In Memoriam: 1940s

Notices sorted by graduation date

Ernest P. Edwards (Col ’40) of Lynchburg, Va., died Sept. 27, 2011. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War. He later worked as a civilian with the U.S. Army Chemical Corps in Frederick, Md. He was then the screen tour lecturer on Mexico for the National Audubon Society, leading numerous expeditions to Mexico. He taught at Hanover College, the University of Kentucky, the University of the Pacific in California, and served as associate director of the Houston Museum of Natural History. Mr. Edwards taught ornithology, ecology and field natural history in Sweet Briar’s department of biology from 1965 until his retirement in 1990. He wrote several books and field guides, including Finding Birds in Mexico, Finding Birds in Panama, and A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas, among others. Survivors include a niece, Anne C. Edwards (Engr ’81); and three nephews, H. Berryman Edwards (Engr ’71, Med ’78 L/M), Preston H. Edwards (Col ’80 L/M) and Benjamin G. Edwards (Col ’74).

Elvin Gochenour Bigham (Nurs ’41 L/M) of Charlotte, N.C., died Sept. 14, 2011. At the University, she was a member of the Nursing School glee club. Later, Ms. Bigham was a nursing supervisor at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore before moving to Charlotte, where she was a member of the Mecklenburg County Medical Auxiliary and the Charlotte Women’s Club. She was also on the board of directors for the Mecklenburg County Girl Scout Council and was president of the Salvation Army Auxiliary. In 1966, Ms. Bigham became interested in orchids. Over 30 years, this hobby grew to a small commercial greenhouse with more than 1,000 plants. She was a member of the American Horticultural Society and American Orchid Society; and was a member and president of the North Carolina Orchid Society.

Kathryn T. Bowman (Nurs ’43) of Cedar Bluff, Va., died July 23, 2011. She worked for Pocahontas Fuel Co. for seven years in the nurse division at Bishop, Va. She later taught at Richlands High School.

Charles B. Bray (Med ’44 L/M) of Roanoke, Va., died Sept. 11, 2011. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1945 to 1947. Dr. Bray worked at the Crippled Children’s Hospital, University of Alabama, from 1949 to 1950. He was in private practice in Roanoke from 1950 to 1955. In June 1955, he partnered with Drs. Louis P. Ripley and Phillip Trout to found the Roanoke Orthopedic Clinic, from which he retired in 1989. During his career, he was recognized for the care he provided during the polio epidemic of 1950, treating more than 500 patients in southwestern Virginia. Dr. Bray was affiliated with Roanoke Memorial Hospital and Community Hospital. He also consulted for the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Bedford County Memorial Hospital and the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where he was an associate professor of orthopedics and a member of the Medical Advisory Committee. In 2006, Dr. Bray received the Roanoke Academy of Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award.

Curtin R. Coleman II (Col ’44, Law ’49 L/M) of Charlottesville died July 27, 2011. He served in the U.S. Navy. At the University, he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. In 1953, Mr. Coleman moved to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and was an associate to Stephen C. O’Connell before Justice O’Connell’s appointment to the Florida Supreme Court. Mr. Coleman helped form the law firm of Coleman, Leonard, Morse, Morrison and Riddle in 1954. Between 1956 and 1961, Gov. LeRoy Collins appointed Mr. Coleman to serve as the sole assistant state attorney for Broward and Palm Beach counties. In 1984, Mr. Coleman left his firm in Fort Lauderdale and opened an office in Charlottesville. He practiced and performed legal services in 14 states and Canada, the Bahamas, Bermuda and Europe until his retirement in 2005. Capt. Coleman served on the CNO/Commandant Sea Power Speakers Team; the board of directors of the Navy League of the United States Chamber of Commerce, Governor’s Advisory Committee; and lectured at the Naval War Colleges. He was a member of the Florida Bar Association, American Bar Association, International Bar Association and American Judicature Society. In addition to his having served as an assistant state attorney, his public offices included the Florida Board of Social Welfare from 1956 until 1960 and vice chairman of the Judicial Nominating Commission, 4th District Court of Appeals, Florida. Survivors include a brother, Tom G. Coleman Jr. (Com ’50 L/M).

