In Memoriam
Rev. W. Paul Thompson '29 H'73 on March 11, 2005. He was ninety-eight and a resident of Binghamton, New York.
At the time of his death, Paul was the second oldest living member of the Kenyon chapter of Alpha Delta Phi. Following graduation from Kenyon, he went on to Episcopal Theological School and was ordained in the Episcopal ministry in 1932.
In May 1973, Paul was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Kenyon in recognition of his many contributions to youth ministry and his service as a deputy to general conventions of the Episcopal church.
Following a curacy in Syracuse, New York, Paul served parishes in Elmira, New York, Scranton and Reading, Pennsylvania, and then in Binghamton, New York, where he finished his active ministry with a rectorate of twenty-two years. In retirement, he filled in at churches with pastoral vacancies and traveled widely to such places as Kenya, Iran, the Hindu Kush, Greenland, and China.
Paul is survived by his wife of seventy-one years, Helen Bruce Thompson; a daughter, Vivian B. Thompson; two sons, W. Paul Thompson Jr. and Michael B. Thompson; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Living Care Fund of Good Shepherd Fairview Home, 80 Fairview Avenue, Binghamton, New York 13904.
Rev. William S. Noce '33 B'36 P'58 on April 22, 2005. He was ninety-three and a resident of Westfield, Indiana.
At Kenyon, Bill was a member of Delta Phi fraternity. After graduation, he went on to earn a bachelor of divinity degree at Bexley Hall.
Bill served parishes in
Commeautville and Erie, Pennsylvania, before enlisting in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was a Navy chaplain for thirty-three years. In retirement, Bill moved to Virginia Beach, where he served as an assistant before moving to Florida in 1979.
Survivors include his wife, Alice Edna Noce; two sons, William S. Noce 1958 and Robert S. Noce, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including William J. Parker '09 .
Wilson M. Meeks '35 on March 27, 1999. He was eighty-five and a resident of Garrison, New York.
At Kenyon, Will was a member of Beta Theta Pi social fraternity. He played varsity football and track and participated in intramural sports as well.
Following his graduation from Kenyon, Will went on to the University of Chicago, where he earned a master's degree in sociology.
Will spent most of his career as a criminologist for the state of Illinois. He took early retirement in 1972 from his position as superintendent of the reception and diagnostic services department, and he and his wife built a home in County Cork, Ireland. He spent about eight months a year in Ireland and the other months at a small home on his son's property in Fishkill, New York.
Will had two sons, Wilson Jr. and John M. Meeks, and two grandchildren, Gwyneth and Wilson III. It is not known whether or not they survive him.
Carl T. Crumrine '37 on August 8, 2005. He was ninety and a resident of Gorham, Maine.
At Kenyon, Carl was a member of Delta Phi social fraternity and Kenyon Klan and played basketball for three years. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and went on to earn an MBA from Northwestern University.
He taught at Louisiana State University, DePaul University, and Northwestern University before enlisting in the military. During World War II, he was a captain in the Eighth Army Air Corps and took part in the military occupation of Japan. After the war, Carl moved to Chicago and pursued a career in business administration. He retired as the executive vice president of the Trailmobile Division of the Pullman Standard Corporation. Carl loved farming and in retirement he raised beef cattle in northwestern Illinois with his son, Charles. The family then moved to Maine, and, in later years, spent winters in Port Isabel, Texas.
Survivors in addition to Charles include his wife of sixty-seven years, Carolyn, and two grandsons, Justin and Michael Crumrine.
F. Wesley Baylor '44 on August 19, 2005, of cancer. He was eighty-three and a resident of Lake Forest, Illinois.
At Kenyon, Wes was a member of the Kenyon Singers and the Hill Players and participated in intramural track.
Wes served in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the South Pacific. After the war he pursued a career in the investment industry and retired as a vice president at Shearson Lehman Brothers in 1990 to enjoy, as he put it, "the cocktail hour of life."
Wes is survived by his wife, Jane Sullivan Baylor; a daughter, Catherine Baylor Diganci; a son, Geoffrey W. Baylor; a step-daughter, Elizabeth Howard Brandt; three granddaughters, Sarah Diganci and Kelly and Maggie Baylor; a grandson, Jared Diganci; and step-grandchildren Patrick, Molly, and Benjamin Brandt. Memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities of Lake County, 671 South Lewis, Waukegan, Illinois 60085.
Walter Dain Kuhns 1944 on October 18, 2005, after a lengthy illness. He was eighty-four and a resident of Naples, Florida.
