1930s
Frederick M. Gilbreth ’38, of Larchmont, N.Y.; Nov. 30. The last survivor of the 12 children of Lillian and Frank Gilbreth, whose story was told in Cheaper by the Dozen. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces, and was a mechanical engineer at IBM. He was an avid sailor and longtime member of Huguenot and Larchmont Yacht clubs. He was also a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society of Advancement of Management, and Alpha Delta Phi. He is survived by a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
1940s
Stephen Lada ’40, of Greenville, R.I.; Nov. 2. He retired as vice president of purchasing at Union Wadding Co. in Pawtucket in 1983. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces where he was the recipient of the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters. He was past president of the Purchasing Management Assoc. of R.I., past director of the National Purchasing Assoc., and longtime secretary/treasurer and auditor of the Southern New England Textile Club. He was a member of Jenks Lodge in Pawtucket and received a lifetime membership in the lodge for his service at the Charles E. Lawton Memorial Masonic Home. He was also a member of the Swords of Bunker Hill, the Rhode Island Masonic Veterans Assoc., and the Park Place Congregational Church in Pawtucket, where he was president and chairman of the board of trustees and a member of the Property Committee, the Centennial Committee, and the Capital Fund Drive. He is survived by his wife, Frances; two sons, including Stephen ’78; two daughters-in-law; brother Walter ’49; five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
C. Robert Carlisle ’43, of Simsbury, Conn.; Nov. 14. He worked in sales and marketing and retired from the Stanley Works in 1978 to found his own manufacturer’s sales agency. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces, was recalled to duty during the Korean War, and was later assigned to the Connecticut Air National Guard. Active in the First Church of Christ, he was president of the Couples Club and a trustee. He was a 50-year member of the Masonic Valley Lodge and the 1994 recipient of the Pierpont Edward Medal for distinguished Masonic service. He enjoyed delivering meals for Meals on Wheels. He is survived by a daughter, a son, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, three grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.
Priscilla Wilson Bernd ’45, of Mendon, Mass.; Nov. 8. She was a retired treasurer of Cine Service Laboratories in Watertown, Mass. She was a member of the Wellesley Garden Club, the Florence Crittenden League of Boston, and the National Guild of Découpeurs. She is survived by a daughter and a son-in-law.
Mary Bayles Carlson ’45, of Atlanta; Oct. 21. She is survived by brother Robert Bayles ’52.
Edward S. Feldman ’45, of Warwick, R.I.; Oct. 23. He was a production manager and product designer for the Charles Rothman Company until his retirement in 1989. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy. He was a member of Temple Beth-El and Sigma Xi. He is survived by his wife, Zelda; two sons, including Howard ’71; two daughters-in-law; five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a sister.
Vincent Pattavina ’45, of Braintree, Mass., formerly of Quincy, Mass.; Nov. 12. He was a doctor in Boston and the south shore affiliated with Quincy City Hospital, South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, and Carney Hospital in Dorchester. He had a private practice in South Braintree and was also the owner of Braintree Manor and Hollingsworth House in Braintree for 26 years. After retiring in 1996, he worked with military recruits for the U.S. Army at the Fargo Building in Boston. He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II and the Korean War and retired as a captain in the Navy Reserve after 30 years. A pilot, he was a member of the Airplane Owners and Pilots Assoc. He is survived by a daughter, three sons, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, 14 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and brother William ’50, ’58 MAT.
John R. Haire ’46, of Charlottesville, Va.; Oct. 8. He practiced law briefly in Boston before becoming an executive assistant to former Rhode Island governor William H. Vanderbilt. In 1953 he joined the staff of the New York Stock Exchange and was secretary of the Exchange from 1955 to 1956 and then vice president in charge of its government relations until 1959, when he became general counsel of Anchor Corp. He was appointed chairman of Anchor and president of the Anchor Group of Mutual Funds in 1964. In 1968 he was elected chairman of the Investment Company Institute and served on its board until 1994. He retired in 1978 to become president of the Council for Financial Aid to Education (CFAE). During his time at CFAE he served on the board of the American Council on Education, the Foundation for Independent Higher Education, and United Student Aid Funds. In 1981 he became an independent director of the Dean Witter Group of Mutual Funds and became chairman of the Committee of Independent Directors, serving in that capacity for the Morgan Stanley Dean Witter family of mutual funds until his retirement in 1999. He actively supported and funded the research of his wife, Doris Haire, on the effects of common obstetric drugs and procedures on maternal and infant outcome and child development and was additionally involved in the International Childbirth Education Assoc. He served on several boards and held numerous offices in varied organizations. As a member of the Investment Bankers Association of America, he served as chairman of their Federal Taxation Committee from 1963-1967. In 1968 he was chairman of the board of the Investment Company Institute. He was past president of the Family and Children’s Society of New York and the Childbirth Education Assoc. of New Jersey, past chairman for Elizabeth General Hospital, and trustee for the New Jersey Symphony and the Pingry School. He was also a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. He is survived by two daughters, a son Paul ’76, five grandchildren, two great-granddaughters, and a sister.
