious order for men, the Community of the Love of Jesus. His body was buried in the cemetery at Mbalotahun.

1936

Edmund Littleton Foote, Nov. 27, 2006

Although Ed Foote left Bates after two years and graduated from Amherst, he remained in touch with his classmates. He earned a master’s from Columbia in 1939 and then started as a clerk at Westinghouse in Newark, N.J. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps for three years, stationed in the Alaska territory as well as stateside. Following the war, he joined Oakite Products Inc. (now Chemetall Oakite), a maker of specialty chemical products, from which he retired, after 36 years, as marketing manager. A native of New Jersey, he lived for many years in Chatham, where he was active in the Chatham First Congregational Church. His wife, Barbara, died in 1992. Among his survivors are daughters Betsey Thurman and Marjorie Weber; and three granddaughters.

Constance Carolyn Murray, Dec. 6, 2007

Connie Murray thought that her hometown of Cape Elizabeth was the best place in the world to grow up — and so she retired there. A history teacher, she was surprised to discover that the town didn’t have a historical organization, so she started one, the Cape Elizabeth Historical Preservation Society, serving as curator for many years. Her teaching career started at Standish High School. She then moved to Thornton Academy, where she was a dean and guidance supervisor in addition to a history teacher. In 1946, she joined the faculty at Lexington (Mass.) High School, where she eventually became head of the history department and coordinator of the school’s program for gifted children. She earned a master’s degree in 1947 and a doctorate in 1960, both from Boston Univ. She also taught at Simmons College and received a John Hay Fellowship for study at UC–Berke

Correction The Spring 2008 issue incorrectly listed the name of Sibyl G. Long, the late wife of Thurston Homer Long ’37. They were married for 62 years. The corrected obituary appears here. We apologize for the error. — Editor

ley. Following her retirement from teaching, she worked for two years with WGBH in Boston, producing original historical programming. After returning to Maine, she became active in the Cape Elizabeth Garden Club and served as president of the board of directors of the Cape Elizabeth Home. Her survivors include several nieces and nephews.

Kathleen Eleanor Torsey, July 22, 2007

Kathleen Torsey’s field was speech and communication. An English major at the College, she also earned a master’s from Boston Univ. and doctorate from the Univ. of Florida. She taught at high schools in Maine and Rhode Island until 1946, when she became chair of the department of speech and theater and Colby Junior College in New Hampshire. She remained there until 1966, when she joined the faculty at the Univ. of Georgia as an associate professor of speech. In 1979 she was the first recipient of the university’s Speech Communication Teacher of the Year award. She was a member of Pi Lambda Theta, an honor society for women in education; Phi Kappa Phi, a national scholastic honor society; and the College Key. When she retired in 1990, she moved to Moncks Corner, S.C. Among her survivors are her sister, Alethea Bigham Segal, and several nieces and nephews.

1937

Robert Schilling Harper, Jan. 25, 2008

One of the reasons Bob Harper chose to attend Bates was that Maine was even more of a wilderness then. He and his roommate canoed the Allagash and blazed their own ski runs. “Impossibility is a frame of mind,” read his yearbook entry. He was president of the student council during his senior year and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in physics. He earned a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from MIT and during World War II was an ensign assigned to the U.S. Naval Gun Factory and later served in the South Pacific. He left the Navy in 1946 with the rank of lieutenant commander and married Alice Aplington shortly thereafter. He joined Geometric Tool Co. in New Haven as a production manager. This company was part of Greenfield Tap and Die, and within 10 years he was vice president and general manager of the parent company, now part of TRW. He retired in 1977. Besides a number of professional organizations, he was a director of the Franklin County Trust Co., Franklin Savings Institution, Baystate Franklin Medical Center, Greenfield Chamber of Commerce, and United Fund of Franklin County. He was president and director of the Greenfield (Mass.) YMCA, a volunteer for SCORE (Senior Core of Retired Executives), and a deacon of the Second Congregational Church. Along with his wife, his survivors include children Caroline Arnold, Linda McLane, and Peter Harper; and eight grandchildren.

1938

Charles Willis Bartlett, Jan. 8, 2008

Charlie Bartlett was a secondary school teacher and guidance counselor in Maine and Massachusetts. A math major, he taught the subject at Coburn Classical Academy in Waterville for six years before becoming the director of guidance at Waterville High School. Five years later, he moved to Holden, Mass., where he was the guidance director at Wachusett Regional High School. During World War II, he was stationed in England with the Army Air Corps. In 1954, he was awarded a master’s in education by Boston Univ. He retired in 1972. He enjoyed reading and playing chess, cribbage, and duplicate bridge. He is survived by several cousins, among others.