Vladimir P. Mitchell (Col ’44) of Longmont, Colo., died Sept. 15, 2011. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He went on to work with the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and later with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 1971, Mr. Mitchell moved to Boulder, Colo., when his position with NOAA was transferred there from the Washington, D.C., area. He retired from NOAA in 1980.

Alexander B. Tait (Com ’44, Law ’49) of Fairfax, Del., died Aug. 8, 2011. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After his service, Mr. Tait worked in banking before working briefly for Delkote. His later career was at Wilmington Trust, where he was branch manager at the Greenville and Concord Pike branches, retiring as a vice president in 1988. After his retirement, he enjoyed traveling, especially cruising and trips to Europe.

Charlotte Graham Fleming (Educ ’45) of Charlottesville died Aug. 20, 2011. At the University, she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority. She worked at Alderman Library and the Charlottesville public library for about a year after graduation. She later taught at Meriwether Lewis Elementary School and then Venable School until 1953. She taught at Robert E. Lee Elementary School and Rock Hill Academy from about 1967 to 1977, and then worked as a unit assistant at the University of Virginia Medical Center from about 1980 to 1998. Survivors include a son, Richard M. Fleming (Col ’79).

LeRoy Rose (Col ’46, Educ ’52) of Williamsburg, Va., died Aug. 14, 2011. After graduation, he pursued a lifelong career in education, first working at Cradock High School in Portsmouth, Va., then at the U.S. Army Transportation School at Fort Eustis and at TRADOC at Fort Monroe.

Richard F. Hall Jr. (Com ’47, Law ’50 L/M) of Onancock Creek, Va., died Sept. 25, 2011. At the University, he was a member of Chi Phi fraternity and the football team, and was a Lawn resident. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Mr. Hall began his legal career in California with the IRS office in San Francisco, later returning to Accomac, where he established a practice of more than 50 years. In addition to his law practice, Mr. Hall was engaged in real estate, including the acquisition of Smith and Myrtle Islands in Northampton County, which The Nature Conservancy later purchased. He also developed and managed Four Corner Plaza in Onley. With other Eastern Shore business leaders, Mr. Hall founded Shore Savings and Loan in 1961. Under his leadership as chairman of the board, Shore Savings and Loan later became Shore Bank. Mr. Hall was involved in the founding and development of Broadwater Academy in Exmore, where he served as a longtime board member. Survivors include a granddaughter, Erin F. Hall (Col ’05 L/M).

Horace L. Pearce Jr. (Col ’47 L/M) of Charlottesville died Aug. 13, 2011. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He played football at the University and was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity. He had a long career at Reynolds Metals Co. He was also a football official with the Virginia High School League. Survivors include a son, Lee H. Pearce (Col ’76 L/M); and a daughter, Elizabeth Pearce Wilkerson (Grad ’86).

Minerva Wilson Andrews (Law ’48) of Charlottesville died Sept. 4, 2011. She was one of the first women at U.Va. to earn a law degree. Ms. Andrews began her legal career as a trial attorney in the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. She then became an associate attorney with Bauknight, Prichard, McCandlish & Williams, which became Boothe, Prichard & Dudley in 1972. She was elected partner in 1980. Her firm then merged with McGuire, Woods, Battle and Boothe, and she served in the McLean office from 1980 until her retirement in 1992. During her career, she served on various real estate committees, for the Virginia Bar Association, Fairfax Bar Association, and for the Virginia State Bar. In 2001, she received the William B. Spong, Jr. Professionalism Award. She was active in many organizations, including the National Society of Arts and Letters; Fairfax/Falls Church United Way; and served on the board of directors of the McLean Citizens Association. In 1997, she was named Citizen of the Year by the Washington Post and the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations. She spent her retirement working on her book, Carolina-Virginia Recollections. Survivors include a daughter, Susan Andrews Wiles (Educ ’83, ’84).

