Vital Statistics: Summer 2009

Irene Nutter Atwell, Jan. 20, 2009

Shortly after graduating with a degree in French, Irene Nutter Atwell moved to Boston. She married Bert J. Atwell the following autumn. In 1956, they moved to Delaware, where her husband worked for the Delaware highway department. He died in 1987. At the College, she captained the volleyball team and was active in the Outing Club and La Petite Academie. In Delaware, she was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Avenue United Methodist Church, and the Milford New Century Club. Survivors include son Wilfred J. Atwell; two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

1937

Cora Frances Meservey, Dec. 17, 2008

Cora Frances Meservey taught at Bliss College following graduation and then worked for Purity Products as a regional distributor. She returned to teaching in 1951 and taught elementary school in Torrington, Conn., until 1974. In 1961, she earned a master’s in education from the Univ. of Hartford. Following retirement, she moved to Georgia and Florida, where she was active in church and club activities. In 1984, she attended the 350th year of the performance of the Passion Play at Oberammergau, Germany. Survivors include a niece and nephew. Emma Meservey Vosburgh ’30 was her sister, and Roy Richardson ’30 was her cousin.

1938

Frances Jacubouis Nason, March 2, 2009

Frances Jacubouis lived her entire life in the Lewiston-Auburn area. She studied at the Auburn School of Commerce and worked for Central Maine Power for 30 years. She then taught elementary school in Lewiston for four years before joining her husband’s business, where she was a vice president and assistant treasurer. Her husband, Harry E. Nason Jr., died in 2006. She was a member of the Women’s Literary Union, the Auburn-Lewiston Art and Literature Club, and St. Philip’s Church, where she served on the parish council. She also was a corporator of the Auburn Public Library and the Central Maine Healthcare Corp. Survivors include sister Phyllis Jacubouis Lothrop.

Marjory Lovett Berman, Jan. 18, 2009

With a degree in history, Marjory Lovett Berman went on to a long career teaching history, first at Vassalboro High School. She then taught at the Breerley School in New York City and the Beard School in Orange, N.J., serving as department chair at both schools. She studied not only at the Univ. of Rochester but also at the Barbizon School of Modeling. Following retirement in 1972 she and her husband, Kenneth Kurt Berman, returned to Maine. He died in 1998. She attended classes for seniors at the Univ. of Southern Maine and was especially interested in the Seeds of Peace camp, which brings together teenagers from regions of conflict, such as the Middle East, to learn peaceful ways to resolve differences. She also was a member of Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ, the municipal organ in Portland’s City Hall.

Bruce Elwyn Meserve, Nov. 14, 2008

Bruce Meserve earned a degree in mathematics and membership in Phi Beta Kappa at Bates, and a master’s and doctorate in mathematics at Duke. In a distinguished career in mathematics, he authored or co-authored some 40 books and taught mostly at the college level, first at the Univ. of Illinois (1946–54), then as chair of the department at Montclair (N.J.) State College and later at the Univ. of Vermont. He retired in 1983. During World War II, he served in the Civilian Public Service as a conscientious objector and later joined the Army. He was chair of the New Jersey section of the Mathematical Assn. of America, a fellow of the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science, and was president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1964–66. He lectured throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and China. He also served as town moderator in Fairfax, Vt., where he ran as both a Republican and a Democrat. In retirement, he volunteered as an AARP tax aide and as a math teacher on AOL’s “Ask a Teacher” program. His first wife, Gertrude Morey Meserve, survives him (his second wife, Dorothy Tucker Meserve, died in 2004) as do children Arthur Meserve, Virginia Gartlein, and Donald Meserve; stepdaughter Elisabeth Spencer; four grandchildren; and siblings Walter J. Meserve Jr. ’45 and Doris Mann Whitten.

Richard Wesley Perkins, March 14, 2001

Left guard on the Bates football team and always well-dressed — a gentleman on and off the field, reads his Mirror entry — Richard Perkins was a salesman with Standard Register Co. in Syracuse for 25 years. He taught at Syracuse’s University College and volunteered to help others learn to read. He was a former board president of the Camp Fire Girls. An English major, he also studied at American International, Syracuse, and Boston universities. Survivors include wife Fern Perkins; children Susan Dowley, Judith Peterson, and Richard W. Perkins Jr.; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

1940

Bernice Walins Meyer, Jan. 22, 2009

After transferring to Bates, Bernice Walins Meyer graduated with a degree in English and worked as a teacher. She joined the war effort in 1942 at United Aircraft, which made the F4U Corsair fighter-bomber. She later moved to New York, where she studied at Columbia and met her husband, Benedict Meyer. In 1956, they divorced, and she moved to Florida, where she worked as a law secretary and paralegal and always kept her passion for painting. She made gifts of her oil paintings to many friends. An opera and theater fan, she also was an avid reader. Her survivors include son Robert Meyer; two grandchildren and two step grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren and two step great-grandchildren.

1941

Warner Theodore Bracken, Jan. 6, 2009

Co-captain of the swim team during his senior year, Brack Bracken continued to swim throughout his life. At Bates, he was also active in the Flying Club, and put that experience to good use in his service in the Army Air Force during World War II. He later became a licensed pilot. After the war, he and his first wife, Jean Wood, moved to Illinois where he built a career in industrial tooling at Acme Industrial Co. When his wife died in 1975, he returned to Massachusetts to start his own business as a manufacturer’s representative. At the time of his 50th Reunion, he noted that he had driven the equivalent of 2 1/2 times around the equator in the past 20 months. He remarried in 1977, and his second wife, Georgia Mae Bracken, survives him. Other survivors include children David Bracken and Nancy Wallgren; three stepsons; 16 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Another daughter, Janis Edmunds, predeceased him.

