In Memoriam: 1940s
Notices sorted by graduation date
Nancy Chase Holbrook (Educ ’47 CM) of New Orleans died Dec. 3, 2023. She lived her entire life in New Orleans, apart from a spell at UVA, where she was a member of the drama club and Virginia Players. In the 1950s she worked in marketing at New Orleans Public Service, where she met her husband. Over the years, the couple became legendary participants in Mardi Gras celebrations, remembered for showing up to costume parties dressed as Olive Oyl and Popeye one year and the Whos from Whoville another. Family and friends remember her for her spirited intellect and ability to tell stories from her encyclopedic memory. Survivors include two daughters, three grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Guilford Dudley Ware (Com ’49, Law ’52 CM) of Norfolk, Virginia, died Jan. 27, 2024. He served in World War II and retired as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Upon completing his Air Force active duty, he attended UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce, where he was a member of Chi Phi fraternity, the marching band and the Honor Committee. He returned to Grounds to earn his law degree and was voted president of his graduating class. After completing his studies, he joined the law firm of Baird, White & Lanning in Norfolk. The firm changed its name several times, becoming Crenshaw, Ware & Martin in 1989. While maintaining an active law practice, he also served as the president of Norfolk Dredging Co., guiding the company well into his 90s. He was active in many professional organizations, including the American Bar Association; Virginia Bar Association; Virginia State Bar; Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association, of which he was a former president; and Maritime Law Association of the United States. He was a former president of the Virginia Symphony, Norfolk German Club and Norfolk YMCA and a member of the board of the Virginia Symphony Foundation, the board of the University of Virginia Law School Foundation, and the board of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). Survivors include three children, including G. Dudley Ware Jr. (Com ’86, Darden ’91 CM); son-in-law Arch Brown (Col ’84 CM); daughter-in-law Elizabeth E. Ware (Educ ’86 CM); and nine grandchildren.
Rosser Lee Wayland Jr. (Col ’49, Grad ’50, ’52 CM) of Danville, Virginia, died Jan. 9, 2024. A Charlottesville native, he graduated from UVA with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in organic chemistry before the age of 21. After graduation, he came to Danville to work as a research chemist in the Dan River Mills Research Division. When Dan River developed its own chemical plant, he served in various leadership positions until his retirement in 1996. He was an active member of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists and the American Chemical Society. His career was interrupted with two years’ service in the U.S. Army’s Chemical Corps from 1954 to 1956. After his retirement, he served as an adjunct professor of chemistry for seven years at Averett University. His excellence was acknowledged with many awards over the years. In 1966, he was awarded the Danville Jaycees Outstanding Young Man Award. His profession awarded him the Olney Medal in 1975 for excellence in textile chemistry contributions. And in 2003 he was honored with the Kiwanis Outstanding Citizenship Award. He worked as a teaching guide for school groups at the Danville Science Center and spent many hours mentoring young people in their chemistry studies. He enjoyed gardening and the beauty of nature. He spent many hours in the genealogy room at the public library assisting people searching for ancestral information. He remained a proud Wahoo, and in total his family has 13 degrees from the University. Survivors include his wife of 70 years, Margaret; three sons, Rosser L. Wayland III (Col ’77, Engr ’79 CM), Robert J. Wayland (Col ’81, Grad ’83 CM) and Richard A. Wayland (Col ’83, Grad ’85 CM); six grandchildren, including Hilary Wayland (Col ’13 CM); and six great-grandchildren.