In Memoriam: 1950s
Notices sorted by graduation date
Preston H. Leake (Col ’50 L/M) of Charlottesville died Dec. 10, 2012. He was a research chemist and research and development manager with Allied Chemical and Albemarle Paper, retiring as vice president of research from American Tobacco Co. Mr. Leake believed in the importance of education and served as chairman of the Chesterfield Library Board, which built five libraries during his tenure. He was a member of the Virginia Section of the American Chemical Society for more than 50 years and was named the society’s Chemist of the Year for his service. He completed many major home improvement projects at his family’s farm in Chesterfield County and was an active computer enthusiast. He devoted much time to researching and writing several books on his family’s genealogy. Survivors include two sons, Luther H. Leake (Col ’78) and Lawrence A. Leake (Col ’79, Med ’84).
Charles E. McDowell (Law ’50) of Alexandria, Va., died Nov. 25, 2012. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Vietnam War, and served as an attorney for the Navy from 1951 until his retirement in 1980. He was the deputy judge advocate general of the Navy and later judge advocate general of the Navy. Following his retirement from the Navy, he continued to practice law in Woodbridge, Va., until 1997. He enjoyed preparing Wednesday night church dinners and meals for the Route One Community Kitchen. He enjoyed swimming and square dancing with his wife, reading, surf fishing and watching the Boston Red Sox. Survivors include his wife, Carolyn “Candy” Gibbons McDowell (Grad ’48).
Charles C. Peyton Sr. (Com ’50 L/M) of Pensacola, Fla., died Sept. 25, 2012. He served as an airborne radio operator in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. At the University, he was a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity. In 1961, he moved from Virginia to Florida, where he began a 40-year career in the retail independent gasoline industry. Mr. Peyton loved music and sang in a number of choirs throughout his life. He was an avid hunter and sports fisherman who pioneered billfishing out of Pensacola and along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. He enjoyed fishing with his family and friends and was a founding member of the Pensacola Big Game Fishing Club.
Andrew C. Warren (Col ’50 L/M) of Villanova, Pa., died Dec. 5, 2012. He served in the U.S. Army National Guard during the Korean War. At the University, he was a member of Zeta Psi fraternity. He was an insurance executive and retired in 1990. Mr. Warren was an avid golfer and loved music, especially playing the piano and singing. Survivors include his wife; two sons; and two daughters, Greer T. Warren (Col ’79) and Polly Warren Coxe (Col ’81 L/M).
Barbara Broadfoot Wilkison (Nurs ’50) of Tallahassee, Fla., died Oct. 8, 2012. After graduation, she served as head nurse to the chief of surgery at the University of Virginia Hospital. Ms. Wilkison raised her family in Tallahassee, then worked as an operating room nurse at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare for 14 years and as a nurse in a private practice until her retirement. She enjoyed sewing and handwork, cooking for her family and rooting for the Florida State University Seminoles.
Anne Patrick Wright (Nurs ’50 L/M) of Falls Church, Va., died Nov. 14, 2012. Ms. Wright lived for and loved her family. Her warmth and intelligence were matched by her kindness and generosity, which she gave freely to anyone at any time. Survivors include a daughter, Mary Wright Baylor (Nurs ’75 L/M); and sons Andrew P. Wright (Col ’86) and Charles F. Wright (Col ’80, Grad ’83, Law ’89).
Kenneth C. Crawford (Law ’51) of San Antonio died Nov. 18, 2012. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He later worked for the Judge Advocate General’s Corps and was the commandant of the Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville until his retirement from the Army in 1970. He then became associate director of education of the Southwestern Legal Foundation at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and was later selected by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Warren Berger to be the first director of education and training of the newly formed Federal Judiciary Center in Washington, D.C. He served in that capacity until his retirement in May 1987. Mr. Crawford practiced law for several years and lectured for the Asia Foundation throughout the Far East. Between 1984 and 1986, he spent several weeks lecturing for Israeli judges and, on Oct. 21, 1984, addressed the Supreme Court of Israel.
