In Memoriam
William A. Hopple III '24 on December 4, 2004. He was one hundred and two and was the oldest living alumnus of the College.
At Kenyon, Bill was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
He joined the Stearns and Foster Company in 1926 in the purchasing department and rose through the ranks to become treasurer, executive vice president, and president and chairman of the board. He was elected a director of the company in 1937. He retired in 1972. Bill was also president and director of Dominion Wadding Company, Montreal, Canada, and a director of the National Cotton Batting Association.
Bill is survived by a son, Edwards R. Hopple; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Kenyon College, Office of Development, Gambier, Ohio 43022 or the Wyoming High School Foundation, 420 Springfield Pike, Wyoming, Ohio 45215.
Edwin M. Hiller '33 in 1999. He was eighty-eight and a resident of Detroit, Michigan.
Ed owned and operated a men's clothing store in Detroit.
He is survived by a daughter, Mary Cook; a son, David M. Hiller; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
William M. Beck 1935 on April 27, 2005. He was eighty-five and a resident of Akron, Ohio.
At Kenyon, Bill was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity.
He was the retired president of Akron Paint and Varnish Company.
There is no information regarding survivors.
Ralph W. Woestehoff '39 on May 6, 2003. He was eighty-seven and a resident of Key Biscayne, Florida.
Ralph was a veteran of World War II. He worked as an Internal Revenue Service agent until his retirement in 1980.
He is survived by his wife, Sarah Grace Loadman Woestehoff; a daugher, Diane Tauber; a son, Keith Woestehoff; four grandchildren, Michele Kingsbury, Rachael Tauber, and Skye and Sean Woestehoff; and three great-grandchildren, Kyle, Clay, and Gillian Kingsbury. Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army, 424 Third Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219; or Good Shepherd Christian Pre-School, 41D Maxwell Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15236.
James B. McPherson '41 on April 25, 2005. He was eighty-four and a resident of Greenwich, Connecticut.
At Kenyon, Jim was a member of Delta Tau Delta social fraternity and Phi Beta Kappa honorary fraternity. His graduate studies were interrupted by service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He completed his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Illinois in 1948.
Jim worked in research and development at American Cyanamid in Stamford and Danbury, Connecticut, as well as in Spain and China, for over thirty years. In retirement, he was a volunteer with the Retired Men's Association, the Red Barons at Greenwich Hospital, Community Answers, and the American Red Cross.
Survivors include his wife of fifty-three years, Joan McPherson; a daughter, Linnea Warren; a son, Kirk McPherson; and grandchildren Duncan and Alison McPherson.
William R. Cuthbert 1942 on December 20, 2004. He was eighty-five and a resident of Naples, Florida.
At Kenyon, Bill rode for the polo team and was a member of the flying club. He was president of the National Intercollegiate Flying Club, and his first job was delivering planes for the Aeornca Aircraft Company.
He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was assigned to the 30th Fighter Squadron at Howard Field in the Panama Canal Zone. He flew P-38s, naming his plane the Stray Lamb for his wife, Janet "Lamb" Lamberton Cuthbert.
After the war, Bill joined the Newell Manufacturing Company, of which his father, Lawrence, was a founder. He opened a new facility for the company in California but returned to work in the plant in his home town of Ogdensburg, New York, from 1949 to 1954. From 1954 until 1959, he was president of his own company, Dover Manufacturing, in Guilford, Connecticut.
In October 1959, Bill and his family traveled through Europe and settled in the town of Positano, Italy. He spent ten years there teaching himself to sculpt, cast in bronze, and master the lost wax process.
Bill was a director of the Newell Company (now NewellRubbermaid) from 1962 until 1995 and chairman of the board from 1976 until 1992.
Bill and Lamb were involved in the creation and administration of Shoreline Association for the Retarded and Handicapped and the Philadelphia Piano Quartet. They were contributors to the Institute on Man and Science, the East-West Institute, the Guilford Land Conservation Trust, and the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.