Louise Wright Fairfield, Nov. 1, 2007

She left Bates after two years, but Louise Wright Fairfield remained grateful for her time at the College. After marrying Philip Fairfield ’37 in 1941, they moved to Virginia, where her husband was employed as a chemist. Four years later they returned to Maine and lived in Rumford until 1950, when they moved to Kennebunkport. There, she was a leader in the Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts, a member of the Eastern Star, and active at the Cape Porpoise Methodist Church (now Church on the Cape). She worked at the Kennebunkport Post Office for several decades. Her father was Harold S. Wright 1913 and her late sister-in-law was Esther Fairfield ’24, whose husband was Michael Gillespie ’25; their son was Richard Gillespie ’55, whose widow is Irene Bacon Gillespie ’55. Her great-great-nephew is Anthony C. Phillips ’95. Her husband died in 1975, and a daughter, Marjorie Fairfield Gould, died in 1997. Among her survivors are children Harold, Edward, Elizabeth Townsend, James, Kenneth, John, and Joseph; 15 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

1939

Leighton Alden Dingley, Nov. 25, 2007

He came to Bates intending to go into law, but a “most fortuitously kind” change in direction led Leighton Dingley into social work instead. While earning a master’s from Ohio State, he supervised recreation projects for the WPA. In 1944 he and his wife, Helen, moved to Topaz, Utah, where he worked for the War Relocation Authority as a social worker for the Japanese people interned there. Following the war, they moved to Hilo, Hawaii, where he was the director of relocation and child welfare for the Waiakea Settlement. Involved in numerous activities there, he was named outstanding young man of the year in 1948 by the Hilo Junior Chamber of Commerce. The following year they moved to San Diego, and two years after that to Nashville, where he was director of the Council of Social Agencies. In 1959 he was appointed executive director of the Community Chest of Essex County, N.J. He then became director of training and recruitment for the United Community Funds and Councils of America, now known as United Way. In 1967 he became a professor of social work at Rutgers Univ. He retired in 1983 and returned to Hawaii in 2000. His wife predeceased him. Survivors include his daughter, Alison Dingley.

Margery McCray Ivanowsky Tripp, Jan. 8, 2008

Margery McCray Tripp worked briefly for Traveler’s Insurance Co. after graduation and later owned Globe Travel Service in East Hartford, Conn. Later, she moved to Bellingham, Wash., and five years ago to Port St. Lucie, Fla., to live with her daughter. An avid reader, she solved The New York Times crossword puzzle in ink. Survivors include daughter Tanya Repoli; two grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

1941

Miriam Vaughan Eglintine, Jan. 4, 2008

She stopped counting at 100. That’s how many chairs Miriam Vaughan Eglintine had caned before she gave up counting. She and her husband, the late Gordon Eglintine, found broken and damaged chairs at flea markets. He repaired and reglued them, and she stripped them and wove new seats for them. Her husband worked for General Electric, and she found part-time work as a medical technician wherever the company moved them. Together they built two houses, one in Scotia, N.Y., and the second in Bridgeport, Conn. Both of her parents, Joseph and Emma Rachel Thing Vaughan, and her aunt, Alice Thing, were members of the Class of 1913, and she recalled many visits to campus as a child. Survivors include children Paul, Linda Marotta, and Carolyn Seiler; eight grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and sister Martha Findeisen.

1942

Daniel Edward Dustin, Dec. 6, 2007

During World War II, Daniel Dustin served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and received a Bronze Star for meritorious service in the office of the chief signal officer in Europe. An honors graduate in math, he was president of the Jordan Scientific Society during his senior year and earned a master’s from MIT in 1949. He then worked on the research and development board at the Pentagon before joining MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in 1953. There he directed the re-entry physics program under the sponsorship of the Advanced Research Projects Agency, which sought to understand the behavior of objects re-entering the atmosphere. The goal was to be able to distinguish enemy warheads from decoy material. Thus he had a leading role in developing the lab’s programs in ballistic missile defense technology. He retired in 1972 as the assistant director of the laboratory. In a Reunion survey in 1987, however, he expressed strong support for arms reduction and his opposition to the country’s “sell-out to military spending and force.” Survivors include wife Rachel Speed Dustin; daughters Donna Dustin Strachen ’70, Melissa Green, and Cynthia Boyd; five grandchildren; brother Elden H. Dustin ’32 and nephew Daniel E. Dustin ’68; and sister Adelaide Nichols. His late sister-in-law was Rosamond Nichols Dustin ’32.

Claire Wilson Wright Nov. 25, 2007

Ginger Wilson Wright loved to design houses. The Florida house she designed for her husband, Paul Wright ’41, and herself featured a living room that included a screened pool and waterfall overhung by six old live oaks. In retirement, they spent nine months a year there and the other three in a house she designed on Cape Cod. Before that, she designed houses for her family in Ann Arbor, Mich., Durham, N.H., and Barrington, N.H., the latter under a covered bridge, where she ran a chowder house. She realized after graduating Phi Beta Kappa that she had chosen to major in English because it was at the time the closest she could get to majoring in psychology. In 1945 she was awarded a master’s in psychology from Boston Univ. After her children reached school age, she taught English at Spaulding High School in Rochester, N.H., and later was a guidance counselor there. In 1966 she joined the staff of UNH as an academic counselor, also teaching educational psychology. In 1976 she became the chair of guidance at Concord (N.H.) High School. In 1979, following retirement, she and her husband opened the chowder house in Barrington. She chose to devote her charitable interests to causes where she could see an immediate effect, especially regarding the welfare of animals. She wrote in her 50th Reunion directory that “Paul and I contribute to ‘zero population growth’ by putting out the Animal Welfare League’s quarterly newsletter and vigorously chastising people who don’t neuter their pets.” In addition to her husband, survivors include sons Loren, Darryl, and Barton; and two grandchildren.

