Vital statistics

Obituaries from the Spring 2009 issue of Bates Magazine

1930

Dorothy Hanson Allison, July 18, 2008

Dorothy Hanson and Ernest Allison ’32 waited out the Depression before marrying in 1936. She taught English in those years, first at North Yarmouth Academy and then at Traip Academy, where she was chair of the department. She and her husband, a professor of English, divided their time in retirement between Maine and Florida. A pianist and singer, she was a member of a number of choral groups, including an octet at the Universalist Church in Portland. She was a member of the Congregational Church in Venice, Fla. “She was the best thing that happened to me in my life,” said her husband to the Portland Press Herald. He survives her, as does son Robert, two grandchildren, and sisters Pauline Hanson Hansen ’36 and Jane Starling. In 2006, the Allisons established the Dorothy Hanson ’30 and Ernest ’32 Allison Fund at the College to assist students from Maine.

1934

Gilbert Crocker Adams, Aug. 28, 2008

Gilbert Adams liked nothing more than ice skating. He skated in the New England Inter-Club competitions and won gold medals well into retirement, hanging up his skates in 2001. His career was with Boston Edison, where he started as a copywriter in 1937 and retired as the assistant to the vice president of corporate relations in 1975. During World War II, he served on the USS Hinsdale, which saw action at Iwo Jima. Although his father’s death forced him to leave Bates in his first semester, he remained friends with a group that gathered annually for a mini-reunion. He also served as secretary/treasurer of the Boston Bates Club. His survivors include sons Gilbert C. Adams Jr. and George K. Adams; daughter Nancy V. Orozco; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. His wife, Virginia, predeceased him.

Josephine Hill Schreckengaust, Sept. 11, 2008

Jo Schreckengaust managed to combine her two great interests — bridge and traveling — by competing in tournaments throughout the country. She earned her life master ranking in 2004, and her travels took her throughout Europe and Japan. She was in Hungary when the Berlin Wall fell and witnessed the ecstatic celebrations there. She worked as the bookkeeper for her husband’s family business, the Penn Harris Candy Co., in Harrisburg, Pa. Her husband, Richard, died in 1978. She credited her Bates education — and the scholarship that made it possible — with lifting her out of poverty. A Latin major, she participated in many sports while at the College. Survivors include children Sondra Perry, Stephen Schreckengaust, and Robert Schreckengaust; sister Ione Pope; seven grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

Lester Miller, Aug. 29, 2008

Dr. Lester Miller entered the service after earning his degree in dentistry from Tufts. He served for 31 months in the Dental Corps and attained the rank of captain. He returned to his hometown of Auburn, where he established a successful dental practice. He retired in 1980. He served as a library trustee and was a member of the Kora Temple and both local synagogues. He also was active in local, state, and national dental associations. Among his survivors are wife Marianne; daughter Evelyn Miller; and three grandchildren. He is also survived by cousin Herbert A. Miller ’38 and nephew Stephen P. Schaffer ’64. Another daughter, Elaine Miller, predeceased him, as did his brother, Harold Miller ’30.

1935

Maxine Curtis Sprague, June 22, 2008

“Mac” Curtis Sprague taught high school history and social studies in Maine, most notably at Edward Little in Auburn. During and after World War II, she worked in the office of the federal probation system in Portland. She was a member of the Women’s Literary Union and was a docent at Victoria Mansion in Portland. Her husband, Quentin Sprague, died in 1978. Among her survivors are children Alice Elizabeth, Sally Merry, and Michael C. Sprague; brother Myrle Curtis; 10 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Another daughter, Nancy Sprague, predeceased her.

Mildred Agnes McCarthy, Oct. 15, 2008

“When I think back on my career,” said Mildred McCarthy, “it was really Bates that gave me my start.” With a degree in English from the College, she went on to earn a master’s in social work from Boston College in 1940, and a diploma in the program of advanced studies in social work from Smith in 1952. Her career in social work included jobs throughout southern New England, and she was the director of social services at Faulkner Hospital in Boston and the mental health coordinator for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Her interest in sports, which included playing hockey and soccer at Bates, continued throughout her life. She also was keenly interested in Japan, and traveled there several times. Her survivors include a number of nieces and nephews. Her brother was Thomas McCarthy ’32, and her aunt and uncle were Katherine Lynch Merrill ’24 and Kenson D. Merrill ’25.

1936

Ellen Bailey Fryling, Aug. 1, 2008

From age 12, Ellen Bailey Fryling played organ at churches near her home in Scituate, Mass., retiring when she turned 72. She was also known throughout Boston’s South Shore as the best accompanist around. She also played first cello in the Hingham Civic Orchestra and in string quartets. She led Messiah sings, directed Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, and gave private lessons on all of her instruments. Her other great passion was boating; she and her husband, Owen, cruised the New England coast, and she sailed the waters off Scituate in an 8-foot tender until a year before her death. Her degree from the College was in sociology and economics, and she also studied at the New England Conservatory. At Bates, she was part of most musical groups and was the tennis coach. Survivors include children Peter Fryling and Sara Keefe; sister Madeleine Von Iderstein; seven grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren. Her husband predeceased her.

Herman Dvorin, July 25, 2008

In 1954, Herman Dvorin was one of six people who started a poker club. It has met weekly since then, with him as its last founding member. He clearly was a man who stuck to things. He founded Corbin Motor Sales in 1950 and ran the business until 1988, when he sold it. A chemistry major at the College, he also played football. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, rising to the rank of captain. Survivors include his second wife, Evelyn Dvorin; sons Richard Dvorin, Michael Dvorin, and Lawrence Dvorin; six grandchildren; and sister Shirley Isaacson Simons. His first wife, Adele Dvorin, predeceased him.

