David Richard Lehrer '40, on December 18, 2010. The Bradenton, Florida, resident was ninety-one.

David was a biology major. He was a member of the Kenyon Klan and was president of the Pre-Med Club. David, known as Dick while at Kenyon, was a Lords swimmer and joined Beta Theta Pi. David was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and was a Mensa member. He earned a medical degree at the Ohio State University in 1943. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

David was a surgeon at the Lehrer Clinic, a general medical and surgical practice, in Sandusky, Ohio.
He donated a collection of 450 records to the College in 1969. Music professor Paul Schwartz at the time described the collection as “remarkable” and “of great educational value.”
David was survived by his wife, Betty, and nine children.

Alvin W. “Al” Bunis 1945 P '78 GP '12, on August 26, 2011. The Cincinnati man was eighty-seven.

Al served three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He went on to graduate from the University of Cincinnati.

He became a metals broker and retired from that field in 1969. He founded and became president of Sports Marketing Properties in Cincinnati. A nationally ranked junior tennis player, Al immersed himself in seniors tennis at age forty-five. He created the Grand Masters tennis tour and conducted more than 200 seniors tournaments in twenty-five countries in the 1970s and 1980s. The tour included top professionals in the twilight of their competitive playing careers. A 1989 column in the Baltimore Evening Sun described Al as “dapper” and youthful at age sixty-five. He also served as chairman of the U.S. Tennis Association seniors committee.

Al was survived by his wife, Ann; sons Henry Bunis and Alvin Bunis Jr.; daughter, Catherine McDonough; and seven grandchildren, including Gregory B. Bunis '12. Al survived the 2004 death of his son William Bunis 1978. Memorial donations may be sent to the Cincinnati Recreation Commission Foundation, Centennial 2, 805 Central Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202.

Victor “Vic” Adams IV '46, on April 6, 2011. The St. Charles, Missouri, resident was eighty-six.

Vic was a chemistry major. He joined the U.S. Navy Reserve and was called into active duty after his first year, during World War II. He was part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program, which was designed for officer training. After his return to the College, Vic was part of the swimming team and became president of Alpha Delta Phi. He took advanced-degree courses at the University of Detroit.

He embarked on a career of construction-equipment sales and eventually opened Vic Adams Construction Machinery, a construction-equipment sales company in St. Charles. Vic had a passion for hunting, fishing, and canoeing.

“Vic treasured his Kenyon ties, maintaining close contact with Kenyon friends and fraternity brothers throughout his life,” said his classmate Thomas F. Lechner '46.

Vic was survived by his son, Victor Adams V; daughters Amy Roesslein and Marcy Murphy; sister, Cynthia Leslie; and five grandchildren.

William D. “Bill” Brand '47, on September 24, 2011. The Waukesha, Wisconsin, resident was eighty-five.

Bill was a mathematics major. He played Lords basketball and joined Phi Kappa Sigma. Bill was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He earned a bachelor of electrical engineering degree at Pennsylvania State University in 1948 and a master's in physics from that university in 1950.

He became an electrical engineer and worked for Cutler-Hammer Inc. and the Eaton Corporation. He later worked as an engineering consultant.

Bill was survived by Dorothy, his wife of thirty-seven years; seven children; eleven grandchildren; and six great grandchildren. Memorial donations may be sent to the Humane Society of the United States, Department MEMIT9, 2100 L Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20037; or Kenyon College, Office of Development, Gambier, Ohio, 43022.

Robert J. “Bob” Derham '47, on August 17, 2011. The Danville, Virginia, resident was eighty-eight.

Bob was a history major. He played on the tennis and basketball teams and joined Beta Theta Pi. He was an accomplished tennis player, ranked nationally as a teenager. Bob left Kenyon in 1943 to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and served in the meteorological section until 1946. Bob later earned a master's in business administration at New York University.

He worked at the Hanover Bank and the New York Stock Exchange for ten years. In 1957, he moved to Florida and entered the University of Miami School of Law. In 1960, he opened a law practice in Florida, retiring in 2002.

