Obituaries
Richard W. Allen '35 on April 10, 1999. He was eighty-seven and a resident of Concord, New Hampshire.
A philosophy major at Kenyon, Dick was a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. During World War II, Dick was a member of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, performing research on toxic and nontoxic aerosols and underwater sound.
Following the war, Dick worked in real estate for a time. In 1966, he married Laverne Mayo and with her ran the 1808 House during the summer tourist season in New Hampshire. During the winter, he began teaching business and economics at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts. He went on to become an administrator in the development office of Curry and then was named director of admissions at Dean Junior College in Franklin, Massachusetts. He retired in 1978.
In addition to his wife, Laverne, Dick had a daughter from his first marriage, Alice Adell Allen Carpenter. It is not known if either survives.
Leroy Wittemire Jr. 1940 on January 12, 2003. He was eighty-four and a resident of Mansfield, Ohio.
Leroy attended Kenyon for two years and then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics. He served as a captain in the United States Army for five years. During World War II, he was stationed in Fiji, Bougainville, and Manila.
Following the War, Leroy worked for the Mansfield Tire and Rubber Company in the accounts payable department until his retirement.
He is survived by his wife, Marian Ruth Mayers Wittemire; a son, Leroy Wittemire III; a sister, Eleanor Renwick; a nephew, J. Roger Renwick; and several grandnieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to National Parkinson's Foundation, Inc., Development Department, 1501 N.W. 9th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33136-1494.
Nicholas S. Riviere Jr. 1942 on February 10, 2003. He was eighty-three and a resident of Allison Park, Pennsylvania.
Nick attended Kenyon from 1938 to 1941, leaving to assist the family in running its insurance brokerage. He was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity.
After a long career in the insurance industry, Nick retired as vice president of Sedgwick-James and Johnson and Higgins. He was a former board member of Winchester Thurston School, the American Cancer Society, and Harmarville Rehabilitation Center.
Nick is survived by four daughters, Suzanne R. Dawson, Carolyn R. Worrall, Nancy R. Griffith, and Christine R. Fisher; nine grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimers Association, 100 West Station Square Drive, Landmarks Building, Suite 500, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219.
John W. Timmermeister 1942 on March 5, 2003. He was eighty-four and a resident of Russels Point and Lima, Ohio.
At Kenyon, John was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
During World War II, John served as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, Air Transport Command in China, Burma, and India. He was also a Royal Air Force flight instructor at the British School in Miami, Oklahoma.
John was a member and past president of the Sportsman Pilot Association as well as a member of the board of directors of the
Lima Aviation Corps from 1948 until 1962. He was a forty-year member of the board of directors of the Allen County Regional Airport Authority and was a licensed pilot for sixty-three years.
Other board memberships included the boards of Metropolitan Bank, the Lima Community Foundation, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the Wapakoneta Daily News, and St. Mary's Woolen Mills. He served twenty-seven years on the Lima Memorial Hospital board of directors, serving as president, and was elected an emeritus director.
In 1972, he retired as secretary/treasurer of City Loan and Savings and had served on its board. He worked as a financial consultant in retirement.
John is survived by his wife, Virginia Zajic Timmermeister; a daughter, Kay Lois Timmermeister; a son, William C. Timmermeister; four grandchildren, Brian J. Timmermeister, Karin T. Brown, Dane Edwin Shields, and Kathleen S. Jameson; and nine great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Lima Memorial Hospital Foundation, 1001 Bellefontaine Avenue, Lima, Ohio 45804-2899; Market Street Presbyterian Church, 1100 West Market Street, Lima, Ohio 45805; American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 102454, Atlanta, Georgia 30368-2454; or Tricare Hospice, 205 Palmer Avenue, Bellefontaine, Ohio 43311.
H. Thomas Tausig 1943 on November 21, 2002, after a severe fall. He was eighty-two and a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Tom transferred to Kenyon from Cornell University and was a student for two years before leaving to enlist in the military. He was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity.
Classified as 4-F and turned down by the U.S. Air Force in 1941, Tom put in a bid for appointment with the American Field Service and was accepted. He was with the first group of Americans who were sent to Africa, where he was attached to the British Eighth Army as an ambulance driver. Returning to the states in 1942, he was admitted to the U.S. Army Air Force, where he became a decorated B-17 lead pilot.
Following the War, Tom pursued a career in advertising, radio, and television.
He is survived by his wife of fifty-seven years, Joan Porter Tausig; and a daughter, Joan Rossiter Tausig.
Stuart R. McLeod '46 on January 24, 2003. He was seventy-eight and a resident of Marshall, Virginia.
Stuart left Kenyon to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was stationed in Alaska with the Army Signal Corps.
He completed his bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan and taught in the Detroit public schools. He earned an M.F.S. degree at the University of Maryland and taught English at Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and other places of higher education in New York until his retirement.