Gladys Gillings Waddington, Oct. 21, 2008

A French major, Gladys Gillings Waddington taught English in Sanford for many years, and was just as proud of her career as a church organist at the North Parish Congregational Church in Sanford and the Sanford United Methodist Church. Her musical interests extended to membership in the Nevin Music Group and the Searchlight Club. Her husband, Jack Waddington, passed away a few years ago. Survivors include children Wayne Waddington, David Waddington, and Sylvia Morrill; eight grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and sister Phyllis Mitchell. One of her cousins is Bruce Harrison ’67.

1937

Elliott Orman Foster, Sept. 15, 2008

Elliott Foster earned a Bates history degree and a law degree from Duke. He remained a fan of Duke sports throughout his life. In 1940, he started work as a claims adjuster for Massachusetts Protective Assn. and, except for service in the Army during World War II, continued there until 1969. He then joined Paul Revere Insurance, remaining there until retirement. He and his wife, Elsie, moved from Worcester to Gilmanton Iron Works, N.H., where he built stone walls and gardened. His wife died in 2006. Among his survivors are children Elliott O. Foster III and Constance Wood and three grandchildren. His brother is James E. Foster ’38.

1938

Richard Beal Gould, Oct. 19, 2008

“He’s not reading from the book,” said one student about Dick Gould to the Bangor Daily News. “He knows it all.” It’s said that Richard Gould holds the record for the longest high school teaching career in Maine — 55 years, all in his hometown of Farmington. He stayed with teaching science because “more has happened in the last 50 years than in all the previous centuries.” He was named outstanding citizen by the town of Farmington in 1978 and outstanding alumnus by Farmington High School in 1985. He continued to ski until two years ago and performed an hour of exercise daily until a month before his death. In 2006, he was named to the Maine Ski Hall of Fame, and was recognized for his skill as a coach and visionary who supervised the construction of the first Nordic trails and the first ski jump at Titcomb Mountain. (The Nordic trail network there was named for him in 1998.) He was twice named coach of the year by the Maine Ski Council, and his high school teams won 15 girls state titles and 12 boys titles. His 1955 team placed second in the East and third in the New England championships. He also won state championships with his track team, and coached ice hockey and cross-country as well. In 1941, he took over the family’s vegetable canning business; during 1966, its last year of operation, the cannery packed 1.33 million cans of string beans in 31 days, and then immediately launched into packing 1.5 million cans of corn in 20 days. “I never left the plant when it was running,” he told the Farmington Chronicle in 1995. He married twice, first to Frances Lancaster, who died in 1958, and then to Mary Whitney, who died in 1977. Survivors include children Susanne Clark, Janice Maxham, Richard B. Gould Jr., Scott Gould, and Jay Gould; seven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and his friend, Katherine Mills. A cousin is John F. Stone ’47. Two uncles, Frank G. Stone ’19 and Stephen P. Gould ’19, and an aunt, Alice Lawry Gould ’17, predeceased him.

1939

Helen Cary Nocke, July 31, 2008

Helen Cary Nocke’s life was focused on issues concerning peace, justice, and women’s rights. As a social worker, she held positions working with children in seven states. She served for many years on the board of the Women’s Peace and Freedom Movement, focusing on the unionization of women and women’s rights. A Quaker, she was active with the American Friends Service Committee in Denver. Her 1957 degree in social work from Wayne State Univ. built on her bachelor’s in sociology and economics from Bates. She also took classes at Boston Univ. and Washington Univ. in St. Louis. She also served two years in the Peace Corps in Turkey. The great-granddaughter, granddaughter, and daughter of Christian missionaries in Japan, she spent the first 12 years of her life there, leaving to further her education in the U.S. (Her great-grandfather was one of the first missionaries in Japan.) She and her first husband, William May, also a social worker, were foster parents to several children. Following their divorce in 1954, she married Carl Nocke in 1967; he predeceased her. Among her survivors is her son from her first marriage, Daniel May; two grandchildren; and a sister, Mary Alice Shepard. Olive Emerson Barrett ’53 is her niece; two nephews are Ralph T. Day ’65 and Steven D. Barrett ’81.

Isabel Simpson Hall, May 3, 2008

“If one must grow old,” wrote Issy Simpson Hall in a Reunion yearbook, “then I guess to live in Florida with an R.V. loaded and ready to go 12 months of the year is the way to age with the least pain.” She lived for many years in West Palm Beach, Fla., where she was an accredited flower show judge and a skilled gardener. She also was active in PTA, Kiwanis Auxiliary, and church — “typical ‘unliberated’ female!” she called herself. She helped her first husband, F. Williamson Kessler, open his architectural office in West Palm Beach; he died in 1964. Her second husband, Richard S. Hall, also predeceased her. Survivors include children Dexter W. Kessler, Mary Kessler Leber, Gayle Hall, and Lynda Hall Thompson; nine grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Priscilla Simpson Boyan ’42, and her husband, Norman Boyan ’43. A daughter, Carol Ann Palazzolo, predeceased her, as did two infant grandchildren.

Jane Warren Freeman, July 2, 2008

Jane Warren Freeman left Bates midway through her sophomore year to marry H. Gale Freeman ’36 on Valentine’s Day 1937. She returned to college and earned a degree in education from Northern Illinois Univ. in 1958 and a master’s in education from the same university in 1969 (“all with straight A’s,” she pointed out). She taught elementary school in Rock Falls, Ill., where she had a multi-level classroom. After earning her master’s, she became the school system’s reading director, and received an award from the International Reading Assn. for outstanding contributions to reading. She and her husband retired in 1979 to Florida, where she taught classes in bridge and exercise until just a few weeks before her death. She volunteered with the Center for the Visually Impaired in Daytona Beach. Her husband predeceased her in 2000. Survivors include children Robert and Richard; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

1940

Patricia Atwater Pipe, Sept. 24, 2008

Patricia Atwater taught physical education at Fryeburg Academy before marrying Charles Richard Pipe. For the next 15 years, she devoted herself to raising their two children, and was active in the PTA and Cub Scouts. She returned to teaching in 1957 at the Charles A. Snow School in Fryeburg, retiring 20 years later. At the College, she was vice president of her class and was on the board of the Outing Club, serving as director of mountain trips during her senior year. Her husband died in 1999. In addition to her children, Carleton and Constance, her survivors include a grandchild. Her late sister, Jean Atwater, was in the Class of 1941.