Irving Sanborn Fisher, Feb. 24, 2009

For his service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Bud Fisher received the Bronze Star and a citation, signed by Vice Admiral John S. McCain Sr., grandfather of the recent U.S. presidential candidate, for interpreting photos quickly and accurately, giving Allied forces time to maneuver into advantageous positions. On his first leave in 1942, he met Ginny Stockman ’44 at a party; they married in 1945. After the war, Bud added a master’s and doctorate in geology from Harvard to his Bates degree in the same field. His specialty was crystallography. In 1949, he joined the faculty of the Univ. of Kentucky, retiring in 1985. He and Ginny returned to Maine and became deeply involved in environmental issues, especially those concerning the islands in Casco Bay, where they owned a home. He also served on the Portland Planning Board. His wife survives him, as do children Lawrence Fisher, Beth Fisher, and Charles Fisher; four grandchildren; and a cousin, John R. Duffett ’52. His brother, Joseph Fisher ’39, died during the Battle of the Bulge. His mother was Marion Sanborn Fisher ’14; his uncles were Walter L. Fisher 1906 and S. Lester Duffett ’21; his aunt was Esther Fisher Duffett ’21; and his cousin was Emma Duffett Thompson ’46.

Edmund Rhodes Leonard, Dec. 11, 2008

Ed Leonard entered the U.S. Army weeks after he graduated with a degree in government and history and served with the 43rd Bombardment Group in Australia and New Guinea. Shortly after he was discharged, he started a 34-year career at Stephens High School in Rumford, where he taught history and coached basketball. He also taught driver’s education, for which he won an award of honor from the Maine Driver Education Assn. After retiring from teaching, he worked in security at Gould Academy before he fully retired in 1985. His wife, Geneva Rutter, died in 2008. Among his survivors are children Stephen Leonard, Ronald Leonard, Lyndon Leonard, and Judith Virgin; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Erle Cross Witty, Nov. 17, 2008

Brud Witty lettered in three sports at Bates and co-captained the basketball team his senior year. He also was vice president of the Jordan Scientific Society and the Student Council. During World War II, he served in the Air Force meteorology division. With a degree in geology, he taught at Framingham (Mass.) High School for three years, long enough to earn an M.Ed. from Harvard and meet Jean Buckman, whom he married in 1945. They returned to his hometown, Orange, Mass., where he played third base for the local semi-pro team, the Orange Peels. He joined his father in the family business started in 1910, Witty’s Funeral Home, then later assumed ownership and ran it until retiring in 1976. He earned his degree in mortuary science from the New England Institute of Anatomy, Sanitary Science, and Embalming (now part of Mount Ida College). In retirement, he and Jean split their time between her hometown, Athol, Mass., and Winter Haven, Fla., always returning to Florida in time for the Red Sox spring training. In Orange, he was a member of the Kiwanis Club, the Athol-Orange Masons, and the Orange Historical Society. He served as chair of the trustees of the Wheeler Memorial Library and as a vice president of the Orange Savings Bank. He was elected to the College Key as an alumnus. His wife survives him. His brother was Delbert A. Witty ’40 and his sister-in-law was Anne Temple Witty ’42.

1942

Priscilla Davis Beebe, Jan. 18, 2009

Priscilla Davis Beebe left Bates after two years and graduated from Boston Univ. in 1942. She married Edmund Beebe the following year, and worked for the Middlesex (Mass.) County 4-H for 25 years. Every year, she knit 50 or more scarves and donated them to charity. She was a past president of the Maynard (Mass.) PTA and a Methodist Youth Fellowship leader. Her husband predeceased her. Survivors include children Martha Ellen Hooper, Richard Beebe, and Susan Marcey; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

1943

Arnold Lester Berenberg, Dec. 6, 2008

Arnie Berenberg enjoyed a long, successful career as a radiologist in the Boston area. He went directly to medical school at Boston Univ. after graduating with a degree in biology. From there, he served an internship in Connecticut and then entered the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He was stationed in Japan for two years as the communicable disease officer for the South East Asia Command, receiving a commendation from Gen. Walton H. Walker, commander of the Eighth Army. Returning to Boston, he was a resident in radiology at Beth Israel Hospital, an affiliation he maintained throughout his career, was on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, and maintained a private practice. He authored some 50 articles on radiology. From 1972 to 1976, he was president of the medical staff at Chelsea Hospital. He also held privileges at Hadassah Memorial Hospital. His wife, Rosalyn Schwartz, whom he married in 1947, predeceased him, as did a son, Louis Berenberg. Survivors include children Mark Berenberg and Lorri Berenberg and three grandchildren. His cousin was Judith Barenberg Lippa ’49, whose obituary is also in this issue.

Guy A. Campbell, Jan. 25, 2009

Guy Campbell left Bates after two years to join the Army. Following the war, he worked at Peck’s Department Store in Lewiston, then joined the U.S. Postal Service and remained there until his retirement. He and his wife, Irene Billings Campbell, built a house entirely of concrete, which he designed. She died in 2002. He was the Cub Master of Pack 115 in Lewiston for many years. In 1979, he moved to Norway, where he was active in the Norway Historical Society. His home in Norway was an old farmhouse with wooded acreage, “so I can keep busy,” he said. Survivors include sons Jeffrey Campbell, Gary Campbell, John Campbell, and David Campbell; 11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Another grandson predeceased him.

Margaret Yvonne Chase, Feb. 10, 2009

Vonnie Chase was voted “Miss Bates,” and for good reason: She played and coached basketball and edited the 1943 Mirror. She also was a cheerleader, president of Women’s Student Government, and women’s editor of the Buffoon her junior year. She was a proctor, an English assistant, and secretary-treasurer of the Spofford Club. Following graduation, she taught briefly in New London, Conn., saying she enjoyed the job but not the pay. She moved to New York City to work for IBM, where she enjoyed the work and the pay, and where she met and married Joseph T. Carty, a Columbia graduate. She earned a master’s in English from Columbia, and thus both she and her husband “watched 40 years of losing football teams.” The marriage ended in divorce in 1988, after 42 years. In 1991, she married Charlie Ficker, and left the retirement condos she and her first husband had purchased to move to Mr. Ficker’s historic 1810 sea captain’s house in Old Saybrook, Conn. He predeceased her, as did son Thomas Chipman Carty. Survivors include daughter Barbara Chase Carty Bodine and two grandchildren.