Robert Harman (Educ ’48) of Charlottesville died Sept. 12, 2011. During World War II, he served for three years as a chaplain’s assistant in Africa, Italy and Switzerland, playing on a portable organ. Mr. Harman career as an organist began in 1943, playing until 1962 for the United Methodist Church. He worked for St. Anne’s-Belfield School as the chapel pianist for 40 years and was awarded the school’s Malone Prize. In addition, he played for Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church and St. David’s Anglican Church. Mr. Harman continued giving private lessons to students well in to his late 80s. He was also a longtime member of the American Guild of Organists.

Louis H. Keffer Jr. (Col ’48) of Newport News, Va., died Aug. 8, 2011. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Dr. Keffer practiced medicine with Riverside Hospital as an OB-GYN physician for 45 years and with Mary Immaculate Hospital for 20 years. Dr. Keffer was a member of the Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the South Atlantic Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists.

V.H. Nusbaum Jr. (Col ’49) of Norfolk, Va., died Aug. 15, 2011. At the University, he was a member of Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity. He served in the Virginia National Guard. Under Mr. Nusbaum’s leadership, S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co. became a major regional developer and operator of shopping centers and apartments in the Tidewater area. In addition to a career in the real estate business, Mr. Nusbaum was a founder and vice chairman of the board of directors of First National Bank of Norfolk. Appointed to the Norfolk City Council to serve the remaining term of a deceased member, Mr. Nusbaum afterward stood for election on a ticket with Mayor Roy B. Martin, and was elected to serve a four-year term. During those years, Mr. Nusbaum served as vice mayor of the city. He was an ardent supporter of the Virginia Squires professional basketball team, as well as the Norfolk Neptunes, Norfolk’s foray into professional football. He also worked with Mayor Martin to persuade Walter Chrysler to give his art collection to Norfolk’s then modest art museum. His favorite pastimes included golf, boating and fishing. Survivors include a brother, Robert C. Nusbaum (Law ’48 L/M); and a grandson, Andrew S. Nusbaum (Col ’03 L/M).

Harry P. Le Quier (Col ’49) of Mars Hill, N.C., died May 16, 2011. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He worked in the insurance industry, retiring in 1987 as chief accountant of Blue Cross Blue Shield of New York. He served on the town council of Matawan, N.J., for several years in the late 1970s and early 1980s. After retiring, he was a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.

Dudley Crofford Smith Jr. (Engr ’49) of Norfolk, Va., died Aug. 9, 2011. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After graduation, he moved to Norfolk to work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a civil engineer, and retired after 37 years of service.

Yancey M. Taylor (Col ’49) of Columbia, Mo., died July 15, 2011. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. His first career was in the diplomatic corps, serving as vice consul in Mexico and Spain. On returning to the U.S., he taught high school Spanish and political science classes before embarking on his third and final career at the Columbia Public Library, to which he devoted the next 40 years. He retired in 2009.

John E. Wood (Col ’49) of Wilmington, N.C., died May 8, 2011. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. During his time at the University, he lived on the Lawn. His area of study and university teaching was modern British history, as well as the history of flight, which grew out of his love of flight as a teenage aviator in Richmond. Mr. Wood’s first teaching position was at the Citadel in Charleston, S.C. He went on to join the faculty of Madison College in Harrisonburg, Va., which became James Madison University during his tenure. He retired as professor emeritus in 1997, after 37 years. He also had a long tenure on the Virginia State Library Board as well as the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Central Committee. He was a founding member of the Oak Grove Theater in Staunton, Va., and performed in numerous plays over the years. Survivors include his brother, James Newton Wood II (Col ’50); and two daughters, Judith D. Wood (Arch ’81) and Rebecca Wood Knox (Engr ’86 L/M).