Robert Leon Plaisted, July 28, 2008

Bob Plaisted taught for two years in Kennebunk before joining the Navy and becoming a “90-day wonder.” He served in both the North Atlantic and the Pacific fleets. After discharge in 1945, he remained an active member of the Midshipmen Alumni Organization. He returned to Portland, where he earned an LL.B. from the Portland branch of the Univ. of Maine. He then became the executive director for the chamber of commerce in Caribou, and moved to similar positions in Salem and Greenfield, Mass. But by 1961, he was ready to return to his first love, teaching. He accepted a position in Turners Falls, Mass., where he remained until he retired in 1983. A history major at Bates, he never lost interest in the subject and volunteered as a tour guide at Historic Deerfield. He complemented his working life with an active involvement in Greenfield, where he lived for 56 years. He was at various times a town meeting member, an elected member of the Greenfield Redevelopment Authority, the veteran’s representative to the Soldiers’ Memorial, and director of the Montague Night School. He was also active in the life of his church, All Souls Unitarian. He also enjoyed ice dancing with his wife, Pauline. They were among the first visitors to China after it was opened to the West. He enjoyed hiking and other outdoor adventures, and owned and operated the Old Wells Family Campground for many years. His wife died in 1988. Survivors include children Sarah Johnson, Becky Shattuck, Stephen Plaisted, and Amin Plaisted; eight grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; brother William Plaisted ’45; and his longtime companion, Trudy Ralph.

1942

James Eugene Ayers, Aug. 22, 2008

Eugene Ayers took part in life in Falmouth, Maine, in many ways: as a library trustee; coach of Little League and leader of the Boy Scouts; member of the planning board, charter review commission, and the assessment review board; and as a teacher, usher, deacon, and trustee at Falmouth Congregational Church. At the College, he played varsity football and was the business manager of The Mirror. With a degree in history, he joined the Army and served near the Philippines during World War II. After the war, he worked for Employers Liability Assurance Corp. in Gloucester, Mass., and then for an insurance agency in his hometown of Newburyport, Mass. In 1957, he and his family moved to Maine, where he worked for the Insurance Company of North America (now part of CIGNA) until he retired in 1986. He then helped found a biweekly newspaper, The Falmouth Forecaster, now a weekly publishing five regional editions. He also helped people complete their tax forms through AARP, and administered the Armed Forces Entrance Exam. Survivors include wife Nancy Osgood Ayers; children Susan E. Carter, Peter Ayers, Stephen Ayers, and Edmund Ayers ’72; and two grandchildren.

Richard Lyle Blanchard, Sept. 3, 2008

Even before receiving his chemistry degree, Dick Blanchard was a working chemist. He worked in the research lab at the Bates Mill until 1956, when he took a position with Brown Co. in Berlin, N.H. Four years later, after that company was bought out, he and his family returned to Maine, where he worked in the research and development lab of the Oxford Press Co. in Rumford and then, as head chemist beginning in 1973, of the newly formed Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority, a position he held until his retirement in 1984. A hunter and fisherman, he said one of his favorite memories was of teaching his son, Gary Blanchard ’81, about duck hunting. Gary survives him, as does his wife, Shirley Raymond Blanchard ’45, and two grandchildren. Several deceased cousins attended Bates, including Leroy Williams 1901, Stanley Williams ’40, and Phillip Blanchard ’43.

Barbara Fish Briggs, Oct. 7, 2008

At Bates, Barbara Fish Briggs was active in the Women’s Athletic Assn., the dance club, and the Heelers. She was a cheerleader and spoke at Ivy Day. Following graduation with a degree in English, she was a driver for the Red Cross during World War II. She married Roy Briggs ’40, and following the war they returned to her hometown of Fairfield, Conn., where he was an educator. After their two daughters were in school, she managed her father’s accounting agency for 20 years. She remained very active — swimming, bowling, and tennis — noting in her 50th Reunion yearbook that she was “almost” as active and healthy as the day of graduation. She also volunteered at her church, First Church Congregational, Fairfield. Her husband predeceased her. Survivors include daughters Judith B. Perkins and Martha J. Briggs; three grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and a sister-in-law, Mira Briggs Dow ’35. Martha Briggs Haskell ’30 and Julia Briggs Whitten ’32 were also her sisters-in-law; Walker W. Briggs Jr. ’40 was her brother-in-law.

Elizabeth Moore Thompson, Aug. 15, 2008

When Betty Moore married classmate Julian Thompson in the Chapel two months after graduation, the union brought together two Bates families. She was the daughter of Director of Athletics Ernest “Monte” Moore ’15 and Ruth Frost Moore ’18, while her husband was the son of Bates track coach Clinton Ray Thompson ’13. Their four-year courtship, says their daughter, took place “under the interested scrutiny of the entire faculty.” In fact, Betty’s entire social life was closely watched: Professor Buschmann once gave her a B in German because he believed she socialized too much to possibly study enough to earn an A. Betty earned her WAA numerals her first year, her sweater as a junior, and served as its president her senior year. While her husband served overseas during World War II, she was a physical education teacher at Lewiston High School. She earned a master’s in library science from Syracuse Univ. in 1968 and became director of the Ilion (N.Y.) Public Library, retiring in 1984. There she initiated many new programs and oversaw construction of an extension which doubled the library in size. An accomplished pianist, genealogist, and seamstress, she traveled extensively with classmate Martha Blaisdell Mabee after Julian’s death in 1982. Survivors include children Stephen Thompson, Elizabeth Thompson ’69, and Jay Thompson; and two grandchildren. Step-sister-in-law Karen E. Thompson ’54 and brother-in-law John A. James ’42 also survive her. She was also predeceased by sister Barbara Moore James ’44, step-mother-in-law Dagmar Carlson Thompson ’28, brothers-in-law C. Hasty Thompson ’40 and Richard W. Thompson ’41, and sister-in-law Katherine DeLong Thompson ’41. Her grandfather, Joshua M. Frost, received an honorary degree from Bates in 1914.