Bob survived the death of his first wife, Virginia. He was survived by his wife, Denise, and stepchildren. Memorial donations may be sent to Sacred Heart Catholic School, 540 Central Boulevard, Danville, Virginia, 24541, or the Danville Cancer Association, 2323 Riverside Drive, Danville, Virginia, 24541.

Robert R. Branen '49, after a long illness, on September 24, 2011. The Staten Island, New York, man was eighty-eight.

He was a history major and graduated with honors. Robert was on the Collegian staff and joined Psi Upsilon. He earned a master's in business administration at New York University in 1955.

Robert served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1941-45 during World War II in the China-Burma-India Theater. He began his career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and later became an accountant, retiring in 1986 as a vice president at Bessemer Trust Co.

He enjoyed painting, gardening, family time, and singing to the accompaniment of his wife, Madeline, on piano. He was a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Knights of Columbus, and Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI.

Robert was survived by his wife of sixty-one years; sons Daniel, Donald, Dennis, and David Branen; and seven grandchildren.

John C. Young '50, on June 30, 2011. The Shaker Heights, Ohio, resident was eighty-five.

John was a biology and chemistry major. He joined Delta Tau Delta. John became the owner of Young Environmental Services.

John was a generous donor and loyal volunteer for Kenyon, serving on the Alumni Council and a number of regional and alumni committees. He received the Distinguished Service Award in 1974 and 1990 and the Cleveland Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award in 1993.

He survived the deaths of his wife of fifty-four years, Nancy, and his son, John C. Young Jr. He was survived by daughters Elizabeth Boles, MacKensie Young, Alice Klug, and Heather Wiehe; eleven grandchildren; a great granddaughter; and brothers Wallace Young and James Young. Contributions may be sent to the Shaker Schools Foundation, 15600 Parkland Road, Shaker Heights, Ohio, 44120; Alzheimer's Foundation, P.O. Box 74924, Cleveland, Ohio, 44194; or St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2747 Fairmount Boulevard, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, 44106.

Randall Mendelsohn '55 (Bexley Hall Seminary) P'83, on August 24, 2011. The eighty-two-year-old retired Episcopal priest lived in Cincinnati.

Randall had worked in the Diocese of Michigan and had continued to serve during retirement at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Cincinnati.

He survived the death of his wife, Dorothy. He was survived by his children Mary, Martha, Chad, Clare, and Elizabeth Mendelsohn '83. Memorial donations may be sent to the Diocese of Alaska, 1205 Denali Way, Fairbanks, Alaska, 99701, or the Diocese of Northern Michigan, 131 East Ridge Street, Marquette, Michigan, 49855.

Arthur T. “Art” Osako '55, on July 31, 2011. The San Juan Capistrano, California, man was seventy-seven.

Art was a biology major and graduated with honors. He was a student manager for the swimming team and joined Archon. Art earned a medical degree at the University of Rochester in 1959. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a captain from 1960-63 and was stationed at the Itazuke Air Force Base in Fukuoka. While in Japan he married Michiko Morihisa, in 1962. He continued his medical education in pediatric hematology and oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Art joined the Central Medical Clinic in Honolulu. He was an attending physician at Queen's Hospital, Kauikeolani Children's Hospital, and Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children. He taught at the University of Hawaii. Art retired in 1996.

His son Tilden Osako said Art cherished his time at Kenyon. Art enjoyed gardening, painting, cooking, reading novels, bridge, ballroom dancing, world travel, and spending time with his grandchildren.
Art was survived by his wife of forty-nine years; daughter, Lynn Matsukawa; sons Philip and Tilden Osako; sister, Margaret Platt; brother, Warren Osako; and six grandchildren.

Eric P.S. Jacobsen '58, after a long illness, on September 5, 2011. The Cleveland, Ohio, man was seventy-four.

Eric was a political science major. He joined Delta Phi. He earned a master's in education management at Pepperdine University in 1978.

Eric retired as a colonel from the U.S. Air Force after a twenty-six-year career in the intelligence field, assigned to Strategic Air Command Headquarters and, later, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Studies and Analysis Agency. He worked at the Planning Research Corporation from 1984 to 1991 and later became a consultant in the development of competitive proposals for software integration. He was most recently employed at the Case Western Reserve University Office of Continuing Education.