John R. Hocking ’46, of Birmingham, Mich.; Nov. 16. He worked for the FBI in various places before returning to Michigan to raise a family and practice law. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy. He enjoyed coaching his sons’ baseball teams and playing golf. He is survived by a daughter, two sons, a daughter-in-law, four grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.
Douglas A. Kydd Jr. ’46, of Denver, N.C., formerly of Bellmore, N.Y.; Nov. 13. He practiced law in Massachusetts for many years before shifting to real estate development for health services organizations. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He is survived by Audrey Ramme; a daughter; a son; a daughter-in-law; a son-in-law; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
William W. Mellor ’46, of Coventry, R.I.; Nov. 20. He owned his own insurance agency in Coventry, and later managed the Rhode Island division of Club Internationale. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy. He was past president of both the Coventry and the East Greenwich Lions Clubs. He held a private pilot’s license and was a member of the Experimental Aircraft Assoc. He is survived by four children, five grandchildren, and a great-grandson.
Samuel Millman ’46, of Arlington, Va.; Nov. 16. He retired in 1981 as an operations research analyst for the U.S. Army Material Command Headquarters in Alexandria, Va. He was a member of small theater groups and performed in dinner theaters and did television voice overs. He is survived by a niece and nephew.
John A. Stricklin ’46, of Carmi, Ill.; Nov. 17. He was a physician in Carmi until his retirement in 1986. His practice was interrupted when he was called to duty during the Korean War. He served from 1950 to 1952 and remained in the U.S. Air Force Reserve until 1954. He enjoyed farming his land. He is survived by two daughters, a son, a daughter-in-law, two sons-in-law, four grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, a sister, and several nieces and nephews.
Francis J. O’Brien ’47, of Lutz, Fla., formerly of Whitman, Mass.; Oct. 19. He was a dentist in Whitman for 37 years before retiring in 1989 and moving to Florida. He helped to establish a physical fitness program at the Brockton, Mass., YMCA. He was a contributing author to the book The Y’s Way to Fitness and was recognized with an appointment to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness. He was a member of three national championship senior softball teams while living in The Villages, Fla. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy. He was past president of both the South Shore Dental Society and the Northeastern Dental Society and was a member of the Knights of Columbus and Delta Sigma Delta. He is survived by his wife, Marie; a daughter; two sons; seven grandchildren; a great-grandchild; and three sisters.
Jonathan A. Sisson ’47, of Annandale, Va., formerly of Norway; Nov. 25. Attending Brown on the U.S. Navy V12 program, he obtained a senatorial appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1944 and proceeded to have a 31-year naval career. He developed training programs at naval shipyards and helped the Norwegian navy design new frigates and motor gun boats. He worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to evaluate passenger ships after the sinking of the Andrea Doria. He retired from the navy in 1978 and moved to Norway to work in the oil industry. He later returned to Virginia and worked for 13 more years developing training programs. He was active in the Sons of Norway for many years. He is survived by his wife, Anne-Marie; three sons; three daughters-in-law; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Robert A. Watkins ’47, of Goleta, Calif.; Oct. 5. He retired from Raytheon after a 41-year career in infrared systems working as consulting engineer, project engineer, department manager, and staff consultant. He held several patents and received the IEEE Centennial Medal and Millennium Awards. He was treasurer of the Santa Barbara Flying Club and council chairman of the IEEE Santa Barbara and Los Angeles sections. He was a member of the Optical Society of America, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and Sigma Xi. He enjoyed traveling, playing bridge, and solving Sudoku and the New York Times crossword puzzle. He is survived by his wife, Rachel; a daughter; a son; a daughter-in-law; a son-in-law; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Searles T. Bray ’48, of Loma Linda, Calif.; Dec. 14, 2014. He practiced dentistry for 32 years before retiring in 1983. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy and retired from the Navy Reserve as a commander. He was a member of Delta Sigma Delta. He is survived by a daughter, a son, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and three grandchildren.
Marie T. Creedan ’48, of Hopkinton, Mass.; Nov. 15. She was a real estate title examiner for several Massachusetts law firms. She volunteered at St. Patrick’s Manor in Framingham and was a member of St. John’s Church in Hopkinton. She is survived by several cousins.