Elizabeth Stafford Sturcke, July 2, 2008

“Homemaking was long and career short,” wrote Libby Stafford Sturcke in her 50th Reunion yearbook. She was a French major and enjoyed working on the Buffoon. With her first husband, Charles M. Chance, she raised two children and worked for a time as a school secretary in Ithaca, N.Y. Her husband later became a professor of dairy science at the Univ. of Maryland, and until the early 1980s they lived in College Park, where she owned a yarn shop. Her husband passed away in 1983. She married Robert E. Sturcke in 1984, and moved to Hendersonville, N.C. He died in 2006. It was at Bates that her lifelong passion for bridge and other card games was kindled. A Massachusetts native, she said that Martha’s Vineyard “called her home” every summer. Among her survivors are her children, Anne Chance Dubois and Tom Chance; a grandchild; and a great-grandchild born just hours after she died.

John Joseph Malone, July 14, 2008

John J. “Bud” Malone Jr. played football at Bates following a standout career in high school. After Navy service in the Pacific during World War II, he worked as a claims adjuster for American Mutual Insurance in Massachusetts. He retired from the company as manager of its New England division. Survivors include wife Aline; children John J. Malone III and Judith A. Malone; and five grandchildren.

Elise Woods Eddlem, Oct. 5, 2008

Elise Woods Eddlem once lamented that her class came in with the New England Hurricane of 1938 and left with the beginning of World War II. Her Bates experience, she said, gave her insights into the capriciousness of the world. An English major and a debater, she taught English, French, and biology in several Maine high schools after graduation, and then returned to her hometown, Groton, Mass., where she was an office worker. She married Frederic W. Eddlem in 1952, and moved around the country with him until he retired from the Navy in 1957. They returned to Groton, where he built a career in teaching and school administration while she threw herself into community life. She was secretary of the Groton Women’s Club and the Groton Republican Town Committee, and president of the American Legion Auxiliary. She was also secretary/treasurer of the Springfield (Mass.) Bates Club in the 1950s. In 1974, they retired to Cape Cod and became active in ecology issues. Her husband died in 1996. Survivors include nephew Frederic William Eddlem.

1943

Robert B. Brendze, Aug. 6, 2008

Robert Brendze served in the Navy during World War II and again during the Korean War. He enlisted following graduation and was trained as a pilot. After his plane was shot down in the Pacific, he became an aide to Adm. Richmond Turner, who was poised to attack Japan if the atomic bombs had not forced its surrender. He was drafted for the Korean War, having finished his medical training at the Southwestern Medical College at the Univ. of Texas and at the Graduate School of Medicine at the Univ. of Pennsylvania. He served as an orthopedic surgeon to the Third Division of the Marine Corps. He established his orthopedic practice in the Boston area, pioneering anterior interbody cervical spine fusion at Massachusetts General Hospital. He was on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, held staff appointments at a number of area hospitals, and was a member of professional organizations. Survivors include his wife, Toby; two daughters, Suzanne Brendze and Elizabeth Brendze; and three grandchildren.

1944

Amy MacCombie Askey, July 21, 2008

Amy MacCombie Askey left Bates after three years to join the Civil Service at Camp Edwards (Mass.) during World War II. In 1956, she and her husband, Robert Askey, moved to Erie, Pa., where he sold Mack trucks. In 1973, they bought the distributorship and added Mercedes trucks to their inventory. Following his death in 1985, she continued to run the company well into her 70s with the assistance of two of her children. “They do all the work,” she said. “I concentrate on financial statements.” A Mayflower descendant, she was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Survivors include children Peter Askey, Judith Askey, and Marilyn Beebe; a grandson; two great-grandchildren; her sister, Mary Fietsam; and her dear friend, Bernard C. Dombrowski.

Evelyn Marsden Hill, Sept. 15, 2008

Evelyn Marsden Hill’s first job after Bates was as a cryptographer in World War II-era Washington. Following the war, she joined the Red Cross and was stationed in Italy, where she met and married Edward Faulkner, in 1947. A year later, their son was born, and seven months after that, they were divorced. She then began her long career as a social worker. She was a district supervisor for the forerunner of Maine’s Department of Human Services before moving in 1959 to Michigan, where she earned a M.S.W. from the Univ. of Michigan and then worked for a number of agencies and hospitals in upstate New York. In 1972, she married Edwin Hill. In addition to her clinical and hospital work, she maintained a private practice concentrating on marriage and family therapy. She was the faculty supervisor for the Adelphi Univ. School of Social Work. She especially enjoyed serving as the liaison between the school and its students working as interns at area agencies. “It keeps me in touch with the professional community, young and enthusiastic students, and current developments in social work education,” she wrote to the College. She also was president of the Mid-Hudson Chapter of the N.Y. Society of Clinical Social Work Psychotherapists. In retirement, she took a course in clowning and visited nursing homes and pediatric wards in her alter ego. She was active in the Unitarian Church in Schenectady, the Capital District Humanist Society, and at least three book clubs. Survivors include son Jeffrey Faulkner and stepchildren David Hill and Susan Hill Polovetz; and four grandchildren. Her second husband died in 1992.