Albert Dominic Genetti, Dec. 7, 2008

Gubby Genetti enlisted in the U.S. Army after his junior year and was sent to Europe, where he was seriously wounded in action. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. At the urging of geology professor Doc Fisher, he returned to the College and graduated in 1946 with a degree in physics. Two years later, he married classmate Elizabeth “Betty” Lever, who survives him. They settled in Bristol, N.H., where he taught and coached at the high school. He served as president of the Bristol Rotary Club for a year, earned a master’s in education from Boston Univ. in 1953, and became principal of the high school in 1955. Seven years later, they moved to Barrington, R.I., where he was principal of the Barrington High School until 1980. He foresaw the importance of computers and brought them into the high school in the late 1960s. A baseball player at Bates, he swapped uniforms to become the director of football for the Rhode Island Interscholastic League for 16 years. He also was a member of the National Alliance Football Rules Committee and served as coordinator for Rhode Island in the National Assn. of Secondary Principals, among other professional memberships. After retirement, he found that he missed having a job, and so became a field representative for Citizens Scholarship Foundation of America, now known as Scholarship America and famous for its “Dollars for Scholars” campaigns. He also consulted for National Computer Systems until completely retiring in 1986 to enjoy woodworking and puttering around his children’s houses. Other survivors include children Carolyn Menchal ’78, Catherine Schneider, Michael Genetti ’75, and Richard Genetti; 11 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Betty Genetti’s brother is William B. Lever ’41.

Carol Hawkes Mehle, June 17, 2008

Midway through her years at Bates, Carol Hawkes Mehle realized that she wanted to be a nurse, and so she left the College. In 1943, she married Arthur Best, and they settled in York, her hometown, where she worked at York Hospital and raised their four children. When they were grown, she and her husband traveled across the country many times before retiring to Florida. In 1998, four years after her husband died, she married the Rev. Ralph Mehle, pastor of the Bradford Church near Winter Haven, Fla. Other survivors include children Frank Best, John Best, Barbara Jean Walsh, and Mamie LaFrance; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

V-12

John Scott Newell, March 25, 2009

John Newell joined the Navy directly out of high school and attended V-12 training at Bates and Harvard. Following the war, he completed a bachelor’s degree at Louisiana College, another one at Eastern Nazarene College, and a master’s of divinity at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo. He served churches in Dennisport, Harwich, and Wareham, Mass., in Richmond, Mo., and Zelienople and Union City, Pa. He also taught math for 28 years at Broadmeadows Middle School in Quincy, Mass., and coached baseball, football, and soccer. In 1944 he married Dorothy James, who survives him, as do sons John III, Kerry, Thomas, Herb, and Scott; seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

1946

George Elwood Stewart, Feb. 22, 2009

World War II interrupted the education of many men at Bates, but there was a silver lining for George Stewart: He returned from the Army Air Force in 1946 and ran into Jeannette “Jay” Packard ’46, who had already graduated. They were married the next year, and he finished his degree in economics while they lived with other veteran couples in Sampsonville. In 1949, they moved to Hartford, Conn., where he joined Aetna Life & Casualty Co. In 1960, he was recruited by First Federal Savings Bank of East Hartford, where he served as an assistant vice president and eventually president, retiring in 1988. By then he had become involved in nearly every aspect of life in East Hartford. He served on its board of education and its economic development commission. He was active in Rotary and Jaycees. He was a trustee of both the local library and the Greater Hartford YMCA. He was part of Riverfront Recapture, a group that transformed the river banks along the Connecticut River into parks. In 1978, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the East Hartford Chamber of Commerce. In Rotary, he was named a Paul Harris Fellow in 1979, and served as district secretary and district governor. He and Jay also hosted 14 exchange students through Rotary International and led a group study exchange team to England. “He was born to make the world a better place,” said a friend to The Hartford Courant. He was a longtime member of South Congregational Church in East Hartford, and served recently as its treasurer. He founded a golf association at the bank and played every Tuesday. “Stew” and Jay also kept close ties to the College, visiting campus as often as they could. He served as class president and president of the Hartford Bates Club. He chaired the Bates Fund committee many times. In 1962 and again in 2000, he and Jay received the College’s Distinguished Service Award, and in 1987 they established a scholarship fund for “needy and talented students.” Another friend told the Courant, “He became a leader in anything he became part of.” Survivors include his wife; children Ralph “Randy” Stewart ’72, Doug Stewart, and Bob Stewart; and eight grandchildren.

1947

James Anthony Cronin, Jan. 18, 2009

A history major and dean’s list student, Jim Cronin interrupted his studies to serve in the U.S. Army near the end of World War II. He earned a law degree from Harvard in 1950 and then spent most of his career in the federal court system, initially as an attorney with the Department of Justice. After a few years in private practice, he became the chief department counsel at the Directorate for Security Policy at the Department of Defense. In 1970, he was appointed as an administrative trial judge with the Social Security Administration; two years later, he moved to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, where he remained until his retirement in 1994. His late wife was Phyllis Burke Cronin ’47. Survivors include children Linda Lyle, Andrea Rost, Brian Cronin, James Cronin III, and Michael Cronin; 11 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Gilles Romeo Morin, Feb. 9, 2009

Born into a French-speaking household in Lewiston, Gilles Morin learned English in high school. After graduating from Bates with a biology degree, he entered Laval Univ. in Quebec, where he had to relearn French. Conveniently, most of his career as a psychiatrist was spent in Louisiana, in an area where French and English are intermingled. A Navy veteran of World War II, he also studied at the Menninger Institute. He served as president of the Calcasieu Parish Medical Society, chief of staff at St. Patrick’s Hospital, and director of Charter Hospital Lake Charles. His second wife, Jean Morin, survives him, as do children Anne Morin, Terri Huguenin, Bob Morin, Kathy Morin, Michael Morin, Tom Morin, Greg Morin, Jeannette Bjoernsen, and Gilles Morin; 10 grandchildren; and brother Norman Morin ’45. He was predeceased by another brother, Rene Morin ’43.

Barbara Stebbins Clemons, Jan. 23, 2009

Barbara Stebbins worked for an advertising agency specializing in hotels and resorts in New York before marrying Barron Clemons in 1952. They moved to Michigan, where they remained for the rest of her life and where she was field director for the local Girl Scout council and a representative for Youth for Understanding, a student exchange program. In fact, her family became so close to their Finnish exchange student that Barbara made several trips to Finland to visit her. She was secretary of the Jackson (Mich.) Literary and Art Assn. and president of the Jackson Junior Welfare League and the Jackson Tuesday Musicale. She was a longtime member of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Jackson, and served on its board of directors. Survivors include her husband, children Cynthia Meister, Anne Clemons, and William Clemons; and a grandchild.