Lloyd S. Broomhead ’49, of Providence; Oct. 25. He owned Carr’s Catering in Providence for 45 years. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Forces and a member of Alpha Delta Phi. He supported and enjoyed Brown athletics and was a Civil War buff. He is survived by a daughter, a son, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, two granddaughters, and a great-grandson.
Glenna Robinson Mazel ’49, of Warwick, R.I.; Oct. 29, of complications from pneumonia. She was a state social worker for the Rhode Island Dept. of Children, Youth & Families, from which she retired in 2000. She acted for the Sock & Buskin Theater, performed for the Barker Playhouse in Providence, and did summer stock in Wickford, R.I. After college she was invited to perform off Broadway in New York City. She remained an active member of Pembroke, serving as president and organizing several Pembroke events and reunions over the years. She continued to take courses at Brown and enjoyed yoga, swimming, music, and theater. She is survived by a daughter, two sons, five grandchildren, and a sister.
1950s
Harold W. Anderson ’50, of Cheshire, Conn.; Sept. 28. He spent 21 years with International Silver Co. before becoming president of the corporate markets division of Reed & Barton Silversmiths. In 1982 his peers designated him a Certified Incentive Professional. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy. He was a member of the Masonic Order of Freemasons. He excelled in sports, especially baseball, and was a lifelong Yankees fan. He won several trophies in local tennis tournaments and enjoyed skiing. He is survived by his wife, Doran; two children; five grandchildren; a sister; and nieces and nephews.
George Barden ’50, of Terre Haute, Ind.; Nov. 2. He worked in a supervisory position at Columbia Records in Terre Haute until 1962, when he accepted a system control analyst position at Anaconda Aluminum. He retired in 1987. He was actively involved in the Terre Haute Junior Achievement and the Terre Haute Exchange Club. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and a member of the Anaconda Golf League. He enjoyed listening to 1930s and 1940s big band music. He is survived by his wife, Lorraine; a daughter; a son; a daughter-in-law; and two grandchildren.
John F. Longo ’50, of Union, Ky., formerly of Orlando, Fla.; Jul. 22. He was a retired research specialist at Lockheed Martin in Orlando. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. Army. He enjoyed traveling and reading. He is survived by his wife, Elena; three daughters; a son; four grandchildren; and a brother.
Thomas L. O’Connor ’50, of Albany, N.H.; Oct. 25. He worked at Cabot Corp., American Cyanamid, and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission before joining Nyacol Nanotechnologies Inc., where he was vice president until 1989 and then a senior consultant until 2013. He held several patents in colloids and nanotechnology. He was a veteran of the U.S. Merchant Marines and the U.S. Navy. He was a member of the American Chemical Society and Sigma Xi. He enjoyed hiking, fishing, camping, skiing, and working with his tractor. He is survived by his wife, Grace Noyes O’Conner ’50; four children, including Michael ’76; six grandchildren; and a great-grandson.
Jean Stack Robbins ’50, of Concord, N.H.; Nov. 8, of myelodysplastic syndrome. She was an elementary school teacher, earning a masters degree in 1970, and became principal of the Atkinson Elementary School in 1974. In 1982 she became principal at the Oyster River Elementary School in Durham, from which she retired in 1991. She then continued to work with teachers and children as an adjunct faculty member at UNH, teaching courses in writing and leading teacher visitations to British primary schools. She volunteered in adult education and local school classrooms and was the recipient of the 2012 New England Reading Assoc. Award for her contributions to New Hampshire literacy. She enjoyed traveling, book discussion groups, and spending time with family. She is survived by a daughter, a son, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren.
Carey E. Tharp ’50, of Darien, Conn.; Nov. 21. He had a career researching and writing about companies as a Wall Street analyst. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy. He was active in the St. Thomas More Bible study and RCIA program, the Senior Men’s Assoc., and the Darien Representative Town Meeting. He enjoyed playing tennis at Noroton Manor and golf at Silvermine Golf Club. He is survived by a daughter, a son, a son-in-law, two grandchildren, and a brother.
Norman E. D’Andrea ’51, of Warwick, R.I.; Nov. 27. He was admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court and practiced trial law for 42 years. He was a Master of Chancery in the Rhode Island Judiciary and was honored by the Rhode Island Bar Assoc. for 50 years of service. He taught law classes at Bryant College and Johnson & Wales. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and a member of the Rhode Island and American Bar Associations, the Knights of Columbus, and the Kelly-Gazzero Post VFW. He enjoyed jazz, opera, football, travel, and discussions about world affairs. He is survived by daughter, a son, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, two grandchildren, and brother Eugene ’53.