1943

Arthur Andre Fontaine, Nov. 4, 2007

Arthur Fontaine spent only two years of high school and college on land, both of them at Bates. He graduated from Admiral Billard Academy, a naval preparatory school, before Bates and left to attend the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, graduating in 1944. While a student, he won the New England Dinghy Championship; in 1998, he was inducted into the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Assn. of North America Hall of Fame “for competitive achievement.” He is listed among the most notable graduates of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. His 30-year active duty career included postings in New Bedford, Mass., and Charleston, S.C. He was well-known in New Bedford for his success in races aboard the family’s sloop. His wife, Marie, died in 1998. Among his survivors are children Marguerite Fontaine, Aimee Lee, and Robert Fontaine; four grandchildren; and sister Claire Cayer and brother Richard Fontaine.

Priscilla Kendrick Colby, Jan. 1, 2008

Even as a student, Pat Kendrick Colby was interested in social work and social change. She was active with the Social Action Commission, the peace group, and student government. She graduated with a degree in sociology and a Phi Beta Kappa key. She worked for the Maine Bureau of Social Welfare for several years before marrying Francis Colby. The Air Force sent them to San Francisco and then to Tokyo, where her son was born. After a divorce, she earned a master’s in social work at Tulane. For many years she was a child welfare district supervisor in St. Petersburg, Fla. In 1966 she became a psychiatric social worker at Anclote Manor Psychiatric Center in Tarpon Springs, Fla., from which she retired in 1978. Her travels took her around the world. Among her survivors are son James; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Her father was Cyrus M. Kendrick 1910 and her aunts were Katherine H. Kendrick and Susie Kendrick, both Class of 1903.

1944

Harry Barba, Nov. 29, 2007

When his brother told writer and editor Harry Barba that he’d have a bestseller some day, Harry replied, “You think I’m that bad?” He had no use for “page turners” or “pot boilers,” works that are read and discarded. “I must live with my self-esteem!” he once said. His works include novels For the Grape Season (1960), the Pulitzer-nominated Round Trip to Byzantium (1975), and The Day the World Went Sane (1979). He turned the Watergate crisis on its ear with his cookbooks, What’s Cooking in Congress? (1979) and What’s Cooking in Congress II (1982), both compiled with his wife, Marian. He was also a gifted teacher and implemented creative-writing programs at Skidmore and at Marshall Univ. in West Virginia. He won many fellowships — Fulbright, Benedum, MacDowell, a Yaddo, and Guggenheim. He was awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Council for the Arts. He was a founder of Poets & Writers Inc. He started Harian Press especially to publish the work of unknown writers. He held master’s degrees from Harvard and the Univ. of Iowa and a Ph.D. from the Univ. of Iowa. He also studied at Columbia, NYU, and Boston Univ. In 2001, the International Biographical Centre of Cambridge, England, named him Man of the Year. At Bates, he was editor of The Garnet and active in the Spofford Club; his degree was in English. The son of Armenian immigrants, he once described himself as a “bully boy” and credited his seventh grade teacher with redirecting his energy into writing. “It’s the drive to creativity that saves society from its own terrible inner structures,” he told a reporter in 1969. “Raw energy can go either way, destructively or creatively. We must find the right way. This is the reason for creative writing.” He also taught at Wilkes College, the Univ. of Connecticut, the Univ. of Wichita, Damascus Univ. in Syria, and the Univ. of Cincinnati. An hour before he died, he was busy editing a manuscript. Along with his wife, he is survived by his son, Gregory, and his sisters, Ruth Barba Nussbaum ’47 and Mary Ellen Brackett.

Elaine Bush Prince, Jan. 25, 2008

When she was just 26, Elaine Bush Prince enrolled in a study that she knew would change the lives of millions around the world: the Framingham Heart Study. A lifelong resident of the town, she submitted to periodic medical tests of all sorts. The knowledge gained from the study is credited with halving the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease in the U.S. over the past 50 years. Her father, Alton Bush 1917, also participated, and her husband, Donald Prince, and several of her children are still involved in it. She was deeply interested in longevity of another sort: her family history. Considered one of the nation’s most authoritative researchers of the Bush family, she corresponded with President George H.W. Bush about their ancestors. Sharing this genealogical pursuit with her husband, she could trace her lineage back to Thomas Rogers, a passenger on the Mayflower. At Bates, she was active in choral groups and was proud that she was the lead singer for the Bobcats big band. She worked for the American Red Cross at Cushing Hospital during World War II and then at Dennison Manufacturing, where she met her husband. Together they raised seven children, and she was active in Girl Scouts and the local PTA. In Bates affairs, she established the Bush-Prince Scholarship Fund in honor of her father and served as class president, secretary-treasurer, and class agent. She was a member of the College Key. Her husband survives her, as do children Barbara Prince Upton ’57, Donald F. Prince Jr., Allen Hallowell Prince, Diane Elaine Callahan, Jeffrey Bush Prince, Nancy Louise Prince, and Cheryl Ann Prince; 12 grandchildren, including Kirk Upton ’88; and 11 great-grandchildren.

