Obituaries
H. Harrison Greer '27 on March 16, 2003. He was ninety-seven and a resident of Osprey, Florida. At Kenyon, Harry was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity and was active in student government, serving as class president in his sophomore year and class treasurer in his senior year. He was an avid sportsman and earned four varsity letters in basketball, four in track and field, and three in football. In 1999, he was inducted into the Kenyon Athletic Association Hall of Fame.Harry's family has more than one hundred years of association with Kenyon. His father, Robert M. Greer, was a graduate of Kenyon in the Class of 1887.
Harry had a long career as a sales and marketing executive and retired as president of K-V Pharmaceutical Company. He served on the boards of the Venice (Florida) Hospital and the Guaranty Bank and Trust.
Survivors include his wife, Maxine LeFever Greer; two sons, Henry H. and Stephen M. Greer; four grandchildren, including Jon M. Greer '90; and five great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 513 Nassau Street, Venice, Florida 34285.
Charles W. DeWitt 1928 on April 26, 2003. He was ninety-seven and a resident of Delray Beach, Florida.
Chuck was a member of Middle Kenyon Society during the one year that he attended the College.
In 1925, Chuck took a position with the J. G. McCrory Company in Cleveland, Ohio. He then moved to Racine, Wisconsin, where he joined the Whitman Publishing Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Printing and Lithographing Company and, at the time, the largest publisher of children's books in the country. He served as vice president, president, and chairman of the board and was also on the board of Western Publishing. He retired in 1968. In retirement, he served on many boards and committees, including the United Fund, the Theater Guild, the art museum, and the South Eastern Savings and Loan Company.
Charles is survived by a daughter, Barbara Jean DeWitt; two sons, Charles E. DeWitt '51 and Richard W. DeWitt; three grandchildren, Stephen C. and Robert E. DeWitt and Marion Cook; and nine great-grandchildren.
Charles K. Morgan '30 on May 18, 2003. He was ninety-five and a resident of Hudson, Ohio.
After graduating from Kenyon with majors in English and history, Charlie worked for three years for the Sherwin-Williams Company before joining the family business, Morgan Hardware Company. His interest in paint inspired him to develop that aspect of the business.
During World War II, Charlie served in the U.S. Navy for two years as a lieutenant in the Supply Corps in the South Pacific.
Upon his return from war, he continued to work for Morgan Hardware and was named president in 1959. He went on to head Morgan Decorating, which specialized in interior design, and expanded the business to a chain of four stores.
Charlie was an enthusiastic sailor and enjoyed singing. At the time of his fiftieth Kenyon reunion, he commented, "My sailing friends, like my College friends, were all singers and conversationalists, types now seemingly in eclipse."
In retirement, Charlie lived for twelve years in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where he pursued a second career in real estate sales and indulged his love of singing with the Hilton Head Barbershoppers.
He is survived by his wife, Jean; a daughter, Anne Hyde; and two grandsons, Jeffrey and Stephen Hyde. Memorial contributions may be made to the Laurel Lake Foundation for Alzheimer's Care, 200 Laurel Lake Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236, or to the First Congregational Church of Hudson, 47 Aurora Street, Hudson, Ohio 44236.
Jacob A. Renz '32 on April 16, 2003. He was ninety-four and a resident of Lima, Ohio.
Graduating from Kenyon with a philosophy major, Jacob worked in the bakery business, selling, delivering, and managing products. He then went to General Mills fermentation school, which was his work for the next several years. In 1945, he went into the camera and photo finishing business and retired in 1972 as owner and operator of Acme Photo Supply.
Survivors include his wife, Ruth Whitmore Renz; three daughters, Julie Hagen, Catherine Haney, and Christine Wagner; four grandchildren, John Wagner, the Rev. James Wagner, Gretchen Firchau, and Erik Hagen; and six great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Zion Lutheran Church, 101 East Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45805; the Shriners Hospital for Children, Aladdin Temple, 3850 Stelzer Road, Columbus, Ohio 43219; or Lima Convalescent Home Foundation, 1650 Allentown Road, Lima, Ohio 45805.
Robert M. Welker '36 on April 4, 2003, of a heart attack. He was eighty-eight and a resident of Phoenix, Arizona.
At Kenyon, Bob was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was stationed at Pearl Harbor during its rebuilding after the bombing in 1941.
A master carpenter, Bob was a building contractor for many years. For about twenty years, he supervised master tradesmen as they trained apprentices. When poor health forced him to change jobs, he worked as a sales manager for Superior Equipment Company, retiring at the age of seventy.