Charles F. Hileman (Col ’51, Educ ’62) of Mechanicsville, Va., died Nov. 10, 2012. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. At the University, he was a Jefferson Scholar and a Lawn resident. He was a lifelong educator, first as a high school teacher and guidance counselor and later as a counselor and director of financial aid at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in Clifton Forge, Va. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and was an avid painter and fisherman. Survivors include a daughter, Teresa Shepard (Educ ’80); a son, Mark P. Hileman (Col ’78, Law ’82 L/M); and a grandson, Christopher Shepard (Col ’11 L/M).
John H. Gronemeyer (Educ ’51 L/M) of Harrisonburg, Va., died Dec. 24, 2012. He served in the U.S. Navy. At the University, Mr. Gronemeyer was a Lawn resident and a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and Alpha Phi Omega service organization. He was a scout executive with the Boy Scouts of America and owned and operated a florist and gift shop in Kansas City and Florida. Mr. Gronemeyer retired to Harrisonburg in 2004.
James B. “Jim” Ashwell (Educ ’52, ’69 L/M) of Herndon, Va., died Oct. 31, 2012. At the University, he was a member of the V Club, played football and was a state collegiate champion in the 100-yard dash. Known as “the Herndon Flash,” he set a University record for longest kickoff return, 95 yards, in 1951. Mr. Ashwell began his teaching career at old Marshall High School in Fauquier County, Va., and Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria, Va. Mr. Ashwell later taught at Herndon High School, where he was head football coach for 20 years and coached the track and field team. Survivors include a daughter, Kim Ashwell Wilkoff (Educ ’89, ’90 L/M); and a son, James Gregory Ashwell (Educ ’94).
H. Warren Knight III (Col ’52, Law ’55) of Newport Beach, Calif., died Nov. 15, 2012. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He practiced law in Orange County, Calif., and served for nearly a decade on the benches of the Orange County Municipal and Superior courts. In 1979, he left the judgeship and opened a one-man mediation practice. This practice later became JAMS, The Resolution Experts, which has grown to be the world’s largest private alternative dispute resolution provider, with hearing locations around the world. Throughout his career, Mr. Knight made many contributions to the field of alternative dispute resolution, helping lawyers understand the value of arbitration and mediation. He was especially proud of JAMS’s nonprofit and pro bono efforts. Mr. Knight spent 10 years of his retirement in Sun Valley, Idaho, where he enjoyed fishing, hiking and making new friends. He was passionate about travel and loved planning new adventures with his wife. More recently, he mentored two students at the Newport Beach Public Library.
Clifford P. McKinney Jr. (Col ’52 L/M) of St. Louis, Mo., and Delray Beach, Fla., died Dec. 14, 2012. He served in the U.S. Army. At the University, he was a member of the Corks and Curls staff, Beta Theta Pi fraternity and Eli Banana. Mr. McKinney was an investment banker who began his career in the firm of G.H. Walker and Co., where he was a partner for many years. He was active in the St. Louis, community, particularly with LightHouse for the Blind, an organization that promotes the independence, equality and self-reliance of people who are blind or visually impaired through rehabilitation training and relevant services. Mr. McKinney helped bring NFL football to St. Louis in 1960, when the Cardinals franchise moved south from Chicago, and served as president of the St. Louis Quarterback Club. In recent years, he and his wife divided their time between their homes in Florida and St. Louis. Survivors include his wife; a brother, John B. McKinney (Col ’54); 3 children and 7 grandchildren.
Maurice D. Alpert (Col ’53) of Boca Raton, Fla., died Oct. 22, 2012. At the University, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, the Dagger Society and the Trident Society. In 1964, he and his brother formed Alpert Corp. and together developed Military Circle in Norfolk, Va. Mr. Alpert had a very successful business career developing shopping center complexes, hotels and resorts in Virginia, Texas, Oregon, Georgia and Florida. He loved adventure, and over the course of his life, hiked Amazonian jungles, sailed the Caribbean, traversed the Australian Outback, and tried a humble life in Latvia. He enjoyed sharing good food and a movie with family and friends.
Willis Haviland Carrier II (Engr ’53) of Boonsboro, Md., died Oct. 23, 2012. He served in the U.S. Navy and retired as a lieutenant commander from the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1968. At the University, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He worked as a mechanical engineer in the San Francisco Bay area, volunteered for the National Liberty Ships in San Francisco and Baltimore, and as a ham radio operator for the American Red Cross.
