Obituaries: Winter 2013

Edited by Christine Terp Madsen ’73

1930

Grace Hatch Perkins 
July 7, 2012
After eight years in a one-room schoolhouse at Head of Tide near Belfast, Grace Hatch Perkins conquered high school as valedictorian before graduating from Bates with honors in English. She immediately went back to teach English and Latin at her high school, Crosby High, until she married Norman Perkins in 1936. Following the birth of her children, she taught at other schools and studied at UMaine–Orono and Colby.

Later, she was an instructor in English at Husson College from 1964 until retirement in 1973. She served as president of the Waterville and Bangor branches of the American Assn. of University Women, as well as the state division. She was a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Bangor Garden Club. She was active in All Souls Congregational Church in Bangor for 68 years. She is survived by a daughter, Caroline Gilmore Perkins; a son, John Perkins; five grandchildren, including John Lobley ’86; and six great-grandchildren.

1932

Robert Hopson Axtell 
April 9, 2012
Robert Axtell grew up in the Panama Canal Zone, where his father worked building the canal, and he returned to the States to attend Bates, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in mathematics. During World War II, he returned to the Canal Zone to help protect it from German submarine attacks. Later, he lived for many years in Guatemala, setting up radio transmitters and towers. There, he met his wife, Carmen Elena Rodriguez, and they moved to Cutler, Maine, in the 1960s, where he worked for the U.S. Navy at its communications station and then in Brunswick at its air station. Finally, he and his family moved to Venezuela, splitting their time between there and Cutler. In Venezuela in 1988, through what he called “an incredible series of coincidences,” he was instrumental in exporting 37 tons of cashews from a country that had never exported them before, more or less inventing a new industry for a poor country. Survivors include his wife; sons Frank and Daniel; daughters Ruth and Xiomara; and three grandchildren. Two sons, Samuel and Carlos, predeceased him. Nancy Jepson Leslie ’49 is his cousin; her husband was Malcolm Leslie ’50.

1934

Ruth Carter Zervas
August 12, 2011
Ruth Carter Zervas’ ancestors were part of the original missionary group to Hawaii, and she was able to visit their first missionary home, now part of the Mission Houses Museum. She was a member of the Children of Hawaiian Missionaries Society, one of a number of historical societies that interested her, along with DAR and the Arnold Expedition Society (preserving the memory of Benedict Arnold’s march to Quebec). A member of the Bates Key, she taught at Long Lang School in Connecticut before returning to Maine after her husband, Carter Zervas, passed away. She then worked for the Maine Department of Human Services, helping foster children find homes. Building on skills she learned at the Modern School of Applied Art in Boston, she enjoyed designing and making clothing, as well as painting. For more than 25 years, she served as class secretary for Bates, singing the praises of erasable paper in each letter, as well as lamenting the rules of capitalization. Survivors include daughter Cynthia Brown and two grandchildren. Her cousin is Belinda Osier Aicher ’80. Son Carter Zervas predeceased her. Her parents were the late Albert 1913 and Pauline Chamberlain Carter 1911. Her late uncle was Frank Chamberlain ’22, and her late aunt was Elva Osier Chamberlain ’26.

Irene Linehan Sutton
May 7, 2010
Irene Linehan was at Bates just long enough to meet Gil Sutton ’33: They married and enjoyed life together until he passed away in 1979. Born and raised in Lewiston, she moved to Delaware, her husband’s home state, where she raised her family. Survivors include son Carlton; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Her husband and son Laurence predeceased her.

1935

Margaret Perkins Skillings 
March 5, 2012
It was the last night of the 4A Players’ production of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, and lead player Peg Perkins wasn’t going to let anything stop her, certainly nothing as silly as an appendix about to burst. The stage manager had ice waiting for her anytime she stepped off-stage between scenes. She rushed to the hospital as soon as the play finished, for her second successful curtain call of the evening. (Shortly before her death, she learned that the Robinson Players were to present the same play, and mused about sending champagne to them.)

It was the last night of the 4A Players’ production of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, and lead player Peg Perkins ’35 wasn’t going to let anything stop her, certainly nothing as silly as an appendix about to burst.

She was also part of the first female debate team that the college fielded; it happened to be in its eighth debate against Oxford, where Bates opposed the point that all national armament production should be kept national. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in English and, five years later, was married in the Chapel to Neal Skillings, a Bowdoin man. She taught English in South Portland and in West Boylston, Mass., and continued her drama career with the Holden (Mass.) Players Club. She and her husband were active with the Worcester (Mass.) Dance Assembly, and she was a past president of the Outdoor Sports Club of Worcester. He passed away in 1998. Survivors include her children John and Judith Skillings Frawley; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

1936

Selma Shapiro Blatt 
November 13, 2011
Selma Shapiro Blatt’s parents were among the first Jewish families to settle in the Lewiston area, European immigrants intent on educating their five children. Her older sister, Leah Shapiro Weinsier, graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1925. She herself was class valedictorian at Edward Little High School. Another sister, the late Helen Shapiro Bean, started with the Class of 1933 but went on to graduate PBK from NYU. All three sisters became teachers; Selma taught at the junior high school in Lewiston for several years before marrying Arthur Blatt, who passed away in 2005. Although she was Jewish, she was required to attend Chapel daily, even on Jewish holidays, and recalled her grades being docked because she stayed home on those days. She and her husband raised four children, and after they were grown, she went back to teaching in Lewiston and Auburn schools. She was active in Beth Abraham Synagogue and later in Temple Shalom Synagogue, was a past president of Hadassah and later joined Beth Israel Congregation in Bath. Survivors include her children, Joan Fields, Stephen, Charles and Gordon Shapiro; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Additional family members who were alumni, all now deceased, include cousin Isadore Shapiro ’31, brother-in-law William Bean ’32, cousin Harold Shapiro ’33, cousin Marcella Shapiro Glazier ’33 and sister-in-law Phyllis Miller Shapiro ’44.

Rita Brown Hickey 
July 8, 2012
Rita Brown attended Bates for one year and married Daniel Hickey ’34, who was at the college for two years. She worked for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services for 27 years. Her husband died in 2004. Survivors include sons Daniel, John, Thomas and Timothy; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Another grandchild predeceased her.

1937

Arthur William Danielson
January 20, 2012
Art Danielson was a teacher and school superintendent who retired to a successful career in real estate, boating and fishing. He first taught in Mexico, Maine, before becoming the principal at Pittsburg (N.H.) High School. In 1947, he was appointed superintendent in Epping, N.H., and in 1963 in Sharon, Mass. He also held a master’s in education from UNH. At Bates, he captained the cross-country team and was active in the Jordan Ramsdell Society. He received an award for his service to the American dependents school in Iran. As an alumnus, he served as class president in the 1950s. His first marriage, to Hope Flanders Bailiff ’39, ended in divorce. His second wife, Harriet Larsen, predeceased him. Survivors include his third wife, Ora Danielson; son David “Davio” Danielson ’59; and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

1938

Irene Lee Quill
January 28, 2011
Fifty-eight years after she graduated, Irene Lee Quill attended a small reunion of sorts: Her grandson, Ward Quill ’88, invited a number of his classmates to his wedding. She was a psychiatric social worker, having earned her M.S.W. from Carnegie Mellon Univ. in 1941. She also studied at Yale, but worked primarily in Pennsylvania, and was the assistant director at Norristown State Hospital. When she came to Bates, she had already completed two years of study at Brooklyn College, says her grandson, but was required to register as a “provisional” first-year student. However, she advanced so quickly that she graduated in two years. She and her husband, Edward Yee Quill, became members of Southampton Friends Meeting, an interfaith and interracial community in Connecticut, after retirement, and built their home there. She was also active in the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and the Gray Panthers, and considered working for peace one of her main occupations. Survivors include her children, Melodie Rothwell, Eliot, Carolyn and Edward Quill; 10 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

John Joseph Smith
January 26, 2012
Jack Smith won debating awards in high school and college, then had a long and successful career in publishing as an editor at Encyclopedia Americana and Grolier. That career forced him, a New Hampshire farm boy, and his wife, Ann Woodward Smith, to live in an apartment in New York City, but they managed to keep their love for nature in full bloom with seven window boxes, an apple tree and a water lily tub on their third-floor terrace. He also developed a side career as a professional photographer, publishing in many magazines and books. He returned to the family farm after he retired and finally, just months before his death, his book, Wildflowers of New England, was published. An Army veteran of World War II, he was a member of the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, Audubon Society and a Smithsonian Institution National Associate. His wife died in 1996.

1939

Albert Basil Jerard 
March 6, 2012
Jerry Jerard left Bates after one year to attend the Univ. of Vermont. He was an underwriter for New York Life Insurance Co. Survivors include his wife, Lucille Clara Bristol; children Albert III, Robert, Stephen, Carolyn Jerard, Mary Kenny and Deborah Jerard; 12 grandchildren; seven step-grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Son Paul predeceased him.

Gilman McDonald
June 28, 2011
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate in mathematics, Gilman McDonald joined the Navy after earning a master’s in sociology from Harvard and went on to become a commander. He spent part of World War II sequestered in a room in Ohio trying to build “the bomb” — that is, reproduce parts of the Nazi’s top-secret Enigma machine, the famed message encryption device. He received the NSA’s meritorious civilian service award in 1976. He owned a sumptuous collection of Middle Eastern rugs and hangings that were coveted for showings by galleries in the Washington, D.C., area, where he lived. His wife, Jane Merow McDonald, died in 1991. His son, Douglas, is among his survivors, along with three grandchildren.

Donald Rawlings Purinton 
February 6, 2012
Don Purinton caught the flying bug during World War II while serving with Gen. Patton as a radioman. He was inspired by Charles Lindbergh, got a private license and flew all over Nevada, thrilling his young sons. He worked as a vocational counselor for the Veterans Administration and for Social Security. He sang with the Brunswick Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America and was active in the Merriconeag Grange in Harpswell before moving west. He was divorced from his first wife, Jean Davis Purinton ’40, at the time of her death in 1994. Her mother was Margaret Dickson Davis 1913. Among survivors are his wife Vera Cheel Purinton; sons Russell and Donald Jr.; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Son Richard predeceased him. His father was Carl Purinton 1909.

1940

Elizabeth MacGregor Crooker Bates 
October 21, 2011
If there was ever dirt under Lib MacGregor Crooker Bates’ fingernails, you knew she came by it honestly: She was an inveterate hiker and gardener. Her father was the first manager of the hut system for the Appalachian Trail, so she grew up hiking its trails, starting seriously at 10 and continuing until at least her 92nd year, when she won L.L.Bean’s 2011 Outdoor Hero Award. An English major at Bates, she married classmate Charlie Crooker and went on to Yale Divinity School with him. Rather than becoming a preacher as he did, however, she became a tax preparer, serving a different master. He passed away in 1994. Four years later, she married Frank Bates, who passed away in 2011. Her skill at organizing was known to her classmates as their president; her community benefited from her skills as business manager of the Sandwich Players, president of the Sandwich Women’s Club, president of the Ladies Aid and a member of the Friends of the Library, the Sandwich Historical Society and the Land Trust Committee. She helped found the Over the Hill Hikers, a group of retired hikers, and served 16 years as its “den mother.” Why, asked The Boston Globe in 1989, did she like to climb? “It’s just…whee!” she answered. Survivors include children Carol Farnsworth, Constance, Catherine and Charles Crooker; three stepchildren; and 11 grandchildren.