In addition to his wife, Bill is survived by two daughters, Cynthia E. and Elizabeth A. Cuthbert; two sons, William L. and Rodger M. Cuthbert; ten grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Betty-Jean Wood and Ellen Burt.
Henry K. Edgerton III '42 P'72 on November 27, 2004. He was eighty-four and a resident of Lake Barrington, Illinois.
At Kenyon, Henry was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity. A speech and drama major, he performed in many theatrical productions. Henry left Kenyon to join the Army Air Corps, serving in the China-India-Burma theater of operations. Following the war, he returned to Kenyon and received his degree in 1948.
After spending a number of years involved in his family farming business in northern and southern Wisconsin, he spent sixteen years as the executive secretary of the McHenry County Farm Bureau. He then went to work as an elections specialist with the Illinois State Board of Elections, retiring after a twenty-five-year career. He continued to be active in tree farming organizations in Wisconsin, where he actively managed his family tree farm.
Henry is survived by his wife of sixty-two years, Marjorie Elizabeth Reeder Edgerton; a daughter, Constance; a son, John H. Edgerton 1972; and two grandsons, Ian and N. Chase Edgerton.
Charles L. Burton 1944 in October, 1993. He was seventy-four and a resident of Denver, Colorado.
Charles was a graduate of the military language school conducted at Kenyon during World War II. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Denver after serving in the U.S. Air Force from 1943 to 1946.
He was an administrator in the Denver public schools for forty-two years until his retirement in 1986.
Survivors include his wife, June E. Burton; a son, Charles L. Burton Jr. '71; and three grandchildren.
Sanford H. Hudson 1944 on January 18, 2005, of Alzheimer's disease. He was eighty-three and a resident of Benson, Minnesota.
Sandy was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Kenyon. He left the College in 1943 and joined the Naval Air Corps, serving in the Pacific Theater until 1946.
After the war, he became a partner in Lee's Store, Inc. (later, Lee's Ben Franklin), eventually becoming president and manager of the firm. He served as a director of the Swift County Bank, where he had been employed from 1947 to 1950.
Sandy is survived by two daughters, Pamela Pearson and Susan Eide; a son, Lee Hudson; six grandchildren; two sisters, Janet M. Hudson and Margaret McLachlin; and a brother, Robert Hudson.
Reynold W. Semmler Jr. 1946 in 1992. He was sixty-nine and a resident of Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
At Kenyon, Rey was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity. He left the College in 1943 to serve in the U.S. Army.
He was the president of Semmler Investment Corporation.
Survivors include three daughters, Susan Semmler Bridges, Sally Semmler Gooch, and Robyn Semmler Taylor; and one son, Reynold W. Semmler III.
E. Bennett Wandel 1946 on March 11, 2005. He was eighty and a resident of Jackson, Michigan.
Ben was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity. He left Kenyon to join the U.S. Army and was discharged in 1946 as a captain.
He began his professional career at Kent-Moore Corporation, moved on to Murray Fuel and Supply, Gilbert Chocolate Company, Yard-Man, Inc., and finally City Bank and Trust Company, from which he retired as senior vice president in 1989.
He served as president of the American Cancer Society, president of the Land O'Lakes Boy Scout Council, board member of the Jackson Country Club, chairman of the United Way of Jackson County, president of the Ella Sharp Museum and its board of directors, and chairman of the annual Michigan 500 pro Celebrity Golf Tournament.
Ben is survived by his wife of fifty-eight years, Gene Wandel; two daughters, Genette Gillard and Benita Kruegar; a son, Edmund L. Wandel; six grandchildren, Kirk and Kate Gillard, Ben and Carter Krueger, and Justin and Jacob Wandel; a nephew, Reid Stinnett; and a niece, Gena Lloyd. Memorial contributions may be made to the Ella Sharp Museum, 3225 Fourth Street, Jackson, Michigan 49203 or to the Hand Bell Fund, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 309 South Jackson Street, Jackson, Michigan 49201.
Edmund T. Weiant 1946 on November 27, 2004. He was eighty and a resident of Davidson, North Carolina.