Mary Lee Fletcher ’51, of Glen Cove, N.Y.; Oct. 14. After graduation, she worked as an operations officer for the CIA, an executive trainee at Gimbel’s department store in New York City, and head researcher for television’s Mr. Citizen before moving in 1955 to work in the television production department of the New York advertising agency Benton & Bowles. In 1963 she became creative director of the Alberto-Culver Co. in Chicago and returned to Manhattan in 1967 as vice president of the Christian Dior Perfumes Corp. in charge of all advertising and publicity in the United States. In 1971 she was appointed vice president of Christian Dior–New York, in charge of all licensees in the United States and Canada. At Brown she was president of her class. She is listed in Who’s Who in Finance and Industry and Who’s Who of American Women. She is survived by a sister and nieces and nephews.
Sidney M. Johnson ’51, of Rockland, Me.; Dec. 3. He joined the staff of the Hollingsworth and Whitney (Scott) Paper Company in Winslow, Me., as a junior engineer and 32 years later retired from Scott Paper in 1983 as a mechanical maintenance superintendent. He was involved in the Boy Scouts of America, was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, and was a member of the Kora Shrine Temple, the Mid-Coast Shrine Club, and the Waterville Lodge of Masons. He is survived by three sons, two daughters-in-law, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Marion Hall Olivia ’51, of Portage, Mich., formerly of East Hartford, Conn.; Oct. 22. She worked in the research department library at Pratt & Whitney for many years. After marrying and settling in East Hartford, she raised a family and was active as a volunteer in the school and church community. She was a member of South Congregational Church in East Hartford. She enjoyed bird watching. She is survived by a daughter, a son, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, a granddaughter, and several nieces and nephews.
Robert B. Somers ’51, of Birmingham, Ala.; Aug. 28. He was the library director at the Univ. of Montevallo for more than 25 years. He is survived by his companion, Ursula Ahmed; a daughter; a son; four grandchildren; and a sister.
Stanley E. Verry ’51, of Hampton, Va., formerly of Newtown, Conn.; Aug. 30. He had a career in the tire industry, working as a manager with B.F. Goodrich Co. in Newtown. He is survived by a daughter, a son, a daughter-in-law, five grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.
John L. Blake ’52, of Ambler, Pa.; Sept. 17. He was a former director of application and service engineering at SKF Industries. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; a daughter; a son; four stepchildren; 15 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Crane J. Bodine ’52, of Hopkins, Minn.; Nov. 13. He was president of Bodine’s Inc., a music retailer. He was the founder of Amateur Organists Assoc. International, of which he was president for 25 years. He planned and conducted more than 60 conventions involving major organ manufacturers and was elected to the Hammond Organ President’s Dealer Panel and the Board of the National Assoc. of Music Merchants. He was president of the Minneapolis Optimists Club, a president of the Brown Club of Minnesota, and coordinator for the Minneapolis Aquatennial. He was a member of the Minneapolis Salvation Army Board of Advisors, the Evergreen Club, the St. Paul Centennial Club, the Minneapolis Quadrille Club, and the Minnesota Valley Golf Club. He is survived by a daughter, two sons, three daughters-in-law, a son-in-law, and 11 grandchildren.
Dora Bucco Lingen ’52, of Cincinnati, formerly of Wyoming, Ohio; Feb. 14, 2015. She was a retired math teacher/tutor. She is survived by son Alfred Lingen ’86.
Lewis R. Sheldon ’52, of South Weymouth, Mass.; Sept. 28, after a brief illness. He worked as a mechanical engineer for General Electric, General Dynamics, and Westinghouse. He retired in the early 1980s as a nuclear engineer for Boston Edison. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He is survived by three daughters, a son, nine grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a sister.
Olin S. Woolson Jr. ’52, of Somerville, N.J.; Nov. 7. He was a Somerville attorney for 30 years, retiring in 1985. In 1960 he founded the law firm Bowlby & Woolson and in 1977 founded the Woolson, Guterl, Sutphen & Anderson firm. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and a member of the Somerville Kiwanis Club and the First United Methodist Church. He was a former deacon of the North Branch Reformed Church and a former elder of the South Branch Reformed Church. He enjoyed reading, biking, and backpacking. He is survived by two daughters and a son-in-law.
Francis M. Dwyer ’53, ’55 ScM, of Pittsford, Vt.; Nov. 13, after a long illness. He worked for the Atomic Energy Commission in Brookhaven, Long Island, before enrolling in the New York Medical College. He had a private medical practice in Fall River, Mass., from 1964 to 1982. He spent several years in Venice, Fla., before moving to Vermont in 2014. He enjoyed boating and maritime history. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; two children; and two grandchildren.