Marie Dodge Joy ’40 long remembered the dash from campus to convent for afternoon conversation with the nuns for French class — except on mild days when she tended to loiter.

Evelyn Dodge Joy
November 29, 2011 
A French major, Marie Dodge Joy long remembered the dash from campus to convent for afternoon conversation with the nuns for French class — except on mild days when she tended to loiter. She also remembered how kind geology professor Doc Fisher must have been, since science was not her forte. As class secretary, she enjoyed surrounding herself with notes and letters from classmates. She taught at Cape Elizabeth High School, Portland High School, Bourne High School and Greely Institute, and was a librarian in Portland. She and husband Elwyn “Al” Joy built a home in Falmouth, where they lived for 53 years until his death in 1999. She is survived by several nieces and nephews.

Ira Kissag Nahikian
April 13, 2012
Nick Nahikian distinguished himself on his second day at Bates by fracturing his wrist while leaping over the high-jump bar during a required “physical efficiency” test. No note taking, no typing, no writing for the first few weeks of class — “such an auspicious beginning!” he wrote. He did go on to enjoy intramural sports, however, and later became a handball player. He served in the Army Air Forces as a radiotelegraph instructor during World War II and then converted his Bates history degree into an accounting degree at Bentley College, which led to a 34-year career at General Electric in treasury operations, primarily in Schenectady, N.Y. He sang with the Octavo Singers of Schenectady and was a communicant and lector at the Church of St. Clare in Colonie. His wife, Mary O’Clair Nahikian, is among his survivors.

1941

George Elliott Coorssen
May 10, 2012
An economics major, George Coorssen spent a year at MIT before hopping the bus north. Good thing he did, because that’s where his college sweetheart, Helen Ulrich ’42, happened to be. They married shortly before he joined the wartime Navy, a choice that made good sense, since his family owned a marine intercommunications systems business. He served in the South Pacific and then entered Harvard to earn a degree in business administration. A career with Henschel Corp., the family company, awaited him, and he worked his way up to president. He retired in 1983, only to start up another company a few years later. Their love of the sea meant that he and Helen never lived nor vacationed far from it. Survivors along with his wife include sons Gary ’78, Mark and George; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. His sisters-in-law are Ruth Ulrich Coffin ’42, Muriel Ulrich Weeks ’46, Grace Ulrich Harris ’51 and Margaret Bartlett Ulrich ’55; his brother-in-law is W. Arthur Ulrich ’55; his late brothers-in-law were Frank Coffin ’40 and Prescott Harris ’52. Son Craig and daughter Karen predeceased him.

Raymond Emerson Ressler
November 15, 2010
Raymond Ressler was at Bates for one year. He was a machinist for Sikorsky Aircraft and the Remington Arms Co. He and his late wife, Jeannette Anderson Ressler, were avid square dancers and hikers. Survivors include several nieces and nephews.

Alan Reed Sawyer
January 31, 2002
Alan Sawyer turned his geology degree into a renowned career in ancient Peruvian art. He continued his education at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Univ. and Harvard, where he received a master’s in art history in 1949. Bates honored him with a doctorate in fine arts in 1969. He held curatorships in Texas and Chicago. He taught at those places and at Columbia, the Smithsonian and the Univ. of British Columbia. He was the director of the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., for many years, and was a consultant to National Geographic for a 1975 article on the ancient geoglyphs found in the Nazca Desert known as the Nazca Lines. In 1966, he published Ancient Peruvian Ceramics through the Metropolitan Museum in New York; in 1968, he curated an exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Mastercraftmen of Ancient Peru, an apparent abrupt departure in material for the modern museum, but one that was well received. His wife, Erika Heininger Sawyer, passed away in July 2012. His survivors include children Dana, Diane, Brian ’76, Lynn Thompson and Carol; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. His father was John B. Sawyer 1909, and his aunt was Louise F. Sawyer 1913. His brother was Clark J. Sawyer ’38, whose son is Clark J. Sawyer ’74.

1942

George Seymour Chaletzky
May 1, 2011
George Chaletzky, an economics major, was a real estate financier and president of Norge Realty in the Boston area. At Bates, he was active in varsity sports, campus publications and the photography club. In Massachusetts, he was a former member of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Real Estate, and was honored by Temple Reyim in 2001 as one of its early presidents. Survivors include sons Stephen and Kenneth. His wife, Gloria Zallen Chaletzky, predeceased him.

Myra Hoyt Buonocore 
March 5, 2012
Myra Hoyt Buonocore was a social worker who worked well past the “normal” retirement age because she so enjoyed her work. She spent most of her career in the Rochester, N.Y., school system after earning a master’s of social work from Boston Univ. in 1948 and working at Concord (Mass.) Family Welfare. She surrounded herself with people not only at work but also on the dance floor, becoming a gold-level ballroom dancer. A sociology major, her activities at Bates ranged from debating to the Greek, photography and politics clubs. Survivors include children Janet and Michael; four grandchildren; and brother Ralph Hoyt ’51, who is married to Dorothy Fryer Hoyt ’51.

1943

Richard Henry Becker 
December 30, 2011
Dick Becker followed older brother Howard Becker ’38 to Bates, a fortunate decision since it was at the college where he met his future wife, Ruth “Boots” Kennedy Becker ’45. They married in 1944 when he entered the Army Air Forces during World War II. After the war, he used his degree in economics to build a 25-year career as a sales manager for Jones and Laughlin, a steel company in Pittsburgh, and then finished his career with five years at Cold Metal Products in Ohio. Retirement in Kennebunkport gave him a chance to fish and play golf, as well as become very active with South Congregational Church. Besides his wife and brother, survivors include sons Douglas and Stephen, and 10 grandchildren. His niece is Carol Becker Olson ’65; her husband is David R. Olson ’65, and their son is Peter S. Olson ’92. Kathryn Thomas Becker ’37 was the late sister-in-law of the deceased. Two sons, Stuart and Richard, also predeceased him.

Myles Standish Delano
October 2, 2011
Myles Delano had his own way of measuring his effectiveness as a teacher: One student named his dog after him, and another named his son after him. He thought he would teach at a small liberal arts college, but instead worked with graduate students at large universities, everywhere from Seattle to Michigan to New Zealand. His field was economics, cum laude from Bates, with a master’s from Boston Univ. and a doctorate from Brown. His other favorite field was ice fields — he was an avid mountain climber, reaching the glacial peaks above the clouds. After retirement, he returned to his native Maine, where he haunted the Bates squash courts. Survivors include his wife, Virginia K. Delano; and daughters June and Elizabeth.

Henrick Rhodes Johnson Sr.
January 19, 2012 
Del Johnson once bragged about the killing he was making on the golf course: He’d won $11 over 40 years. He had better luck elsewhere. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of high school, was named to the Little All America football team at Bates, survived three years in the Pacific with the Army during the war and married his high school sweetheart afterward. He joined his father’s insurance agency and served on the Chelmsford (Mass.) School Committee for nine years. This sparked his interest in politics and led him to join other campaigns. His insurance business grew to multiple offices, and his son, Henrick Jr. ’70, joined him in it. He was one of the first members of the Chelmsford High School Hall of Fame. His wife passed away in 2009. Survivors include children Richard and Henrick; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.

Jean Lombard Dyer
May 16, 2012
Fired from her first job, Jean Lombard Dyer picked herself up just to fall flat again when she tried teaching. A quick secretarial course snagged her a job with Wayne Davis, Class of 1912, as secretary and copywriter in Boston, handling publications for independent schools and colleges, including Bates. She loved it. “Nothing could have lured me away,” she wrote, “except meeting my husband!” A life with Henry Dyer on her beloved Chebeague Island “was irresistible,” she said, and it fit perfectly. She became a successful teacher, both at the town school and the Methodist church. She also played organ at the church, was a lay leader and served on committees. She was active in several groups focused on what her son called “saving the world”: Casco Bay Island Development Assn. (which she served as president), Inter-Island League and the Casco Bay Estuary Project, which in 2005 gave her its lifetime achievement award. She also edited the newsletter for CBIDA, and traveled island-to-island to keep abreast of developments along the coast. And for nearly 60 years, she was class secretary for the Class of 1943. Her late father was Clarence Lombard, Class of 1911. Her cousins, all deceased, were Parker Mann ’32, Betty Mann Jacobs ’32 and Bernard Mann ’36. Among her survivors is her son, Willard.

Mary McGrail Rote
April 4, 2012
A degree in biology helped get Mary McGrail in the door at General Electric in Bridgeport, Conn., after graduation, where she worked on experimental amplifiers. That’s where she met Jim Rote, whom she married in 1944. They settled in Roseland, N.J. Once their children were old enough, she worked as an accounting clerk at a manufacturer and credited her education for enabling her to adapt to the field. Her husband passed away in 1998; her son, Thomas, passed away in 2002. Survivors include daughter Linda Rote-Rendowski; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Patricia Peterson Rawson
February 10, 2012
A government and history major, Patricia Peterson married classmate Freeman Rawson and built a life with him in Knoxville, Tenn., where he was a prominent cardiologist. She was a painter, especially of landscapes and flowers, and a life member of Presbyterian Women, with a longtime membership in Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church. She served on the board of Senior Citizens Home Aid Service. Her husband and son, Freeman III, predeceased her. Survivors include children William, Andrew and Jane McCurdy; seven grandchildren; and sister Jane Rawson Tompkins ’44.

Margaret Soper Witham
November 2, 2011
Peg Soper took advantage of everything that Bates had to offer: sports, theater, student government, newspaper — all drew her attention, all benefited from it. She remained active as an alumna, as a member of the College Key and as part of the committees planning reunions. She married her high school sweetheart, Paul Witham, after serving in the WAVES during World War II, and worked in the family clothing store in Newport, Maine, for several years. She then switched to teaching, more in keeping with her degree in English, at Maine Central Institute. She earned a master’s in education in guidance from UMaine–Orono and was named the dean of women at MCI in 1974. She served Peoples United Methodist Church in Newport as treasurer and was a member of Eastern Star, the Sebasticook Garden Club and the Friends of Newport Library. Her husband passed away in 1996. Her late sister was Eileen Soper ’34. Survivors include children Anne Jenkins, Pamela Dahl and Susan Witham Goddard ’73, whose husband is Terry Goddard ’72; and seven grandchildren.