Dain attended Kenyon for two years prior to entering the U.S. Army. He served as a pilot for three years with the Air Corps and upon his discharge was enrolled at Ohio State University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
Dain spent most of his business career in the aerospace industry and retired as owner of Kuhns Manufacturing Company in 1972. In retirement, he divided his time between Florida and Asheville, North Carolina. He was a champion skeet shooter and avid golfer.
Survivors include his wife of fifty-seven years, Elizabeth Henderson Kuhns; two sons, Stephen D. Kuhns and John B. Kuhns; and two grandchildren, Emily E. Kuhns and John B. Kuhns Jr. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Naples, 1095 Whippoorwill Lane, Naples, Florida 34105.
Thomas K. Folsom 1945 on October 5, 2004. He was eighty-one and a resident of Lima, Ohio.
At Kenyon, Tom was a member of Middle Kenyon Society and participated in track and swimming. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, achieving the rank of corporal.
Tom was a chemical operator for Vistron Corporation, retiring in 1988 after more than thirty years of service.
Survivors include two sons, Todd H. and Kirk M. Folsom; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Memorial contributions may be made to the Allen County Museum, 620 Market Street, Lima, Ohio 45801.
Donald G. Hoffman '45 on July 10, 2005. He was eighty-two and a resident of Los Osos, California.
At Kenyon, Don was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and returned to Kenyon to earn his degree in 1950.
Don retired in 1984 as vice president of International Encyclopedia Britannica Education Corp.
He is survived by his wife, Isobel; one daughter, Barbara Hoffman; and one son, Bruce Hoffman.
William H. Rehnquist 1946 on September 3, 2005, of thyroid cancer. He was eighty and a resident of Arlington, Virginia.
William attended Kenyon for one year before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps as a weather observer. After World War II, he returned to college, earning a BA and MA at Stanford University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He earned an MA from Harvard University and returned to Stanford for his law degree, graduating first in his class.
William was appointed chief justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1986. Prior to that appointment, he was an associate justice from 1972 until 1986. He also served as assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel and had a private practice in Phoenix, Arizona, from 1953 until 1969.
William is survived by two daughters, Nancy Spears and Janet Rehnquist; one son, James C. Rehnquist; and eight grandchildren.
Rev. John A. Sanford '50 H'92 on October 17, 2005. He was seventy-six and a resident of San Diego, California.
Jack studied philosophy at Kenyon and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Following in the steps of his father, grandfather, and both great-grandfathers, he continued his studies at the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1955. He received an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Kenyon in 1992 in recognition of his work in the fields of religion and psychology.
Jack served for twenty years as a parish priest. He left the ministry because he "felt he had other work to do," his wife said. He became a Jungian analyst and worked as a psychotherapist for many years. He was the author of twenty books in the fields of religion and psychology, including The Kingdom Within, The Man Who Wrestled with God, Dreams: God's Forgotten Language , and Mystical Christianity .
In addition to his wife of fifty-one years, Adaline "Linny" Sanford, Jack is survived by a daughter, Kathryn Sanford; a son, John S. Sanford; a brother, Ted Sanford; and three grandsons. Memorial contributions may be made to Silverado Hospice, 1500 Borden Road, Escondido, California 92926, or to the Alzheimer's Association, 8514 Commerce Avenue, San Diego, California 92121.
Joseph A. Wendel '50 on March 4, 2005. He was seventy-eight and a resident of Martinsburg, West Virginia.
Joe served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific from 1944 to 1945. He earned his degree in English from Kenyon cum laude and went on to earn an MA from the State University of Iowa.
He served in the Peace Corps for four years in Ethiopia and an additional two years in Africa with USAID.
Joe taught for many years in private Episcopal schools in northeastern Canada, New York, and Georgia. Since his retirement, he has been a daily volunteer at Rosemont Elementary School in Martinsburg. Rosemont's principal, Sandy Duffy, affectionately called Joe her "Joe Friday" and students knew him as Mr. Joe. He filled a wide range of responsibilities, including coordinating weekly fluoride treatments and the school's Read Aloud program, working with individual students and whole classrooms, reading to students, working in the office, helping the cooks serve meals, and maintaining the school's flower beds. He also served as a substitute teacher.
Joe is survived by two brothers, G. William Wendel and Frank T. Wendel; five nephews; and one niece. Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Episcopal Church, 200 West King Street, Martinsburg, West Virginia 25401.
Luis C. Calvo '51 on July 25, 2005. He was seventy-seven and a resident of Royersford, Pennsylvania.
At Kenyon, Luis was a chemistry major and a member of Archon fraternity. He went on to do graduate work in chemistry at Louisiana State University. He then returned to Cuba, the place of his birth, where he worked for Colgate Palmolive Peet Corporation in Havana.
When Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba, Luis applied for a visa to come to the United States. The Cuban government responded by sending him to forced labor in the cane fields for a year. While many of his fellow workers died of exertion, he survived and made his way to the U.S. via Spain, where his parents were born, and Canada. He went to work for Germaine Monteil Cosmetics until 1987, when it was purchased by Revlon. He then joined Estée Lauder and remained with it until 1994, when he retired as vice president of manufacturing.
Luis is survived by one daughter, Nilda T. Calvo; three sons, Luis M., R. Roland, and Gustav Calvo; and nine grandchildren.
David Nicoll 1951 on September 20, 2004. He was seventy-five and a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
At Kenyon, David was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity.
After attending Kenyon and University of Toledo, he worked for his grandfather, Frank Feilbach, at the Feilbach Wholesale Grocery Company in Toledo. In 1955, David enlisted in the Air Force Reserves Pilot Training Program to fulfill his dream of flying jet planes. After leaving the Air Force Reserves, he held various positions in the aviation industry, including four years as sales manager of Bellanca Aircraft Company of Alexandria, Minnesota, and for twenty-six years with Lakewood Publications in Minneapolis as publisher of Airport Services Magazine. He retired in 1990.
David is survived by his wife of thirty-seven years, Dorothy Nicoll; one daughter, Becky Jensen; three sons, David, Andy, and Scott Nicoll; one sister, Casey Reiger; nine grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Richard E. McPherson '54 P'84 on June 14, 2005, of Lou Gehrig's disease. He was seventy-two and a resident of Akron, New York.
Richard was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He participated in the Air Force ROTC program and after graduation served on active duty piloting B-47 bombers for the Strategic Air Command, attaining the rank of captain. He went on to earn an MBA from the Cornell University Graduate School of Business and Public Administration.
In 1969, Richard and three partners co-founded Comptek Research, a software development company and defense contractor based in Buffalo, New York. In 1972, he was instrumental in developing Comptek's Office Automation Division, which became a separate company named Barrister Information Systems in 1982. He served as the company's vice president until his retirement in 2000.
Richard is survived by his wife, Susan Tharpe Robir; a daughter, Lynn McPherson Tweedie '84 ; a son, Paul McPherson; a brother, Robert McPherson; a sister, Charlotte Comey; two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Memorial contributions may be made to A.L.S. Therapy Development Foundation, 215 First Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142.
R. John Bradfield 1955 P'82 on September 12, 2005, of leukemia. He was seventy-two and a resident of Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
At Kenyon, John was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. After one year, he transferred to the University of Michigan and then went on to earn a medical degree from Wayne State University.
John was a prominent obstetrician and gynecologist in Grosse Pointe for thirty years.
Among John's many interests were his love of classic car collecting and his advocacy for animals. He rescued and raised countless animals over the course of his lifetime.
Survivors include his wife of forty-seven years, Ruth; one daughter, Janet Bradfield Davis; two sons, Robert J. Bradfield III '82 and William K. Bradfield; and nine grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01202, or the animal welfare society of the donor's choice.
Felix Pulgram 1955 on July 15, 2005, of complications from multiple sclerosis. He was seventy-one and a resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Felix spent one year at Kenyon before transferring to the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He also attended the University of Minnesota. He served in the U.S. Army from 1956 to 1958 and was a member of the Jewish War Veterans of U.S.A.
He was employed by the Internal Revenue Service for many years.
Felix is survived by many friends from the Clement J. Zablocki Veteran's Administration Medical Center.
Jack M. Donaworth Jr. '57 on August 28, 2005. He was seventy and a resident of Angel Fire, New Mexico.
Jack was a member of Delta Tau Delta at Kenyon and participated in lacrosse and tennis. Following his days at Kenyon, he joined the U.S. Navy to fly. He earned his wings in 1960 and was an aircraft carrier attack pilot on both the USS Forrestal and the USS Enterprise.
At the completion of his first tour of duty, Jack left the Navy to take over his father's retail piano business in Cincinnati. He missed the Navy, so he rejoined as a flight instructor at the Navy Air Station in Meridian, Mississippi. He retired as a lieutenant commander after twenty-one years of service. He then pursued a career as a field engineer with Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. He retired from Sandia in 1974.
Jack is survived by his wife of forty-four years, Gail; a son, Jack M. Donaworth III; two granddaughters, Garland Ann and Jesse Elizabeth Donaworth; and a sister, June Smith. Memorial contributions may be made to the Footprints Grief Center of Hospice of Metro Denver, 501 South Cherry Street, Suite 700, Denver, Colorado 80246.
