These are the alumni death notices received by the College from Nov. 13, 2016 through Feb. 11, 2017. To report a death notice, email records@swarthmore.edu.
Martha Spencer Burke ’35Martha Spencer Burke ’35 died July 2, 2012. She was 99. Few other details about her life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of Martha at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Ken Hechler ’35Ken Hechler ’35, an urbane historian and crusading West Virginian politician, died Dec. 10, 2016 at his home in Romney, W.Va. He was 102. During 18 years as a Democratic congressman, 16 more as West Virginia secretary of state, and a final act as a do-gooder without portfolio, Ken never tired of crusades. Read more.
Carolyn Keyes Cadwallader ’36Carolyn Keyes Cadwallader ’36, a devoted volunteer, bibliophile, chocolate connoisseur, and loving mother, died Jan. 1, 2017. She was 102. Active in community organizations her entire life, Carolyn was proud of Swarthmore and served her alma mater as a class secretary for many years. Curious about learning, she adventured around the world. Read more.
Frederick Wiest Jr. ’37Frederick Wiest Jr. ’37, an attorney, Air Force veteran, and longtime community servant, died Jan. 18, 2017. He was 101. Known as a remarkable scholar and a true gentleman in every sense of the word, Fred was also an avid reader, an amateur dendrologist, and keenly interested in astronomy and the stock market. Read more.
Barbara Newborg ’41Barbara Newborg ’41 died Oct. 5, 2016. She was 95. Few other details about her life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of Barbara at bulletin@swarthmore.edu. Read more.
Laurence Lohman '42Laurence Lohman ’42 of Chapel Hill, N.C., formerly of Old Greenwich, Conn., died Dec. 4, 2016. He was 95. Those who knew him admired his character, intellect, and work ethic and will miss his wry sense of humor, which included a genetic inability to resist punning, and the sage advice to “eschew obfuscation.” Read more.
Robert Coleman '43Robert Coleman ’43, who remembered Swarthmore often and fondly with his wife, the late Elisabeth Thorn Coleman ’43, died Dec. 20, 2016. We welcome remembrances of Robert at bulletin@swarthmore.edu
Irving Taylor Jr. '44Irving Taylor Jr. ’44 died Oct. 14, 1999. Few other details about his life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of Irving at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Richard Burrowes '45Richard Burrowes ’45’s death was reported to the College, but the date and further details were not provided. We welcome remembrances of Richard at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
John Butler Jr. ’45John Butler Jr. ’45 died Jan. 1, 2013, but few other details about his life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of John at bulletin.swarthmore.edu.
Charles Hewins '45Charles Hewins ’45, an artist, teacher, and Navy veteran, died Dec. 24, 2016. He was 92. A fine artist by nature, as well as by trade, Charley earned an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania. As an art teacher for more than 25 years, Charley was adored by his students. Read more.
Bruce Stewart '45Bruce Stewart ’45, a humble minister, devoted family man, and accomplished student-athlete, died Dec. 25, 2016. He was 92. Bruce was 17 when he came to Swarthmore, which he attended for three years—lettering in basketball and tennis as well as captaining the tennis team—before ultimately graduating from Geneva College in 1945. Afterward, he began his ordained ministry, serving in Massachusetts, Colorado, California, and Pennsylvania. Read more.
Warren Jacobs '46Warren Jacobs '46 died June 15, 2012, but few other details about his life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of Warren at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Hildreth Strode '46Hildreth Strode ’46, a devoted Quaker and ingenious inventor, died Dec. 14, 2016, in Norfolk, Va. He was 90. In addition to working at places like General Electric and Brookhaven National Laboratories, Hil also designed and built a floating amphibious Jeep and a 48-pound folding portable motorcycle. Read more.
Marjorie Howard Johnson ’47Marjorie Howard Johnson ’47, a bibliophile, scholar, model, professor, and writer, died Nov. 17, 2016. She was 90. The daughter of the editor of The Cleveland News, Marjorie was a lifelong reader who graduated from Swarthmore with a bachelor's degree, the University of Illinois with a master's, and the University of California at Berkeley with a Ph.D. A Fulbright Scholar, Marjorie went on to teach at the college and high school levels, manage an art gallery, model in Paris, and write fiction and poetry. Read more.