Ted left Kenyon after one year to enlist in the U.S. Navy. He was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity. He completed his undergraduate degree at Cornell University and earned a doctorate at the Universität Basel in Basel, Switzerland.
After the war, he worked for the Library of Congress as a research analyst and as program advisor to Radio Liberty. In 1959, he joined the faculty of Queens College, where he was chairman of the foreign language department and held the Z. Smith Reynolds Chair. In 1978, he joined the College of Charleston in South Carolina, where he taught Russian studies and German and served as chair of the foreign language department. In retirement, he played his cello "Petunia" in the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and with a chamber music group.
Ted is survived by his wife of fifty-eight years, Barbara; two daughters, Susan Weiant Horowitz and Rebecca Weiant Giles; and two sons, Christopher J. and Timothy A. Weiant; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild; a sister, Sally Synder; and a brother, Warren S. Weiant III.
Louis Kurahara 1947 on July 22, 2004, suddenly after a brief illness. He was eighty and a resident of Spokane, Washington.
Louis was just beginning college at the University of Washington in Seattle when the United States entered World War II and his entire family was evacuated and interned. They were allowed to bring with them only what they could carry, and his parents were forced to sell the small family business. Through the student relocation council, a Quaker organization, Louis was accepted to Kenyon one year after evacuation.
After completing his premedical work at Kenyon in just seventeen months, he went to work in a steel warehouse while applying to medical school. In 1945, he entered the medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, earning his degree in 1949. He interned at New York's City Hospital on Welfare Island (now Roosevelt Island) before being drafted into the U.S. Army. He transferred to the U.S. Navy and served on troop ships during the Korean War. After his discharge, he became senior surgical resident at the veterans hospital in Dayton, Ohio. In 1956, he moved to Spokane, Washington, where he continued to serve in the Navy Reserve, and he spent the rest of his career as a staff surgeon at the veterans hosptial in Spokane until his retirement in 1987.
Louis is survived by his wife, Dorothy Bushyhead Kurahara; one daughter, Tami Sisk; one granddaughter, Hanae Sisk; one sister, Shizuka Okazaki; one brother, Ted Kurahara; two nieces; three nephews; five great-nieces; two great-nephews; and one great-great nephew. Memorial contributions may be made to the Japanese American Citizens League, National Headquarters, 1765 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California 94115, or the Religious Society of Friends General Conference, 1216 Arch Street, #2B, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107.
William R. Torgerson '47 in August 2001. He was seventy-six and a resident of Wayland, Massachusetts.
At Kenyon, Bill was a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. He left to serve in the U.S. Navy from April 1944 until 1946. He returned to Kenyon to complete his premedical studies in February 1947. He earned his medical degree at the University of Michigan Medical School.
Bill spent his career as an orthopaedic surgeon at the Lahey Clinic Foundation in Boston, Massachusetts.
He is survived by his wife, Jeanne, and two sons, Robert and Mark Torgerson.
Robert W. Grabowsky 1948 on May 27, 2005. He was seventy-eight and a resident of Canton, Ohio.
A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, Bob was a platoon leader at the U.S. Naval Training Center at Great Lakes, Illinois. He later transferred to Corpus Christi, Texas, to train as one of the first radar technicians. After serving in the Navy, Bob attended Kenyon for two years and then transferred to Purdue University, where he earned a degree in engineering.
Bob returned to Canton and joined his father at Standard Plumbing and Heating Company. During his fifty-three years as the head of the company, it grew to be one of the largest mechanical contractors in the Canton area. He worked on major projects, including the installation of air conditioning in Canton City Hall and the Belden Village Mall. He was honored as engineer of the year in 1988 by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers of Northeast Ohio. He was past president of the Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Contractors Association of Stark County as well as mayor and president of the homeowners association of Hills and Dales Village.
He was an avid golfer and over the years succeeded in scoring six holes in one.
Bob is survived by his wife of fifty-three years, Marilyn Steiner Grabowsky; two daughters, Linda Wein and Ann Grabowsky; three sons, David, Thomas, and Mark; and ten grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Robert and Marilyn Grabowsky Charitable Trust, Stark Community Foundation, 220 Market Avenue, South Canton, Ohio 44702.