Stanley A. Krok Jr. '57 P'84 on August 23, 2005. He was seventy-one and a resident of Brunswick, Maine.
Stan was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity and a major performer on Kenyon's 1954 through 1957 swim teams. With teammates and fellow Williston Academy (Massachusetts) graduates Edward F. Fitzsimons and Theodore D. Kurrus, he helped rewrite nearly all Kenyon and Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) swim records. For four years, Kenyon teams won every conference meet, including the OAC Championships, beginning a streak that lasted decades.
"Few swimmers have had greater love and devotion for the sport of swimming than Stan Krok," says their coach Thomas J. Edwards, who is also dean of students emeritus. "His enthusiasm and leadership played no small part in the team's successes. Stan helped to instill team pride and performance challenges that characterize Kenyon swimming."
Throughout his life, Stan continued to enjoy all water sports, including distance swimming, sailing, and fishing. His love of fishing was expressed through his award-winning wood sculptures of fish and seascapes.
Stan worked in sales and marketing for International Paper Company, Ohio Knife Company, and Smetco.
Survivors include his former wife, Judith C. Krok; two daughters, Elizabeth Krok Johnson '84 and Sara Krok Howe; and three grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Kenyon College, Office of Development, Gambier, Ohio 43022, or to Parkview Adventist Medical Center, 329 Maine Street, Brunswick, Maine 04011. Condolences may be sent to the family at 117 Middle Bay Road, Brunswick, Maine 04011.
Charles G. S. Williams '63 on September 15, 2005, of brain cancer. He was sixty-six and a resident of Mount Vernon, Ohio.
Charles graduated from Kenyon magna cum laude with highest honors in French. He was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity. Charles studied at Oxford University as a Fulbright Fellow and earned a master of philosophy and a Ph.D. from Yale University.
He taught at the Ohio State University for over thirty-six years and was chair and acting chair of the Department of French and Italian for six years. He retired in January 2005. Charles was recognized as one of the world's leading specialists in seventeenth-century French studies. He was the author of four books and numerous articles and papers relating to that period in French history. He was still working and had two books in progress when he was diagnosed with brain cancer in December 2004.
In 1992, the Charles Singer Williams Prize in French was established with a bequest from the estate of Charles's mother, Thelma Williams. The prize is awarded each year at the Honors Day Convocation to an outstanding student of French Language and Literature at the College.
Charles is survived by his father, Earl Williams.
Robert G. Beers II 1968 on April 17, 2005, after a more than twenty year battle with AIDS. He was fifty-eight and a resident of New York City.
Robert attended Kenyon for three years, withdrawing in the spring of 1967 for health reasons.
He moved to New York City and from 1969 to 1972 he was the editor of Crawdaddy magazine, for which he also wrote features and reviews. While at the magazine, Robert became a member of Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Company and from 1971 to 1976 he worked on all phases of the troupe's productions and appeared in four of them. While continuing to write and also to paint, Robert assisted on the rebuilding of several major pipe organs in New York, including those in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine and Saint Bartholomew's Church. In 1981, he joined the Department of Film at the Museum of Modern Art, where he worked for the next twenty years with the curators organizing exhibitions of national and international cinema.
Robert became legally blind in 2000 but continued to paint and had one-man exhibitions of his work at Cooper Union, New York, and the Gallery of the Maryland Institute College of Art in Aix-en-Provence, France. He also published a seven-part novel titled James in Love .
Robert was a passionate and discerning collector of Staffordshire china. He was devoted as well to his Scottish Fold cats, a breed that has ears that fold forward and down rather than standing upright.
There is no information regarding survivors.
Stephen D. Wrightington '70 on July 9, 2005, unexpectedly of a heart attack. He was fifty-seven and a resident of South Otselic, New York.
At Kenyon, Steve was a member of Alpha Delta Phi, serving as vice president in 1969.
A gifted and talented carpenter, Steve worked in the carpentry trade for many years. He maintained a small Christmas tree farm, was a tree surgeon and maker of maple syrup, and a stone mason. He enjoyed erecting a stone wall on his property as a hobby.
Steve was a sixteen-year member of the Chenango County Board of Supervisors and had served as the supervisor for the Town of Otselic. He was a member of the South Otselic Fire Department for over twenty years.
Survivors include his wife, Lucy Albury Wrightington;
two daughters, Christy and Kate Wrightington; one son, Evan Wrightington; a grandson, Gavin Wrightington; a brother, John Wrightington; and two nephews, Seth and Clem Wrightington '98 . Memorial contributions may be made to the South Otselic Fire Department, South Otselic, New York 13155.