John Dickinson Kobrock, Dec. 7, 2007

During World War II, John Kobrock rose from first lieutenant to commanding officer of LST (Landing Ship, Tank) 666. The LST earned six battle stars during action in the Pacific. Following the war, he became active in the U.S. Power Squadron and held memberships in two yacht clubs. With a degree in chemistry, he worked for several chemical companies before joining Acorn Structures in Massachusetts. He also held positions with Delano Mill in Portland and with South Portland Engineering. At Bates, he was class treasurer and chaired the Ivy Hop Committee. He ran track and played football. Survivors include wife Jeanne; children Sandra Kobrock, Jeffrey Kobrock, and Pamela Kobrock; and a grandchild.

Sidney Frederick Shernan, Feb. 1, 2008

Sidney Shernan lived his entire life in Malden, Mass. A 1950 graduate of Tufts School of Dental Medicine, he had a successful dental practice in Malden for 56 years; his son has now taken it over. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. His survivors include his wife, Phyllis; their children, Stewart, Stanton, and Breda; and five grandchildren.

1945

Elisabeth Eaton White, Dec. 11, 2007

Betty White devoted her career to children with cognitive disabilities, and the results of her testing were used to guide surgeons and therapists as they devised corrective actions. She was head of the cortical test lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, having started to work there in 1950 as a clinical psychologist. To extend the expertise she gained as a Phi Beta Kappa psychology major at the College, she earned a master’s degree from Boston Univ. A trained singer who sang with the College Choir, she continued to sing with her church choir. In later years, she also learned to play handbells. She used her language skills to solve crossword puzzles in French and German. She served as class secretary for more than two decades. Among her survivors are a number of nieces and nephews.

1947

Bernice Goldman Lewiton, Feb. 15, 2008

Buzz Goldman Lewiton overcame childhood polio and went on to become the first girl in her family to graduate from high school and college. Once her own children were old enough, she returned to school to gain a master’s in education, from Lesley College in 1975. She specialized in teaching children with learning disabilities, a field in which she had started training in the late 1960s, when she became certified in the Orton-Gillingham method, a multisensory approach used to overcome learning barriers. Even before “special ed” became required by law, she was using these methods to reach children in the Watertown (Mass.) schools. Following retirement in 1989, she volunteered for another dozen years at a school one of her grandchildren attended. She also volunteered at the Museum of Science. She was a past president of the Orton-Gillingham Society and of the Boston Bates Alumni Club; a lifetime member of Hadassah; and an active member of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies and the Belmont Parent Teacher Assn. Her late husband, Jacob Lewiton, was a former chief justice of the Boston Municipal Court. Among her survivors are children Marvin Lewiton ’75, Cynthia Jackson, and Barbara Lewiton; a brother, Bernard Goldman; and five grandchildren. Her great-nephew is Daniel Spector ’02.
b Margaret Overton, Dec. 3, 2007

A psychology major, Margaret Overton held a master’s in teaching from Columbia. She worked for several years at the Children’s Museum in Boston, and then for Columbia Univ. At Bates, she was active in dance groups and with The Bates Student. Among her survivors are several nieces and nephews.

1949

Janice Harris Minchella, Oct. 22, 2005
ollowing graduation, Janice Harris Minchella, a biology major, won a fellowship to Johns Hopkins School of Health. She later worked for Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. Her mother, Lilli Herling Harris, was in the Class of 1922.

Geraldine Lincoln Creamer, Dec. 4, 2007

Gerry Creamer was part of a group of classmates who managed a reunion every year for 58 years: Arlene Bourne Begin, Nancy Dean Humphrey, Dorothy Gaylord Shea, Claire Lapham Smith, Alfreda Lesniewski Brousseau, Kathryn Robish Topliff, and Thelma Smith Blake. A Maine native, she and her husband, Thomas, raised their children in Yarmouth but stole away to the family farm in Waldoboro as often as they could. Her Bates degree was in English, and she added a master’s degree in education from the Univ. of Maine to it. She taught elementary school in Yarmouth for 26 years. In Waldoboro, she enjoyed following roads to nowhere and clearing brush from old paths and tote roads. She was always game for one last dash to dig clams before the tide rushed in. Among other community groups, she was active in the Waldoboro Historical Society and was known for her comprehensive grasp of the genealogy of area residents. She served as secretary of the Lincoln County Retired Teachers Assn. for over 10 years. Her survivors include her husband and children Pam, Kent, Kim, and Court. Her nephew is Benjamin Ames ’55.

1950

Arthur Elwin Baird, Nov. 17, 2007

Dick Baird served in the Army during World War II and remained active in the National Guard. He retired with the rank of master sergeant in 1979. He attended Bates for one year and went on to graduate from Gates Business College. His wife, Ursula, predeceased him. Among his survivors are children Thomas, David, William, Robert, Stephen, Daniel, Margaret, Mary Leighton, and Carol, and 13 grandchildren.