He was survived by his wife, Jean; sister, Christina Pohe; stepchildren Blair and Jennifer Morton; and a granddaughter. Memorial donations may be sent to the USO, P.O. Box 96322, Washington, D.C., 20090, and the Cleveland Animal Protective League, 1729 Willey Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, 44113.

Richard Bradshaw '60, on February 24, 2011. The West Chester, Pennsylvania, resident was seventy-two.

Richard was a history major. He was a Lords basketball player and manager for the baseball team. He was president of Phi Kappa Sigma and worked on Reveille. Richard later earned a master's in history at the University of Pennsylvania. He taught history at the West Chester State College.

Stephen H. Solier 1960, on June 1, 2011. The Tucson, Arizona, man was seventy-three.

He was a member of Alpha Delta Phi. Stephen transferred to Pennsylvania State University in 1958 and graduated in 1966 after a stint in the U.S. Navy. He worked as an electrical engineer at the Boeing Company.

Harrison T. Simons '62, on August 31, 2011. The Oxford, North Carolina, man was seventy-seven. He died while on vacation at his cottage in Coles Point, Virginia.

Harrison was a religious studies major. He also earned a bachelor's degree at Randolph-Macon College, in 1959. He completed a master's in divinity at Colgate Rochester Divinity School in 1980. He received an honorary doctorate in divinity from the Virginia Theological Seminary in 2007.

As an Episcopal priest, Harrison served at a number of parishes in Virginia and North Carolina. He was at one time the chairman of Christian education for the Diocese of North Carolina. As a sidelight in 1974, he started Education-Liturgy Resources, a nonprofit bookstore based in Oxford. Describing the bookstore in 1992, a columnist for the Durham (North Carolina) Herald-Sun observed, “You find yourself inside a small, crowded, but sensibly arranged and amazingly diverse bookstore.” Harrison's enthusiastic approach was contagious and his knowledge crossed many genres, the columnist wrote.

Harrison was an advocate for civil rights. He was active on the Human Relations Council and received the Nancy Susan Reynolds Award for Race Relations in 1997.

Harrison retired from St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Oxford in 1998 and from the bookstore in 2010. He continued to serve a number of churches until his death. He was the longtime chaplain for the Oxford Volunteer Fire Department.

He was survived by his wife, Eugenia; son, George Simons; daughter, Deanna Hollis; nine grandchildren; and sister, Dorothy Gibson. Memorial donations may be sent to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 140 College Street, Oxford, North Carolina, 27565, or the Oxford Volunteer Fire Department, 112 E. McClanahan Street, Oxford, North Carolina, 27565.

Brian G. Farney 1966, on August 1, 2011. The La Crosse, Wisconsin, man was sixty-seven.

Brian was a member of Delta Tau Delta. He also attended the University of Illinois at Chicago. He served in the U.S. Army from 1964-67.

He worked for Allstate before starting his own marketing and communications business. He was a gifted writer and photographer. Brian enjoyed exploring the American Southwest and the country's national parks.

Brian was survived by his daughters Caitlin Goebig and Sarah Ganesan; four grandchildren; brothers Terrence Farney and Paul Farney; and sisters Sheila Ristau and Gail Burley.

Philip S. “Phil” Trimble '84, of heart failure, on August 5, 2011. The Northbrook, Illinois, man was forty-nine.

Philip was a history major. He was a member of Alpha Delta Phi as well as the soccer and lacrosse teams.

He enjoyed a career in financial services and worked for a number of companies, including John Nuveen & Co., Oppenheimer & Co., and Bear Stearns. As a vice president at Bear Stearns, Phil provided wholesale asset management services to brokers, financial planners, and investment advisers.

Phil and a partner opened Lakeview Links in Chicago in 1991 as a sports bar. After ten years, the business evolved into a live-music venue called the Bottom Lounge. It closed in 2006 to make way for Chicago Transit Authority improvements but reopened in 2008 in another Chicago location.