Edward Johnson NVEdward Johnson ’47, beloved family man and husband of Verdenal Hoag Johnson ’45, died Nov. 25, 2016. He was 94. After his Navy service, Edward was a swim coach and guidance counselor as well as an avid photographer, gallery owner, and volunteer brownie baker for his church, where he made more than 20,000 treats over the years to raise money for good works. Read more.
Sue Williams Saul ’48Sue Williams Saul ’48, a gardener, hockey fan, and lover of dogs, died Jan. 23, 2017. She was 89. An avid bridge player, Sue thought she couldn't play any more after suffering a stroke a few years ago. Her bridge partner, Eleanor Littlefield, said, "No way am I going to lose you as a partner," so the re-teaching began—and Sue and Eleanor won the next year. Read more.
Richard Held M’48Richard Held M’48, a pioneering brain scientist at MIT, died Nov. 22, 2016, in Northampton, Mass. He was 94. According to his MIT memorial, “As a faculty member and researcher at three institutions of higher education—Brandeis University, MIT, and the New England College of Optometry—Held pursued a lifelong interest in research on how the visual system develops and adapts, following the advice of Gestalt psychology founder and personal mentor Wolfgang Köhler to ‘make discoveries.’” Read more.
Nancy Bowing Jahraus '48Nancy Bowing Jahraus ’48, an accomplished nurse, medical supervisor, volunteer, and mother, died Jan. 2, 2017, after a brief illness. She was 90. After Swarthmore, Nancy returned to Chicago to attend nursing school and became an RN in 1949. In addition to her medical work, she loved to volunteer with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, garden, swim, and spend time with her family and friends. Read more.
Carolyn Bryan Field '48Carolyn Bryan Field ’48, a musician, violin-maker, and lover of children and horses, died Dec. 21, 2016, in Durham, N.C. She was 90. A French major at Swarthmore, Carolyn went on to get her master's in French and taught English for a year in France. A lifelong musician, she took up instrument-making, creating more than 50, and became a dedicated patron of the arts. Read more.
William Amis ’49William Amis ’49, professor emeritus of sociology at Georgia State University, bookstore founder, and opera lover, died Jan. 18, 2017. He was 91. Bill attended Newberry College and Johns Hopkins University before being inducted into the Army in summer 1945. After military service, he enrolled at Swarthmore and graduated with a double major in sociology and psychology. Read more.
Ross Eckler ’50Ross Eckler ’50, a mathematician, editor, and world authority on recreational wordplay, died Dec. 9, 2016. He was 89. After Swarthmore, Ross earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Princeton University, married Faith Woodward ’51, and worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories for 30 years. In his second career, he became a global expert on "logology" as well as a devoted hiker and volunteer. Read more.
Robert Greenawalt ’50Robert Greenawalt ’50, an engineer, musician, pilot and problem-solver, died Dec. 8, 2016, in Berlin, Vt. He was 91. Bob was also a lifelong musician, playing both the trumpet and French horn. In addition to performing in both the Brown University and Rhode Island College Orchestras, he was also president of the Friends of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra for several years. Read more.
Marion Harkness Nentwig ’50Marion Harkness Nentwig ’50, a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, died Jan. 30, 2017. She was 88. Marion graduated from Swarthmore with a degree in English literature. She was active in many local organizations, including Church Women United and the local NAACP, and an engaged member of the Democratic Party. Read more.
Elizabeth Ayer Lockhart ’50Elizabeth Ayer Lockhart ’50, a teacher of Latin and English and a leader of Bible study groups, died Jan. 23, 2017, at her home in Carlisle, Pa. She was 87. Betty earned an M.A. from Yale in 1954 and taught at schools in New York, California, and Pennsylvania. In Carlisle, Betty was a member of Second Presbyterian Church where she served as an elder with a focus on Christian education, especially for adults. Read more.
Charles Craver III ’50Charles Craver III ’50, known around the world for his herd of Arabian horses, died Dec. 30, 2016, in Pittsfield, Ill. He was 88. Charles served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, running a courier office at Moffett Field, Calif. From 1956 to 2016, he tended the family farm, raising hay and grain and producing nearly 600 registered Arabian horses.