He is survived by his wife, Auvia M. Welker; six grandchildren; and twelve great-grandchildren.
T. Edgar Terry Jr. '39 in 1999. He was eighty-two and a resident of Alexandria, Ohio.
Edgar was a magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Kenyon and a member of Phi Kappa Sigma social fraternity.
He was retired as an accountant for Union Oil Company. In retirement, he prepared tax returns for local farmers and raised turkeys as a hobby for a number of years.
Survivors include a daughter, Marilyn Terry-Beattic; two sons, Thomas S. and Philip E. Terry; and four grandchildren.
Robert E. Daniels '43 on May 21, 2003, after a two-month illness. He was eighty-one and a resident of Tallmadge, Ohio.
Robert served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a meteorologist during World War II and later was a member of the Air Force Reserves, retiring as a major.
Following the war, he earned a master of education degree from Ohio State University. He then pursued a long teaching and administrative career in the Ashland County school system, retiring in 1977 as an elementary-school principal at Crestline Schools.
In the 1960s, he was involved in the founding of Mohican School of the Out-of-Doors, and later in retirement he served as its treasurer. He also served several years as director of the Ashland County Council on Aging.
Robert maintained his farm south of Loudonville as his home and lived in Cuyahoga Falls and Tallmadge before entering the Brethren Care Village.
He is survived by his wife, Ruth Pore Daniels; a daughter, Sue Meyer; a son, Ted E. Daniels; four grandchildren, Katie and Zachary Meyer and Carl and Kelly Daniels; two brothers, Richard and John Daniels; and one sister, Barbara Dunn. Memorial contributions may be made to the Loudonville-Perrysville Schools Endowment Fund, c/o Pat Mowery, 210 East Main Street, Loudonville, Ohio 44842.
William F. McMurry '43 on September 21, 2002. He was eighty and a resident of Solana Beach, California.
At Kenyon, Bill was president of his fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon, as well as president of Student Council and captain of the tennis team. In 1939, he was the national interscholastic tennis champion in doubles and in 1942 the Ohio intercollegiate champion in both singles and doubles. He was a member of Ryebucks social club and Kenyon Klan athletic club.
After graduating from Kenyon with honors in economics, Bill served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific theater.
Bill pursued a career in the insurance and financial planning industry, earning both CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter) and CFP (Certified Financial Planner) designations. Considered a pioneer in financial planning, he was involved in the formative days of the International Association of Financial Planners and the College for Financial Planning. He served on the board of the college for seven years and was chairman of its board of regents in 1976-77. He retired as president of Financial Profiles Inc., a computerized financial planning company.
Survivors include his wife, Joyce, and a son, William F. McMurry Jr.
John A. Lewis 1945 on July 6, 2003. He was seventy-nine and a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana.
John attended Kenyon for one year. He served in the U.S. Navy as a Seabee in the 34th and 98th naval construction battalions in Hawaii and Tarawa during World War II.
Following the war, John earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English from Indiana University. He went on to teach English at Morton High School and Junior College in Cicero, Illinois, from 1951-58. He then spent two years leading a national literacy program under the Shah of Iran at the Near East Foundation in Tehran, Iran. Returning from Iran, he taught at North Central and Arsenal high schools until his retirement in 1985.
One of John's hobbies was researching his family history back to Edward Doty, a passenger on the Mayflower. John, whose father was Philander Chase Lewis, was a descendent of Bishop Philander Chase's second wife's family.
John is survived by his wife, Ruth Kyle Lewis; two daughters, Victoria Lewis Goehe and Veronica Matthews; two sons, Jeffery S. Gerencser and John A. Lewis Jr.; five grandchildren; and two brothers, David V. and Robert C. Lewis. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association of Indiana, 9410 Priority Way, West Drive, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240.
George P. Whitaker '45 on May 2, 2003. He was eighty and a resident of Triadelphia, West Virginia.
At Kenyon, George was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
George served during World War II as a tech sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Force, flying twenty-nine missions over Germany, and was decorated with the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Following graduation, he traveled in Europe and worked at the Sandvik Steel Works in Sweden. He returned to Wheeling, West Virginia, to join the practical engineer program at Wheeling Steel Corporation and served in many managerial positions before finally retiring as general manager of the Ohio Valley Division of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation after twenty-five years with the firm.
After retiring from Wheeling-Pittsburgh, he became president of the Wheeling Stamping Company in Warwood, West Virginia, and built the business to make it the third largest tube production company in the United States. When the company was sold, he retired to his farm, Old Trail Farm, in Triadelphia.