1948

Agnes Derderian Devejian, Nov. 4, 2008

After a year at Bates, Agnes Derderian Devejian transferred to Simmons, where she received a bachelor’s degree in 1948. In 1953, she earned a master’s in education from Boston Univ. She met Robert Devejian almost by chance — at a dance he hadn’t planned to attend — and they married in 1954. Two years later, they moved to Andover, Mass., where she taught elementary school for 26 years. “It’s time to leave,” she told the Andover Townsman in 1986, when she realized she was reading marriage announcements about her former first-graders. “I don’t want to have their kids!” A talented and trained singer, she enjoyed all sorts of vocal music and was especially fond of her church choir. Shortly before her death, a poem she wrote in tribute to her parents who had survived the Armenian Genocide appeared in a local newspaper. Survivors include her husband and sister Mary Derderian Brown ’43. Her late brother was Setrak Derderian ’43.

Jean Harrington Mitchell, Oct. 24, 2008

Jean Harrington Mitchell was a prize-winning debater, but when debate coach Brooks Quimby learned that she was also part of Lavinia Schaeffer’s Robinson Players, he warned Jean that she could not serve both God and Mammon. Miss Schaeffer retorted, “Well, since I know who thinks he is God, that makes me Mammon!” Jean Mitchell was able to serve both masters: She won the freshman and sophomore prize debates, worked as a speech assistant, remained active in the theater, and managed the Student, all while earning a Phi Beta Kappa key and membership in Delta Sigma Rho, a national honor society for forensic achievement. Six months after graduation, she enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served until 1953. She earned a law degree from Boston Univ. and was elected to its law review in 1958. She worked as an attorney until her husband fell seriously ill. After he died in 1968, she became an educator. She taught public speaking in Randolph, Mass., and in 1970 became the librarian and media specialist at Somerset (Mass.) High School, where she remained until her retirement in 1994. She held memberships in both the Massachusetts Teachers Assn. and the Massachusetts Bar Assn., and often offered legal help to those in need, especially the young and the elderly. After her sister died, she raised four of her children. Among her survivors are children Anne M. Lawrence and Michael G. Mitchell.

1949

Judith Barenberg Lippa, Dec. 22, 2008

Judith Barenberg Lippa’s first act upon election to the Swampscott, Mass., school board, was to reverse the decision of the previous board regarding METCO, a program that brought children from inner-city schools into suburban schools. As a result, several dozen children were placed in Swampscott schools, which she believed would benefit all students. An English major, she taught in Chelsea, Mass., before marrying Sherman Lippa in 1952. She raised five children, then worked in her husband’s accounting firm and at a dental office. A resident of Swampscott for over 50 years, she served nine years on the school board and was a town meeting member. She also served as a host family for Vacations with Brotherhood. Her husband predeceased her. Survivors include children Frances Lippa, Amy Lippa ’79, Robert Lippa, Martha Lippa, and Gail McGregor; and 12 grandchildren. Her cousin was Arnold Berenberg ’43, whose obituary is in this issue.

Sally Gove Caterine, Jan. 26, 2009

To Sally Gove Caterine, the central element of teaching was not what or how you taught but how much you cared. She taught at Proctor Academy in Andover, N.H., for 21 years, following in the footsteps of her mother, Hazel Currier Gove ’13, and grandmother, who both taught there before her. She taught students with learning disabilities until she retired in 1996, then taught ESL for several years more. She received a master’s in education from Framingham (Mass.) State College, and her ESL certification came through studies at Notre Dame College in Manchester, N.H. As a Bates student, she sang in the choir and choral society, studied modern dance, acted with the Robinson Players, and worked on the Student. Her degree was in English. As an alumna, she served as a class agent and class secretary, and was a member of the Alumni Council and the executive board of the Boston Bates Alumnae Club. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, serving as treasurer of her local chapter in the 1960s. Her late husband was Louis Caterine ’48, and her late brother was Richard Gove ’53. Survivors include sons Darryl Caterine and Gian Caterine, and two grandchildren.

Alice Hammond Humes, March 13, 2009

Alice Hammond Humes was a dean’s list student and elected into Phi Beta Kappa. A French major, she was active with La Petite Academie and its president her senior year. She taught French briefly at Unity High School in Maine before marrying Raymond C. Humes in 1950. After raising three sons, she worked in several insurance firms, living in Baltimore for many years. Her mother, Marjorie Thomas Hammond, was a member of the Class of 1920. Alice was one of seven children, five of whom graduated from Bates: Oswyn Hammond ’50, Joan Hammond Underkuffler ’44, Esther Hammond Cooper ’53, and the late George Menger-Hammond ’43. Many of their children also attended the College. Survivors also include husband Raymond and sons Peter, Andrew, and Thomas.

Robert Warren Larrabee, Dec. 8, 2008

Although he did not graduate from the College, Robert Larrabee was around long enough to play
for the famed 1946 football team in the Glass Bowl in Toledo. His career was with Bates Fabrics, where he worked for 39 years and retired in 1987 as purchasing director. An accomplished photographer, he was a member of the All Maine Camera Club, the Photographic Society of America, Lewiston & Auburn Camera Club, Portland Camera Club, and the New England Camera Club. He was also a 50-year member of the United Methodist Church of Auburn and a Little League coach for 18 years. Survivors include wife Evelyn Millier Larrabee; children Mark Larrabee, Marcia Pawlowski, and John Larrabee; and five grandchildren.