1944

Esther Foster Backelin
March 2, 2012
Terry Foster’s degree in geology got her a job as a hydrologist studying the Columbia River Gorge between Oregon and Washington, which left her weekends free to teach skiing on Mount Hood. There she met Harry Leonard Backelin, a native of Sweden, whom she married in 1950. He worked for various airlines, and his peripatetic lifestyle suited her fine. They traveled and lived in many places, from the exotic to the mundane, but always circled back to her childhood home in Bay Head, N.J., and their beloved Portland, Ore. She was an ensign in the WAVES during World War II and worked for the U.S. Weather Bureau after the war. Later, she worked for the Social Security Administration. She studied library science at C.W. Post College and computer science at NYU. Despite the crowds, she liked Long Island for birding because it was right on the Atlantic flyway and has marvelous birding areas. Her husband predeceased her. She is survived by children Doug and Patricia and other family members.

Phyllis Chase Landick
February 7, 2011
Phyl Chase Landick excelled in history, majored in English and had a strong career in social work. She earned an M.S.W. from Simmons while Bob Landick ’44 was busy in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was part of the college’s V-12 program; they married at the end of the war. She was a social worker at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital while Bob earned his medical degree at Tufts. After a few years in Marblehead, Mass., they moved to Charlotte, Mich., where she helped found the community’s first cooperative nursery school. When they moved to Lansing, she started work as a therapist. Despite remaining in the Midwest, she was always a New Englander, she said. At a family reunion one year, she found herself considering a horrible thought as she surveyed her brood of children and grandchildren: What if her relative hadn’t talked her parents into sending her to Bates and she had never met Bob? Her husband survives her, as do children Robert, Steven, Gregg, Vicki Janzen and Bruce; and five grandchildren.

Cyril Vincent Finnegan Jr.
January 30, 2012
In 1958, in a big, heavy 1949 Chrysler limousine with a big, heavy canvas Army surplus tent, Cy Finnegan, his wife, Ruth Sullivan Finnegan ’44, and six of their eventual nine children pointed their compass toward the wilds of western Canada and set off to follow the scent of a new job at the Univ. of British Columbia. There, Cy set up shop in developmental biology and indulged his special interest in salamanders. His research was in epigenetics, the theory that genes have memory, a theory he had nurtured through his work at Bates and then at Notre Dame, where he earned a doctorate in 1952. In the 1970s at UBC, he moved from teaching and research into academic administration. By then, he had created a tradition: cooking a Sunday meal for whoever showed up, and the number of hungry guests occasionally reached 30, gathering for a hearty fare of roast beef, mashed potatoes and Charlie’s Angels. By the time of his retirement, he had served as dean of science and as associate vice president of academics. He and Ruth divorced in 1973. He is survived by children Maureen, Patrick, Cathaleen, Kevin, Eileen, Gormlaith, Michaeleen, Mairead and Conal; 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

William Emerson Gilmour
February 8, 2012
Bill owed his life to a caterpillar — a silk caterpillar, that is — or perhaps to several caterpillars, those whose silk went into making the parachute that saved his life when his plane was shot out from under him on his 23rd and final mission during World War II. He landed on a rooftop in Berlin and spent 13 months as a POW. Only then could he return to Maine, not to Bates, where he had completed two years, but to Bowdoin, where he earned a degree in math, but where he nevertheless caught the eye of Ruth Hancock ’49, whom he married following her graduation. Survivors include children Jill Johnstone, Betsy Ramsey and Nancy Quinn; and nine grandchildren.

Robert Fall Goodspeed 
February 14, 2010
Bob Goodspeed started at Bates but completed his degree at Harvard, interrupted by service in the Army Air Forces during World War II. His brother, Harold Goodspeed Jr. ’40, who was married to Barbara Abbott Hall ’41, was killed during the war. Survivors include wife Joanne M. Goodspeed; children Steven, Peter, Scott and Jonathan; stepchildren Martha Indelicato, Kate Mortenson, Jennifer Chinburg and Matt Quinlan; and 24 grandchildren, one of whom is Kathleen Goodspeed ’01. His first wife, Joanne W. Goodspeed, and two grandchildren predeceased him.

Alice Hinton Blakely
January 6, 2010
After one year at Bates, Alice Hinton Blakely transferred to Butler, much as her brother, the late Herbert Hinton Jr. ’43, had done. She became a registered nurse and worked in Burma and India, not unusual for the child of missionaries (her father was Herbert Hinton Sr. 1917) born in Mandalay.

Clifford Everett Larrabee
June 5, 2012
Cliff Larrabee coached swimming with one goal in mind: for each swimmer to do his or her best. When his Connecticut College team was 11-0, he said, “While it’s good to have a perfect record, it’s more important that the kids enjoy themselves and learn something.” He also coached track at the college, and in 2002 he was inducted into its athletic Hall of Fame. This was after he retired from a career as a research chemist at Pfizer. But he’d been coaching all along, after serving in the Army as a medical technician and then getting trained at chemical warfare. After the war, he and his wife, Carolyn Towle Larrabee ’44, moved to Rochester, N.Y., where he completed a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, and she worked on the Manhattan Project attached to Strong Memorial Hospital. While with Pfizer in Groton, Conn., he coached the New London YMCA swim team and the Greater New London swim team before taking on Connecticut College. His daughter, Martha Larrabee LaRiviere ’74, is a swim coach at the Sanford-Springvale YMCA in Maine, and he was coaching children there a week before his death. His wife predeceased him. Other survivors include children Clifford Jr. and Joan; eight grandchildren, one of whom is Valerie Anne LaRiviere ’07; and six great-grandchildren. His son-in-law is Wayne LaRiviere ’74. His late father was Ernest Larrabee 1909; his late sisters were Erna Larrabee Buker ’39 and Florence Larrabee Keene ’34.

Carolynn Parkhurst Cameron
April 26, 2012
Carolynn Parkhurst married a Bates graduate, the late Jack Cameron ’44, and they sent all three of their daughters to Bates. After Jack’s Navy service during World War II, they settled in her hometown of Presque Isle to manage Parkhurst Farms. She was an active member of Presque Isle Congregational Church and a longtime volunteer at Aroostook Medical Center. Her husband passed away in 2002. Survivors include daughters Julia M. Cameron ’72, Rosemary Cameron Hooson ’74 and Candace Cameron Alden ’69; five grandchildren; one step-grandchild; two great-grandchildren; and sister Marilynn Parkhurst Bonenfant ’43. Her son-in-law is James D. Alden ’68. Her aunt and uncle were the late Evelyn Parkhurst Folsom ’25 and J. Paul Folsom ’26.

Ervin Lewis Perkins
May 23, 2012
Erv Perkins, a research chemist, devoted his working life to helping people see things more clearly through a camera at Eastman Kodak. Then, in retirement, he taught Braille transcription at the Division of Blind Services in Daytona Beach, Fla. He and his wife, the former Jean Jacobs ’47, even wrote a Braille-to-English dictionary. He worked for Kodak for 33 years, retiring in 1977 as director of training to move to Florida, but still spent four months each year on Taylor Pond in Auburn, near where he was born. Phi Beta Kappa at Bates, he also held a master’s in education from the Univ. of Rochester. In addition to his wife, survivors include a son, Douglas. His niece is Janice Upham ’62. His wife’s late uncle and aunt were Clifton and Betty Mann Jacobs, both ’32; their sons are Clifton W. Jacobs Jr. ’59 and Thomas M. Jacobs ’63.

1945

Elizabeth Benoit Joyce
December 28, 2011
Jack Joyce, one of the greatest athletes ever to catch a football at Garcelon Field, caught something even better at Bates: Betty Benoit. Oh, yes, she had to wait while he went off with his V-12 unit, but it was worth it, because he came back to star in three sports, play in the Glass Bowl, join her as co-class presidents, help her plan Reunions. They escaped to Cape Cod whenever they could, to the ballroom whenever they could, to the beach whenever they could. Survivors include children Paul ’76, Deborah Smith and Carol Kelley and six grandchildren. Jack passed away in 2003.

Norman Virgile Houle
November 28, 2011
Norman Houle attended Bates briefly before joining the Army during World War II. He finished his education at Bentley Univ. and worked at Champoux-Bouvier Insurance in Lewiston. He had retired to Florida. Survivors include wife Lillian Provencher Houle; daughters Linda Quinn and Jacqueline Stern; two granddaughters; and four great-grandchildren.

Harold Judah Hurwitz
May 30, 2012
Harold Hurwitz lived most of his life in Berlin, but spent many summers in Wellfleet, Mass., indulging his interest in oystering. Along with his cum laude degree in sociology from Bates, he held a master’s in the field from Columbia and a doctorate in it from the Free Univ. of Berlin. A lecturer and researcher there, he wrote a series of books about Berlin and the “German question of a materially and spiritually flawed reunification.” His goal was to help the Social Democrats in Berlin win the fight against communism. He is survived by his daughter, Kathleen Hurwitz, and close friends Jennie and Robert Wallace and their children, Alexandra and John Stone Wallace. His wife, Grete Klase, predeceased him.

Barbara Phillips Aalto
February 11, 2012
A friend at her retirement community summed up Barbara Phillips Aalto this way: She was a “forever teacher.” Even as she was recovering from quadruple-bypass surgery, she was planning to return to the faculty of Stonehill College for another semester. This was after a 35-year career there, six as chair of the psychology department. She held a master’s from Boston Univ. and a doctorate from the Univ. of Minnesota. Her late husband, Ensio, whom she met while pursuing her doctorate, was also a psychologist; they also shared interests in travel and dancing. To continue her lifelong love of learning, she was one of the first residents of the living and learning community at Lasell College in Massachusetts. Survivors include children Laura Aalto ’76, Eric and Anne; and two grandchildren.

Sylvia Reese Tesman
January 4, 2012
Sylvia Reese Tesman attended Bates briefly before transferring to Hunter College. Her marriage to Bertram Tesman ended in divorce. Survivors include children Patricia and John Tesman and Matt Ciesicki.

Christine Stillman Kolstad
March 9, 2012
When Christine Stillman Kolstad retired, her husband mused, she was going to need to plan to retire from her retirement, because she found even more things to do. She took college courses, weekly piano lessons, joined several boards and so on, all while having her rather frail mother (the late Harlene Kane Stillman, Class of 1916) living with them, and raising steer for market. She had been a high school teacher — history and social studies, which makes sense when you consider that she was a direct descendant of Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, and of several Mayflower passengers. She was also a longtime member and leader of the Sandy Spring Friends (Quaker) Meeting in Maryland, where she became clerk of the meeting, the most important leadership position. Her degree from Bates was in government; she also held a master’s in international relations from Yale. Her husband, a prominent scientist for the federal government, passed away in 1996. Survivors include children Charles Kolstad ’69, Martha Wilhelm and Peter; four grandchildren, including Kathleen Kolstad ’04; one great-grandchild; and sister Ruth Stillman Fernandez ’46. Her sister Rae Stillman Weber ’51 predeceased her, as did her father, Raymond Stillman, Class of 1916. The Stillman House on campus is named in honor of her mother.

Olive Wise FitzGerald
June 15, 2012
Olive Wise FitzGerald, who grew up on a farm in South Paris, left Bates to become an occupational therapist, one of the first in the country, and found herself in Pearl Harbor two years after the attack, tending to wounded soldiers. After the war, she returned to Maine, married a doctor, moved back to California, earned a bachelor’s in English from California State and raised four sons, Brian, Douglas, Steven and Kent, all of whom survive her. Her late relatives were her mother Alta Walker Wise, Class of 1904, brother Albert Wise ’42 and sister-in-law Stephanie Noucas Wise ’44.