William C. Johnson Jr. ’53, of Daytona Beach, Fla.; Nov. 9. He was an assistant public defender for 11 years and had his own general law practice for 20 years. In 1984 he was elected to the office of circuit judge, Seventh Judicial Circuit. He was reelected in 1996, worked in all divisions of the court until he retired in 2002, and then presided over cases as a senior judge for nine more years. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. Army. He also served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1959 to 1961 and as an officer in the U.S. Navy Intelligence Ready Reserve until 1984, when he retired with the rank of commander. He was involved with the Boy Scouts, Little League baseball, and YMCA basketball. He received many community service awards and was active in several organizations, including the Volusia County (Fla.) and Virginia Bar Associations; the American Legion; and the Daytona Beach Navy League. He served on the board of Volusia County’s Serenity House and Tiger Bay Club. He is survived by his wife, Elfreda Senning Johnson ’57; daughter Caroline Johnson Bellis ’82; two sons, including William ’85; three grandchildren; and a great-grandson.
Peter D’Esopo ’55, of Ramsey, N.J.; Oct. 20. He was an employee of George H. Swatek Inc. in Ridgefield Park, N.J., until his retirement in 1994. He then worked as a pizza delivery driver and crossing guard. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. Army. He was an avid golfer and New York Yankees fan. He enjoyed spending summers in Nova Scotia. He is survived by a daughter, three sons, a son-in-law, two daughters-in-law, eight grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, a sister, and a brother.
Robert L. Greenhall ’55, of Margaretville, N.Y.; Oct. 30. He worked at Greenhall Brothers in New York City, the family’s men’s leather goods business, and later at Payqueros SA, a leather manufacturing and exporting facility in Montevideo, Uruguay. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He coached Little League, was a member of the Margaretville Volunteer Fire Dept., and served on the boards of the M-Ark Project and the Belleayre Conservatory. He was instrumental in establishing the Catskill Forest Assoc. and worked on its behalf for more than 30 years. An avid reader and supporter of the Margaretville Public Library, he enjoyed music, the outdoors, and traveling. He is survived by his wife, Myrna; four sons; four daughters-in-law; 15 grandchildren; a sister; a sister-in-law; and many nieces and nephews.
William E. Pietro ’56, of Harlingen, Tex.; Oct. 23. He was an educator for 36 years and for 19 years was principal of Coakley Junior High School. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and Lambda Chi Alpha. He is survived by a daughter, two sons, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and seven grandchildren.
Peter W. Devereaux ’57, of Chesterfield, Va.; Oct. 12. He retired as general sales manager for WXEX, now WRIC-TV, in Richmond. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and an active member of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. He enjoyed playing golf. He is survived by his wife, Cynthia; a daughter; a son; and a brother.
William W. Van Loan ’57, of St. Simons Island, Ga., formerly of Wellesley, Mass.; Oct. 20, of amyloidosis. He was executive vice president and COO of Coca-Cola Japan from 1973 to 1978 and vice president of marketing for Coca-Cola USA from 1978 to 1980. He then founded his own business, HQ Business Centers of Massachusetts and North Carolina, which he operated from 1980 to 1998. For the past 18 years he was a managing partner for the Heron Group and owner of ComForCare Senior Services in Jacksonville, Fla. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, a trustee of Endicott College, and past president of the Unitarian Universalists of Coastal Georgia. He is survived by his wife, Tia; two daughters; two grandchildren; and a sister.
John P. Colton ’58, of Duluth, Ga., and Saunderstown, R.I.; Nov. 8. He was employed by Old Stone Bank for 18 years. He retired from Eaton Financial and BankVest Capital, where he held various positions, including president of the Eastern Assoc. of Equipment Lessors. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and a former director of the Rhode Island Assoc. of Credit Management and the Rhode Island Chapter of the Leukemia Society. He was a past president of the Plum Beach Club (R.I.) and a member of the National Assoc. of Credit Management, the Retail Credit Grantors of Rhode Island, St. Benedict Catholic Church; and Alpha Delta Phi. He is survived by his wife, Maureen; a daughter; and two grandsons.
Gerald E. Dlouhy ’58, of South Dartmouth, Mass.; Nov. 13. After teaching history and economics at New Bedford High School for many years, he became the southeastern regional manager of the Massachusetts Teachers Assoc. until his retirement. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. Air Force. He was a member of the Hawthorne Country Club and enjoyed golf, painting, gardening, and classical music. He is survived by his wife, Sheila.