George is survived by his wife, Anita Malmstrom Whitaker; one daughter, Maria Louise Whitaker; one son, John M. Whitaker; one grandson, David Fisk Whitaker; two sisters, Jessie Whitaker McClure and Harriet Whitaker Kinder; and one brother, Louis S. Whitaker. Memorial contributions may be made to the Valley Hospice, 98B East Cove Avenue, Wheeling, West Virginia 26003.
David V. Hendrickson 1949 on February 6, 2003, of heat stroke. He was seventy-five and a resident of Round Rock, Texas.
Duke attended Kenyon for two years and was a member of Delta Phi fraternity. He was in the U.S. Army medical corps, stationed at Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
He spent his career in sales and retired as a district sales representative for the Edwin F. Guth Company.
Duke is survived by his wife, Leona Molt Hendrickson; a daughter, Linda Malone; three sons, Larry, Mark, and Jeffrey Kodarik; sixteen grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and a brother, Donald E. Hendrickson.
Marvin M. Mell II '49 on August 13, 2003. He was seventy-eight and a resident of Akron, Ohio.
At Kenyon, Marvin was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force in 1943 and was a member of the 498th B-29 Group, stationed on the island of Saipan, that bombed Japan for the first time.
He was an executive in the family business, Fairlawn Supply and Concrete and Fairlawn Garden store, from 1949, becoming chief executive officer from the late 1970s until the business closed in 1985. He then worked for RicWil Piping Sysems for two years. In 1988, he joined CEMEX as a masonry specialist and worked there until his retirement in 1995. He continued to work in retirement as a consultant.
Marvin is survived by his wife, Ellen Kotula Mell; a daughter, Ann Mell; two sons, Mike and John Mell; one stepson, Chris Washburne; and two brothers, Donald C. Mell Jr. and Francis "Skip" Mell. Memorial contributions may be made to the Mell Family Fund at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1361 West Market Street, Akron, Ohio 44313; Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, One Perkins Square, Akron, Ohio 44302; or the American Cancer Society, 1900 West Market Street, Akron, Ohio 44313.
Rev. Robert L Scheel '49 in April 2003. He was seventy-nine and a resident of New York City.
Bob entered Kenyon in 1946 after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was active in the Dramatic Club, Nu Pi Kappa, Acolytes, the Music Committee, and the Common's Club. He was a charter member of the Archons.
He attended General Theological Seminary. There is no information about his career.
There are no survivors.
Douglas M. Thomas 1950 on June 20, 2003, of a heart attack. He was seventy-eight and a resident of McKinleyville, California.
Doug entered Kenyon after World War II service in the Merchant Marine. He was a member of the Iota Chapter of Psi Upsilon fraternity. He left Kenyon in 1948 and entered Pomona College, where he earned a degree in English literature.
He took a summer job with Prescolit, Inc., which led to an interest in the commercial lighting business and eventually to a position as general manager of Columbia Lighting, a subsidiary of Sylvania Corporation. He later became regional vice president with GTE, residing in Barrington, Rhode Island. Doug retired in 1990 and moved to McKinleyville.
Survivors include three daughers, Cynthia Thomas Miller, Marianne Thomas, and Kristen Thomas; three sons, Stephen, Gregory, and James Thomas; four grandchildren; and a brother, Theodore K. Thomas '49. Memorial contributions may be made to the Iota Association of Psi Upsilon fraternity, P.O. Box 30753, Bethesda, Maryland 20824.
Richard E. Warren '50 on May 15, 2003, after a brief illness. He was seventy-five and a resident of Canton, Ohio.
At Kenyon, Dick was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity. His college career was interrupted by the war. After serving in the U.S. Army, he returned to Kenyon and graduated with a degree in history. He went on to earn a master's degree in education from Kent State University.
Dick pursued a career in teaching and education administration, serving as principal and superintendent of East Canton schools and principal of Hartville Elementary School. He also served for a time as the executive director of the Northeast Branch of the Canton YMCA.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia; a daughter, Barbara Warren; three sons, William, David, and Jeffrey Warren; and three grandchildren, Casey, Jerod, and Adam Warren. Memorial contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity, 320 Third Street, N.W., Canton, Ohio 44702.
John T. Dalie '52 on May 7, 2003. He was seventy-three and a resident of Denver, Colorado.
John graduated from Kenyon with a major in English. He earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Denver.
We have no information regarding John's career.
There are no survivors.