1946

Constance Amelia Lane 
June 14, 2012
Constance Lane was a research chemist at Rohm & Haas (the inventors of Plexiglas) in Philadelphia. In her 40 years with the company, she developed a number of coatings and owned 15 patents. A group leader in chemical research, she was an expert in organic and polymer chemistry. She was an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Germantown, Pa. Survivors include her cousin, Kelly Reed ’03.

Leslie John Anderson 
March 17, 2012
Les Anderson grew a goatee to play Leon Trotsky in a theater production one time, and found that everyone liked it so much that he kept it for the rest of his life. That was his approach to life: Find out what worked, and go with it. He was a lifelong amateur golfer, a later-in-life amateur painter and a 32nd degree Mason. He was assigned to the V-12 unit upon arrival at Bates and served in the Pacific during the war, returning to finish his degree in history and government. He went on to earn a master’s in education from Fitchburg (Mass.) State College and a doctorate from the Univ. of Oklahoma in 1970. He taught high school in Massachusetts before joining the faculty at New Jersey State College and later Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla. After retirement, he worked with high school and college drama classes, in addition to acting in productions himself. Survivors include wife Kathleen Lions Anderson; children Lynn Marie Anderson and Elaine McEnteer; and two grandchildren. Daughter Maureen Harvey passed away in 2011.

Donald Irvin Marr
March 10, 2012
Donald Marr and his twin brother, Harold, pulled off a magnificent Mayoralty stunt in 1942 that won them the mock election. Using the slogan “Two heads are better than one” and with the full cooperation of the Lewiston Fire Department, they faked a fire in a third-floor room in Parker Hall, using lots of dry ice and water buckets. They bravely climbed the ladder to rescue imperiled Mayoralty documents, to the applause of the crowd summoned by the screaming fire trucks. Donald joined the Army Air Forces, returning later to graduate with a degree in economics. He went on to earn an M.B.A. from Cornell and a master’s from Syracuse. Most of his work was as a librarian, primarily at IBM and Main Endwell School District in New York. He was active in the Main Street Baptist Church in Binghamton, N.Y. His wife, Elizabeth, predeceased him. Survivors include sons Peter and John and brother Harold Marr ’44.

1947

Richard Lee Baldwin
June 21, 2012
When Kenneth Conner ’25 took his young nephew Dick Baldwin to visit a ham radio station, he had no idea he was setting Dick on his life’s path. But from then on, telecommunications became Dick’s focus. He got his first radio license at 15 and enlisted in the Naval Communications Reserve at 18. Called to active duty in 1941, he served as communications officer aboard several destroyers. He remained in the reserves after the war, eventually achieving the rank of commander. His degree from Bates was in physics, as was his master’s from Boston Univ. Most of his career was with the American Radio Relay League, the national association of amateur radio enthusiasts, from which he retired as general manager in 1984. He was then appointed president of the International Amateur Radio Union. During his work, he and his wife, Phyllis Smith Baldwin ’48, visited all continents except Antarctica. She is among his survivors, along with children Judy and Glenn and brother-in-law George Billias ’48. He was president of his class for 20 years and has many relatives who attended Bates, all now deceased, including his parents, Grover ’15 and Grace Conner Baldwin ’13; his sister, Joyce Baldwin Billias ’48; his uncle, Kenneth Conner ’25; and his cousin, Natalie Conner Young ’52.

Robert Shackleton Blake
July 27, 2011
Bob Blake was a V-12 student at Bates who went on to become Navy aviator and test pilot for McDonnell Douglas. He fought in both World War II and the Korean War, and was an exchange duty pilot with the British Royal Navy. He was a graduate of Bowdoin College. His mother was Hazel Leard Blake, Class of 1911, and his brother was William Blake ’53. Survivors include children Laura Hilgendorf and Robert; 11 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Children Peter Blake and Kimberly Foley predeceased him, as did his wife Dorothea Cross Blake.

Elizabeth Hill Jarvi
July 1, 2012
Betty Jarvi was the personification of the deep roots of New England. After she graduated from Bates with a degree in sociology, she threw off the shackles of her mid-Atlantic upbringing and declared herself a Vermonter. She settled for good in Tyson, where her mother had owned land since 1917. There, she became involved in every aspect of town life, from the school board to the zoning board, from the strawberry festival (which she founded) to the historical society. She became a social worker at the children’s division at the Vermont Department of Social Services until marriage and motherhood called her away. She returned to this work in 1972, when she became the first social worker at the new Mount Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, where she built the social work department over the next 14 years. She served on the Plymouth School Board and was a trustee of public funds, town service office, health officer and a board member of the local senior center — and she was secretary of the Class of 1947. Survivors include her husband, Voitto William Jarvi; children Kristen and Lauren; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Her nephew is Scott Phillips ’71.

Madeline Richard Freeman 
March 14, 2012
“I learned early on that if you don’t do as you are supposed to, then you fail everyone,” said Madeline Richard Freeman in a 1996 newspaper interview, a lesson learned growing up on a farm. Despite being a high school valedictorian, her parents didn’t expect her to go to college — no one in the family ever had — but two teachers, Bates graduates both, coaxed things along. At Bates, she majored in government and history and was a dean’s list student. She also met Stanley Freeman ’47, whom she would marry in the Chapel in 1948. She became a “professor’s wife,” as required by the customs of the time, when they moved to Orono, where he joined the faculty at the Univ. of Maine. She joined the League of Women Voters of Orono, serving as president, and then president of the statewide group. When her children reached adulthood and the town of Orono conveniently underwent a change in its form of government, she ran for one of the new at-large town council positions. Within two years, she was chair of the town council. In 1977, she became president of the Maine Municipal Assn. and served on boards and commissions that oversaw judicial ethics and responsibility, and was the first non-lawyer to chair such a committee. Bates awarded her an honorary degree in 1978, and she served as a Bates trustee. She earned an M.S. in adult education from the Univ. of Southern Maine in 1981 and worked as the executive director of the Eastern Area Agency on Aging in Bangor for 11 years. She served on the White House Conference on Aging, appointed to prepare a blueprint of elderly services for the 21st century. Besides her husband, survivors include children Martha and Richard; and six grandchildren.

Sally White Byrkit
January 25, 2012
Sally White Byrkit was a competitive swimmer until adulthood. Her children, however, chose frozen water and became figure skaters. She just pulled up the sewing machine and made their costumes. In fact, she designed and made them for all the members of the figure skating clubs two of her daughters joined, and in 1981, she was inducted into the City of Madison (Wis.) Ice Skating Hall of Fame — all without touching the ice. She’d ended up in Madison because of a blind date — a blind date that turned out right, leading to a wedding the following July. That wedding pulled her away from the farm in Auburn she’d grown up on, eventually to Wisconsin, where her husband, Edmund Byrkit, had been hired to help design and build the interstate system. Once her children were grown, she used her knowledge of fabrics and sewing by working at Northwest Fabrics. She spent part of every year in Maine except during her final illness. Her husband passed away in 1996. Survivors include children Cynthia Byrkit ’74, George, Nancy Hohenstein and Carol Haumesser; and four grandchildren. Her sister is Jane White Stoddard ’43, whose husband is Samuel Stoddard Jr. ’43. Their son is William F. Stoddard ’75. Tobin Frye White ’94 is her cousin. Other family members also attended the college and predeceased her, including mother Marion Wellman White ’17; brothers John W. White ’39 and Wallace H. White ’42; sister Claire G. White ’42; and sister-in-law Evelyn Jones White ’38.

1948

Anna Smith Ackerman 
May 10, 2012
Anna Smith Ackerman was a psychology major with a great interest in English literature, especially its masters of wit, such as S.J. Perelman. She was a member of the Wareham (Mass.) School Committee, where she advocated strongly for children with disabilities. Her marriage to classmate John H. Ackerman ended in divorce; he passed away in 1998. Survivors include children Mary Jane and John.

Jane Louise Cathcart 
April 22, 2012
“Peachy.” That was Jane Cathcart’s response to most requests at her work as a librarian, according to those who worked with her. She left Bates with an English degree and taught in Connecticut before garnering a library science degree from Simmons in 1955. She worked in libraries in Vermont, Ohio and Germany before settling in the Syracuse area in 1967. As the adult services librarian of the Onondaga Library System, she oversaw its merger with the Syracuse Public Library, eventually becoming head of the extension services of the merged Onondaga County Public Library. In 1984, she received the literacy award of the International Reading Assn. for her work in improving literacy. Through that work, she placed computers in prisons and youth detention centers, to supplement volunteer tutors. She worked closely with the N.Y. State Library for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, and with Literacy Volunteers. She retired in 1988. Survivors include a cousin, Robert Baker.

Jacob Davidson
May 6, 2012
Jack Davidson was the first American citizen in his family, born in Auburn after his Russian parents had opened their American dream grocery store, a store that still stands in Auburn. He earned a degree in math from Bates and master’s from Boston Univ., becoming a math teacher and then a mechanical engineer. His first wife, Bernice Beckerman Davidson, whom he married in 1950, passed away in 1988. His second wife, Jeanne Rubin Davidson, a childhood friend with whom he reconnected in 1990, survives him, as do children Anne and Jack, and one grandchild.

1949

Barbara Cooper Decker
March 13, 2012
“Coop” to her classmates, Barbara Cooper Decker was a close follower of the arts, especially music, and volunteered at the Kentucky Center for the Arts. Her degree from Bates was in English, and she held a master’s in teaching from Spalding College. She had taught special education in Kentucky. Her late husband was classmate Dan Theodore Decker, who died in 1982. Survivors include children Donald, Dana and Amy Hulsey; and three granddaughters.

Laura deMarco Belsky
June 13, 2012
Laura deMarco Belsky eschewed the usual path into academia, that complete arc through education or research right out of college. No, she waited 20 years to pursue a master’s of science from Mount Holyoke College, then went on to become a professor of biology at Holyoke Community College, retiring in 1991. A lifelong conservationist, she was a water commissioner for the South Hadley, Mass., Fire District for many years. Survivors include husband Theodore Belsky ’50; sons Michael, Charles ’78 and Richard; and six grandchildren. Her niece is Valerie Wilson DuPuy ’64; Mr. Belsky’s late brother was Robert C. Belsky ’42.

Mary Fisher Currie
February 4, 2010
Mimi Fisher Currie worked at UMass–Dartmouth for more than 23 years, first as head administrative clerk and later as affirmative action director. She also served as president of the university’s library associates, a program that supports the library’s mission through fundraising and cultural events. She was active in the Congregational Church in South Dartmouth, Mass., where she had lived for 45 years. Her husband, Andrew Currie, passed away in 1988. Survivors include children Andrew, Scott, Alan and Elizabeth McDowell.