Philip was survived by his wife, Jennifer; son, James Trimble; daughter, Isabelle Trimble; and siblings Martin and Emile Trimble. Memorial donations may be sent to the American Heart Association, 208 South LaSalle Street, Suite 1500, Chicago, Illinois, 60604.

Alexander C. “Alex” Walbridge '06, on July 26, 2011. The Delray Beach, Florida, man was twenty-nine. He died while visiting his mother, Iolie Kriezi Walbridge, in Athens, Greece, where he was buried.

Alex was a psychology major. He was a member of Peeps and participated in the Horn Gallery Magazine, WKCO, and the drama group Beyond Therapy. While at Kenyon, he became fluent in Greek and studied abroad in Athens.

He was an aspiring writer, videographer, and comedian, and he had made several music videos. Alex performed improvisational theater focusing on conflict resolution in inner-city schools in Philadelphia in 2001, while serving in the nonprofit City Year program.

In addition to his mother, Alex was survived by his father, Hoyt Walbridge; brother, Nicholas Walbridge; grand­parents Kenneth and Jean Walbridge; stepsister, Anna Bacon; and stepbrother, Nic Bacon. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Miquon School, 2025 Harts Lane, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, 19428.

Yauncey Newman, who worked in the Kenyon maintenance department, died on September 26, 2011, at his home in Howard, Ohio.

Yauncey befriended many students during his time at Kenyon, from 1984 to 1997.

He was survived by his wife, Juanita, who had worked in the office of Dean of Students Thomas J. Edwards. Memorial donations may be sent to Hospice of Knox County, 17700 Coshocton Road, Mount Vernon, Ohio, 43050.

Owen York Jr. H'93, professor emeritus of chemistry and a College statesman, died of a heart attack on Wednesday, November 2, at his home in Branford, Connecticut.

Owen and Bettye, his wife of sixty-three years, were central to the academic and social life of the College. He joined the faculty in 1961, retiring in 1993 only to return as acting provost for the 1995-96 academic year. His work for the College included prominent roles in the presidential search that brought Robert A. Oden Jr. to campus in 1995 and in the construction of buildings that transformed science and music education by the turn of the century.

“Fantastic” in the classroom, Owen won the respect of the entire faculty, said Charles E. Rice, professor emeritus of psychology. “He taught organic chemistry and that was the path everybody took to get into medical school. He was considered very, very tough, but, if you got through, the chances were extremely good that you would be admitted to medical school.”

Early in his career, Owen had corporate-research opportunities, but he embraced teaching. “He had an incredible, analytical mind,” his son, Michael York, said. “He loved the students,” Owen's daughter Diane Linderman said. “He loved the science. He loved teaching.” Students were a common sight for dinner or coffee at the York household.

One former student, Thomas P. Stamp '73, now College historian, was an English major who appreciated what Owen brought to the science classroom. “With Owen York, organic chemistry was like a challenging hike over rough but often surprisingly beautiful terrain with your brilliant uncle,” Stamp said. “Years later, when I returned to Gambier, Owen became a treasured friend and taught me a different but no less important kind of chemistry—the perfect formula for a dry martini.”
Conviviality was a way of life for the Yorks. Adept at entertaining, they enjoyed a home that was “very cordial, very warm,” Rice said.

It was his keen interest in the full breadth of College affairs that led Owen to take decisive leadership roles. “He was very sensible, very level-headed,” Rice said. “He was a rock.”

Perry Lentz '64 H'89 P'88, professor emeritus of English and a long-time neighbor of the Yorks, called Owen a natural leader. “For many of us, Owen was a wonderful exemplar of the College and all of its best aspects,” Lentz said. “He was intelligent, congenial, open. The College instinctively turned to him, even after his retirement. When we needed an interim provost, he was the inevitable choice.”

A native of Evansville, Indiana, Owen spent the year after his high-school graduation as an aviation cadet in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He left the service to pursue higher education and earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1948 at the University of Evansville and a master's (1950) and doctorate (1952) in organic chemistry at the University of Illinois.