1951

Penelope Shoup Hoyt, Sept. 7, 2007

Penny Shoup Hoyt came to Bates after a year at the Univ. of New Mexico. She majored in psychology and studied at Radcliffe. She taught at both Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Mass., and at the Hadley School for the Blind in Winnetka, Ill. She was a deacon at Glenview Community Church and a charter member of the Valley Lo Sports Club in Glenview. Her husband, Carter Harriman Hoyt Jr., predeceased her. Among her survivors are children Betsy Russell, Carter H. III, and Peter; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

1953

Robert William Jones, Dec. 13, 2007

Robert Jones left Bates after one semester and went on to graduate from Boston Univ. A veteran of the Marine Corps during World War II, he was an avid outdoorsman. He served on the Belmont (Mass.) Board of Assessors and was a member of the Belmont Lions Club. His wife, June Diodati Jones, survives him, as do a son, Robert R. Jones; and five grandchildren. His daughter, Cynthia Jones, predeceased him.

Uarda Ulpts Vernon, Oct. 30, 2007

“Have you ever thought what might have happened?” asked Bill Vernon to Ardie Ulpts as she studied for finals her senior year. Growing up in Portland, Maine, they had been high school sweethearts, but Vernon had married another woman and had a baby by that time. Forty-two years later, the former sweethearts married, three years after she divorced her first husband. She was the sultry-voiced host of the “Our Gal” program on the Bates radio station and held the distinction of being the first woman on television in Maine. She lived for a number of years in Anderson, Ind., where she studied at Anderson College and owned an ERA agency. Both of her husbands, Bill Vernon and Joseph Ketner, predeceased her. Survivors include sister Ursula Sanks; children Joseph Ketner II, Karen Thomas, Lisa Ketner, Jay Ketner, and Kristin Pak; and five grandchildren.

1954

Robert Franklin Stetson, June 2, 2007

Bob Stetson was a founding faculty member of Florida Atlantic University. A physicist, his degrees from Bates (B.S.), Wesleyan (M.A., 1956), and the Univ. of Virginia (Ph.D., 1959) were all in physics. A member of the College Key, he held a Phi Beta Kappa key from Bates, and earned a National Science Foundation fellowship in 1958. Before joining the faculty of FAU in 1964, he was a project scientist at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and taught at the universities of Virginia and Florida, and at Wesleyan. He was a specialist in neutron and plasma physics and performed research at the thermo-nuclear division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In addition to chairing the physics department, he also served as the director of sponsored research, the director of the faculty scholars program, and as acting dean of undergraduate studies during his 33-year career at FAU. He was a consultant to the College Entrance Exam Board and the book review editor for the American Journal of Physics. He retired in 1997. He had long dreamed of owning an Irish pub, and soon after retirement he and co-owners opened O’Connor’s Pub in Delray Beach, Fla.

1956

Eleanor Carver Nolan, Feb. 26, 2008

Ellie Carver Nolan enjoyed successful careers as a nurse, teacher, mother, and homemaker. With an A.B. in nursing from Bates, she went on to New England Baptist Hospital, where she became an R.N. She also held a master’s in nursing education from Syracuse Univ. She taught at the Maine Medical Center and helped organize the curriculum at a new two-year school of nursing affiliated with SUNY Upstate Medical Univ. In 1981, she founded the associate-degree nursing program at Cazenovia College. A skier, she and her husband, John, took part in adult races in central New York; she also volunteered on the ski patrol there. After 35 years in New York, they bought land in Chamberlain, Maine, overlooking the ocean and built a home there for their retirement. She sang in her church choirs in both New York and Maine, and taught religious education in New York. As an alumna, she was president of the Central New York Bates Club and served on her class Reunion Committee for both its 40th and 50th anniversary celebrations. Along with her husband, survivors include children Michael Nolan, Meg Gerritsen, Peter Nolan, Timothy Nolan, and Marianne Nolan Cowan ’92 and her husband Timothy Cowan ’91; and 14 grandchildren.

Robert Irving Damon, Jan. 29, 2008

Bob Damon, an English major, graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was awarded the Senseney Award for outstanding creative ability in writing. He was editor of The Garnet and had the lead in Stalag 17 during his senior year. For two years, he was the weekend announcer for WLAM, at the time Lewiston’s leading radio station. Following graduation, he served three years in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps. He then entered the insurance field and worked in Massachusetts, California, and finally New York, retiring as a vice president for Guardian in 1996. He authored several chapters on health insurance for a college textbook in the early 1980s. In 1997 he married his high school sweetheart, Helen Gruber. She survives him, as do twin brother Allan and sister Ruth Gunnells; children Elizabeth, Julia, and Sandra; five stepchildren; 15 grandchildren; and seven step-grandchildren. His sister-in-law is Claire Poulin Damon ’56.