Paul G. Laffoley ’58, of Boston; Nov. 16, of congestive heart failure. He was a visionary artist and architect known for his mandala-like canvases that combined words and imagery to address themes related to philosophy, science, architecture, spirituality, mysticism, astrology, mathematical theories, and time travel. He had been diagnosed with a mild form of Asperger’s and a low IQ, which led to tutoring by an Indian Brahmin who taught in the Harvard math department. After Brown, he enrolled at the Harvard Graduate School of Design to study architecture but did not earn a degree. In 1962 he moved to New York City to work as a studio assistant to artist/architect Frederick Kiesler and was recruited by Andy Warhol to watch television in the middle of the night and report back to him about what he watched. He later spent 18 months working with the architectural firm Emery Roth & Sons helping design the World Trade Center towers but was dismissed after suggesting pedestrian bridges to connect the towers. Returning to Belmont, Massachusetts, in 1965, he began painting in his parents’ basement and created his first piece, The Kali-Yuga: The End of the Universe at 424826 A.D. In 1968 he rented a utility room in an office building on Broomfield Street in Boston, where he remained for 40 years. The room was a studio, a living space, and eventually the headquarters of the Boston Visionary Cell, which he founded in 1971 “to develop and advance visionary art,” as stated in its charter. He enjoyed conducting encyclopedic research into everything, including extraterrestrial activity and time travel. He claimed to have seen the 1951 sci-fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still more than 870 times. His works were shown at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris; the Nationalgalerie at Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin;The Hayward Gallery in London; the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle, Washington; and most recently at the Outsider Art Fair in New York City in January 2015. In May the University of Chicago Press will release The Essential Paul Laffoley.
William A. Daley ’59, of Blacksburg, Va., formerly of Greenville, N.C.; Nov. 27. He was a vice president of McLean Savings and Loan Assoc. in McLean, Va., and a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He was treasurer of the board of directors of the Brook Valley Country Club and enjoyed golfing, reading, music, and traveling. He is survived by his wife, Martha; three sons; two daughters-in-law; three grandchildren, two sisters; two brothers; and several nieces and nephews.
Rudolph R. Spik ’59, of Pittsburgh, formerly of Kernersville, N.C.; Oct. 16. He was a former public relations manager for Volvo GM Heavy Truck Corp. in Greensboro. He volunteered as a supernumerary and light walker at the local opera house. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army. He enjoyed attending conversation salons at Sewickley Library, reading, gardening, and traveling. Phi Beta Kappa. He is survived by his wife, Jean; two children; and a brother.
Harold R. Swicegood ’59, of Rochester, N.Y.; May 22, of a heart attack. He worked as a loan officer for Bank of America in southern California before moving to Rochester, where he served for 23 years as a vice president in the loan and leasing department of Marine Midland Bank. He retired in 1996 as a leasing officer at Taylor-Bolane Associates in Rochester. He enjoyed playing golf and was the U.S. Golf Association’s rules committee chairman. He was a member of Locust Hill Country Club for more than 30 years and an avid Red Sox fan. He is survived by his wife, Judy Shelton Swicegood ’60; two children; and four grandchildren.
1960s
Timothy M. Hennessey ’60, of Wakefield, R.I.; Oct. 8. He was a professor of political science at the Univ. of Michigan for seven years before joining the URI faculty in 1976 to direct the Master of Public Administration Program. He chaired URI’s political science department from 1983 to 1990 and was also a professor in the Marine Affairs Department. He retired in 2014. He wrote and cowrote several articles related to marine policy, fishery management, and estuarine ecosystems. He received several research grants and traveled to more than 30 countries to study, teach, and attend professional conferences. He enjoyed reading, racquetball, golf, and classical music. He is survived by his wife, Linda; two sons; a daughter-in-law; and four grandchildren.
George M. Nebel ’61, of Jackson, N.J., formerly of Long Island, N.Y.; Nov. 23. He worked for the New York Telephone Co. for 30 years. He was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and active in community organizations. He enjoyed playing golf at the Westlake Golf & Country Club in Jackson, where he scored two holes-in-one. He is survived by his wife, Joan; two sons; two daughters-in-law; four grandchildren; and a sister.
Brian O. Sullivan ’61, of Newburyport, Mass.; Oct. 15. He taught history at Newburyport High School and then at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School in Haverhill, from which he retired. He was a licensed EMT, and in the 1980s he was a ranger for the National Park Service. He was the registrar of voters for the city of Newburyport, where he enjoyed politics, reading, and photography. He is survived by a sister, a brother, a sister-in-law, a brother-in-law, and several nieces and nephews.
David A. Gneiser ’66, of Valrico, Fla., formerly of Rochester, Mich.; Jun. 2. He was a former vice president and manager of the Detroit office of Eastman Radio Co. and the local sales manager for WMJC//WHND radio stations in Detroit. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
Thomas A. Rodgers III ’66, of Tiverton, R.I.; Nov. 1, after a brief illness. A philanthropist and president of the family supplier of elastic fibers, Globe Mfg. Co., he established the Rodgers Family Foundation, which donated to organizations in Fall River, Mass., including Bristol Community College, the Boys and Girls Club, and the YMCA. The foundation also helped support the nursing graduate program at Salve Regina Univ. and helped establish the Tashirat Foundation in Tepoztlán, Mexico, which provided a home for abused children. He served on the board of directors at Salve Regina Univ., the United Way, the Bristol Community College Foundation, the President’s Council of Charlton Memorial Hospital, and the Tiverton Industrial Commission. He was a member of the Acoaxet Club, the Carnegie Abbey Club, and the Wannamoisett Country Club. He enjoyed boating, fishing cycling, golfing, and skiing. He is survived by his wife, Gisela; three daughters; son Thomas IV ’00; a daughter-in-law; two sons-in-law; six grandchildren; three sisters; and two brothers-in-law.