Forrest Clifton "Tiger" Eley '49 on March 1, 2005. He was eighty and a resident of Howard, Ohio, since 2002.
A graduate of Gambier High School, Cliff started classes at Kenyon in the fall of 1942. On December 1, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served with Battery C, 880th Field Artillery Battalion of the 69th Infantry Division. He was a sergeant in an artillery forward observer party as the division fought through Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany and was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery, skill, and initiative. Following the war, he returned to Kenyon to complete his degree in history. He was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity.
After graduation, Cliff joined George A. Hormel and Company of Austin, Minnesota, and worked in sales in Louisville, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia. In 1966, he joined Bogen Heating and Air Conditioning in Columbus, Ohio, where he worked until his retirement in 1990.
Cliff is survived by his wife of fifty-six years, Katherine Murphy Eley; two daughters, Carolyn Eley-Durbin and Amy Fiamingo; two sons, David and Daniel Eley; and eight grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Howard Volunteer Fire Department, 12383 Cotton Street, Howard, Ohio 43028.
Russell A. Firestone Jr. 1949 on December 29, 2003. He was seventy-seven and a resident of Dallas, Texas.
Russell attended Kenyon for three semesters in 1946-47 and was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He graduated from Southern Methodist University and also earned a degree at Case Western Reserve University.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley; a daughter, Leigh Firestone; four sons, Douglas, Andrew, Mark, and Russell III; a brother, Morgan Firestone; and a step-son, James M. Sharp III.
Peter A. Navarre '49 P'73 on January 4, 2005. He was eighty and a resident of Monroe, Michigan.
Peter attended Michigan State University before World War II. After service in the Army Air Corps, he enrolled at Kenyon.
A native of Monroe and a farmer, Peter grew corn, wheat, and soybeans and raised cattle while always maintaining an interest in improving farming practices. In 1956, he joined the sales division of the John Deere Plow Company in Lansing. A year later, he was assigned to the firm's international division and transferred to Havana as territory manager for the Caribbean. He was living in Cuba at the time of the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and wrote vivid accounts to his family of the experience. In 1960, he was transferred to Mannheim, Germany. In 1962, he returned to the U.S. and opened a John Deere dealership in Maybee, Michigan. He later served as sales manager for John Deere of Mexico and lived for fourteen years in Monterrey and Mexico City. He retired in 1981 and returned to the family farm in Monroe.
Peter is survived by his wife, Motzie Myers Navarre; one daughter, Nannette Navarre; two sons, Christopher A. and G. Randolph Navarre '73; six grandchildren; two sisters, Jean Brown and Sheila Enos; and one brother, Roderic Navarre. Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Episcopal Church, 304 South Monroe Street, Monroe, Michigan 48161, or Mercy Memorial Hospice of Monroe, 725 North Monroe Street, Monroe, Michigan 48162.
D. Gray Slawson Jr. '49 on February 9, 2005. He was seventy-seven and a resident of Kentwood, Michigan.
At Kenyon, Gray was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, French Club, Kenyon Singers, and Nu Pi Kappa.
During the Korean War, Gray served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.
Gray worked for Evans Products Company and Orr Industries as a general manager before establishing himself as a manufacturers representative.
Survivors include two daughters, Virginia Rabideau and Mary Gray Slawson; two sons, David C. and James C. Slawson; ten grandchildren; one sister, Frances Farrar; and one brother, W. David Slawson. Memorial contributions may be made to one's local humane society or to the charity of one's choice.
Jerry Fink '50 on May 2, 2005. He was seventy-nine and a resident of North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.
Jerry served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and also in Europe with the occupation forces after the war. He continued to serve in the Air Force Reserve, attaining the rank of major before retiring in 1968.
Following military service, he enrolled at Kenyon, where he was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity, the riding and polo club, and the flying club. He went on to earn a law degree from the Harvard Law School in 1953.