1958

David Bruce Colby, Nov. 20, 2007

Dave Colby’s command of the pitching mound drew the attention of the Cleveland Indians, but he refused their contract in order to continue his studies. A dean’s list student, he graduated with honors in physics and also majored in mathematics. He earned a master’s in physics from Wesleyan in 1960 and in 1961 joined the staff at the former Naval Weapons Laboratory in Dahlgren, Va. He completed assignments at the Office of Telecommunications, Executive Office of the President, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He earned the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award when he was 30 for directing a fleet research exercise that still has influence today. His career was perhaps best marked by his role in transitioning the Navy activity at Dahlgren to a full-spectrum research and development laboratory. He was a founding director of the Colonial Beach Educational Foundation, raising more than $800,000 to help design and construct a new high school in 1989. He also sponsored an annual scholarship in the name of his son, Army Sgt. Stephen Rice Colby, who died in a plane crash after returning from peacekeeping duties with the 101st Airborne in Egypt in 1985. After retirement, he became a member of the vestry of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Colonial Beach, leading Bible studies. In addition to baseball, he was a football and basketball standout, both in high school and college. He was also president of the Publishing Assn. Survivors include wife Judith Rice Colby ’58; children Glenn David and Linda Colby Pautsch; sister Susan Colby Sumadi; and 11 grandchildren. His father was Reginald Colby ’31.

Joseph Field Gibbs, Dec. 14, 2007

Joseph Field Gibbs joined the Marine Corps shortly after graduation, serving as an electronics officer for three years and then an additional 10 in the Reserve, obtaining the rank of captain. Following active duty, he completed work on his Ph.D. at Tufts and in 1965 joined the Bates faculty as an assistant professor of physics. His specialty was theoretical high energy physics. Six years later he left Bates to join Arcon Corp., which specializes in providing solutions to complex engineering problems. He retired from there as a senior computer scientist. He was active in St. John’s Episcopal Church in Charlestown, Mass., and was the rear commodore at the Jubilee Yacht Club in Beverly, Mass. His brother and sister-in-law are Daniel ’44 and Louise Gifford Gibbs ’44. Other survivors include daughter Jennifer Merton; sisters Emily Begian and Patricia Russell and brother Timothy Gibbs; and two grandchildren.

Hilton Alfred Page, Aug. 16, 2007

Hilton Page attended Bates before transferring to the Univ. of Maine. A talented pianist and singer, he performed throughout his life, including 27 years at the Market Inn in Washington, D.C. He worked for several oil companies as a sales representative and a merchandising manager. He also helped found a company that produced publications involving airport news and security news. Among his survivors are wife Lois; children David Page, Carolyn Moffatt, Melanie Eberling, Jonathan Page, and Allison Page; stepchildren Dawn Tannheiser, Michael Vok, and Mark Vok; and 11 grandchildren. He previously was married to Marcia Hough Gillespie ’59.

1960

Gerald Walter Walsh, Nov. 19, 2007

Jerry Walsh received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the College, graduated from Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., later that year, and earned an M.B.A. from Northeastern in 1969 and J.D. from Suffolk in 1974. He also held a master’s in taxation from Bentley. He met his wife, Nancy (Nan) Harrington Walsh ’60, during their first semester at Bates. He was quite proud of the fact that although he received the lowest possible QPR that first semester, he had the distinct honor of completing all his course requirements and graduating with the rest of his class. While at Bates, he was a member of the baseball and track teams. He retired from the U.S. Navy as a commander after serving 11 years active duty, including Vietnam War service, and 20 years in the Navy Reserve. During his years of military service, assignments included USS Alameda County, home ported in Naples, Italy; Amphibious Squadron Six; USS Newport News (CA-148) in Virginia; and the Defense Contract Administration Services Region in Boston. He worked for Digital Equipment Corp. for more than 20 years and in his retirement he had his own law practice in Chelmsford, Mass. He had been a member of the Massachusetts Bar, Naval Reserve Assn., and Reserve Officers Assn., and was admitted to the Supreme Court Bar in 1979. In addition to his wife, survivors include his mother, Florence; sons James A. Walsh, Michael S. Walsh, and Andrew G. Walsh; and eight grandchildren.

1965

Robert J. Lanz, Feb. 18, 2008

Rescue workers at Ground Zero had ample supplies of bottled water thanks to Bob Lanz, who was then vice president for public relations with Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of New York. This was just one of the many innovative ways he used his position to help the community as well as further the goals of his company. He was recruited out of college by Procter & Gamble to join its junior executive program, rising quickly through the ranks. At P&G, he helped develop the idea of selling small bars of soap to hotels, and helped introduce Folger’s Coffee to restaurants. In 1981 he was recruited by the Dr Pepper Co., where he became vice president of the New York region. In 1983 Coca Cola Bottling of New York made him vice president of staff sales, and he eventually became vice president of government affairs and then of public affairs. His enthusiasm and always-upbeat style marked his successful business career as well as his passion for sports. A standout athlete, he lettered in soccer, basketball, and baseball at Bates and was captain of both the soccer and baseball teams. He helped elevate soccer from a club sport to a varsity sport and was named first-team All-New England in 1963. He still holds a number of Bates soccer records, including most goals scored in a game (5), season (17), and career (39). A golfer and fisherman, he remained passionate about sports throughout his life, and counted Bates coach Chick Leahy ’52 as an important friend and Bates mentor. Current Bates basketball coach Joe Reilly singled him out as “one of our number one fans.” A sociology major, he was a member of the College Key. He served for many years as president of the New Jersey Bates Club and was active in the Career Discovery Internship program. “Bob never saw threats in his life, only challenges,” said his widow, Constance. He is also survived by their daughter, Sabrina Katherine Lanz.