1945

June Chatto Hathaway, Aug. 16, 2008

June Chatto Hathaway inherited her teaching credentials: Her uncle was Clarence I. Chatto 1912, an educator, author, and proponent of the Springfield Plan, adopted by the schools in Springfield, Mass., to help children grow without prejudice. She taught Latin and English in schools in New York and Maine, most significantly in Boothbay Harbor. The first three schools in which she taught all closed, she told Harold Clifford in Boothbay Harbor before he hired her. (He was not only the superintendent there but a member of the Bates Class of 1916.) He hired her and her husband, Vaughan Hathaway ’45, anyway, and they taught there until they retired. In addition to her degree in Latin from the College, she held a master’s in education from UMaine–Orono. She was named Maine Classicist of the Year by the Classical Assn. of Maine in 1984. In Boothbay Harbor, she was a member of the Methodist Church, a library trustee for 35 years, active in Eastern Star, a Girl Scout troop leader, president of the YMCA Coastal Club, and co-director of the Boothbay Region YMCA day camp with her husband for nine years. Survivors include sons Douglas Hathaway and Arthur Hathaway; their families, including three grandchildren; and a brother, Kenneth A. Chatto. She is also survived by David Calvo, who lived with her family as an AFS student from Spain during 1970–71; a nephew, R. William Turner Jr. ’64; and a niece, Evelyn Hathaway Horton ’65. Her husband passed away in 2003. His brother was Edward W. Hathaway ’38.

1946

Emma Duffett Thompson, Aug. 13, 2008

Emma Duffett Thompson was so moved by the empty spaces in Chapel, created as young men left Bates to join the service during World War II, that she left Bates after one year to go into nursing. She received an R.N. from Children’s Hospital in Boston and a bachelor’s degree in public health nursing from the Univ. of Michigan. She worked as a rural public health nurse in Ypsilanti, Mich., before moving to Murfreesboro, Tenn., where she served as a senior public health nurse. She also volunteered with several organizations, including the Girl Scouts, Young Farmers and Homemakers, and the Bethel Home Demonstration Club, where she served a term as president. She received the Rutherford County Humanitarian Award for her volunteer work. She is survived by husband Aubrey Thompson; children Leslie Thompson Sauer, David Thompson, and James Thompson; and two grandchildren. Other survivors include brother John R. Duffett ’52; a cousin and his wife, Irving S. Fisher ’41 and Virginia Stockman Fisher ’44. Her parents were Lester Duffett ’18 and Esther Fisher Duffett ’21.

1947

Joyce Lovett Wildes, Sept. 13, 2008

Joyce Lovett Wildes left Bates after one year to work as a control clerk at Portsmouth Naval Base. She also worked briefly in the North Hampton (N.H.) schools and for the Hampton Publishing Co. before she joined Wilson P. Dennett CPA as a tax preparer and municipal auditor, remaining there until retirement. Survivors include children Cynthia Phillips-Stoodley and C. Stanton Wildes; six grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and a step-granddaughter.

1949

Carolyn Hobbs Holgerson, Nov. 17, 2008

Her first job after graduating with a degree in sociology was buying and editing rhymes for a greeting card company, but Carolyn Hobbs Holgerson went to work for Travelers Insurance Co. in Hartford after she married Bernie Holgerson ’51. They remained in the Hartford area and used it as their base for extensive travels. In 1971, she received an M.S. in elementary education from Central Conn. State Univ., and taught special education for 20 years in the Wethersfield (Conn.) schools. She was a member of Church of Christ, Congregational, in Newington, where she taught Sunday school and was a past president of the College Club of Hartford and past officer of the Junior Women’s Club. A member of the College Key, she served on Reunion gift committees and was secretary of the Hartford Bates Club. She was also a skilled seamstress and knitter, and volunteered at a gift shop at a retirement home. Her husband died in 2006. Survivors include children Connie Held, Laurie Lachant, Debbie Anthony, and Carrie Lombardi; 11 grandchildren; and brother Raymond W. Hobbs ’47 and sister-in-law Nancy Clough Hobbs ’47. Her niece is Cynthia Hobbs ’81. Her parents were Blanche Wright 1918 and Walden Hobbs 1918, and her late brother was the Rev. Dr. William F. Hobbs ’54.

Bertram Roland Paley, Sept. 14, 2008

When Bert Paley liquidated his clothing business to purchase an abandoned mill building in Lawrence, Mass., he thought he was buying his future. He didn’t realize until some time later that he had also purchased a part of his past. The mill was the one his mother, a Russian immigrant, had worked in after coming to the U.S. in the 1920s. Her leap of faith in immigrating was echoed in his leap of faith in abandoning a successful career in menswear to form Historic Mill Properties in 1981. His vision was to convert abandoned mills into office suites and factory space for a wide range of businesses — a novel idea at the time — believing that old buildings should be cherished and rehabilitated, inside and out. His company, now run by his daughter, owns mill buildings in Lawrence and Dorchester Lower Mills, Mass. “His legacy will be a lasting one,” Thomas Schiavone, economic director for the city of Lawrence, told The Eagle-Tribune. He and his wife, Marjorie, were very active in a number of Jewish organizations and philanthropic groups; they were recognized last year by The Rashi School in Boston as “innovators, builders, and mentors in the local and national Jewish community and Israel.” He was the chairman of Combined Jewish Philanthropy’s Russian Resettlement Program, president of the Jewish Vocational Service, board member of the Jewish Community Council, a Fellow of Brandeis Univ., and chairman and national commissioner of the Anti-Defamation League. He worked only four days a week, reserving the fifth weekday to take classes at Brandeis with his wife. At Bates, he won the Hilton Nelson Award and the Sophomore Prize Debate. He sang with several campus groups, and was president of Hillel his senior year. His degree was in economics. His wife survives him, as do children Michael Paley, Richard Paley, and Marianne Paley Nadel; and 11 grandchildren. A daughter, Nancy, predeceased him.