From 1955 to 1957, he served as a civilian attorney in the Secretary of the Air Force, general counsel's office, in Washington, D.C. From 1957 to 1973, he lived in Taiwan and served as assistant secretary and deputy legal counsel for a complex of companies headed by Air American, a Central Intelligence Agency corporation that provided aircraft to fly maintenance and supply support services in the Far East and Southeast Asia in support of the intelligence mission in those areas. He returned to the United States as an employee of the Agency for International Development, where he was legal advisor for the International Narcotics Control Program, and as legal advisor to the Office of Contract Management and the Office of Housing Loan Guarantees for lesser developed countries. In his next post, from 1980 to 1981, he served as legal advisor to the Sinai Support Mission, and from 1981 until his retirement in 1984 he was deputy general counsel for the Multinational Force and Observers, an international organization, and the American, Egyptian, and Israeli-sponsored peacekeeping operation in the Sinai at its headquarters in Rome, Italy.
Jerry is survived by his wife, Flordeliza Yadao Fink; two daughters, Pamela Senffner and Annamarie Fink; one brother, David Fink; a niece, Gretchen Fink; a nephew, Michael Fink; and many grandnieces and grandnephews.
Father Harold Luxon '53 on November 29, 2004. He was seventy-eight and a resident of Torrington, Wyoming.
Harold attended Kent State University and received his degree in theology from Bexley Hall at Kenyon. He served for two years in the U.S. Army before moving to Wyoming in 1951. He was ordained an Episcopal priest at St. Michael's Mission in Ethete, Wyoming, in 1953.
Shortly after moving to Wyoming, William Thunder Sr. and his son William Jr. adopted Harold as a brother and a member of their family.
In addition to his duties as a priest, Harold taught in the Wind River Reservation's mission school. In 1967, he took a leave of absence from the priesthood to teach public school. He went to Lysite, where he was the only teacher at the Lysite Rural School. In 1971 he began teaching at the Lander Valley High School.
In 1967, Harold affiliated with the Old Catholic Church and served as a priest at St. John's in Lander and the Church of the Morning Star in Ethete.
Survivors include three sons, Donald and Brady Luxon and Lanny Cole Jr.; two sisters, Clara and Verna Thunder; five brothers, Dick Thunder, Martin Yellowhair, Bernard Sleeper, Ken Metzler, and Ben Gonzales; seven nieces; two nephews; two granddaughters; and two grandsons.
Robert T. Bornkessel '54 on April 23, 2005. He was seventy-two and a resident of Syracuse, New York.
At Kenyon, Bob was a member of Delta Phi fraternity, the International Relations Club, and the Glee Club. After graduating, he served two years in the U.S. Army, one of them in South Korea.
Bob began his insurance career in 1958 and moved to Syracuse in 1961. In 1963, he joined Marsh and McLennan, where he was named assistant vice president in 1969, vice president in 1974, and senior vice president in 1987. He received the company's Sales Leadership Award in 1997. He was active in the Independent Insurance Agents of Central New York, including terms as president and director; the association named him Insurance Person of the Year in 1990.
Bob is survived by his sons, Paul and Scott Bornkessel; one granddaughter; and one sister, Betty. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul's Cathedral, 401 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, New York 13202, or the Samaritan Center, 310 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, New York 13202.
C. Richard Miller '54 on May 12, 2005. He was seventy-four and a resident of Moraga, California.
Dick was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity at Kenyon. After graduation, he remained active with the alumni association and last year attended the fiftieth reunion of his class.
Following graduation, Dick joined the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant and served during the Korean War. He was a member of the 39th Tac Recon Squadron. He served many years in the Air Force Reserves and retired in 1975 with the rank of major.
Dick settled in California and pursued a career in commercial real estate that spanned more than forty years. He worked for various companies, including Coldwell Banker, E.S. Merriman and Sons, Norris Beggs and Simpson, King Parker Jr., Tully and Company, and Town and Country Properties. Most recently, he was semi-retired, providing property management and leasing services to a few select clients.
Survivors include his wife, Marty Bailey Miller; one daughter, Patricia Miller; three sons, John, Stuart, and Robert Bailey; and ten grandchildren.