1968

Frederick William Lodding, Jan. 26, 2008

A gardener and cook, Frederick Lodding is survived by his mother, Marjorie Whitney Lodding, his brother, David; and David’s family. He was predeceased by his dear friend, Christopher Marum.

1970

Noel Thompson Bosanquet, Feb. 6, 2008

Thom Bosanquet managed to juggle several careers and many passions at once. A human resources professional in the health care field, he also owned a gift shop, owned and operated a bed and breakfast, and served as an adjunct professor at Holyoke (Mass.) Community College. He also was deeply involved in his Plymouth, Mass., community and volunteered with the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, the Plymouth Art Guild, Rotary, and the public library. He chaired the Quincy College Advisory Board. He was a representative to the Plymouth town meeting and spearheaded the campaign to change town government to a mayoral system. In addition to his cum laude degree in biology from the College, he held an M.B.A. from the Univ. of Massachusetts and was an accredited executive in personnel, the highest accreditation for human resources executives. His career included serving as human resources director at the American Red Cross, Cooley Dickenson Hospital, Morton Hospital, Hebrew Rehabilitation Center, and the Lahey Clinic. He was treasurer of the Massachusetts Hospital Personnel Directors Assn. and regional membership coordinator of the American Society of Hospital Personnel Administrators. He also founded the healthcare recruiting firm Atlantic Consulting. He sponsored interns as part of the College’s Career Discovery Internship program and was a member of the College Key. His wife is Christopher Louise Belcher Bosanquet ’70. She survives him, as do children Barnaby, Benjamin, Abigail Fraccalossi, and Bradley; a grandchild; and sisters Trudi Buckley and Carol Cutts.

1971

Marshal Allan Dutko, Oct. 1, 2007

Several years after graduation, Marshal Dutko called himself a “professional bum.” He had worked at Lost Valley on the ski patrol, spent four months cycling around Scotland, and worked as a handyman before returning to New York City and taking a job selling formal wear. He eventually bought Baldwin Formals in Manhattan, a well-known company that supplies tuxedos for the Grammy Awards and the Tony Awards, and which once outfitted the entire Kirov Ballet Orchestra on short notice. His degree from Bates was in psychology and he did graduate work at Columbia. He played football at the College and was active in Alumni-in-Admissions during the 1990s. In May, his friends Dave Pierson ’71, Richard Lutz ’71, and Jim Burke ’71 completed a 55-mile walk along the Ligurian coast of Italy in memory of Dutko, “everyone’s best friend,” in Lutz’s words. Among his survivors are wife Julia Osborn Dutko ’71 and children Katherine Dutko and Peter Dutko.

1978

Thomas A. Foley, Feb. 6, 2008

Kids in Tom Foley’s seventh grade English classes were rewarded for their hard work by getting to spend time reading in a La-Z-Boy chair that Tom had wrestled into the room. He called his job teaching at Wescott Junior High School in Westbrook “a great gig” and was there for almost 20 years. He also coached track, boys’ and girls’ basketball, and field hockey. He knew nothing about the latter sport, but no one else was available to coach so he taught himself the rudiments from a library book. He was a standout football player at the College, and was named All-CBB. Reflecting on his athletic experience, he later called his decision to leave the team after two seasons “the biggest decision that I have ever made” — it was the right one personally but it went against his own identity and wishes of his friends, teammates, family, and coaches. He stayed in touch with coach Web Harrison ’63 throughout his life. He was a member of the track team for all four years at Bates and active in the Outing Club. Prior to joining the faculty at Wescott Junior High, he taught for two years in Lewiston and then in Biddeford. He considered his children — Jon-Michael, Kelly, and Shamus — “the best three things” he ever did. Other survivors include sisters Mary Margaret Regan and Katherine Wark and brothers John-Philip Foley and Michael Foley.

Mary Dawn Walker Simpson, Dec. 16, 2007

Dawn Walker Simpson died in an accident at her home in Houlton. She was a medical social worker who held a master’s in social work from Boston College and a master’s in business from Husson College. At Bates she completed an independent study at St. Mary’s Hospital, conducting a study of local nursing home facilities, and wrote her thesis on services for the elderly in the Lewiston-Auburn area. At the time of her death, she was the manager of social work at Eastern Maine Medical Center, where she had worked for 17 years. Prior to that, she oversaw the development of healthcare social work licensing for the state of Maine. She started her career at Togus and also worked at Camden Health Care Center and Mid-Maine Medical Center. She was a member of the National Assn. of Social Workers and past president of the Maine Board of Social Work Licensure. She was also active in a number of other professional organizations. In 1996 she married Kenneth Simpson. He survives her, as does her stepdaughter, Kristen Simpson Thompson. Other survivors include her parents, Rollan and Betty Walker, and her brother, Rollan T. Walker.