1970s
Alan E. Riffer ’70, of Albany, Calif.; Oct. 30 of glioblastoma. He was a certified public accountant for Arthur Anderson, H&R Block, and later Kaiser Permanente. He retired in 2003. He served on the Albany Unified School District board and the Albany Library board and was treasurer of the Albany Chamber of Commerce and the Albany Educational Foundation. The Chamber of Commerce honored him in September with its Citizen of the Year award. He enjoyed playing bridge, dancing, watching sports, and driving his Miata. He is survived by his wife, Caryl; a daughter; a son; a daughter-in-law; and two grandchildren.
Mary Greer Houston ’71, of Chevy Chase, Md., and Lexington, Va.; May 19. She was a former account executive with the public relations firm Wilson E. Hamilton & Associates. She was an active volunteer and supporter of Children’s Hospital and served on the boards of the Maret School and Florence Crittenden Services of Greater Washington. She is survived by her husband, Stuart; a sister-in-law; and many nieces and nephews.
David P. Fletcher ’73, ’77 MD, of Coventry, R.I.; Nov. 5, of Alzheimer’s disease. He was a pediatrician in Warwick, R.I., for 25 years before retiring due to illness. He was a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is survived by his wife Barbara; a son, a sister, and a brother.
Rodney F. Robinson ’73, of Sicklerville, N.J.; Nov. 5, of a pulmonary embolism. He was a self-employed tax attorney. He served on the board of trustees at his church, volunteered on the zoning board of Gloucester Township, and was an acting chaperone for St. George School with service projects in South Africa. He enjoyed music, playing tennis, and photographing African wildlife and landscapes. He is survived by two sons, three grandchildren, his mother, a brother, and his former wife, Maria.
Darwyn Parker-Harris ’75, ’95 ScM, of Framingham, Mass., formerly of Arlington, Va.; Jul. 17. She worked at Pfizer as an electrical engineer and at Astra Pharmaceutical and the Mitre Corp. as a systems engineer. She was involved with the Third World Alumni Activities Committee, the National Society of Black Engineers, and Delta Sigma Theta. She is survived by her husband, Arthur; a son; her mother; and a brother.
Taunya M. Brownlee ’78, of Silver Spring, Md.; Aug. 4. She was the associate medical director at the Police & Fire Clinic in Washington, D.C. She is survived by her mother, a sister, and a brother.
1980s
Donald P. Rhodes ’86, of Excelsior, Minn. Nov. 29, of Lewy body dementia. He worked as a marketing executive for several packaged goods companies, including Nabisco, ConAgra, Campbell’s, and Tyson Foods. He enjoyed boating on Lake Minnetonka with his family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Crystal; two daughters; his parents; a brother; and several in-laws and nieces and nephews.
1990s
Manuel E. Rodriguez ’92, of Watsonville, Calif.; Sept. 5. He is survived by his mother, three sisters, two brothers-in-law, and six nieces and nephews.
Rachel V. Pearline ’99, of San Francisco; Nov. 5. She was a hematology and oncology medical fellow at UC San Francisco. She traveled in the United States, China, and South Africa to care for patients in hospitals and clinics. She assisted with patients injured by hurricanes Katrina and Sandy and by the earthquake in Haiti. She enjoyed making friends around the world and competing in marathons. She is survived by her father and a sister.
2000s
Vishal B. Reddy ’12, of San Francisco, formerly of New Vernon, N.J.; Nov. 6, after sustaining severe head trauma when hit by a car while jogging. He was a software engineer and linguist who spoke four languages. He was a cross-fit and health enthusiast who travelled to more than 30 countries and enjoyed adventure. He especially relished bungee jumping, skydiving, snorkeling, and hiking. He is survived by his parents, a brother, and three grandparents.
G.S.
Louise W. White ’49 ScM, of Los Alamos, N. Mex.; Oct. 7, of complications from pneumonia. A homemaker, she was active in several local organizations and helped establish the Los Alamos Farmers Market. She was a member of the League of Women Voters and assisted with a variety of voter education projects. She is survived by three sons, three daughters-in-law, five grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.