Helen Rankin Fisher, Aug. 1, 2008

In high school at Thornton Academy in Saco and also while teaching in Bangor, Helen Rankin Fisher was a volunteer ground observer for the Aircraft Warning Service during World War II. Her job: to identify and report any aircraft in her vicinity to the center, so that defensive aircraft could be scrambled if necessary. She always tried to be where she was most needed: When volunteering for the Red Cross, she slept with a police scanner next to her bed so she could learn about emergencies as they were happening and arrive on the scene as soon as possible. She married Morris L. Fisher in 1956, and they traveled extensively as he was stationed in various Army locations. Wherever they lived, she volunteered for the Red Cross, eventually becoming executive director of the York County (Maine) chapter. She felt it was her duty to give back. After her husband retired in 1974, they returned to Saco, and she immediately became involved in the life of the city, serving on the school committee and planning board, as secretary and vice president of the local council of churches, and as secretary of the Saco Conservation Commission. The Saco food pantry honored her for her work there shortly before her death. Her cum laude degree from Bates was in Latin. Survivors include her husband and their children, Penelope Tosatti, Diana Finlay, Liz Fischer, Rebecca Starr, Mary Lund, Morris L. Fisher Jr., and Samantha Waterhouse; 17 grandchildren; and a sister, Grace Pasquill. Her great-niece is Sarah Fried Clay ’96.

Verna Re Shrout, Aug. 6, 2008

In 1954, Verna Re Shrout moved to Alpine, N.Y., with her husband, Norman, to run a farm. She was known as a baker and gardener among her family and friends. Once her seven children were old enough, she became the cafeteria manager at Odessa-Montour (N.Y.) Central School, retiring in 1989 after 20 years. She was involved in youth sports, the Red Cross, the local mental health association, and her church. Over the years, she was named Sports Booster of the Year, Music Booster of the Year, and Woman of the Year (by the professional women’s club). Her husband predeceased her. Among her survivors are children Barbara Westervelt, Marilyn Bentrup, Alison Perry, Stephen Shrout, Joanne Specchio, William Shrout, and Norman Shrout Jr.; and a number of grandchildren.

Marian Schwartz Heidecorn, July 22, 2008

A history major, Marian Schwartz Heidecorn was active in debating, the politics club, and Hillel, and was a member of Future Teachers of America. She taught disabled children in their homes in Stamford, Conn., part of her lifelong advocacy for children. In the 1950s, she and her husband, Morris, moved to Edgemont, N.Y., where she assisted him in running his chain of retail stores. She later became a sales representative for Monet Jewelry. Her survivors include her husband; children Gail Kedrus, Debra Goldman, and David Heidecorn; and seven grandchildren.

1950

Ruth Martin Keans, Oct. 2, 2008

Ruth Martin Keans was a biology major who received a certificate in physical therapy from Simmons. Early in her career working with special-needs children and their families, she was a physical therapist at the Massachusetts Infantile Paralysis Clinic and then head physical therapist at the Portsmouth (N.H.) Rehabilitation Center. She continued this work at the Rochester Child Development Center, improving the clients’ quality of life. She volunteered for the Strafford County (N.H.) Hospice and served on the board of Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester, where she lived. She also was a consultant for the Rochester Visiting Nurses Assn. Her marriage to Frederick Roland Keans ’51 ended in divorce; he died in 1982. Survivors include children Bethany D. Keans, Stephany A. Keans, and F. Martin Keans; and four grandchildren. Her niece is Jean Y. Martin ’66. Her brothers were Richard G. Martin ’40 and Frederick J. Martin ’37. Her father was Frederick H. Martin 1910; his second wife was Isadore Harmon Martin 1910.

1952

Robert Ferdinand Blais, Sept. 18, 2008

Father Robert Blais overlapped his time at Bates with service in the Army National Guard. He first professed as a Dominican in 1962 and made the order of friars his solemn profession in 1965. Ordained a priest in 1968, he served as associate pastor of St. Louis Bertrand Church in Louisville, Ky., from 1984 until his death. He is survived by a nephew and several nieces.

1953

Alan Robert Greaves, Aug. 3, 2008

Alan Greaves left Bates after two years to attend the Massachusetts College of Optometry, from which he received both bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in optometry. He established his practice in New Bedford, Mass., in 1956, after serving as a Navy lieutenant for three years. He served on the school board in nearby Dartmouth and on the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational School Committee. He retired in 1996. Survivors include wife Joanne; children Bruce Greaves, Kenneth Greaves, and Peter Greaves; and eight grandchildren.

1955

Margaret Rowe Vaughan, Sept. 20, 2008

Peggy Rowe Vaughan left Bates after a year to go into nursing, studying at the Osteopathic School of Nursing in Philadelphia, then detouring to raise three children. She returned to work in 1974 and later was the field representative for the American Red Cross in Winter Haven, Fla. She retired as the regional director for the Central Florida chapter of the American Heart Assn. In retirement, she volunteered at PAWS and at the concession stand at the field where her grandchildren played school sports in Columbus, Ga. She attended classes at the Columbus State Univ. Adult Learning Program and performances at the local opera house and performing arts center. She was the church organist at the Anglican Church of Resurrection in Salem, Ala., which she helped found. Her husband, Charles Vaughan, preceded her in death. Survivors include children Charles Vaughan, Ellen Vaughan Gordon, and Susan Vaughan Toft; six grandchildren; and her sister, Jane Rowe Carlozzi. Her grandmother was Annie Perry Rowe 1900, and her parents were Stanley H. Rowe ’28 and Elizabeth Ridings Rowe ’28.

1957

Joan LaWall Wiemer, Oct. 12, 2008

Midway through her studies at Bates, Joan LaWall Wiemer transferred to the Univ. of Pennsylvania, from which she earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and marketing. She worked for several years at Murray Space Shoe Corp., rising to treasurer before she left to raise her children. She later worked for more than 20 years in the town finance department in Trumbull, Conn. She was active in the Nichols United Methodist Church. Survivors include husband H. William Wiemer; children Philip W. Wiemer and Carrie Wiemer Mangiameli; and four grandchildren.