Setha Goodyear Olson ’51Setha Goodyear Olson ’51, a brilliant and globally renowned chemist, died Jan. 13, 2017. She was 87. Always fiercely independent and highly intelligent, Setha graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore and became a chemist for Hercules Powder Co. Registering many patents, she developed a rubber related to the one used in Super Balls and other bouncing toys. Read more.
Joseph Cary ’51Joseph Cary ’51, a professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut and a scholar of modern poetry, died Jan. 24, 2017. He was 90. A New Year's baby said to be the first to be born in the United States in 1927, Joseph was raised in Buffalo, N.Y., and attended Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. He completed two years at Yale before finishing his undergraduate studies at Swarthmore. He met his future wife, Edith Howes, on a New York subway platform in 1953 while studying English at NYU. Read more.
Constance Merrill Cameron ’51Constance Merrill Cameron ’51 died in June 2014, but few other details about her life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of Constance at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Alan Lloyd '51Alan Lloyd ’51 died at The Castle Medical Center in Kailua, Hawaii, on Nov. 22, 2016. Although he had recently been featured in the Bulletin, few details were provided to the College about his life or death. We welcome remembrances of Alan at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Roger Aikman Pott ’52Roger Aikman Pott ’52, a star athlete, Air Force veteran, and lawyer, died Nov. 19, 2016. He was 86. A baseball, basketball, and soccer whiz, Roger graduated from Swarthmore and married his high-school sweetheart, Nancy Pawell ’52. He served in the Air Force, opened a private practice specializing in taxation and estate planning, and expanded his athletic expertise to golf and tennis. Read more.
Nancy Parks Valelly ’52Nancy Parks Valelly ’52 died in Charleston, S.C. Nov. 29, 2016 after a brief, acute illness. In her 60s and 70s she became a successful "outsider" artist and had several shows of her striking, large canvas paintings of Negro League baseball teams and players, African-American church bake sales, and African-American jazz musicians. She was married for over 60 years to the late Richard P. Valelly. Together they lived in many different countries—Brazil, Colombia, Iran, Tunisia, and Venezuela—and went to great lengths to immerse themselves in local languages, histories, and cultures. Nancy leaves behind a son, Richard ’75, another son, Stephen ’76, a daughter, Sarah, and her cousin, Deborah Dempsey ’57.
Katharine Sasse Popenoe ’55Katharine Sasse Popenoe ’55, a devoted mother and social worker with a passion for art, piano, and tennis, died Nov. 24, 2016. She was 83. After receiving her master's degree in social work at Bryn Mawr College in 1958, Kate was a psychiatric social worker at the Child Guidance Center in Trenton, N.J. She was later a senior admission officer at Princeton University and assistant headmaster at The Lawrenceville School.Read more.
Julie Lange Hall ’55Julie Lange Hall ’55, a devoted educator, philanthropist, and emerita member of Swarthmore’s Board of Managers, died Dec. 10, 2016. She was 83. Within a year of graduating from Swarthmore, Julie married J. Parker Hall ’55 in the Friends Meetinghouse on campus. Julie pursued a career in education and spent 23 years at North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, Ill., where she retired as head of school. Julie and Parker gave generously of their time and resources and were instrumental in the completion of the Lang Performing Arts Center. Read more.
Elizabeth Bomar Wallace ’55Elizabeth Bomar Wallace ’55, a quiet giver who enjoyed serving others, died Dec. 9, 2016. She was 82. Elizabeth graduated with honors from Swarthmore and earned a master’s in history from Emory University. She enjoyed art, gardening, sewing, and volunteering with Meals on Wheels, the soup kitchen, and other local charities around Florence, Ala. Read more.
Michael Juviler ’56Michael Juviler ’56 died Jan. 20, 2017 in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 80. Michael spent his career in public service devoted to the integrity of the institutions of criminal justice, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court five times. Over his six decades of service, Michael was a model and mentor to many. His articulate arguments and rigorous respect for the court and law were widely praised. Read more.