Robert A. Gildea ’50 ScM, of Arlington, Mass.; Oct. 24. A skilled blind programmer, he began as a supervisor of night operations on the Whirlwind computer in the digital computer lab at MIT. In 1956 he became a project manager at RCA working on its airborne computer applications. He left RCA in 1966 to work for the MITRE Corp., which was increasing the technical capabilities of blind people through such projects as working with the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind to utilize CCTV reading aides to help screen and train blind clients. The DOTSYS program he wrote during the 1960s was a precursor of the Duxbury Braille Translator, which today is a widely used braille translator program. He was a long-time member of the Carroll Center for the Blind board of directors. He enjoyed training blind people to use computers and was one of the founders of VIBUG, a computer group for blind users. He served as national chairman and newsletter editor for the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Computers and the Physically Handicapped. He worked with the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Mass., as a consultant for the installation of online terminals and in 1996 was appointed science adviser to the Rehabilitation Advisor Council. He was a ham radio operator and a lifetime member of the local Quarter Century Wireless Assoc. He is survived by three daughters, a son, a daughter-in-law, two sons-in-law, six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, two sisters, and several nieces and nephews.
Norman L. Brown ’52 Ph.D., of Washington, D.C.; Nov. 7. He retired in 1981 as energy adviser to the assistant administrator for Asia in the Agency for International Development (AID). He later was a consultant to the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the AID on renewable energy and small-scale technology in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. He served on the founding board of the Shakespeare Festival in Washington and helped design, build, and run the theater’s sound system in its second season. He also served on the board of Neighbors Inc., which supported the racial integration of Washington’s Shepherd Park neighborhood, and on the founding board of the Levine School of Music. He was a self-taught plumber, carpenter, electrician, and musician. He is survived by his wife, Janet; three children; and their families.
Francis M. Dwyer ’55 ScM (see ’53).
Robert W. Hendricks ’56 PhD, of West Chester, Pa.; Sept. 24. He was a retired development manager for the DuPont Co. He is survived by two daughters, a son, a son-in-law, and three grandchildren.
Barbara McGaw Gracki ’66 ScM, of Grand Rapids, Mich.; Nov. 11, from ovarian cancer. She was a legal assistant at Law, Weathers & Richardson in Grand Rapids. She was an active volunteer for numerous nonprofits, including the AIDS Resource Center, the Visiting Nurses Foundation, and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, where she was a member of the vestry. She was an advocate for women’s rights, supported the YWCA and St. Mark’s community outreach activities, and also worked on the campaigns of Robert Kennedy and Barack Obama. She was a fan of the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox. She is survived by her husband, John ’69 PhD; two daughters; a son; and grandchildren.
James G. Kelly ’66 ScM, of Portsmouth, R.I.; Nov. 23. He was employed with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, R.I., for 40 years and retired as senior sciences and technology manager in 2006. He then continued his engineering career by consulting as principal scientist with Rite Solutions. He enjoyed playing tennis and was a 40-year member of the Newport Tennis Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife, Jayne; three children; eight grandchildren; three siblings; and several nieces and nephews.
Edward J. Pierce ’75 MAT, of Los Angeles; Oct. 22. After law school he joined the Beverly Hills law firm Kaplan, Livingston, Goodwin, Berkowitz & Selvin. He then became a partner in the Los Angeles firm of Pollard, Bauman, Slome & McIntosh and later in the Los Angeles office of Seyfarth Shaw. He ended his career as general counsel of the Internet social network site GeoCities.com, which was sold to Yahoo! in 1999. He volunteered with numerous organizations, including the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. He enjoyed cooking and entertaining. He is survived by his husband, Robert Saltzman; two brothers; two sisters-in-law; and nieces and nephews.
Bonnie S. Robison ’79 ScM, of Providence; Oct. 19. She worked at Brown for more than 30 years as a researcher in the chemistry department.
Helen Scotte Gordon ’85 MAT, of Providence; Oct. 9. She was an admissions officer at both Trinity and Wheaton Colleges prior to joining the Moses Brown School as director of college counseling, a position she held for 28 years. She enjoyed playing tennis, biking, hiking, swimming, and long walks along Providence’s East Side. She is survived by her husband, Peter Woodberry; a daughter; and a son.
Siegfried Rieble ’91 PhD, of Bridgewater, N.J.; Nov. 12, after a brief illness. He had a pharmaceutical career at the Schering-Plough Research Institute and then at Aventis-Pasteur, the vaccine division of Sanofi Pasteur. In May 2003 he became director of the biologics process development at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He enjoyed working on home improvement projects, cooking, brewing his own beer, and discussing current events. He is survived by his wife, Carrie, and two sons.
Darwyn Parker-Harris ’95 ScM (see ’75).