Owen went to work at Hercules, Inc., in 1952 as a research chemist, then joined the faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University in 1956 as an assistant professor of chemistry. He was named a full professor in 1958, but joined W.R. Grace and Company as a research supervisor in 1960. After a year there, he fully embraced teaching as a career at Kenyon. Along the way, he won several U.S. patents, including for the synthesis of polyesters and the rearrangement of organic acids at high temperatures.

In 1990, Owen was presented with the Sears-Roebuck Foundation's Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award. A year later, he became one of the earliest winners of Kenyon's Trustee Award for Distinguished Teaching, praised for “bringing clarity, excitement, and a high level of professionalism to the lecture halls and laboratories of chemistry.”

York won several grants for research from organizations including the National Science Foundation over the course of his career and participated in summer institutes sponsored by the foundation. He was also affiliated for many years with the Advanced Placement Program in Chemistry, serving as a consultant to the Educational Testing Service and as chief reader and director of reading for the chemistry examinations.

Owen retired from the faculty in 1993 and received an honorary doctorate in science at that year's Commencement. In the citation, prepared by his chemistry-faculty colleague Gordon L. Johnson, Owen was praised for having “influenced beyond measure not only the curriculum of this college but also its very educational values.”

At Kenyon, he also won note for his work outside the classroom, as an administrator. He was a department chairman and a member or chairman of numerous committees. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he led the Curriculum Committee during the planning for and implementation of coeducation, and in the mid 1980s, he chaired the panel that oversaw design and construction of the Olin Library. He spent the 1989-90 academic year as assistant provost.

After coordinating the search that brought Oden to the Kenyon presidency, Owen served as acting provost and as chairman of a capital campaign-planning committee during Oden's first year. His role in the “Claiming Our Place” campaign evolved into leadership of the Facilities Planning Committee. As the committee chairman, Owen oversaw the planning and construction of Storer Hall for music, Hayes Hall for mathematics and physics, the Fischman Wing for molecular biology, and, perhaps his proudest achievement, Tomsich Hall for chemistry. He also supervised the renovation of Samuel Mather Hall and the demolition of its 1962 neighbor, Philip Mather Hall, in which he had spent most of his teaching career.

The Owen York Jr. Lecture Hall (Tomsich 101) is named in his honor.

“He was the guy who basically made the science buildings happen,” said Harvey F. Lodish '62 H'82 P'89, an emeritus trustee and professor of biology and bio-engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lodish served as a trustee during the mid- and late-1990s and worked closely with Owen on the campaign and construction projects. “Kenyon has a phenomenal set of (science) buildings. He was the point person for working with the architects. He was the guy who made it work as well as it works. He made a huge contribution to the College.

“He spent so much time brilliantly teaching organic chemistry, but he took a leadership role,” Lodish said. “He was a very quiet guy, never looking for the limelight.”

And the Yorks embraced Lodish's daughter, now Heidi Lodish Steinert '89. “When I came to Kenyon I was really homesick,” she said. “He was just like a dad to me, and Bettye was like a mom. They got me through my freshman year. So sweet.

“He had such a presence on campus. He was so caring and smart. He cared about the entire Kenyon community.”

To physician Joseph P. Finnegan '73, Owen was “one of my favorites.” He was tough, but “I thought everybody was pretty tough,” Finnegan said. “One of the things that Owen did that made him special in my mind was that he really didn't ask for memorization of formulas and facts or definitions. He taught them as the language of organic chemistry. He had a tremendous reputation.”

Owen also enjoyed bird-watching, gardening, reading, tennis, and travel.

The Yorks moved to Connecticut about a year ago to be near their daughter Diane.

Owen was survived by his wife, who worked for the College from 1973 to 1992, retiring as associate diraector of admissions. In May 1996, the popular couple was presented with the Alumni Council's Thomas B. and Mary M. Greenslade Award in recognition of decades of continuing relationships with generations of former students. In addition to Bettye, he is survived by his son, Michael; daughters Diane Linderman and Linda Hope; and grandsons Barton and Calvin Linderman.