Donald Ralph Feeley
January 30, 2011
Donald Feeley had an unusual medical career. A graduate of Albany (N.Y.) Medical College, he practiced medicine in Olcott, N.Y., from 1955 to 1963, but then closed his practice to re-enlist in the U.S. Navy, assigned to the submarine service. He was the medical officer on the USS Lafayette until 1968, when he and his wife, high school sweetheart Lucille Battles Feeley, moved to Palo Alto, Calif., where he practiced occupational medicine until 1975. They then moved to St. Louis, where he became medical director at Western Electric for two years. One last move took them to Lewiston, Idaho, where he became medical director at Potlatch Corp., retiring in 1991. They had purchased a ranch as soon as they arrived in Idaho and raised llamas; at one point, they had a herd of 92. His wife passed away in 2007. Among his survivors is a brother, Thomas.

Harris Lee Goldman
June 13, 2012
Harris Goldman distinguished himself in the Army Air Forces by winning the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross three times before coming to Bates. An economics major, he was active in Hillel, chairing the state Hillel board during his senior year. He sold insurance and real estate at agencies he founded and owned and at agencies owned by others in the Swampscott, Mass., area, most recently at the Lynnford Schmishkiss Agency. He was a past president of Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead and past chairman of the general campaign of the Jewish Federation of the North Shore. Survivors include wife Carolyn Trockman Goldman; children Joan Finn and Charles; and five grandchildren.

Jeanne Klein Shellenberger
April 1, 2012
No matter how far Jeanne Klein Shellenberger roamed, there was always another campfire to be banked before bedtime. She started out assisting her husband’s work with the YMCA as he directed two camps on Lake George in New York. When they moved to Framingham, Mass., she ultimately became the director of a nursery school and kindergarten there. Later, she became the director of a camp in Becket, Mass., while her husband was the director of YMCA camps in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In September 2011, the Becket-Chimney Corners Alumni Assn., from the camp she ran, gave her a distinguished service award. Besides her degree in English from Bates, she held a master’s in counseling from Framingham State. She was active with the Dennis (Mass.) Union Church, the Cape Cod Museum of Art and the Garden Club of Brewster. Her husband, Donald Shellenberger, died in 2001. Survivors include children David Shellenberger and Susan G.S. Bowers.

Edgar Ernest Noel
May 10, 2012
Ned Noel came to Bates after service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. An economics major, he played basketball and football. After earning a master’s in education at Fitchburg State College, he returned to his hometown of South Hadley, Mass., and taught in its elementary schools and junior high until moving into administrative positions. He was very active in Boy Scouting throughout his adult life, and was the South Hadley Lions Club citizen of the year in 1994, the same honor his father won in 1958. He was also president of the South Hadley Historical Society. His wife, Jane Beckwith, died in 2011. Survivors include children Norman and Kathryn.

Neal Smith
May 19, 2012
Neal Smith enlisted in the U.S. Navy out of South Portland High School and spent five years on a minesweeper doing convoy escorts during World War II. He graduated cum laude from Bates in geology and did graduate work at Washington Univ. in St. Louis before working for Chevron, then Standard Oil, as a geologist and geophysicist in the West. He also threw in work as a volunteer firefighter. Survivors include wife Elise Smith; children Kim Harty and Jason; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

1950

Robert Franklin Hamlen
January 21, 2012
Bob Hamlen served in the U.S. Army before college, then came to Lewiston, where he met and married Gwendolyn Staveley ’49 shortly after her graduation. Bob graduated with a degree in English and went on to a 35-year career with Aetna in the Midwest, retiring in 1990, then turning his interests to travel and sampling fine foods. He also served on the board of the Friends of the Palatine (Ill.) Library Charitable Organization. His wife passed away in 2007. Survivors include children Roberta Cinnamon, Marcille, Geraldine, Mark and Kurt Hamlen; and six grandchildren. His late father, Frank ’21, and two uncles, Joseph ’19 and Charles ’20, were alumni.

William James Lynn
December 22, 2011
William James Lynn attended Bates briefly and was on the football team. He retired as president of the Waterbury (Conn.) Tag Co., having worked there for over 40 years. Survivors include children Margaret Batsford, Helen Bodnar, Barbara Carson, Janet Johnson, William Jr., Thomas, Michael and John; 20 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Harriet Stowell Blake
October 29, 2011
Harriet Stowell Blake, a dean’s list student who graduated with honors with a degree in classics, earned a master’s in library science from Simmons in 1956. She worked in the library at Boston Univ. and in Yale’s rare book room before marrying Kenneth Blake Jr. and returning to Weld, Maine, to live on Webb Lake. Noise from the lake forced them to retreat inland, and a divorce forced her to retreat even farther inland to Farmington Falls, where she took up goat farming in a historic farmhouse. Her classics training never left her: She taught Latin at Colby once or twice, and in 1986 wrote, “I am still an unashamed Epicurean (as opposed to a hedonist). Things are now a bit better materially, and I plan to continue to live a relatively secluded life, enjoying a slow pace, a sense of leisure, and a lot of outdoor activity in good weather, of course.”

Albert Joseph Trocchi
November 12, 2011
Al Trocchi dedicated his life to the children and people of Sheffield, Mass., and they let him know they appreciated it. He was twice named Kiwanian of the year, and was named Master Kiwanian. After his death, his life was remembered with a weekend festival over Memorial Day. His students claim he was “the best math teacher anyone could ever have.” The Sheffield Kiwanis Club has established a scholarship in his name. He held a master’s in education from North Adams (Mass.) State in addition to his degree in math from Bates, taught math in Sheffield and was principal there, twice assuming the role of acting superintendent of schools. In 1974, he moved to the state department of education in Pittsfield to take on a role as an education specialist, from which he retired in 1995. His wife, Edie, predeceased him. Survivors include son Mark and one grandchild.

1951

Asa Norman Green
March 26, 2012
Asa Green found that the road from Mars Hill, Maine, to Livingston, Ala., was a fast one. He was there within four years, studying for his master of arts degree at Livingston Univ., and he stayed around long enough to become president of the university, now called the Univ. of Southern Alabama, from 1973 to 1993. He also became president of the board of the USA Foundation. Maxey Roberts, managing director of the foundation, noted his “incandescent personality” will be missed. He was interested in the role sports played in academic life, and served on the President’s Commission of the NCAA. Under his tenure, the university increased its enrollment, added a school of nursing and expanded its support of graduate assistantships. He was awarded an honorary degree by Jacksonville State Univ. in 1975. His wife, Betty, predeceased him. Survivors include son Steven and two grandchildren.

Maurice James O’Connell 
July 1, 2012
After graduation, Jim packed up his troubles in his old kit bag and enlisted in the Army — only to find classmate Ralph Perry in the lower bunk at Fort Dix. He went on to head a top-secret unit charged with testing the “atomic cannon,” which had to hit its target accurately from eight miles away, with the same power as the Hiroshima bomb. All Jim had to do was figure its aim and trajectory! He left the Army in 1953 for a long career with the Mercantile Stores Inc., first in New York, then Mobile and finally in Kansas City. At Bates, he was an eager if “porous” backup third baseman (the description comes from the write-up he himself quotes from the Student), and his love of baseball stayed with him throughout his life: During the summers while in school, he ushered at Fenway Park and at Braves Field, and he later went to a fantasy Red Sox baseball camp. His first wife, Cynthia Spitz ’53, died in 1982. Nine years later, he married Rosalie Doctor, who survives him. Other survivors include children Mark and Dan O’Connell, Elizabeth O’Connell-Ganges, Linda Scardino, Diane Young, Sue Beatty and Bruce Doctor; 16 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. His late father, Maurice W. O’Connell, was a member of the Class of 1916; and his late sister was Barbara O’Connell Nickerson ’46.

Arthur Joseph Knoll 
November 10, 2011
Arthur Knoll was born and raised in Connecticut, educated in Maine, New York and Germany, enamored of German history, smitten with fencing and at long last a devoted runner. He held a degree in history from Bates, a master’s from NYU and Ph.D. from Yale. He was granted a Fulbright fellowship and was given a von Humboldt research fellowship from the Univ. of Heidelberg three times. He wrote and edited books on German colonialism; on why Middle Easterners do not like Americans; on European imperialism in Africa. He was the first recipient of the David E. Underdown Chair in Modern European History at the Univ. of the South (Sewanee) in 1993, where he had taught since 1977. Previously, he had taught at Southern Conn. State College, Middlebury College and the Univ. of Heidelberg. He also served in the Army during the Korean War. He coached fencing at Sewanee for most of his time there, and served 20 years on the Sewanee community council. He retired in 2007. His wife, Ursula Baust Knoll, survives him, as do children Martin and Roland Knoll and Karin Money; and several grandchildren.

Robert Edwin LaPointe
October 7, 2011
Bob LaPointe’s yearbook write-up notes that he was a table tennis champion. He also played basketball, baseball and tennis. He continued to play tennis into his 60s, and was ranked No. 1 in New England in his 50s, in 1978 and 1979. He coached Little League in Beverly, Mass., and is a member of the Little League Hall of Fame there. He worked for General Electric and Polaroid. His wife, Alice Dawson LaPointe, died in 2003. Survivors include children Gary and Michael; four grandchildren, including Matthew LaPointe ’03; and one great-grandchild. His nephew is Richard LaPointe ’60.

William Stephen LaRochelle 
May 7, 2012
Bill LaRochelle finished his undergraduate degree at Boston Univ. after a short time at Bates. His late brother was Joseph LaRochelle ’44, and his niece is Mary Jo LaRochelle McBride-Beece ’68. Survivors include children Susan O’Sullivan, Steve and Lisa LaRochelle; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Raymond Snow Moore 
May 2, 2012
Five days after graduation, Ray Moore was inducted into the Army, and it took him six whole months to wrangle a three-day pass to get back to Lewiston to marry Carlene Fuller ’51 in the Chapel in a ceremony packed to the rafters with alumni and current students, both as participants and attendees — and then it was back to Uncle Sam without so much as a quarter-honeymoon. (“Don’t worry,” he wrote in 2001, “we’ve been on one ever since.”) He went on to work for Getty Petroleum for 35 years, in its real estate and marketing divisions. He and Carlene traveled extensively, including many trailer caravans up and down the East Coast, and Ray coached youth sports. Carlene passed away in 2006. Her late father, Carleton Fuller, was in the Class of 1915. Among Ray’s survivors are children Catherine Lisak, Christine Coflan and William; and five grandchildren.

Ellen Tapley Berrie 
May 13, 2012
Ellen Tapley Berrie combined her love of books with her love of children to build a career as an elementary school librarian in Harpswell, continuing as a volunteer reading tutor after retirement. A geology major at Bates, she earned a degree in library science in 1977 from UMaine–Orono. Survivors include daughters Brenda Buggia and Karen Pierce, and two grandchildren.

1952

Howard Alton Burke 
November 6, 2011
Howard Burke graduated from New Haven College after a short time at Bates. He was a senior buyer at Bristol Babcock Inc. Survivors include wife Elizabeth Nordstrom Burke; children Patti Lambert, Robert Burke, Elaine Tomaseski and Dawn Lang; and eight grandchildren.