Francis S. Mell 1958 on May 27, 2005. He was sixty-nine and a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Skip was on the swim team at Kenyon and was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
Skip joined the Fairlawn Supply and Concrete Company in Akron, Ohio, and was made president in 1975. Thereafter, he was a representative for CDL Training Company in Cleveland, Ohio. He served on the board of the Akron General Medical Center.
Survivors include two daughters, Margaret C. and Katherine E. Mell; a son, Francis S. Mell Jr.; six grandchildren; and one brother, Donald C. Mell Jr.
David L. Weld '61 on June 5, 2005, of cancer. He was sixty-six and a resident of Pound Ridge, New York.
A biology major at Kenyon, David pursued postgraduate work at New York University.
David taught science at the Rippowan-Cisqua School in Bedford, New York, and the Allen Stevenson School in New York City for several years. He joined the Nature Conservancy, Lower Hudson Chapter, in 1978 as a field director. He left the Conservancy in 1984 to try his hand at real estate sales and development. At the time of his death, David was the executive director of the American Lyme Disease Foundation.
Survivors include his wife, Sherley; two daughters, Ashley Weld Taylor and Amanda Weld; four sons, David L. Jr., Christopher P., William, and Peter; five grandchildren; one sister, Anne Collins; and two brothers, Francis and William F. Weld.
Brian E. Pattison '62 on February 4, 2005, of a heart attack. He was sixty-four and a resident of Hanover, New Hampshire.
At Kenyon, Brian was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He went on to earn an M.B.A. from Cornell University in 1964.
Brian started his career as a certified public accountant with Arthur Andersen in New York City. In 1970, he relocated to Hanover and joined the firm of Smith, Batchelder, and Rugg. After three years, he left to become the financial manager for a client, Vermont Log Buildings of Harland. He later formed a partnership with Tod Schweizer, the manager of Vermont Log Buildings, and they bought the company. Their partnership, Traditional Management, now controls the nationwide Real Log Homes and Timberpeg, Inc., both well-known manufacturers of quality homes.
During the 1980s, Brian served on the Dresden and Hanover school boards, retiring as chairman. He was a director of the Dartmouth National Bank and served as a trustee of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center from 1986 until 1992.
Brian is survived by his wife of forty years, Anne Warren Pattison; three daughters, Jennifer Gilvar, Melissa MacQueen, and Margo Pattison; a foster daughter, Georgia Komons; a son, Keith Pattison; seven grandchildren; a sister, Audrey Hois; and three nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, New Hampshire 03756; St. James Burkehaven, 179 Burkehaven Hill Road, Sunapee, New Hampshire 03782; or St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 9 West Wheelock Street, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755-1710.
John A. Gable '65 on February 18, 2005, of cancer. He was sixty-two and a resident of Glen Cove, New York.
At Kenyon, John was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity. A history major, he went on to earn a Ph.D. in history from Brown University.
John had a life-long interest in Theodore Roosevelt and in 1974 became executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, a position he held at the time of his death. (The summer 2004 Bulletin included a profile of Gable.) He held teaching positions at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, Briarcliff College, Brown University, and, since 1989, New College at Hofstra University.
John was considered to be the world's leading authority on the life of Theodore Roosevelt. His book, The Bull Moose Years: Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Party, is considered a classic in Roosevelt literature.
Survivors include his mother, Mary Jane Gable; a sister, Bonnie Jean Gable; and two nieces. Memorial contributions may be made to the Theodore Roosevelt Association, P.O. Box 719, Oyster Bay, New York.
James C. Hazlett Jr. '66 on February 22, 2005. He was sixty-one and a resident of Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.
At Kenyon, Jim was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, the Kenyon Singers, the Kenyon Klan, and the swim team. A biology major, he went on to earn a master of science degree and doctorate from Ohio State University.
At the time of his death, Jim was the assistant dean for basic science curriculum and a professor in the anatomy and cell biology department at Wayne State University. He was honored posthumously at the graduation of the Class of 2005 from the School of Medicine with the Distinguished Service Award, the highest award given by the university and school of medicine.