Bonnie Barton Irwin '74 on November 9, 2005, after a four-month battle with cancer. She was fifty-three and a resident of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
At Kenyon, Bonnie was a psychology major and earned induction into Phi Beta Kappa honorary fraternity. She continued her studies in the area of family counseling and had a commitment to helping families and youth.
Bonnie enjoyed working with children and taught Suzuki piano for many years before entering the field of education in 1990.
Bonnie served as dean of students, director of admissions, and interim head of school at Olney Friends School in Barnesville, Ohio. When her husband, Phil, joined the development staff at Kenyon in 1994 as director of planned giving, Bonnie also joined the Kenyon staff, working in the financial aid office and with first-year students in the academic advising office. In 1997, she became the director of admissions at the White Mountain School in Bethlehem, New Hampshire. For the past five years, she had been associate director of admissions at the Westtown School in Westtown, Pennsylvania.
Bonnie particularly enjoyed working with international students and was committed to learning about other cultures and increasing diversity at the school.
Survivors, in addition to her husband W. Philip Irwin '74 , include two sons, Ryan and Aren Irwin; her mother, Peggy Lewis Barton; and her brother, Robert Barton. Memorial contributions may be made to Westtown School, Westtown Road, Westtown, Pennsylvania 19395.
Anne Munroe Shapiro '76 on October 20, 2005, of melanoma. She was fifty-one and a resident of Oxford, Georgia.
Anne initially pursued a career in art administration. She worked at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Whitney Museum in New York City, and at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Following her marriage, and a move to Georgia, Anne decided to investigate a long-held interest in becoming a veterinarian. She enrolled in an undergraduate course in chemistry at Oxford College. Finding success in the sciences, she completed the undergraduate requirements and was accepted at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. She received her degree in 1994 and embarked on a career in veterinary medicine.
Anne is survived by her husband, William Shapiro; a daughter, Leah Munroe Shapiro; a son, Jacob L. Shapiro; her mother, Mary Norris Munroe; a sister, Katherine Munroe Daly; three nieces, Laura, Elizabeth, and Julia Daly; and one nephew, Patrick Daly. Memorial contributions may be made to a scholarship for non-traditional veterinary students established in Anne's memory. Mail to the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Development Office, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602.
James E. Trares '81 on June 9, 2005, of MELAS Disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. He was forty-six and a resident of Ellington, Connecticut.
At Kenyon, Jim was a member of Christian Fellowship, Judicial Board, and Alpha Lambda Omega fraternity.
At the time of his death, he was employed by Hamilton Standard Division of United Technologies Incorporated as a contracts administrator. He was an emergency medical technologist for the South Windsor Ambulance Corps.
His is survived by his wife, Donna Cumpston Trares; one daughter, Tracie Trares Smith; a sister, Janet Trares; a brother, David Trares; his stepmother, Lee Trares; and several nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 2680, North Canton, Ohio 44720.
Deceased alumni for whom we have no additional information Charles F. Vent '31 on November 23, 1993. He was eighty-seven and a resident of Perrysburg, Ohio.
Richard R. Chandler 1949 on May 26, 2005. He was seventy-eight and a resident of New York City.
Robert M. Eisenberg '56 on March 26, 2001. He was sixty-seven and a resident of Leon, Florida.
William W. Wissman '65 in the fall of 1998. He was a resident of Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is survived by his wife, Suzanne, and two sons, William and Michael Wissman.
Katherine Staley Trull 1987 on August 3, 1997. She was thirty-two and a resident of Mexico, Missouri.
Trustees
W. Bruce Thomas P'80 , emeritus trustee, on June 5, 2005. He was seventy-eight and a resident of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, and Belleaire, Florida.
During World War II, Bruce served in the U.S. Air Force.
A magna cum laude graduate of Western Michigan University, Bruce earned his law degree with distinction at the University of Michigan and gained admission to the Michigan bar in 1952.
Bruce joined the USX Corporation (originally U.S. Steel Corporation) in 1952 as a tax attorney. Over the years, he worked for various subsidiaries and divisions of the company in locations from Duluth, Minnesota, to New York City to Venezuela. In 1970, he was appointed vice president and treasurer and in 1982 he was named vice chairman and chief financial officer, and director. He retired from USX in 1991.
In addition to his service on Kenyon's board of trustees, Bruce was a director of Chemical Banking Corporation and Quantum Chemical Corporation, and he served on the board of directors of Duquesne University and Allegheny General Hospital.
Bruce is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Phyllis Smith Thomas; a son, Robert W. Thomas '80 ; two grandchildren, William and Kristina Thomas; and two sisters, June Strong and Alice Vivian.
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