John L. Eberwine 1954 on December 8, 2002, of lung cancer. He was seventy and a resident of Toledo, Ohio.
John attended Kenyon for two and a half years and was a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. He completed a bachelor's degree in German at the University of Michigan.
He worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Germany and Washington, D.C.
John is survived by his wife, Janice Wortman Eberwine, and two daughters, Catherine Eberwine Miller '83 and Mary Eberwine Brandt.
Frederick R. Papsin '54 on March 16, 2003. He was seventy-two and a resident of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
At Kenyon, Fred was president of the student assembly, active in theater productions, and a member of the Kenyon Klan and Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He played football, basketball, and lacrosse. A biology major, he went on to earn a medical degree from the University of Toronto.
Fred did postgraduate training in obstetrics and gynecology in Toronto. After further subspecialty training in gynecologic oncology, he pioneered the introduction of colposcopy in Canada. He served as obstetrician and gynecologist-in-chief from 1971 to 1988 at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, where he was instrumental in introducing strong academic programs in maternal fetal medicine, reproductive biology, urogynecology, and human sexuality. He was a professor emeritus of the University of Toronto.
He is survived by his wife, Sandra Croll Papsin; three daughters, Laura Papsin, Martha Papsin Goldman, and Catherine Papsin Rabinovitch; a son, Blake Papsin; and seven grandchildren.
Edmund J. Sprankle Jr. '59 on June 27, 2003, of complications from pneumonia. He was sixty-six and a resident of Oakland, California.
Ed was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Kenyon.
At the time of his death, he was retired as a systems analyst for the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company.
Ed's long-time hobby was collecting piano rolls and automated musical instruments and making the music available through his audio company, Echoes.
Survivors include his wife, Joan McAfee Sprankle, and two daughters, Jennifer A. and Deborah J. Sprankle.
David S. Henry '60 on May 11, 2003, of cancer. He was sixty-five and a resident of Fredericktown, Ohio.
In addition to Kenyon, David attended the Western Reserve Technicians School.
He served four years with the U.S. Marine Corps as an electronics systems technician in Santa Ana, California, attaining the rank of corporal.
David's passion was radio engineering and technology. He served as chief engineer with WCLW and WMVO in Mount Vernon and later with WMAN and WYHT in Mansfield. Along with Henry Smith, he was responsible for putting WNZR, the voice of Mount Vernon Nazarene University, on the air.
Survivors include a daughter, Jennifer Green; a grandson, Kyle Green; his mother, Mary Struble Henry Stuckey; two sisters, Helen Lindley and Dixie Talbott; two brothers, Dennis and Douglas Henry; and his stepmother, Dottie Keaton. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Knox County, 302 East High Street, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050.
Rev. Frederick L. Eastham '65 in 2001. He was sixty-one and a resident of Sebring, Florida.
After Kenyon, Fred earned his bachelor's and master's of divinity degrees from Bexley Theological Seminary. He served in the U.S. Army, both active and in the reserves, retiring as a colonel.
At the time of his death, Fred was the Rector of St. Agnes Episcopal Church in Sebring.
Survivors include his wife, Florence Knight Eastham, two daughters, Sabrina Eastham Burmeister '79 and Brenda Eastham Justement; and one son, Frederick Knight Eastham.
Reed G. Henninger II '67 on January 8, 2003, of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He was fifty-seven and a resident of Oak Brook, Illinois.
At Kenyon, Reed was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity. After receiving his degree in history from Kenyon, Reed went on to earn a master's degree in history from DePaul University and a master's in business administration from Loyola University.
At the time of his death, he was the owner of Valley Medical Company.
Reed is survived by his wife Susan Kolinger-Henninger; a daughter, Lindsey L. Henninger; a son, Reed G. Henninger III; and four stepchildren, Lesley, Paul, Ryan, and Russell Kolinger.
Karl E. Herpolsheimer '69 on June 9, 2003. He was fifty-six and a resident of Holland, Michigan.
After graduation from Kenyon, Karl earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan.
At the time of his death, he was a real-estate sales agent with Grand Valley Realty in Grand Rapids.
There are no survivors.
Donald W. "Pond" Sharp Jr. '77 on April 21, 2003, of cardiac arrest. He was forty-eight and a resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Pond transferred to Kenyon from Francis Marion College in South Carolina. He was active in the Kenyon music scene and taught classes for the Gambier Experimental College.
He majored in chemistry and pursued a career as a software engineer. At the time of his death, he had recently returned from working in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and was working as a software consultant.