Stuart is survived by his wife, Bittl; a daughter, Katherine McLeod; a son, Gregor McLeod; and three grandchildren.
John E. Gulick 1947 on February 6, 2003. He was seventy-six and a resident of Harwich, Massachusetts.
John attended Kenyon for just over a year and then transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a degree in chemical engineering. At Kenyon, he was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity.
John worked in chemical sales for various companies until his retirement to Cape Cod in 1994.
He is survived by his wife, Gretchen Frey Gulick; two daughters, Elizabeth F. Dougherty and Amy Gulick; a son, Jonathan F. Gulick; a brother, George W. Gulick; three grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Christopher's Church, 625 Main Street, Chatham, Massachusetts 02633.
Raymond L. Woodall Jr. '49 on January 27, 2003, of hypothermia. He was seventy-four and a resident of Narberth, Pennsylvania.
An economics major at Kenyon, Ray went on to earn a master's degree in business administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity. As an alumnus, he served as president of the Philadelphia Alumni Association in 1961 and 1968.
During the Korean War, Ray served in the Air Force at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.
A certified public accountant, Ray worked for several firms in Philadelphia before establishing a management consulting business out of his home. He was a director of the Pennsylvania Jaycees and the Data Processing Management Association.
A descendant of Colonel Samuel Mathews, governor of Virginia in 1660, Ray had a long-time interest in history. He was known as an energetic member of the civic-minded borough of Narberth and was president of the Narberth Historical Society. He enjoyed researching the historical papers and architecture of the borough.
Ray is survived by his sister, Ann Louise Woodall Thompson, a niece, and a nephew. Memorial contributions may be made to PXE International, 4301 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 404, Washington, D.C. 20008-2369. PXE International is an organization that raises research funds for PXE, a disease that causes damaging calcium deposits in organs.
William Frenaye '50 on January 21, 2003, of lung cancer. He was seventy-nine and a resident of Auburn, California.
During World War II, Bill served in the U.S. Air Force as a second lieutenant, piloting for the Troop Carrier Command out of Hawaii and Okinawa. An English major at Kenyon, he was a founder of the Archon fraternity.
After working as a high-school teacher at Newark Academy in New Jersey, Bill joined the administrative staff at Kenyon in 1955 as assistant to the secretary of the College, Robert B. Brown '11. He went on to work in educational administration at Smith College in Massachusetts and Pitzer and Sonoma State Universities in California. He retired in 1987 from a job with the Council on Aging in California, in which he worked with seniors in the areas of jobs and housing.
Bill is survived by his wife, Blanche Bachman Frenaye; his first wife, Patricia Congdon Frenaye; a daughter, Polly Frenaye-Hutcheson; a son, Thomas W. Frenaye; grandsons Calder and Beau Frenaye-Hutcheson; and a brother John Frenaye.
Earl V. Thompson Jr. '50 on July 17, 2002. He was seventy-three and a resident of Hamilton, Ohio.
At Kenyon, Earl was a physics major and a member of Delta Phi fraternity.
Earl was a member of the fourth generation of the Deuscher family involved at the H.P. Deuscher Company Foundry, serving in all executive offices of the corporation until its sale to outside interests in 1988. He was trustee director of Butler County AAA, American Cancer Society, and Historic Hamilton.
After retiring from the foundry, he began assisting his son-in-law, Jerry Pigman, a traffic safety engineer at the University of Kentucky and an independent accident reconstructionist, in the review and analysis of testimony of legal actions arising from traffic accidents in many states.
A model railroad enthusiast since childhood, Earl was nationally recognized for the intricate railroad models he constructed.
Survivors include his wife, Marian Grevey Thompson; a daughter, Cynthia Thompson Pigman; a son, Earl Van Horn Thompson III; two granddaughters, Elizabeth Pigman Schlaudecker and Anna Louise Pigman; and two grandsons, Earl Van Horn Thompson IV and George Granville Graham Thompson. Memorial contributions may be made to First United Methodist Church, 225 Ludlow Street, Hamilton, Ohio 45011.
Robert E. Hudec '56 H'79 on March 12, 2003, of coronary heart disease. He was sixty-eight and a resident of Newton Highlands, Massachusetts.
The son of a Slovak immigrant family in Cleveland, Ohio, Bob was the first of his family to attend college, coming to Kenyon on a scholarship and his savings from cleaning houses and working in a factory. He graduated from Kenyon summa cum laude and went on to earn both bachelor's and master's degrees from Jesus College at Cambridge University on a Marshall Scholarship. He earned a law degree from Yale University, where he was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal. He was presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Kenyon in 1979.