1979

Diane Schachter Langley, Nov. 19, 2007

Diane Schachter Langley left Bates after two years and graduated from SUNY–Purchase, earning a J.D. from the Univ. of Wisconsin in 1984. As an attorney, she concentrated on environmental law and worked for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for 14 years, eventually serving as senior counsel. In 2005, she started her own company, Clean Air and Energy Consulting. She supported wind power and Cape Wind, a turbine farm in Nantucket Sound that proponents say could provide three-quarters of the energy needs of the Cape and islands. Among her survivors are parents William and Ines Schachter; husband Lealdon C. Langley; and children Aaron Langley and Melissa Langley.

1982

Shirley Averill MacDonald, Feb. 13, 2008

Shirley Averill MacDonald left Bates for the Univ. of Maine, where she graduated with a degree in English. While at Bates, she excelled as an athlete and received the Nellie Bannister Burrill Award for basketball. She was named to the All-North Region Collegiate Team and was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame. She used sports to encourage development of character and self-confidence and coached softball teams to local, state, New England, and national tournaments. Among her survivors are husband Robert L. MacDonald; daughters Katy and Sarah MacDonald; mother Mary Ella Averill; and sister Kimberly Dickson and brother Stephen Averill.

2005

Jill Diana Murawski, Dec. 4, 2007

Jill Murawski was focused on biology throughout high school and college. As a student in Falmouth, Mass., she twice won her high school science fair, and placed first at the Massachusetts State Science Fair in 2000. Before arriving at Bates, she traveled to Australia to study rainforest restoration. At Bates, she spent a semester abroad in Madagascar, where she researched the ecology of lemurs. She also participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program at Dartmouth, where she researched “Aelid Gene Sequencing: The Key to Understanding Feeding Larval Evolution?” Fluent in French, she was also an artist. She exhibited her photos while at Bates, and was a jewelry maker. When she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, she was an intern at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., near her hometown of Falmouth, and was preparing to start graduate studies in biology. She is survived by parents Joan and Steve Murawski, and sister Lauren Murawski.

Advanced
1941

William H. Soule, Oct. 26, 2007

Bill Soule graduated from Bowdoin and then came to Bates to earn a master’s degree in education. In 1967, he completed a Ph.D. in educational administration at Boston University. A career educator and administrator in Maine, he taught history at Gould Academy, Foxcroft Academy, Bangor High School, and Lawrence High School, then served as a superintendent, including 1957 to 1965 for the Portland schools. Later president of the Maine Teachers Assn., he retired as a professor of education at USM, in 1977. He was a permanent member of the evaluation team for all Title III Projects for the Maine Department of Education and a consultant for educational programs for the Maine State Museum. He served as president, secretary, and treasurer of the Maine Superintendents Assn. and on the board of trustees of the Maine State Retirement System, representing the Maine Teachers Assn. He was a selectman in Woolwich and a founder of the Woolwich Conservation Commission. In 2004 he and his four sons were inducted into the Bowdoin College Athletic Hall of Honor. His wife of 67 years, June Good Soule ’41, whom he married in the Bates Chapel in 1940, died May 5, 2008. He is survived by three sons, Paul W. Soule, Morton G. Soule, and James A. Soule, whose wife is Lydia Brown Soule ’77 and whose children include Lindsay A. Soule ’11 and Adam J. Soule ’05; 11 other grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son, Philip H. Soule.

Faculty

Ernest P. Muller, April 1, 2008

To paraphrase Emerson, the Bates history department is the lengthened shadow of one man, Ernest Muller, in the sense of the “seriousness with which teaching is taken,” said Michael Jones, professor of history and the Christian A. Johnson Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies. “When you have an individual like Ernie Muller to watch or model yourself after, teaching becomes fundamental to your life. Everything else flows from that.” A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Muller received a B.A. from Ursinus and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University. He was a Navy pilot during World War II, serving in the Pacific aboard the light cruiser Phoenix, which earned nine battle stars in the war. After service in the Navy Reserve from 1947 to 1952, he retired as a lieutenant commander. Muller joined the Bates faculty in 1950 and served as history department chair for many years, teaching courses on Latin America and American history. As the history department grew in the 1970s and 1980s, Muller fostered a spirit of collegiality. “From my first day, Ernie treated me as his professional colleague, as a respected, full member of the department,” said Professor of History Dennis Grafflin. Another colleague praised Muller for treating his students with dignity, for refraining from condescension, and for caring deeply about how much he could teach them. Following his 1988 retirement, he and his wife, Peg, continued to live near campus on Abbott Street, staying close to old faculty friends and cultivating new friendships with young professors just joining the history department. Indeed, the department’s social gatherings were multigenerational. “Our department has a living and social memory,” said Jones. “It’s a strong human quality.” A member of the American Historical Society, Muller served on the Colby, Bates, Bowdoin committee that founded Maine’s public television station. He loved opera. Peg Muller survives him as do children Ellen Muller Leonard ’71 and Peter G. Muller; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.