Jim was much loved by his students, and in tributes to him they remembered him as a "remarkable and valuable teacher and friend," one who did not compromise the standards and values he shared with his students and lived by.
An avid fly fisherman, Jim was remembered by his fishing buddies as "that man in the back of the boat, ever willing to take on the responsibility, never complaining about the work, and always graciously giving his friends the bow."
Jim is survived by his wife of thirty-five years, Linda Dondero Hazlett; one son, James C. Hazlett III; one grandson, James C. Hazlett IV; two granddaughters, Emily and Kate Hazlett; and two sisters, Anne Foreman and Rose Hazlett. Memorial contributions may be made to Wayne State University School of Medicine, James C. Hazlett Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Terri Larrew, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, 540 East Canfield Street, 8374 Scott Hall, Detroit, Michigan 48201.
Thomas Donahue '74 on March 5, 2005, of complications from diabetes. He was fifty-two and a resident of Tallmadge, Ohio.
Tom was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity and the Martial Arts Club. He went on to earn a master's degree and a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Alabama, Birmingham.
At the time of his death, Tom was cofounder and laboratory director of Omega Laboratories. Prior to founding Omega, he had over twenty-five years of experience in clinical and forensic toxicology, including fifteen years performing hair and urine testing. He was the author or co-author of several publications about drug testing and metabolism and testified as an expert witness in over one hundred criminal and civil cases involving the analysis and interpretation of toxicology results.
Tom is survived by his wife, Sarah B. Donahue, and his mother, Alice Donahue. Memorial contributions may be made to the Tallmadge Alliance Church, 1155 East Avenue, Tallmadge, Ohio 44278.
Jana I. Joseph '02 on January 13, 2005, as the result of an automobile accident. She was twenty-four and a resident of Houston, Texas.
Jana was a Distinguished Academic Scholar at Kenyon and graduated cum laude with a major in psychology. She was a member of the service organization Circle K, the Academic Affairs Committee, and the yearbook staff. She was also a resident advisor. She went on to earn a master's degree in clinical psychology from Texas A & M University and dedicated her thesis to her family, whom she called her "strength and inspiration."
At the time of her death, she was enrolled in a doctoral program and intending to expand on the research on intimacy and emotion in couples and styles of attachment that she began in her master's work. In addition to her classwork, Jana led groups at a federal prison for women, teaching strategies for managing stress and emotions and helping women to overcome years of abuse. She taught introductory psychology to a large class of over two hundred students and was much admired for her understanding, enthusiasm, and narrative style.
Jana loved to read and travel and was admired by her colleagues for her intellectual fervor.
Survivors include her parents, Jane and George Joseph; one sister, Alison Joseph Haralson; one niece, Bethany Joseph; two nephews, Nathan Joseph and Grant Haralson; her grandmother, Marcella Joseph; three aunts, Lois Navid, Sharon Knight, and Karen Mullins; and an uncle, Richard Brunner. Memorial contributions may be made to Emerson Unitarian Church, 1900 Bering Drive, Houston, Texas 77057.
Clarissa C. Frey 2003 on September 13, 2004, of a rare brain disease. She was twenty-three and a resident of Highland Park, Illinois. Honoring her wishes, her brain was donated to the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center of McLean Hospital.
Clarissa performed in dance concerts and was on the merit list. Her illness forced her to withdraw from the College after the first semester of the 2001-02 academic year.
Clarissa's friend and classmate, Mary Kay Tuomanen wrote, "Clarissa looked out on the world and transformed it. She used her unparalleled imagination to write poetry and plays, cover dorm doors with elaborate murals, and split Shakespeare's text wide open and navigate the labyrinth of Middlemarch. On stage, she was luminous. Off stage, she was fascinating. She loved silk scarves and Maria Callas. She loved her friends, who adored her fiercely. While most of us wait all our lives to become something, Clarissa Frey was always, always herself."
Survivors include her parents, Bertram Frey and Carolyne Atkinson; and two brothers, Chris and Nate Frey.