Lois Rostow Kuznets Dowling ’56Lois Rostow Kuznets Dowling ’56 died Nov. 14, 2016. She was 81. When she attended her 60th Swarthmore reunion in June 2016, accompanied by her daughter, Naomi Kuznets ’82, she knew she was saying goodbye to many longterm friends. Lois was thrilled to catch up with her fellow alums and to return to the campus. Read more
Jeremy Stone ’57Jeremy Stone '57, outspoken activist on arms control, human rights and international scientific cooperation, died Jan. 1, 2017. He was 81. Son of crusading independent journalist I.F. Stone, Jeremy began his career as a mathematician before turning to a life of activism in the 1960s. He later served 30 years as president of the Washington-based Federation of American Scientists, bridging a gap between science and politics. Read more
Peter Durkson ’58Peter Durkson '58, a Navy officer who loved the forest and wilderness, died Nov. 24, 2016 in Washington City, Utah. He was 80. Peter established himself as a venturer and enterpriser early in his life. He went on to pursue his interests as a worker for the Forest Service, an officer in the Navy, a recruiter for IOS, and a hydrocarbon explorationist. Read more.
Carolyn Walch Slayman ’58Carolyn Walch Slayman ’58, a pioneering scientist and deputy dean for academic and scientific affairs at Yale School of Medicine, died December 27, 2016 at Yale New Haven Hospital. She was 79. Although humble about her considerable accomplishments, Carolyn was a pioneer on many fronts. In 1984, she became the first woman to head a department at Yale School of Medicine. Read more.
Mary Gooden ’60Mary Eugenia Gooden ’60, a pioneering computer scientist and entreprenuer, died of a massive heart attack on Oct. 9, 2016 at her home in Columbia, SC. She was 77. Mary’s career began in 1960 working for IBM in Philadelphia in the then emerging computer field. She then pursued her dream of becoming a lawyer and entered law school at age 50.
Lawrence Shepley ’61Lawrence Shepley ’61, brilliant physicist and reseracher, died Dec. 30, 2016. He was 77. Larry's research interests centered on the theory of general relativity, and his teaching encompassed all levels, from basic nontechnical courses to advanced special topics. Read more.
Frank Farlow ’62Frank Farlow ’62, Brookline activist and runner died Dec. 30, 2016. He was 76. Frank taught languages and enjoyed hosting student discussions at their home, before they relocated to Brookline, Mass., where he translated Russian and German documentation to English and became active in the Boston Audio Society. Read more.
Susan Preston-Martin ’63Susan Preston-Martin ’63, first woman Fellow at USC and life-enthusiast, died Nov. 13, 2016. She was 74. Susan loved traveling, good food, hiking, and swimming at the UCLA rec center. Read more
Mark Frankena ’65Mark Frankena ’65, economic consultant and professor, died Jan 11, 2017, at his home in Virginia. He was 74. During his tenure at the Federal Trade Commission, Dr. Frankena also served as assistant director in the bureau of economics division of consumer protection, and deputy director for economic policy analysis. Read more.
Keith MacAdam '65Keith MacAdam '65, masterful teacher, problem solver, physicist, and singer died Nov. 6, 2017. He was 72. After retiring from the University of Kentucky, Keith continued teaching a physics class he developed for non-physics majors, called "How Things Work." He was proud of his efforts to help create an astronomical observatory for UK students and the general public. Read more.
Morton Winston ’70Morton Winston ’70, professor of philosophy and expert on human rights, died while on vacation in Peru. He was 68. Morton was an internationally recognized human rights scholar, educator, and activist. He edited one of the first widely used textbooks on the philosophy of human rights in 1989. Read more.
John Busillo ’70John Busillo ’70 died June 21, 2007. He was 59. Few other details about his life and death were provided. We welcome remembrances of John at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Robert Kemp Jr. ’72Robert “Butch” Lowber Kemp Jr., an avid sailor and vivid storyteller, died Aug. 4, 2016, in Easton, Md. He was 66. “Captain” Butch was well-known for his love of sailing, classic boats, sea lore, and old-school navigation. He sailed waters around the globe, from his home port of the Miles River to crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 18 days and 18 hours. Read more.
Jon Kaplan ’77Jon Kaplan ’77's died April 6, 2016. He was 59. Further details were not provided. We welcome remembrances of Jon at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.
Colin Wills Wightman ’82Colin Wills Wightman ’82 died Oct. 17, 2016. He was 56. Further details were not provided. We welcome remembrances of Colin at bulletin@swarthmore.edu.