Frank Eiji Sugeno, Dec. 27, 2008

Frank Sugeno was the son of Japanese immigrants who lost everything when forced into World War II internment camps. Nevertheless, he found his life’s work in the camps: He converted to Christianity. He left Bates twice, once to serve in the Army after his first year, the second time to attend seminary at the Univ. of Chicago Divinity School, where his mentor, the man who had introduced him to Christianity in the internment camps, was a teacher. Ordained as an Episcopal priest, Frank also studied at the Institute for Historical Research at the Univ. of London. Beginning in 1964, he taught at the Seminary of the Southwest for 30 years and received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree, noting that “your legacy to [students] is not a set of answers but a way of thinking and asking questions.” He focused on ecumenics, missiology (the study of the church’s mission with respect to its missionary work), and the history of the Episcopal Church. He served as the secretary of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church and convener of the Seminary Consultation on Mission and the Conference of Anglican Church Historians. He developed a special interest in the role of the church in modern history, especially in the Third World, and organized theology of mission symposia in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Survivors include wife Ruth and three children.

1950

Harry Laurence Connor, Nov. 15, 2008

Growing up in Lewiston, Harry Connor recalled spending “many happy hours” on campus as a child. As a student, he left Bates after one semester to enter the U.S. Navy, then attended the Univ. of Maine to study journalism, the foundation of his career, graduating from the Univ. of Missouri in 1959. He was on the editorial staff of The Hartford Courant, worked for General Dynamics Corp. as a technical writer and editor, directed the public information offices at the Univ. of Delaware and Miami Univ., then returned to General Dynamics in Connecticut as a technical writer and editor. He also worked at the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center in New London, Conn. His first wife, Margaret Holly, died in 2003. In 2007, he married Judith Gardiner, who survives him. Other survivors include sons Andrew Connor and Colin Connor and a grandchild. His late uncle was William J. Connor ’19.

Austin Millard Jones, Jan. 15, 2009

Next spring, an orchard in Bradley, Maine, will be dedicated to the memory of Austin Jones. The orchard will hold the future of the American chestnut tree in the state, seedlings carefully bred and nurtured to be immune to the fungus that nearly wiped out the tree in this country. Austin Jones played a big part in getting the Maine chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation to this point, and it will be another 10 years until the venture’s success is known. He took on the project in retirement, along with building a house and turning 25 acres of overgrown brush into vegetable, flower, and rose gardens — along with his own grove of chestnut trees. His retirement in Union began in 1981, and he became active in many aspects of life in the town. He was a loyal attendee at the biweekly town selectmen’s meetings, a member of the town conservation commission, a ballot clerk, and a lifetime member of the Union Historical Society. He built or rebuilt trails and shelters along the Appalachian Trail and counted loons for the Maine Audubon Society. He maintained the chestnut orchard at Merryspring Park in Camden and supported the Georges River Land Trust. His early retirement came after 30 years of service in the CIA as a technical operations officer, a job that took him and his wife, Norma Reese Jones ’51, to many parts of the world — including an assignment in Asia just days after they were married in the Chapel, just days after she graduated. A cum laude graduate with a degree in history and government, he managed the football team and was president of the International Relations Club. Along with his wife, his survivors include children Pam Jones, Linda Garces, and Laura Schuh; five grandchildren; and sister Enid Jones Thomas ’49 and her husband, John N. Thomas ’48.

Frank Nestor Mengual, Nov. 9, 2008

F.N. Mengual held offices of increasing importance in the College’s Spanish Club and was elected into Phi Sigma Iota his first year. With a degree in Spanish, he went on to earn a master’s from the Univ. of Conn. and then enjoyed a career as a Spanish teacher. After teaching at the Perkiomen School in Pennsylvania, he joined the faculty at the McBurney School in New York City. In 1987, he was appointed chairman of the department. He especially remembered professor Robert Seward, who had encouraged him to attend graduate school despite his limited means. Among his survivors are his wife, Maria, and a daughter, Ana.

1951

Marguerite Boeck DiMaria, Dec. 11, 2008

On her first day at Bates, Marguerite Boeck met four classmates who would become lifelong friends: Jeanne Anderson, Ruth Bunten Ketchum, Barbara Chandler Hodgskin, and Norma Chaffee Van Buskirk. Then during her sophomore year, she met Ernie DiMaria ’51, whom she married in 1953. His career took them to Key West, Fla., and Norfolk, Va., while he was in the U.S. Navy, and then to upstate New York and finally to California. There, they built their dream home. She recalled her Cultch classes often during their travels, as she got to see the “treasures” she had studied. A Spanish major, she was president of the Spanish Club her senior year; she was also active in the Robinson Players. Her husband survives her. Other survivors include children Mark DiMaria, Diane Vervoort, and Peter DiMaria; and two grandchildren. Her brother-in-law is C.C. DiMaria ’54.

Gerald Joseph Condon, June 5, 2008

Gerald Condon capped his football career at Bates by being elected to the All-State team. He skipped the graduation ceremony (with the College’s blessing) so he could take a job on a passenger ship. Four round trips took him to England, France, and Germany. He then signed on to a freighter, which took him to India, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Sri Lanka, and through the Suez Canal. The explorer itch finally satisfied, he settled into a career with Kerr Glass Manufacturing Co. (now part of Armstrong), mostly in the Michigan area, providing its products to the food and beverage industry. His wife, Mary, is among his survivors.

Leroy Melvin Dancer, March 9, 2009

Roy Dancer and his wife, Shirley, so enjoyed the 1980 Alumni College trip aboard the Mary Day that they immediately put in their names for the planned cruise the next year. After graduating with a degree in sociology, he went on to divinity school and received a master’s in divinity from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1956, shortly after marrying Shirley Stowell. He served churches in New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York. In Whitesboro, N.Y., he also was chaplain for the fire department, and in 1980 he was named the town’s Citizen of the Year, made a life member of the fire department, and proclaimed an honorary resident. He then became the pastor at Yorkville (N.Y.) Presbyterian Church. He was also chaplain to the fire department and hosted a radio talk show. In retirement, he visited the Presbyterian Home often to play songs from the 1930s through the 1950s on the piano for the residents. Survivors are his wife; children Esther, Philip, and Peter; and five grandchildren.