Eugenia Emery Taylor 
January 3, 2012
Eugenia Emery Taylor attended Bates from 1948 to 1949, then attended the Univ. of Connecticut. She taught early childhood education in Tolland, Conn., and retired as a supervisor at Travelers Insurance. She was predeceased by husband Alan Taylor. Survivors include sons Scott, Glenn, Craig and Bruce; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Her late father was Phillip Emery ’24, and her sister is Sally Emery Edmondo ’55.

Alan Hayward Glass
June 20, 2011
Al Glass, an economics major at Bates, was a manager at Control Data in Bloomington, Minn. He had previously worked at Farwell Metal Fabrication and Alcoa, both in Minnesota. His wife, Beverly, died in 2008. Survivors include children David, Pamela Robinett and Connie Reiten; and seven grandchildren.

Beverly Hauer Gruninger Bailey
November 10, 2011
Even if you knew her as “Bubbles” when she was 18, you also probably knew there was a no-nonsense nurse in Beverly Bailey. She worked at Hartford Hospital, McCook Hospital and finally at UConn Health Center until she retired, earning another nickname — “Kitty” — showing again that people were drawn to her kind nature. It’s not surprising that her family notes that among her survivors is her beloved cat, Callie. Other survivors are children Patricia Gruninger Clement ’77 and James Jr.; and four grandchildren. Her first husband, James F. Gruninger, died in 1991, and her second husband, R. Dick Bailey, died in 2010.

Eleanor Lovejoy Woodman 
March 23, 2012
Eleanor Lovejoy married Tom Woodman ’53 nearly as soon as he graduated from Bates, then moved to Philadelphia with him while he worked on his degree in dentistry. Following that and a stint in the Navy, they settled in Lake Placid, N.Y., where Tom established a successful practice and Eleanor began a life of motherhood, civic responsibility and church leadership. She was vice president of the Placid Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, secretary of the board of the Skating Club of Lake Placid and treasurer of the American Assn. of University Women. She volunteered at the Adirondack Health Uihlein Living Center and the Ecumenical Food Pantry. Besides her husband, her survivors include many with Bates connections: children Christopher, Cheryl Penney, Daniel ’80 and Thomas; six grandchildren, including Hannah Woodman ’12; daughter-in-law Susan Ellis Woodman ’80; and cousins Melissa C. Doukmak ’84, Phyllis Day Danforth ’50, and Leonard and Carolyn Day Chase ’53. Her husband’s late father was C. Everett Woodman ’25.

Elizabeth Townsend Henderson 
June 25, 2012
Betty Townsend Henderson was the third generation of her family to attend Bates. Her grandparents, Arthur and Ina Cobb Townsend, were both members of the Class of 1888; her father, Clarence Townsend, was a member of the Class of 1914. Her degree from Bates was in economics, and she also held a master’s in business administration from NYU. After her children were almost grown, she worked part time for a toy importer, joking that it offered “a solution to the dilemma of disowning offspring through the college years or producing part of the price.” Surviving are her husband, Norman Henderson; children Alan, Karen Garrett, Eleanor Kelly, Andrew and Norman; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. She also had three uncles, now all deceased, who attended Bates: Erland Townsend 1916, Myron Townsend 1918 and Newell Townsend ’28.

1953

Barbara Furbish Geyger
January 3, 2012
Her own words tell the story best: “After graduating from Bates, I spent several years as a telephone service representative. This, however, was not for me. After a two-month vacation in Europe, I decided to look for a new career.” That soul-refreshing vacation reminded Barbara Furbish Geyger that she was an English major, and that she liked books and libraries. That led her to Simmons College, where she got a degree in library science, which led to a job as a children’s librarian in Washington, D.C., work and a city she would enjoy for the next 32 years. She retired in 1991 as chief of the children’s division of the District of Columbia Public Library. There, she had met and married Alexander Geyger. Their love of the written word was so evident that in 2008, Grace Episcopal Church in Silver Spring, Md., where they lived, renamed its library the Alexander and Barbara Geyger Library. He died two weeks after his wife. Among her survivors is a brother, George Furbish.

Frederic Karl Littlefield
February 27, 2012
Frederic Littlefield, “Fritz” to some classmates, was at Bates for a short time before leaving for the U.S. Navy. He then began a career as a fisherman and charter boat captain in Newburyport, Mass. His wife, Marilyn Bamford Littlefield, passed away in 1995. Survivors include children Sarah Quill, Lisa Colom and Frederick Jr.; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Ann Parnell Davis
February 18, 2012
Ann Parnell Davis was a nursing student who spent more time off campus than on, because of her degree requirements. But she made up for it as an alumna, serving on several Reunion committees. And she put her nursing degree to good use. After marrying George Davis and moving to Potsdam, N.Y., where he taught at Clarkson College, she was recruited by the local hospital to set up a recovery room. She then took a mommy break, working only when a flu epidemic became so severe that the college had to set up an infirmary in the gymnasium. Later, she became involved with establishing Planned Parenthood in the area and soon was in charge of heading up services for four counties. She also helped found a hospice for the area, and served as program chair for the local heart association. In 1989, the Potsdam Hospital board presented her its service award, noting that she “represents the highest standard of volunteer service in health care.” Besides her husband, survivors include children Richard, Karen Riggs ’79 and Gregg.

1954

Clyde Hill Eastman
August 23, 2011
Clyde Eastman did everything a smart young man from a small town in Maine (Fryeburg, in his case) is supposed to do: make the dean’s list, get a master’s from Columbia, then get a doctorate in education from SUNY, all within 10 years of graduating from high school. He married well, had children, then got a job with a good school system. The perfect life for many — but not for Clyde. That first marriage ended in divorce. With his second wife, Zita Eastman, he spent more than a decade attempting to live a self-sufficient life on a 100-year-old farm in rural New York, with their own chickens and goats and vegetables, all the while teaching English at the local school. When he retired in 1987, they threw it all away, hopped in their VW camper and headed west. Two years later, they landed in Sonoma County. Clyde was the kind of man who feels more comfortable outside than inside. He loved to run, ski, bike and backpack. He was a campground host in Alaska, ran 50 miles on his 50th birthday and hiked the entire Appalachian Trail at age 63. Shortly before his death, Clyde self-published Hopalong Cassidy: Creation of a Western Hero, a 25-year writing project that focused on the life of Clarence Mulford, author of the original Hopalong Cassidy novels and a Fryeburg acquaintance of Clyde’s father, Harry Eastman. Clyde is survived by his wife, Zita Eastman; four children from his first marriage, Philip, Peter, Carolyn and Glenn; stepchildren Alison and Christopher; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. His cousin is Donald Hill ’81.

Richard Arthur Hayes Jr.
July 28, 2011
“The pool room taught me some things I didn’t learn in the classroom — or in Chapel,” wrote Dick Hayes in a note to the college in 2001. He was writing to lament that when he visited campus, the pool room was locked up, and didn’t display tournament champs earlier than 1971. He recounted memories of teaching a talented freshman (Richard Hilliard ’57) all he knew about pool when he was a senior, and how the freshman went on to win the tournament. He earned a master’s in finance at the Univ. of Michigan and doctorate in college administration at Wayne State Univ. He worked first for Dun & Bradstreet as a credit analyst, then for Ford Motor Co. as a financial analyst and a senior labor relations analyst before joining the Detroit Institute of Technology, where he was the director and then dean of the office of cooperative education and placement. He was a member of the Economic Club of Detroit, the Cooperative Education Assn. and the American Assn. for Engineering Education.

Virginia Kimball Davenport 
November 6, 2011
Ginny Kimball Davenport was a lifelong resident of Reading, Mass., and took an interest in its residents. She was active in the Reading College Club, primarily a social club for college-educated women, but she emphasized the scholarships it gave to high school graduates. She also was active with her church, First Congregational in Reading. After her husband, William Davenport ’54, passed away in 1989, she worked as a sales secretary for Crown Lift Trucks, retiring in 2002. Survivors include children Teresa Hagerty, Peter, Paul and John Davenport, and Marcia Kennedy; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Her late mother was Inez Farris Kimball ’26; her late aunt was Mamie Farris Hulsman ’27.

Gordon Linley Peaco 
November 20, 2011
Gordon Peaco was an economics major, which led him to a long and rewarding career as an English teacher at high schools in the Maine towns of Casco, Oxford, Dixfield and East Machias, as well as Littleton, N.H. He was also a principal at schools in Searsport, Maine. He coordinated regional and state drama festivals throughout his teaching career, and he and his wife, June Johnson Peaco ’54, were instrumental in establishing a community theater in Searsport in the 1970s. She passed away in 1995. He continued to be involved in community theater after he retired in 1988, by joining the Lake Region Community Theater in Bridgton in 1996. In 1997, he was invited to become a member of the board of the Deertrees Theatre and Cultural Center of Harrison, Maine, and served as president in 2004. He credited Lavinia Schaeffer for introducing him “to all aspects of backstage work as well as acting, writing and directing. She even introduced me to June,” he wrote. Survivors include children Penelope, Steven, Thomas, Daniel and Deborah; and five grandchildren.

Donald Miller Bridgeforth 
February 11, 2012
Donald Bridgeforth left Bates to finish his degree in economics at Boston Univ. He went on to earn a law degree at Valparaiso in 1962. An opera fan, he was a real estate attorney and worked for Allstate Insurance Co. as associate counsel for many years. He was divorced at the time of his death, and is survived by many cousins and friends.

Ellen Conron Brunelle 
March 18, 2012
Ellen Conron’s major in speech took her directly into the arms of her leading man, albeit via a secretarial route. She was directing a play at a radio station where Jim Brunelle was an announcer. The play was The Boyfriend, and soon enough he was — the boyfriend, that is, in real life, if not in the cast. He went on to a career as a political reporter, and she went on to earn a master’s in special education from the Univ. of Southern Maine, and then help establish the first special-education programs in her area. She was a teacher and supervisor in Cape Elizabeth for 21 years before leaving to help found a program of a school for children with learning disabilities. Her husband survives her, as do children William and Lynn, and two grandchildren.

Joan Haymarch O’Hara 
February 28, 2012
Joan Haymarch O’Hara could fly. She had instrument, mechanical and commercial pilots’ license ratings. And she could swim, a certified scuba diver who went on dives all over the world. She grew up in the Green Mountains of Vermont and lived her adult life in the desert of Arizona, studied political science at Bates and taught elementary school as a career. She earned a master’s in education at Arizona State Univ. in 1968 to assist that career, after circumstances forced her to move west from Boston with her children after divorcing her first husband. Survivors include her second husband, Robert O’Hara; sons Michael and Donald Hogan; eight grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and twin sister Lois MacLeod. A third son, Mark Hogan, died in 1986.

Janet Merry Cooke 
January 20, 2012
Janet Merry Cooke attended Bates for two years. She also attended Katherine Gibbs in Boston. Her first husband was Robert G. Hildreth Jr. ’53. Survivors include her second husband, Robert H. Cooke; children Betsy Groh, Robert Hildreth, Nancy Hockenberry and Susan Lavoie; and 10 grandchildren. Christopher J. Poulin ’86 is her cousin.