Pond is survived by his wife, Diana Goldfarb '77, and two sons, David and Eli Sharp. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sharp-Goldfarb Scholarship Fund in care of the Cambridge Savings Bank, 53 White Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140.
Laurie Rea Hankins '78 on June 5, 2003, following a six-month illness. She was forty-seven and a resident of Fredericktown, Ohio.
A psychology major at Kenyon, Laurie was employed by the Mount Vernon Developmental Center as a mental-health administrator.
Surviving are her husband, Jerry Hankins; a daughter, Kaitlin Hankins; a son, Tyler Hankins; her mother, Lois Gedeon Rea; a sister, Carol Miller; two brothers, William and David Rea; and several nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Knox County, 302 East High Street, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050, or to Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43205.
Daniel L. "Chester" Petersen '78 on May 2, 2003, of complications from asthma. He was forty-six and a resident of Terryville, Connecticut.
Following graduation from Kenyon with a major in English, Dan served as a signalman in the U.S. Navy for four years. He went on to be a seaman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. He then pursued a career in journalism, working for the News-Times in Danbury, Connecticut, the Roswell Daily Record in Roswell, New Mexico, and the Republican-American in Waterbury, Connecticut. In 1990, he moved to Venezuela, where he worked as a reporter for an English-language daily newspaper and as an English teacher.
On his return to the United States in 1991, Dan worked for two years as editor of the Register-Citizen in Torrington, Connecticut, and as a freelance writer.
He was certified by the American Translators Association to translate French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish into English in areas such as business, law, government, investments, insurance, manufacturing, medicine, science, and agriculture. He also spoke German. At the time of his death, Dan was a freelance translator who had done work for such firms as Corporate Translations Inc. in Mansfield Center, Connecticut, and Access Language Experts in New York City.
His friend and classmate, John M. McIntosh III '78, who along with Paul W. Smart '78 served as a pallbearer, writes, "An avid world traveler, Chester had quite a knack for languages. It seemed that everywhere he went, he studied and learned how to speak the local tongue. Chester firmly believed that this was the only way to really understand the culture and he was very, very, good at it."
Dan is survived by his aunts, Nancy Seymore and Margaret Kelly, and their families; his father, Anton L. Petersen, a half-sister, Susan M. Johnson; and a half-brother, Anton Petersen.
Hugh Cameron Roelofs '79 on August 4, 2003, after a brief illness. He was forty-six and a lifelong resident of Gambier.
A graduate of Mount Vernon High School, Hugh began his college career at Johns Hopkins University but transferred to Kenyon after his freshman year. He graduated in 1979 with a synoptic major in English literature and art history.
Hugh went on to earn a master's degree from Teachers College of Columbia University in 1987. He then taught at Mount Vernon High School, where he was a popular instructor of advanced English classes, an advisor to the staff of the literary magazine, and member of numerous faculty-student committees. Hugh was named the high school's Teacher of the Year in 1993.
After resigning from his position at the high school in 1994, Hugh pursued other interests, including teaching English literature to the inmates of an Ohio prison. He later joined the Kenyon staff, working for five years as a library cataloger, primarily in art, classics, and literature.
Hugh was the son of Gerrit Hubbard Roelofs, a long-time member of the Kenyon faculty in the English department, and Janet Shriver Roelofs, for many years the College's director of grants and reports in the development office. Hugh is survived by his mother and a brother, Kemp Roelofs.
Memorial contributions may be made to Kenyon College, in care of the Office of Development, College Relations Center, Gambier, Ohio 43022-9623.
Other deaths
Ian Crump on September 22, 2003, in a three-car accident in central Kentucky. He was forty-five and a resident of Danville, Kentucky.
Ian was a member of the English faculty at Eastern Kentucky University, teaching on the university's campuses in Richmond and Danville. Born in Oxford, England, he grew up in Gambier, graduated from Oberlin College, and went on to graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley. He taught at Shimer College before joining the Eastern Kentucky faculty.
Ian is survived by his parents, Kenyon Professor Emeritus of English Galbraith Crump and Joan Crump; his wife, Helen Emmitt, an associate professor of English at Centre College; a son, Maxim; and four brothers, Andrew, Patrick, Timothy, and Nicholas Crump. A memorial fund has been established at Eastern Kentucky. Donations should be directed to Cindy Peck, Director, 1560 Hustonville Road, Eastern Kentucky University Campus, Danville Manor Shopping Center, Danville, Kentucky 40422. Gal and Joan Crump now live at 1861 Winston Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903.
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