1952

John Thomas Batal, Jan. 17, 2009

A big smile and a big hello started every conversation with Jack Batal. He was an ardent advocate for the College whose engaging personality won new friends and supporters for Bates. He encouraged high school students to apply, hosted Bates interns, served as an Alumni-in-Admissions volunteer, was on the roster of career advisers, and served on the Bates Fund committee and his Reunion committee. Following a short career as a teacher in Maine, he joined Kidder, Peabody as an investments manager. Later he worked for Merrill Lynch and finally for First Albany Corp. In retirement, he rediscovered teaching and kept his hand in by serving on several boards. He was a member of the College Key. Survivors include wife Nancy Scanlon Batal; daughters Marcia Batal-Rogers and Lee Anne Hanawalt; sister Jean Moran and brother Robert Batal; and many nieces and nephews.

1955

Herbert Carl Hecker Jr., Jan. 2, 2009

With a degree in physics, Herbert Hecker went on to Williams College, where he earned a master’s in the same field in 1957. Joining the nuclear design section of Westinghouse, he was the senior engineer in reactor physics for the firm’s Bettis Lab in Pittsburgh. His work was in the peaceful use of nuclear power; he was also a pioneer in the use of solar power. In retirement, he and his wife, Cecile Morgan Hecker, returned to Lewiston, where he became deeply involved in the life of Holy Family Parish. He was a minister to the secular fraternal Order of St. Francis of Assisi and served as a lector, Eucharistic minister, and pastoral care minister at Holy Family. He also served at the daily mass at Sts. Peter and Paul. His wife survives him, as do children Thomas Hecker, John Hecker, and Lori Ann Potts; and four grandchildren.

Keith Bradley Moore, Jan. 9, 2009

Keith Moore wasn’t a musician himself, but classical music was his passion. He and his wife, Barbara Baier Moore, regularly ushered at Kennedy Center events in Washington, D.C., so they could enjoy the music. They traveled to Tanglewood each summer, and went to Berlin numerous times for the music festival at the Staatsopera. Twice, they attended the Wagner festival in Bayreuth — they even traveled cross-country to take in the Seattle Opera’s new production of the Ring Cycle in 2005. And he raised a musician: His son is a professional French horn player and founded a chamber orchestra in Falls Church, Va. A history major at Bates, Keith held a master’s in history from Northwestern. For 29 years prior to his 1988 retirement, he was a manager and analyst for the CIA, specializing in Africa. During this time, he also served as a deputy national intelligence officer on the National Intelligence Council. Survivors include his wife, son Eric, and a granddaughter.

Janice Dudley Sturdevant, Aug. 2, 2008

Janice Dudley Sturdevant left Bates after two years to pursue a degree in home economics at Simmons. She also earned a master’s in education from the Teachers College at Columbia Univ. She taught home economics before moving to Hawaii, where she worked for the Extension Service, specializing in home economics with the 4-H Club. Later, she owned a shop called Pacific Isles Oriental Mart in Litchfield, Conn. Among her survivors are children Jay Sturdevant and Jill Sturdevant.

1956

Helen Benjamin Wait, Jan. 12, 2009

A philosophy major, Helen Benjamin Wait sang and played in the orchestra at the College and remained interested in classical music, ballet, and opera during her lifetime. She held a master’s in education from Boston Univ. and served as assistant registrar there. She also worked in the administration at Harvard Business School before going into private practice as a mental health counselor. She also worked with the Unitarian Universalist Pastoral Counseling Service. She and James Wait ’56 were divorced. Survivors include children Catherine Manwaring and James H. Wait Jr. and four grandchildren.

James Frederick Upton, March 21, 2009

In the late 1960s, Jim Upton and a partner left Raytheon and struck out on their own. Within a few years, their computer terminals handled half of the airline reservations in the world. The company was Incoterm, and what made their products revolutionary is that they transferred the computing power to the user’s terminal, rather than centralizing it in a mainframe computer. This model is considered the forerunner of today’s personal computer. By 1978, Honeywell had bought Incoterm, and Jim retired early. This gave him and his wife, Barbara “Pepi” Prince Upton ’57, plenty of time to sail the Maine coast he so loved. In addition to their historic house in York, they owned a winter home in Callawassie Island, S.C. In York, he was a library trustee and a member of the golf and tennis club. His wife survives him, as do sons David Upton, Craig Upton, and Kirk Upton ’88; and five grandchildren.

1960

Judith Kantro McCorkle, Jan. 18, 2009

Judy Kantro McCorkle left Bates after two years and graduated from Hunter College. She lived in California, where she became a registered nurse after studies at San Jose State Univ. She also taught English to non-native speakers. Survivors include husband Carter McCorkle; children Elizabeth Goodwin, Katherine Callen, and James McCorkle; and four grandchildren.

1961

Helen Wheatley Dalrymple, Feb. 13, 2009

She grew up two doors away from the public library in Springfield, Mass., a happy situation for Helen Wheatley Dalrymple, who read constantly. So it seems only natural that her career was spent at the Library of Congress. After graduating cum laude with high honors in government and membership in Phi Beta Kappa, she worked for Sen. Leverett Saltonstall. She then moved to the Library of Congress in 1967, initially with the library’s Congressional Research Service, where the staff responded to some 200 information requests daily. She later co-authored several books about the library’s holdings, mission, and history, including Treasures of the Library of Congress (1980) and Advertising in America: The First 200 Years (1990) with Charles Goodrum. As a researcher and analyst, she prepared background papers for members of Congress on a wide array of topics and served as a liaison between the library and congressional offices. She directed the library’s planning office during its reorganization in the 1970s. In 1985, she became the chief spokesperson for the library’s office of public affairs, often advising Librarian James Billington on speeches and interviews he was to give. With husband Dana C. Dalrymple, she wrote guides for the Appalachian Trail and for local hikes in the Washington, D.C., area, describing trails they had hiked together. Her reading appetite never slackened, and her husband said at one time that it was difficult to keep the supplies coming. She kept notecards with descriptions of every book she read, a habit she formed in childhood. She was a member of the College Key. Her husband survives her, as do children Daniel Dalrymple and William Dalrymple and two grandchildren.