1956

Marion Cadman Tarleton 
December 13, 2011
Becky Cadman Tarleton worked in law enforcement for many years in the Rockingham County (N.H.) Sheriff’s Department as a secretary and deputy sheriff. She raised quarter horses and golden retrievers, and was the voice of the Deerfield Fair for many years. Her husband, Robert Tarleton, predeceased her. Survivors include daughter Karen Egerton, stepsons Michael and Gregory; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Lawrence Gove Evans 
November 20, 2011
Lawrence Evans was above all a scholar, graduating summa cum laude with election to Phi Beta Kappa his junior year, receiving a degree in English and philosophy. His doctorate from Harvard came in 1961; his dissertation was titled “Some Letters of Walter Pater.” The 19th century British essayist continued to interest him throughout his life; in 1970 he published a book of Pater’s letters, and in 1988, he presented a group of them to Bates as a gift. He taught at Harvard until 1962, then joined the faculty at Northwestern, teaching courses in late Victorian literature. In 1969, he became the director of undergraduate studies in English. He spent a year in the mid-1970s researching the relationship between Victorian church history and literature. He retired in 2001. He is survived by his brother, Roswell Evans Jr.

Remember Neil Armstrong’s first space flight? Arnold Fickett ’56 invented the fuel cell that powered that flight.

Arnold Perry Fickett
April 22, 2012
Remember Neil Armstrong’s first space flight, Gemini 8 with David Scott in 1966, cut short by a malfunctioning roll thruster? Arnold Fickett invented the fuel cell that powered that flight. He was working for General Electric at the time, having received his master’s in electrochemistry from Northeastern the year before. He’d joined GE right out of college, although he did take time enough to marry Jean Penney ’56. In 1974, he grabbed a chance to join the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif., where he continued his research on fuel cells, hydrogen and hydroelectric power, and was named vice president for energy utilization. His wife survives him, as do children Thomas, Robert and Shirley; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. His brother-in-law is Hugh Penney ’50, whose wife is Lois Keniston Penney ’50. Their sons are Hugh Penney ’74 and Bruce Penney ’76; Bruce’s wife is Jan Malatesta Penney ’77, and their daughter is Melissa Penney ’03.

1957

Penelope Anne Thompson 
February 12, 2012
Penny Thompson worked at the United Nations for many years before joining DuPont in its international customer relations department. She lived in many places along the East Coast, and in England, Cleveland and Columbia, Mo., before retiring to Cincinnati in 2003. Among her survivors are brothers Peter, Jeffrey and David, and sister Susan Thompson.

Victor Baron Chernoff 
August 2, 2011
Victor Chernoff was so well-known in contract bridge circles that his answer, when asked if he had been berating an inept partner (and Chernoff had been, repeatedly and loudly calling him “an idiot”), was to say, “Well, he is an idiot.” That reply became known as the Chernoff Defense. But he was good, so good that he ranks 480th on the American Contract Bridge League’s all-time list of Masterpoints. The league has 165,000 members as of September 2012. A math major at Bates, he earned a master’s from Harvard in 1958. He worked as an actuary at John Hancock, Lipton Co. and the Internal Revenue Service, before becoming self-employed. He was living in Los Angeles at the time of his death. Among his survivors is his wife, Barbara Sokolowska-Chernoff.

Norma George Monbouquette 
November 26, 2011
Norma George Monbouquette attended Bates for three years before transferring to Boston Univ., where she graduated with a degree in French. Her husband, John Monbouquette, passed away in 2002. Survivors include children Linda Cangiano, Paula, Richard, John and Harold; and eight grandchildren.

David Edwin Goddard 
February 6, 2012
The sign in front of his store often read “Genuine Tourist Trap,” which just about assured that the tourists would drive right by, leaving the place to the locals, which was fine for David Goddard, who poured his life into Wilton, N.H., giving anything he could to the town. He and wife Elaine Jeffries Goddard ’58 had moved their business, the House by the Side of the Road, one town over from Milford, N.H., in 1978. An economics major at Bates, he and Elaine married the day before he graduated. He was self-employed his entire life, working as a dairy farmer with extensive routes until he could purchase the House, then a small gift shop, in 1971. He and Elaine turned it into an extensive gift and flower shop, one of the most successful garden centers in New Hampshire. She is among his survivors, as are children William, Abby Macfarland, Jimmy and Claire Heck; 11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

W. David Talcott 
February 13, 2012
Dave Talcott traced his roots back to the Worshipful John Talcott, one of the fore-founders of Hartford, and joined other Talcott descendants in the fall of 2011 in the first-ever Talcott reunion commemorating 375 years since settling Hartford. He served eight years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves. His career started with Timex, and included periods with UPS, the Connecticut Petroleum Council and the American Petroleum Institute, from which he retired as the associate region director. His wife, Lydia Davies Talcott ’57, passed away in 2006. Survivors include children Anne, John and Ellen Polak; and four grandchildren.

1959

Ellen Rosenfeld Jodaitis 
November 1, 2011
Imagine what your small organization would be like if the president mentioned it in his State of the Union Message. “I am reeling, I must confess.” That’s what Ellen Jodaitis told The New York Times in 1985 after Ronald Reagan pointed out Clara Hale, the founder of Hale House Center in New York, the child-centered, family-focused nonprofit where Jodaitis was director of program development, “an American hero.” Mother Hale, as she was called, went to Washington because she hoped “it would help the children who need help,” she told the newspaper. A government major at Bates, Ellen Rosenfeld married Peter Jodaitis ’58 and went on to earn a Ph.D. from the Univ. of Connecticut. She also worked as an economic planner. Her marriage ended in divorce. She is survived by children Nancy and George; and three grandchildren.

Richard Earl Shearer 
May 21, 2012
Dick Shearer’s studies at Bates were interrupted by the Korean War, and he was unable to return to graduate. He was a recipient of the Bronze Star. Survivors include his wife, Evelyn Brett Shearer, and a number of nieces and nephews.

1960

Russell Helmar Ahlquist 
January 2012
Russell Ahlquist entered Bates with the Class of 1960 and left the college before graduation. Survivors include his wife, Sally Wood Ahlquist.

Marjorie Keene Stevenson 
December 25, 2011
Marge Keene Stevenson found a way to stay in school most of her life. If she wasn’t a student, she was a teacher. If she wasn’t a teacher, she was a school librarian. And if she wasn’t a school librarian, she was the secretary to the superintendent. That, plus being a mother to three and grandmother to six, kept her pretty well informed of the field trip schedule. She also was a member of First Parish Congregational in Wakefield, Mass., and a lifelong summer resident of Blue Fish Cove in Marshfield, Mass. Survivors include her husband, Lloyd Stevenson; sons Robert, Todd and Craig; and six grandchildren.

John Winfred Steadman 
November 23, 2011
John Steadman left Bates after two years. He earned a law degree from the Univ. of Florida and practiced law in that state.

1964

Kenneth Frazier Hamilton
September 8, 2009
Kenneth Hamilton headed west with his biology degree, added a master’s from Cal State to it and began teaching at Placentia High School. He was an instructor at Cypress Junior College for a number of years and finished his career at Clark High School. His marriage to the former Milly Brock ended in divorce in 1979. Survivors include children Matthew and Laura.

Charles Robert Harte III 
March 19, 2012
Charles Harte came to Bates to play basketball and baseball, but missed Pennsylvania too much. He left after one year to transfer to Penn State, and remained in that area for the rest of his life. Survivors include his wife, Cheri Harte; children Krista Sassaman and Cara Beth Fitzgerald; and four grand-children.

Jonathan Colby Peabody 
May 24, 2012
Anyone who has taken time out to lean back in an office chair in Boston to study the odd pattern of dots in the ceiling tiles probably has Jonathan Peabody to thank. His company has been providing office furniture to Massachusetts businesses for a century, and his twin sons are the fourth generation of Peabodys to run the business. But Jonathan was more than a businessman. He opened the doors of the company’s library to industrial design students from a local college. He was active in Rotary, and in the Congregational Church in Topsfield, Mass., and a past president of Flycasters. In fact, he made sure the pond on his property fed his favorite hobby — trout fishing. He met his wife, Norma George Peabody, while studying at Babson for his M.B.A. through a very early computer dating program. Besides her, survivors include sons Stephen, Christopher and Daniel; and five grandchildren. Jennifer Philley Zolot ’96 is his niece, and Glen Andrew Philley ’98 is his nephew.

1966

Roland Turney 
October 12, 2011
Roland Turney, who attended Bates for two years, was in recent years proprietor of Bear Creek Lodge in Victor, Mont. He was an avid private pilot.

1968

David John Driscoll 
April 21, 2012
No one could keep up with Dave Driscoll. Except, maybe, his wife, Jo-Ann French Driscoll ’68. The disaster that blew away New Orleans compelled him into action: He drove to Biloxi, Miss., for what was supposed to be a three-week cleanup mission that turned into a three-month effort. That work was with Hands On Disaster Response, now known as All Hands Volunteer, and he and Jo-Ann spent the next seven years with them traveling to disaster areas in Indonesia, the Philippines, Peru, Bangladesh, Haiti and Japan as well as in Missouri and New York — digging, building, hauling and generally doing whatever was needed. Dave learned to bring photos of his “odd”-looking New England home to tropical areas, especially ones of the yard covered with alien snow, to help ease tensions with local people. A cum laude French major at Bates, Dave married Jo-Ann three weeks after graduation and then entered the Army for four years. After earning a master’s in education from UMass–Amherst, both he and Jo-Ann worked for GTE Sylvania Training Operations, with postings in Algeria and Iran; they were evacuated from Iran during the revolution in 1979. He also worked as trainer for Teradyne, Cullinet, Lotus and Powersoft, as well as independently, with travels throughout Asia and the U.S. His wife survives him. His sister is Susan Driscoll Nolan ’71. His brother-in-law is Michael F. Nolan ’69. His aunt is Elizabeth Driscoll Bodwell ’53. His late father was John T. Driscoll ’49.

Lauraine Thomas Pluto 
October 1, 2011
Lauraine Thomas Pluto went about things in her own way. Married at 17, she had two children and a husband, Charles Gameros ’68, by the time she was 19 and a freshman at Bates. They both whipped through in three years, moved to Arizona and were divorced by 1971. She returned to Brunswick, Maine, where she had gone to high school, and became involved in the local music theater and ice skating club. She was a figure judge for the U.S. Figure Skating Assn. for many years, and was a member of the Mayflower Society. She also married Joseph Pluto, a Navy officer. Besides him, survivors include children Laurie Pluto, Jim Gameros and Bill Gameros; and six grandchildren.

1970

Louise Gardner 
December 13, 2011
Louise Gardner held two bachelor’s degrees, one from Bates in sociology and one from NYU in nursing. That was her chosen field, and she started as a registered nurse at Waldo County Hospital in 1983 for two years, when she started to manage the intensive-care unit. She remained in this position until illness forced her to resign. She then turned her attention to maintaining the family’s homestead and shipbuilding history in Stockton Springs. Her marriage to John Foster ended in divorce, but he remained close in her illness, and survives her. Her late mother was Ruth Haley Gardner ’42.