Robert Paul Martin, Oct. 20, 2008

Bob Martin got a political endorsement of sorts after Bates beat Colby in 1956 to secure the Maine State Series football title. Among the 3,000 fans watching the game was then-Maine Gov. Edmund Muskie ’36, who praised Bob as “a terrific back” who could take his place with the best in Bates history. “He did so many things so well,” said his coach, Bob Hatch, years later. A Little All-America selection in ’56, Bob scored 15 touchdowns and added nine points after for a total of 99 points, tying for first place in scoring in New England. He also led Bates in punting (35.7 yards per punt) and rushing (761 yards), and completed seven passes. Co-captain of the ’56 team, he had 37 carries in the Bowdoin game, a longtime record that now ranks fifth all-time. He was the first football player at Bates to have his jersey number (34) retired and was elected to his high school’s hall of fame in Marblehead, Mass. He also played baseball for four years at Bates, was elected to the College Club, now the College Key, and graduated with a degree in history. He earned a master’s in education from Salem (Mass.) State College and taught history and English in East Windsor, Conn., before returning to Marblehead High School, where he taught and coached football and basketball. To his students, he was known as “Spinner” because of his initials: RPM. He filled his circa-1680 saltbox on Ring’s Island with 18th- and early 19th century antiques. He is survived by wife Sondra Singer Martin ’59 and two brothers.

1958

Paul Everett Morse, Sept. 27, 2008

Paul Morse left Bates after a year to join the Air Force. During his career, he received the National Defense Service Medal, the Air Force Outstanding Unit and Longevity Service Awards, the Good Conduct Medal, and other medals of commendation. He served in Tripoli, Libya, piloting supplies to troops and serving as squadron commander. He retired from active duty as a major in 1969 and served in the Air Force Reserves for several more years. Afterwards, he formed his own real estate company and operated it until 1992, when he and his wife, Jerri, moved to Salina, Kan., to care for her mother. There he became active in the local housing and urban development agency and worked with the zoning commission. He also served as commander of the local American Legion post. In addition to his wife, his survivors include children Michael Morse, Douglas Morse, and Michelle Morse.

Alan Sumner Palais, July 21, 2008

Alan Palais was not active in debating at Bates, but his high school teams were state champions multiple times, and he was the highest-ranked coach in the National Forensic League in 1965. At one point, his team had more than 100 consecutive wins. He also coached champion tennis teams during his 33 years as a Spanish teacher at Portland High School and served as president of the Maine State Interscholastic Tennis League in the late 1960s. His degree from Bates was in Spanish, and he also earned a master’s from the Univ. of Maine–Gorham. He taught for two years at Edward Little High School before returning to his own high school in Portland to teach. He also coached cross-country, track, and basketball. In 1974, he married Claudia Richards; she died in 1992. In 1995, he married Judith Bunker Potter, who survives him. Other survivors include daughter Jennifer Palais Gulick; stepdaughters Donna Small, Wendy Potter, and Beth Pressman; six grandchildren; and sister Jeanne Stephens.

1959

Nancy Moss Stogner, Sept. 9, 2008

Nancy Moss Stogner was a direct descendant of John Moss, a founder of New Haven and Wallingford, Conn. Her interest in history lasted throughout her life, from her Bates degree to membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution. She worked briefly for Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts and earned a master’s in special education from Boston Univ. in 1963. She and her husband, P. Coker Stogner, worked for many years at the New Jersey State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. In 1972, she was named an Outstanding Young Woman of America. She was active in the North Plainfield (N.J.) chapter of the Junior Women’s Club and in the College Women’s Club. She edited the newspaper of the AAUW during the 1960s. Following retirement, she and her husband moved to Isle of Palms, S.C., where she served as president of its garden club and as treasurer of the Federation of Garden Clubs. Along with her husband, survivors include children Eric Coker Stogner and Pamela Stogner; two grandchildren; sister Elizabeth Maye Grant and brother Richard Tilton Moss.

1960

Walter Alexander Collins, Aug. 10, 2008

His classmates knew him as Wally, and it was he who delivered the less-than-serious Address to Halls and Campus on Senior Day, but others knew him as the Rev. Canon Walter A. Collins, a man who devoted his life to the Episcopal Church. Ordained a deacon in 1963 following graduate work at the General Theological Seminary, he was ordained a priest the following year. He became vicar of churches in Lisbon Falls and Richmond in 1966, and in 1970 was assigned to St. Peter’s Church in Rockland. Ten years later, he was assigned to the Albany, N.Y., diocese, where he became rector of Christ Church in Herkimer. In 1988, he became the diocesan hospital chaplain, and in 1997 vicar of St. David’s Church. He retired as chaplain in 2004 and as vicar in 2007. He was installed as diocesan canon in 1989. In the 1970s, he was vice president and then president of the Maine Coastal Bates Club. In New York, he was active in Rotary and Masons. Given his interests — reading spy novels and mysteries and doting on his grandchildren — and his fondness for Bates Reunions, one might assume that “Wally” never disappeared. His survivors include wife Alice Elizabeth; daughter Cheryl Collins Rodgers; two grandchildren; and sister Mary L. Hume.

1962

Lawrence N. Sano, Nov. 5, 2008

Larry Sano turned his boyhood love of model airplanes into both a career and a hobby. Following graduation with a degree in biology, he attended dental school at New York Univ. He graduated with a D.D.S. in 1966 and joined the Air Force as a captain. He and his wife, Glenda Yoder, lived in Turkey for seven years before reassignment to Charleston, S.C. There he qualified for his pilot’s license and bought the first of several small airplanes he would own over the years. He also enjoyed the sport of soaring, as those who fly glider planes refer to it, and in 1979 earned a silver medal from the Soaring Society of America. In 1976, upon retiring from the Air Force, he and his family moved to Oregon where he established a private dental practice. In 1980, they moved to land that Glenda’s grandparents had homesteaded in Yoder, Ore., a town named after her grandparents. They kept sheep to keep the grass short, until parents and children confessed to a mutual dislike of mutton. This assured that Larry would always have work to do — cutting the lawn — after he retired in 2001. He also volunteered at a local school, reading to children, and was active in the Smyrna United Church of Christ. He helped plan the Class of ’62’s 45th Reunion in 2007 and served as class agent. His wife died in 2003. In 2007, he married Cheryl Kirkelie, who survives him, as do children Philip Sano and Leonard Sano; sister Patricia Bennett; and an infant grandson, born just weeks before he died. His nephew is Joshua Gray ’94.