1962

Gail Brann Hayden-Benner, Feb. 5, 2009

With a degree in biology, Gail Brann Hayden-Benner was a medical technologist at Stamford (Conn.) Hospital for four years. She married Michael Hayden in 1967; they divorced in 1979. She returned to Maine and worked in the hematology department at Maine Medical Center until 2005. A knitter since childhood, she turned her skills with yarn into a felt hat business. She also earned a master’s in education in 1996 from the Univ. of Southern Maine. Although she claimed at her 25th Reunion that she had no intention of marrying again, she wed Reginald R. Benner in 1991; he passed away in 2005. Survivors include children Christopher Hayden, Matthew Hayden, and Jennifer Hayden; stepchildren Janice Demille, Regina Joice, Lawrence Benner, and David Benner.

Paul Lawrence Burnham, Jan. 16, 2009

When Paul Burnham said he was retiring to Arizona to watch stars, he meant it. An observer for NASA’s Planetary Data System, he tracked asteroidal occultations — when an asteroid passes between Earth and a bright star. His retirement followed nearly 20 years of work in the aerospace industry, culminating in work on the Mars Pathfinder rover. Earlier, he was part of the crew that recovered Gemini astronauts after splashdown off the Florida coast. He was trained as a Navy pilot, serving seven years. In between, he lived in Naples where he owned the Flight Deck Restaurant, served as a selectman, and was active in the historical society. His wife, who survives him, is L. Anne Harris Burnham ’62. Other survivors include children Christopher Burnham, Michael Burnham, Jennifer Burnham, and Karen Burnham; and three grandchildren.

Sarah Foster Smith, Jan. 8, 2009

Concert band, marching band, choral society — Sarah Foster Smith took advantage of all the musical opportunities the College offered. Her interest in music continued throughout her life. She received a bachelor’s of fine arts in performance from the Univ. of Buffalo, served as assistant to the concert manager there, and traveled to Hungary and Austria with the North Country Chorus. She sang in her church choir and was its pianist. She also was accompanist for several vocalists and the Foothills Women’s Chorus in Tucson. A dean’s list student in physics, she started out as a computer programmer (“Before it was the job to have!”), but left after five years to raise her children. She later taught music in a nursery school and played piano at local schools. She also taught piano lessons and sold Avon products. In 1991, she designed a music appreciation program for use in the West Seneca (N.Y.) schools. After living in the Buffalo area for 13 years, she and her family moved to Tucson, where she started to write seriously. She worked as an editor, proofreader, and freelance writer. She had lived for the past seven years in Brookline, N.H. She was a member of the College Key. Survivors include husband David W. Smith; sons Derek Smith and Matthew Smith; and two grandchildren. Her mother was Beulah Page Foster ’30.

1966

Thomas Place Hiller, Oct. 27, 2008

Tom Hiller started out as a high school English teacher and coach of drama, football, and track near his hometown of Mattapoisett, Mass. But less than 10 years after graduation, he switched careers to become the director of development at St. Luke’s Hospital in nearby New Bedford. By 1991, his firm, Hiller Associates Inc., was successfully assisting nonprofits with their fundraising efforts, and his company would lead more than 100 such campaigns to success. As an alumnus, he served as a class agent and on his 30th Reunion Gift Committee. He kept his sloop, Rattler, moored in Mattapoisett Harbor, and never missed a chance to sail. Among his survivors are children Samuel Cortes, Seth Hiller, and Abigail Hiller.

1970

Nelson Boies Doak, March 1, 2009

Nelson Doak fulfilled his dream in 2000: He bought a radio station. And not just any station —WKTJ in Farmington, where he worked while a Bates student and again starting in the late 1970s. He also owned a mobile disco from 1977 to 1986, which provided music entertainment for many events in western Maine. Immediately after college, he taught high school social science and earned a master’s in educational administration from Antioch College in 1976. But broadcasting called him back, and he was on the air at WKTJ using the name “Charlie James” for many years. A history major, he helped develop the annual history conference at Norlands Living History Center in Livermore in the early 1990s. After bypass surgery in 2003, he received a heart transplant in 2004. Among his survivors are his wife, Hazel, and a number of aunts and cousins.

1972

S. Jeanne Hall, May 21, 2008

Jeanne Hall left Bates after two years to travel in the Far East. In New York City, she received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Queens College and a law degree from St. John’s Univ. She was well-known among attorneys dealing with trusts and estate planning. She served on the board of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and helped artists with their financial planning. She also was a member of the professional advisory councils at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx and at the Museum of Arts and Design. She joined the law firm of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher in 1979 and moved in 1988 to U.S. Trust, where she was a senior vice president, then joined Fulton, Rowe & Hart. At the time of her death, a number of her friends commented on the marvelous tours she gave of the city she loved. She made friends wherever she went, it seems, including a scared young man from Brazil trying to decipher airplane meals in the seat next to her; they exchanged letters and cards until her death. She served on her 25th Reunion Gift Committee, volunteered for Alumni-in-Admissions, and was a career adviser for the College. Among her survivors is her husband, Sherwin Kamin.

1979

Edward Jordan Leslie, Nov. 9, 2008

For his 25th Reunion, Ed Leslie listed some life lessons he learned at Bates. First lesson: It’s hard to drown in 4 feet of water, the approximate depth of the Puddle where a classmate gave up swimming across it. He considered cheese to be brain food, since he ate a Luiggi’s pizza every night his sophomore year. He earned a political science degree from Bates and an M.B.A. from the Univ. of Colorado. He was a regional examiner in the Office of Thrift Supervision, part of the U.S. Treasury, which oversees the operations of banks and savings and loans. He retired in 2003, following a double lung transplant, and planned to prove himself as a handyman around the house. Survivors include wife Lesli Leslie and father Edward Leslie.

1987

Bradford George Lattes, July 15, 2007

Brad Lattes graduated magna cum laude in biology and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He did graduate work at the Univ. of Colorado and worked in the research laboratory there. He studied cell replication and isolated a human protein critical for replication, publishing his findings in research journals. Among his survivors is his father, Robert Lattes.