George William “Bill” Bolton (Col ’54) of Charlottesville died Nov. 22, 2012. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. At the University, he was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity. After working with his father in the family business, the Midway Market, Mr. Bolton had a successful real estate career, where he made a number of cherished friends. He often ate breakfast with his grandnephews at Charlottesville’s Tip Top Restaurant.
Alfred Manley Frix Jr. (Col ’54) of Charlottesville died Nov. 14, 2012. He served in the U.S. Army. At the University, he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Mr. Frix was the owner of Purdum Paint Co. and the founder of Frix Framing and Art until his retirement.
George W. Turner (Educ ’54, ’56) of Charlottesville died Oct. 30, 2012. In 1956, he began a long career as a chemist at the University and retired for the first time in 1990. After only a few months of retirement, he returned to the University and continued to work there until his second retirement in August 2012. Mr. Turner enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Thomas Dew Gill (Col ’56, Law ’59, Darden ’61) of Huntington, N.Y., died June 5, 2012. At the University, he was a member of Delta Phi fraternity (St. Elmo Hall), the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, the University Programs Council, T.I.L.K.A., the Judiciary Committee and the Student Union. He also participated in the Arts and Sciences Council and was a member of the Virginia Spectator staff. Mr. Gill was an attorney in a New York City law firm before moving to Long Island, N.Y., to work in the legal and corporate development departments of Grumman Corporation. He later served as vice president and secretary of Paumanock Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Grumman, and volunteered with the Bethpage Federal Credit Union for 45 years. He began his racing and sailing career at Fishing Bay Yacht Club near Richmond, Va., and was later a member of the Lloyd Harbor Yacht Club and the Corinthians in New York. Survivors include his wife, Ann Meriwether Smothers Gill (Educ ’64); a brother, John Russell Gill Jr. (Col ’50, Med ’54); and a daughter, Mary Gordon Gill Enslow (Educ ’98).
Nathan S. Lord (Law ’57 L/M) of Louisville, Ky., died Jan. 1, 2013. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He practiced law at Middleton, Seelbach, Wolford, Willis and Cochran in Louisville until 1962, when he became a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Roy Shelbourne for the Western District of Kentucky. Mr. Lord taught at the University of Louisville School of Law for 33 years and also taught courses at Leeds University in England, Daito Bunka University in Tokyo and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany. In 1964, he served as a volunteer staff member of Kentucky’s state Constitution Revision Assembly, drafting proposed constitutional provisions dealing with the judicial department of government and with financial provisions for state and local governments. He was a lifelong railroad enthusiast and served as the joint master of the Clear Creek Beagles of Louisville. An avid bicyclist, Mr. Lord mapped out Louisville’s first official bike route.
Paul R. Muller (Law ’58 L/M) of Savannah, Ga., died Nov. 15, 2012. He served in the U.S. Army. Mr. Muller was retired from the U.S. Social Security Administration, where he served as the director of litigation for the office of hearings and appeals. He was a member of Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, the Bonaventure Historical Society and the Antique Automobile Club of Savannah, where he shared his passion for antique automobiles, especially the 1910-11 Mercer.
Alexander Balfour Sadler Jr. (Engr ’58 L/M) of Chesterfield County, Va., died Jan. 27, 2012. He served in the U.S. Navy Seabees in Charleston, S.C. At the University, he was a member of Pi Tau Sigma engineering honor society. He joined the consulting engineering firm of Austin Brockenbrough and Associates in 1961 and was a partner from 1967 until his retirement in 1997. He served on the boards of a number of professional and charitable organizations during the course of his life, including the Salvation Army, the Chester YMCA, the American Red Cross, the Virginia Engineering Foundation and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Virginia, among others. Survivors include a daughter, Jennifer Sadler Daniel (Col ’96 L/M); two sons, Brian G. Sadler (Com ’87 L/M) and Bruce K. Sadler (Engr ’88 L/M); and a sister, Clementine C. Pollok (Grad ’79 L/M).