Bob served as a law clerk to Justice Potter Stewart of the U.S. Supreme Court and then as assistant general counsel to the Office of the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations. He was a member of the Yale Law School faculty before joining the University of Minnesota Law School faculty in 1972. He retired as Melvin C. Steen and Corporate Donors Professor in 2000 and then joined the faculty of the Fletcher School at Tufts University as a research professor of international law.
The author of six books, Bob was one of the founders of international trade law as a discipline and a subject of scholarly research and teaching. He developed an approach that took into account economic and political realities as well as diplomatic considerations. He was an expert on the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). He was admired for the breadth of vision, originality, and rigor he brought to his work.
Bob is survived by his wife of forty-seven years, Marianne Miller Hudec, a Denison University graduate whom he met on a blind date; a daughter, Katharine Wright Hudec; a son, Michael R. Hudec; five grandchildren; and two sisters, Marlene Schmiermund and Elaine Urban.
James L. Keegan '53 on November 17, 2002. He was seventy-two and a resident of Portsmouth, formerly of Middletown, Rhode Island.
In addition to his bachelor's degree from Kenyon, Jim earned an M.A. from Middlebury College in 1968.
Jim taught at the American School in Leysin, Switzerland, the Pingree School, and Phillips Academy. He was an English teacher at St. George's School in Middletown for twenty-five years until his retirement in 1996.
He is survived by two daugthers, Rachel C. Keegan and Jennifer L. Keegan; two grandchildren; and a brother, Howard Keegan. His late brother Frank Keegan attended Kenyon in 1941.
Charles W. "Tommy" Thompson '59 on January 24, 2003, after suffering from an Alzheimer's-like illness for several years.
Former Dean of Students Thomas J. Edwards remembers Tommy well. "Joyfully unforgettable, Tommy entered Kenyon in the fall of 1956 as a transfer student from the University of Florida, where he had played varsity football," he writes. "He instantly acquired identity because Kenyon had precious few students from the South and even fewer football players of Tommy's level. His hulk, a delight to Kenyon's coaches, attested that he play a 'down linesman'----except, instead of the requisite scowl, he had a friendly manner, a rare sense of humor, and an ear-to-ear smile that graced his homey face."
The late and revered Professor of English Denham Sutcliffe often said, 'Every person who comes to this Hill, whether president or freshman, will leave some kind of mark on the College.' Tommy left a full slate of marks, enough for us all."
Judith R. Sacks, affiliated scholar in American studies and her husband, Howard L. Sacks, professor of sociology and special assistant to the president, had a long personal and professional relationship with Tommy. They write: "On a spring afternoon in 1971, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, we first heard the music of Tommy Thompson. The downtown streets were blocked off to cars for the 'Apple Chill Fair.' What drew our interest was a sight and a sound that would change our musical and social lives: on a rickety platform set up smack in the middle of Franklin Street, the main thoroughfare, a rugged-looking banjo player and his companions were playing tunes and songs from the southern Appalachian mountains. This was Tommy Thompson with the Fuzzy Mountain String Band, and this was old-time stringband music. Tommy was a doctoral student in philosophy at the University of North Carolina and a serious writer of theatrical material.
"In Chapel Hill we had the opportunity to hear Tommy and his musical partners many times. After the Fuzzies broke apart, following the tragic death of Tommy's first wife, Bobbie, the guitar player in the band, Tommy joined up with friends and fellow students to create the Red Clay Ramblers. In this musically vibrant community, the Red Clays became cult favorites.
"Upon our arrival at Kenyon in 1975, we immediately sought out the 'folk scene' and were delighted to discover the Gambier Folklore Society and its annual fall festival. By happy coincidence, the 1975 Gambier Folk Festival program included Tommy Thompson and the Red Clay Ramblers as featured performers.
"Tommy's career did include several stints as a performer in and writer of stage musicals. In 1985 he was Off Broadway in New York City as an on-stage musician for Sam Shepard's play A Lie of the Mind, starring Harvey Keitel and Geraldine Page. Tommy invited us to the show, and we attended a Saturday evening performance of this fascinating, disturbing play.
"In 1996, when Tommy was already ill, he expressed interest in returning to Kenyon for one last visit. He asked our mutual friend, renowned banjo player and composer Tony Ellis, to take him to the Gambier Folk Festival. The festival always had the feeling of a homecoming, and in this spirit we opened the Saturday evening concert by acknowledging the presence of our honored Kenyon alumnus.
"Tommy Thompson leaves a musical legacy of extraordinary banjo playing and inspired composition. Those who knew him as a friend will always treasure his radiant good humor, his intellectual curiosity, and his optimistic approach to life, even during hardship. We are fortunate to have known this angel from the 'Southern Part of Heaven.'"
Tommy is survived by a daughter, Jesse L. Thompson Eustice, and a son, Tom A. Thompson.
James C. Minarik '55 on December 26, 2002. He was sixty-nine and a resident of San Dimas, California.