1963

Richard Arthur Cox, July 15, 2008

Richard Cox bracketed his years at Bates with studies at Northeastern, from which he was graduated in 1970. But his time at the College was enough for him to meet Susan Armstrong ’62, whom he married in 1964. A financial planner, he also owned an insurance agency. He helped Cape Cod residents with their finances and retirement planning for 30 years. He was the clerk of the Cape Cod YMCA for 15 years and served in the Marine Corps Reserves. His wife survives him, as do children Jeffrey Cox, David Cox, and Matthew Cox; and six grandchildren. His wife’s sister was Patricia Armstrong DiGangi ’61, who was married to Vincent DiGangi ’60, who survives.

1964

Jefford Scott Alexander, Oct. 24, 2007

Scott Alexander graduated with a degree in economics and taught middle school in Massachusetts. In 1973, he earned a master’s in education from Bridgewater (Mass.) State College. His first wife was Lee Nelson Alexander ’63, with whom he had two children. She died in 1986, and he later married Sharon M. Alexander.

1967

Theodore Frederick Kneisler, Sept. 11, 2008

Ted Kneisler was a mathematician and a statistician. He added to his Bates math degree with a master’s in statistics from Rutgers and a Ph.D. from the Polytechnic Institute of New York. He first worked for Addictive Services Agency in New York City as director of research, and moved to NBC in 1976 as a senior research analyst. In 1983, he changed networks to CBS to become the vice president of primary research. “You can see your work having results,” he told Jeremy Villano ’97 in an interview for the Office of Career Services at Bates. He described his work as applying “scientific principles to a creative form of television planning.” He analyzed the ways that an audience reacts to TV shows, not just what they did but why they did it. He was deeply involved with the Church of the Ascension in New York. A gifted pianist, he enjoyed music of all types. He served on Reunion committees and as a Bates Club officer, as well as working with students through OCS. Survivors include sisters Judy Acerbi and Caroline Barry. He is also survived by his family of friends in New York City.

1974

Robert Edwin Labbance, Aug. 24, 2008

“If you are not having fun you are disqualified.” That was one of Bob Labbance’s firm rules at the annual golf tournament he hosted on the carefully mowed fields around his and his neighbors’ homes. Golf became such a passion for him that he walked away from 25 years in food service to build a career as a golf writer. In all, he wrote 17 books on the subject — not how-to books, but ones about the history of the sport, American course designers, and nearly forgotten legends of the game. He also became the editor of the Golf Collectors Society Bulletin, the golf editor for Turf magazine, editor-in-chief and photographer of annual golf magazines for six Northeastern states, and a freelance writer for numerous other publications. He was a member of the USGA’s museum committee. An art major at Bates and photographer for student publications, he came naturally by his love for the architecture behind golf courses. He amassed a library of more than 3,000 books on the sport and turned himself into a walking reference book on golf. In 2004, he slipped off a footbridge on a golf course, an accident that left him temporarily paralyzed. Seven weeks later, he walked out of rehab, beating the odds to resume his life, albeit from the forward tees and using a golf cart. Three years later, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), which prompted him to joke that if he had to have a terminal disease, it might as well be one named after a famous New York Yankee, his favorite childhood team. His illness prompted many people and groups — from golf course architects and golf societies to friends and neighbors — to come together in an unprecedented way to sponsor a tournament offering lessons from pros and a chance to play rounds with architects on one of their own courses. He was especially proud of his children, Griffin and Simone, both adopted from Calcutta, and celebrated their heritage. They are among his survivors, as is his wife, Kathie Hickman ’73.

1975

Martha Constance Blowen, Aug. 18, 2008

Graphic designer, editor, and visual artist, Martha Blowen, together with her life and business partner of 31 years, Denis Ledoux, led the book production team at their company, Soleil Lifestory Network, in Lisbon Falls. She helped authors turn their memoir manuscripts into professionally designed books. Her love of literature was fostered at the College, from which she received a degree in English. (For her senior thesis, she wrote a novel under the direction of Jim Hepburn.) Especially known for her handmade paper sculptures and collages, Martha exhibited her art at many galleries and museums throughout New England. She was a member of the board of L/A Arts and director of the Artists of the Androscoggin. As a touring artist for the Maine Arts Commission, she taught Maine students to make handmade paper. Mindful of the power of art to affect collective consciousness, in 1995 she helped Lewiston celebrate its bicentennial by creating a community art project, Lend a Hand, in which 1,500 participants made paper prints of their hands and then wrote how their hands had contributed to Lewiston’s history. She felt mothering was her greatest contribution to the world, and she home-birthed and home-schooled her children, Zoë and Max, who survive her. Her pizzazz for entertaining and her culinary imagination were well known. She was also an avid ballroom dancer, a talented gardener, and an astonishing lyric soprano. Her mother is Ladora Davis Blowen ’40, her late father Arthur S. Blowen ’41, and her sister Emily Blowen Brown ’65. Martha died of breast cancer which had first been treated in 1992. Metastasis had been diagnosed in November 2006.

1981

Harrison Mason Smith, Aug. 20, 2008

Harrison Smith graduated with a degree in political science and rounded out his education with an M.B.A. in accounting and finance from the Univ. of New Hampshire. He joined the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand in 1984 and was promoted to senior accountant in 1987. He formed his own company as a CPA in Portsmouth, N.H., some years later. Among his survivors are wife Rebecca Childs Smith and sons Harrison Smith and Cody Smith.

1990

Mark Holmer Burnett, June 30, 2008

A political science major, Mark Burnett held two master’s degrees from Indiana Univ., one in public and environmental affairs and the other in environmental science. He also held a doctorate in biology from Brandeis. Among his survivors are his brother, Anthony Burnett.

Recent deaths