1971

Peter Folsom Hutchins 
June 14, 2012
Peter Hutchins gave lie to the adage “Those who can’t, teach.” His educational philosophy merged academic excellence with sports and arts. He was a founding member of the Educational Theatre Collaborative, a program at Plymouth (N.H.) State Univ. that brought arts into area schools. During his 18 years at Plymouth Elementary School as teacher and principal, it was recognized as a U.S. Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and a U.S. Distinguished Title I School. In addition to his Bates degree in psychology, he held a master’s from UMaine–Orono and had pursued doctoral work at Vanderbilt Univ. He also taught at schools in Old Town, Maine, and Claremont, Newport and Cornish, N.H. Survivors include his wife, Salina L. Millora; children Peter Jr., Katheryn, Sean and Scott Kull; and five grandchildren.

George N. Schumer
May 29, 2012
In 1985, a friend asked George Schumer, a nonpracticing Jew, for help with a project transcribing tapes of Holocaust survivors. The friend thought that George, a court reporter, might have some ideas about dealing with the 300 cassette tapes piled up in the office of the Holocaust Media Project in San Francisco. George agreed, and wrote a short article for a trade journal seeking trained volunteers. Within a month, he had 175 responses from all over the country. When he showed the stack of letters to the project’s director, she burst into tears of relief. Today, the program is known as the Bay Area Holocaust Oral History Project and has more than 2,000 interviews on file. George’s main interest became the music of John Denver, and he formed a nonprofit organization dedicated to his music, Singing Skies Foundation, which sponsored concerts of Denver’s music and awarded grants to musicians. Survivors include son Jacob, former wife Jeanne Sutter and mother Doris Schumer.

Joo Eng Tan
January 8, 2012
When Joo Eng Tan was traveling from his home in Malaysia to Bates to continue his education, he visited with a relative along the way. He vowed to her that he would marry a Malaysian woman. It was not to be. Like so many others, he would fall victim to the Bates charm, curse, whammy — call it what you will — and married classmate Sally Ann Kayser. They had even managed to take their junior year abroad together at the Univ. of Nottingham, he a psychology major, she a history major. He went on to earn an M.B.A. from NYU and worked briefly for Price Waterhouse before joining Celanese Corp. in 1975, a subsidiary of Hoechst AG, one of the largest chemical companies in the world. He stayed with the company for the rest of his career, retiring as vice president for business support, based in Dallas, in 2002. He then worked for two years as the comptroller for Fisher College. Besides his wife, survivors include children Alexander and Elizabeth Tan; three grandchildren; as well as a large extended family.

1974

Herbert John Canaway
April 6, 2012
Herb Canaway was president of the Campus Assn. as a junior and a member of the student governing body. He was active in the Outing Club, and still somehow made the dean’s list. He went on to earn a master’s in education from Harvard, and used those skills with Destination ImagiNation Inc., a creative problem-solving organization for children and adults that tries to create critical thinking, develop teamwork, leadership skills, research skills and attention to detail. He supported himself as a freelance data analyst. Survivors include brothers Kenneth and Robert.

1976

Michele Louise Dionne
July 4, 2012
It is all too tempting to wrap Michele Dionne’s life in robes of predestination when one compares her high school efforts to save land in her hometown of Chelmsford, Mass., from commercial development with her adult career as a director of an estuary research center. But she was more than that. She was a talented biological educator and mentor, an editor, researcher and scientist. She established and for 21 years led the research program at the Wells (Maine) National Estuarine Research Reserve, one of only 28 such reserves around the nation dedicated to advancing understanding and improving the management of estuaries and coasts. Except for a brief appointment in the biology department at Bates itself, where she did some early research on Morse Mountain, it was the only job she ever held. She received an award for outstanding service to the National Estuarine Research Reserve System in 2008. Under her direction, the research program grew to include post-doctoral and staff research associates, interns, contractors and numerous graduate students. She earned a master’s from UNC in 1982 and a Ph.D. from Dartmouth in 1991, then returned to Maine, where she met Michael Wright at a meeting about conservation issues. They married in 1993. He survives her, as do daughters Ciarra and Moira Dionne.

Tango. Contra. Morris. Whatever dance group the city of Burlington, Vt., had to offer, Polly Howlett ’76 was there.

Polly O’Neill Howlett
November 21, 2011
Polly Howlett loved to dance. Tango. Contra. Morris. Whatever dance group the city of Burlington, Vt., had to offer, she was there. It was no accident that she lived in Burlington: It gave her easy access to the mountains for skiing and hiking, and to the lake for sailing, all interests of hers. It also offered employment at St. Michael’s College, where she received her master’s in teaching English as a second language/first language (TESL/TEFL). She spoke German flawlessly, learning it after arriving on German shores in 1981 in a small sailboat, having navigated the trans-Atlantic crossing solo, speaking kein Deutsch. She had taught TESL/TEFL at St. Michael’s since 1993, after teaching it in Germany and Egypt. Her degree from Bates was in psychology. During her final illness, modern dance alumni from Bates, including John Carrafa ’76 and Geri FitzGerald ’75, commissioned a dance in her honor. Friends, including many of her students, posted a Facebook page full of tributes praising her teaching, sailing, cooking and dancing talents, as well as her warm friendship. She is survived by parents Frank and Elizabeth Howlett; sister Amy Howlett; and countless others.

1978

Lyman Myron Munson
January 18, 2012
Many online condolence books contain heartfelt entries. Few are as full of lively, amusing anecdotes as Lyman Munson’s. One talks about how he always considered the cup “three-quarters full, not half-full.” Many mentioned his impassioned cry of “Fire it up!” at work, especially amusing when you consider he was the vice president at Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. in Novato, Calif. One entry was from the barista at the local coffee bar, recalling how he always had exact change, and another marveled how he took the time to journey across country to Portland, Maine, to emcee at his 30th anniversary with Liberty Mutual, where Lyman Munson used to work, calling it one of the highlights of his career. Nearly all remarked on his love for his family, his crazy greyhounds, his work. His cum laude degree from Bates was in mathematics, and he held a master’s from St. Mary’s College and a law degree from Golden Gate Univ. He practiced pro bono family law through the Bar Assn. of San Francisco, and served on the board of Central City Hospitality House and Oakes Children’s Center, both in San Francisco. He was also past president of the Orinda Assn. Survivors include wife Patricia Low and father Myron Munson.

1980

Roy Gates Perham III
January 28, 2011
Roy Perham was an industrial psychologist who developed and ran assessment centers to help large public utilities and pharmaceutical companies select and develop managers and supervisors. He held a Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology from Stevens Institute of Technology and received postgraduate training at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, N.C. He was an adjunct assistant professor of psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, teaching graduate courses in statistics and research methods. He majored in economics and psychology at Bates and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

1988

Gudbjorn Amundsson Karlsson 
February 29, 2012
Whether practicing medicine in Maine or studying grey seals in Iceland, Bjossi Amundsson Karlsson was, everyone said, “the real deal.” He excelled in tennis and downhill skiing and in medical research. He published papers on neurological and cardiovascular topics in several journals, and earned an M.Sc. in aquaculture from the Univ. of Bergen in Norway as well as a D.O. from the Univ. of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. He was an attending physician and assistant director in the emergency department at the Inland Hospital at Waterville. He kept in close touch with his extended family in Iceland, especially his two grandfathers, Gudbjorn Godjonsson and Asmundur Bjarneason, both of whom survive him. Other survivors include wife Julia Woods Karlsson; daughters Nika Kroyer Karlsson and Anja Kroyer Karlsson; and parents Karl and Bergthora Asmundsson.

Ellen Marie Lorenzen 
February 23, 2012
Ellen Lorenzen left Bates after two years and graduated from the Univ. of Michigan in 1989 with a degree in kinesiology. She is survived by sisters Carol Lorenzen and Julie Reznick.

2001

Apostolia Hantzara 
June 17, 2006
Lina Hantzara was a member of Sanghai Asia and the International Club, earning a degree magna cum laude in political science and art. As a Community Research Fellow in 2001, she investigated models of successful community arts centers in college communities similar to Lewiston and Auburn. The college learned of her passing in February 2012.

2015

Evan Padraig Dube 
May 19, 2012
When someone so young passes away, we look to our most profound thinkers for the reason why. First-year student Evan Dube was perhaps a bit prescient when he posted this quote on his Twitter feed in fall 2011: “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” It’s from Winnie-the-Pooh. While studying abroad on a Short Term field archeology course last May, Evan collapsed after swimming in the waters off the Shetland Islands. He was planning to be a classics major, and had already impressed the Bates theater community with his performance as the cowboy Verne in Bus Stop. He also rose to the challenge by being the first of his classmates to recite the Bates mission statement by heart, but wasn’t around to receive the attendant reward — he’d gone off to do coursework. Survivors include his parents, John and Eileen Dube; twin brother Conor; and grandparents John and Mildred Dube.

2016

Troy Johnathan James Pappas
October 5, 2012
In just a few weeks, Troy Pappas had impressed people with his interest in life’s big questions, recalled Holly Gurney, the dean who spoke at Troy’s memorial service, six days after the first-year student died of injuries from a fall down a stairwell in Parker Hall. “He didn’t bother with the superficial stuff,” she said. “He wanted to know the big questions: ‘What do you want to do in life? What do you want out of life?’ That is an exceptional thing in a first-year student in his first semester.” He intended to major in biochemistry and become a surgeon. A resident of Eliot, Maine, and a high school quarterback, he was learning the skills of a receiver for the Bobcats, who dedicated its season to him (see pg. 16). Survivors include parents John and Mary Pappas; maternal grandparents Gareth and Beverly Blackwell and parental grandparents Thomas and Sally Pappas; sister Rayna Pappas; and aunts and uncles.

Faculty

Garold W. Thumm 
May 18, 2012
Professor Emeritus of Political Science Garold Thumm was a self-proclaimed mediocre gourmet cook, fair bridge player and a terrible golfer, but he always loved trying. He was involved in efforts to restore the American chestnut tree, destroyed by blight in the 20th century, and was honored by the Maine chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation in 2010 by receiving the first seeds from a potentially blight-resistant strain. He then donated the seeds back to the Maine chapter, which hopes to plant them on Bates College land in his honor. Tenured at the Univ. of Pennsylvania, he left there in 1961 because he wanted more contact with students. His students know how he embraced this philosophy: He made a point of calling on every student in class, “which many feel is a brutal way to conduct a class, but I did it anyway,” he said. As U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance ’82 told this magazine in 2009, “He wouldn’t let you take the easy way out. He taught us to analyze an issue before taking a side, not take a side and then try to fit the argument to it.” Thumm received his bachelor’s degree from Morris Harvey College and doctorate from the Univ. of Pennsylvania. He is survived by many nieces and nephews, including Suzanne Woods Kelley ’71.