Akilah A. Amapindi '04 on August 7, 2005. She was twenty-three and had been working as a radio reporter in Namibia, Africa, where she apparently contracted malaria and a parasitic infection. At the time of her death, she was attending the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists in Atlanta, Georgia.
Born in Jamaica, Akilah moved to New York City when she was about ten years old. She was a graduate of the St. Andrews School in Middletown, Delaware. At Kenyon, where she majored in sociology, Akilah was one of the founders of Zeta Alpha Pi, the service sorority. She was also involved in the Black Student Union and was a reporter for the Collegian.
Akilah's faculty advisor, Associate Professor of Sociology Marla Kohlman, remembers her as being strikingly determined. "Once she put her mind to something," Kohlman says, "it was as good as accomplished." Associate Professor of Sociology Jan Thomas recalls her "wonderful presence" in class. "She was so excited about the opportunity to do journalism and learn about Namibia," her father's homeland and a country to which he had returned.
Following graduation, Akilah worked as an intern at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, where she had several opportunities to anchor the network's evening news bulletin. She went on to serve as a photographer's assistant on a film project about Sam Nujoma, Namibia's first president.
She is survived by her mother, Unnah Harper; her father, John Amapindi; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Contributions to help Akilah's family cover medical bills may be sent to: National Association of Black Journalists, Akilah Amapindi Student Memorial Fund, 8701-A Adelphi Road, Adelphi, Maryland 20783. For information about Kenyon-based efforts, contact Zeta Alpha Pi, care of Kim Brown '07, brownkj@kenyon.edu.
Other deaths
Former Director of Development Robert E. Cowen on June 4, 2005, of cancer. He was seventy-four and a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee.
A graduate of Princeton University, Bob played varsity football for four years. After graduation, he worked as an educator and coach at the St. John's School in Houston, Texas, and the John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was also the first director of development. He pursued a career in development in higher education, working at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, Princeton University, Colorado College, and Kenyon. He retired in 1989 as the president of Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, Vermont.
Bob is survived by his wife of fifty-four years, Beverly Hunt; two daughters, Robin Greeley and Susan Coleman; two sons, David and Daniel Cowen; and ten grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Robert E. Cowen '52 Memorial Fund, Princeton University, P.O. Box 5357, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-5357.
Igor Iskhakov on July 10, 2005, of drowning. He was thirty-two and a resident of Columbus, Ohio.
A world-class ballroom dancer and Kenyon College Ballroom Dance Club coach, Igor drowned at the Alum Creek Reservoir in Delaware, Ohio.
Iskhakov and his wife, Svetlana, immigrated to the United States from Russia about twelve years ago. Together they founded and directed the Columbus DanceCentre, which has two locations in Ohio, one in Gahanna and one in Powell. Igor completed a Ph.D. in mathematics at the Ohio State University as the culmination of his study and research in the Department of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University in Russia. He and Svetlana coached the Kenyon dance team for five years.
In addition to coaching and operating their studios, the Iskhakovs competed in ballroom dancing around the world. In 2003, they were ranked number three nationally in a category requiring them to perform ten Latin and standard dance forms.
Carolyn A. Orsborn on July 1, 2005. She was seventy-two and a resident of Mount Vernon.
Carolyn was known to generations of Kenyon students as "Carolyn the Clicker Lady." She worked for Aramark, the food service company, and one of her jobs was to count the students as they came through the serving line. She loved the students and treated them as though they were her own children.
Carolyn is survived by her husband, Byron Orsborn; one daughter, Connie Barrett; one son, Ronald Orsborn; four grandchildren, Eric Williams, Heidi Parrish, Jennifer Orsborn, and Benjamin Orsborn; one great-grandchild, Bailey Williams; and one brother, I. Carrol Hubbell. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Knox County, 302 East High Street, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050.
Kenyon emeritus trustee W. Bruce Thomas P'80 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 various 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, 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 on the board of directors of Duquesne University and Allegheny General Hospital.
He 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. A memorial service will be held at the Sewickley United Methodist Church on a date and at a time to be announced later.
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