1992

Mark Alan Helm, Dec. 17, 2008

Mark Helm believed that everyone deserved a fair trial. He specialized in defending those usually considered undefendable: rapists, pedophiles, drug dealers. He represented Brian David Mitchell during the preliminary phase of his prosecution for the infamous kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, then 14, in 2002, and was successful in having him declared incompetent to stand trial. In 2004, he defended Melissa Ann Rowland against charges that she murdered her stillborn son by refusing a Caesarean section. The case brought renewed attention to the rights of women to control their bodies. The murder charges were dismissed. His Bates degree was in political science, and he was active in the Brooks Quimby Debate Society, spent his junior year at Oxford Univ., and earned membership in Phi Beta Kappa. His law degree was from Vanderbilt. He was proud that he was never a prosecutor and worked entirely on defending clients, first as a public defender in New York, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas before returning to Utah, where he was raised. He was active in the Trial Lawyers College run by Gerry Spence and a consultant to the Albert Ellis Institute, a psychoanalytic organization. His marriage to Veronica de Armas ended in divorce. He is survived by his mother, Sandra Berlin Helm, brother Robert Helm, and sister Leslie Stone.

Faculty

Werner J. Deiman, Feb. 5, 2009

Artistically precocious as a child, Werner Deiman once played the piano on Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour. He received a bachelor’s degree in English, magna cum laude, from Washington and Lee, where he won a fine arts award for piano performance. Under the tutelage of R.W.B. Lewis and Cleanth Brooks at Yale, he earned master’s and doctoral degrees, writing his dissertation on Virginia Woolf’s Between the Acts.

Memorial minute for Professor Emeritus of English Werner Deiman

He came to Bates in 1964 as an instructor in English and was promoted assistant professor in 1967, associate professor in 1974, and full professor in 1982. His specialties were romanticism and modern British literature, with an emphasis on Virginia Woolf, publishing several articles on her writing in scholarly journals. He also was interested in German and French authors, and studied at the Univ. of Munich on a Fulbright Fellowship. He received a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship in 1959. His excellence as a teacher is reflected in the “testimony of his students,” wrote Professor of English [intlink id=”11091″ type=”post”]Carole Taylor in the faculty’s memorial minute[/intlink], in which she recalled a tenacious romantic who never forgot how to “kiss the moment as it flies.” She recalled how Bates students “routinely told stories about perceiving him as the quintessential ‘civilized man,’ one whose style, wit, and multiple, comparative frames of reference dazzled them. They describe how he would make detailed lists for those going to Europe of cultural places and events they must not miss; how his elegant end-of-the-year parties represented a significant mark on the social calendar; how his painstaking comments and recommendations stayed with them long after they graduated; how often his generosity came to their aid — in one case insisting on giving a coat to a student whose own looked woefully inadequate, a lined trench coat of course, what else from a man of impeccable taste — and how his personal attention inspired them, too, to commit themselves deeply to the traditions of the liberal arts.” A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Werner Deiman served as the president of the Bates chapter from 1968 to 1970. His greatest interest remained music, especially classical and jazz piano, and for years he served as the Maine Sunday Telegram’s music critic. He left the classroom after suffering a stroke in the early 1990s and retired as professor emeritus of English in 2003. Survivors include a brother, Frank Deiman.

Joseph Jensen Derbyshire, Jan. 4, 2009

During his 20 years as head librarian at the College, Joe Derbyshire doubled its holdings and oversaw its transition to computerized systems for cataloging and circulation. He also devised the cataloging system for sound recordings. He came to Bates after 10 years at Bowdoin, where he converted the library from the Dewey Decimal system to the Library of Congress system. A native of Utah, he was drawn to Maine partly because of the Longfellow and Hawthorne connections at Bowdoin. He earned two degrees in English literature from the Univ. of Utah and then a master’s of library science at the Univ. of Washington. After reading, his biggest interest was music, and he owned, cataloged, and listened to more than 5,000 albums. He also was a gardener and an amateur disc jockey. He taught classes in cataloging at the Univ. of Southern Maine and was a guest professor of cataloging at the Univ. of Washington. Survivors include his former wife, Glenda; daughter Catherine Derbyshire Lynch ’81 and son Christian Derbyshire; two grandchildren; sisters Dorothy, Edith, Janice, Karen, and Margaret; and many nieces and nephews. Another daughter, Mary-Elizabeth Derbyshire, predeceased him.

Richard J. Warye, Jan. 31, 2009

Richard Warye taught speech and theater at Bates, 1961–68, then was a professor of theater arts at Bridgewater (Mass.) State College, where he developed the Children’s Theatre Program. He was a member of the College of Fellows of the New England Theatre Conference. He held a doctorate in theater from Ohio State Univ. Among his survivors are his daughter, Pamela Wilson, and his twin brother, Robert H. Warye.

Honorary

John Hoyer Updike, Jan. 27, 2009

Two-time Pulitzer-winning author John Updike received a doctor of letters degree from the College in 1998. The citation read in part, “Great literature makes the imagined real, and places individual experience in the context of the continuum of humanity. John Updike is a writer of our time and place, yet his work transcends both.” He elevated middle-class life with lyrical language, and found poetry lurking “in the simplest nouns and predicates.” He wrote 60 books; his last was released this summer. Among his survivors is his stepson, Frederic Bernhard ’92.

Friend

Ann Cobean McIlhenny Harward, June 18, 2009
As this issue was going to press came news of the death, from cancer, of Ann Harward, the spouse of President Emeritus Don Harward. A full obituary will be in the Fall issue. Her service to Bates and Lewiston-Auburn was recalled as graceful and understated, and her interest in the well-being of Bates students was remembered as extraordinary, as was the friendship and hospitality she extended to Trustees and their spouses and partners. A memorial concert at Bates is planned for the fall. Condolences can be shared through www.annharward.com or mailed to PO Box 152, Corea ME 04264.

Lorraine D. Hatch, March 11, 2009

The wife of former director of athletics and football coach Robert Hatch, Lorraine Hatch was an enthusiastic supporter of his football teams. During the 1950s, she did live commercials for WMTW-TV and taught charm school at Peck’s Department Store. An avid golfer, she played until she was nearly 80. Her husband survives her, as do children Lynda Hatch Letteney ’73, Karen Hatch Long ’81, and Mike Hatch, and three grandchildren.

Correction

The Spring 2009 obituary for Helen Cary Nocke ’39 incorrectly stated her relationship to two survivors. Olive Emerson Barrett ’53 and Stephen Barrett ’81 are cousins of Helen Nocke. Ralph Day ’65 is no relation to Helen Nocke. The error was due to incorrect information in College records. —Editor