At Kenyon, James was an economics major. He played football and participated in dramatics. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
James worked as a warehouse manager for Steelcase Corporation for forty-five years.
Survivors include three daughters, Kathy Pinnell, Jeannette Kimes, and Dale LeClair; a son, James Minarek; and three grandchildren, Andrea and Alex Cisneros and Katelynn Kimes. Memorial contributions may be made to Masonic Children's Home, 1650 East Old Badillo Street, Covina, California 91724.
William B. Londino '72 on September 5, 2002, following a brief illness. He was fifty-two and a resident of New York, New York.
Bill was the president of Londino Stone Company in New York.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret Carson Londino; three aunts, Christine Bernabei, Rose Bernabei, and Rita Londino; an uncle, Arnold Bernabei; and four cousins, Christine M., Richard, and Stephen Bernabei and Marisa Decea.
J. Rogers Chambers '78 on December 28, 2002, of a heart attack. He was forty-six and a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota.
At Kenyon, Rogers was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity. An English major, he spent his junior year abroad in the Exeter Program in England. He completed an M.B.A. at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1990.
At the time of his death, Rogers was employed as a vice president of insurance and membership sales with AAA.
Survivors include his wife, Shawn; a daughter, Erin; a son, Bryn; a sister, Suzanne Wooton; his mother- and father-in-law, Patrick and Judy Farrell; two brothers-in-law, Larry and Mike Farrell; two nephews, Nicholas Wooton and Cavan Farrell; and a niece, Cashel Farrell. Memorial contributions may be made to Special Days Camp (for children with cancer and leukemia), P.O. Box 1154, Bay City, Michigan 48706-0154, or the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75231.
Peter T. McGarry '85 on January 4, 2003, of melanoma. He was forty and a resident of Winnetka, Illinois.
At the time of his death, Peter was a freelance writer. His career also included two years in Kenyon's Office of Admissions, time with the advertising firm of Ogilvy and Mather, and a stint as a communications specialist with Andersen Consulting.
Director of Special Funds Alice Cornwell Straus '75 has prepared this remembrance.
"I often thought of Peter as a devoutly Kenyon man. He had been recruited for the College by John Kushan, who had earlier admitted Peter's brothers, John M. '80 and Kevin V. '83. As a resident advisor in Mather and a tour guide for the admissions office, Peter had ample opportunity to influence his fellow students and future friends, and to help shape the institution that was forming him.
"Immediately after graduating, Peter joined the College's admissions office as an assistant director, traveling for two years to recruit potential students and, not coincidentally, to stay in touch with his many Kenyon friends.
"Peter's remarkable ability to remain in touch with, and to touch, so many of the people he met reached its full potential in his 'Melanomail,' electronic missives to a group of more than two hundred and fifty friends who were kept current on Peter's battle with cancer via e-mail messages that made you cry with both laughter and sorrow.
"One such message came on Monday, September 23, 2002, entitled 'Thinking of Me.' Peter's message began, 'Dear Friends, Well, since we last corresponded, I have had five brain surgeries, a seizure, two rounds of chemotherapy, and one round of whole brain radiation therapy. Soooo...what's YOUR excuse for not staying in better touch?'"
"Peter faced his illness with courage, dignity, and, of course, humor, which made it easier for all of us," said Scott Fowkes, a New Trier friend. "He was always more interested in hearing about you than talking about his condition, and he was somewhat embarrassed by all the attention he was getting. He saw the silver lining and focused on the positive, often telling me that his illness was a great opportunity to see and spend time with his friends and family, to meet new people, and to reconnect with old friends.
"Peter continued to be game for new therapies, which occasionally offered him some respite, but his cancer was relentless. Through the 'Melanomail,' Peter thanked us for our "continued thoughts, prayers, and support. So many of you have said 'We think about you all the time,' and all I can say is: Same here. In fact, I'm pretty much the only person I ever think about. So it's nice we're on the same page." Peter's integrity, humor, and courage ensure that we will continue to think of him."
As his obituary noted, "left to celebrate his life" are Peter's parents, Anne of Winnetka, Illinois, and Kevin of Lexington, Kentucky; his sisters, Elizabeth and Anne McGarry; his brothers John and Kevin McGarry; his nieces, Jaime, Anne, and Eloise, and nephew Thomas; many aunts, uncles, and cousins (including Mara and her newborn son, Peter); as well as many devoted friends from throughout his life. Memorial contributions may be made to Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio 43022; Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Illinois, 640 North LaSalle, Suite 280, Chicago, Illinois 60610; or Palliative Care Center and Hospice of the North Shore, 2821 Central Street, Evanston, Illinois 60201.
Deaths for which no additional information is known:
Richard H. Wilson II '48.
Roger Hecht 1955 in 1990.
Charles O. Lawson '58 on July 3, 2002.
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