In Memoriam: 1950s

Notices sorted by graduation date

Edgar A. “Ted” Jones Jr. (Law ’50) of Santa Monica, Calif., died May 10, 2013. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. At the University, he was the founding editor of the Virginia Law Weekly. He joined the faculty of the newly formed UCLA School of Law, where he taught torts, labor law and labor arbitration until his retirement in 1991. Throughout his career as a lawyer, he served as a labor arbitrator and issued more than 1,200 arbitral awards in various industries and for hospitals, educational institutions and federal, state and local governments. He joined the National Academy of Arbitrators in 1960, serving as the organization’s president in 1980. From 1958 to 1964, Mr. Jones played the role of Judge Jones in more than 2,000 network television productions for ABC’s Day in Court, Traffic Court and Accused, where he was recognized throughout the television industry for his superb ad lib skills. Mr. Jones enjoyed listening to classical music, writing novels and creating mosaic art. He loved playing golf and baseball, often with teams drawn from his children, grandchildren and neighbors. Survivors include his wife, 11 children, 23 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Bentley Weinstein (Col ’50) of Baltimore died Jan. 25, 2013. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard. At the University, Mr. Weinstein was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. He founded Security House, a life insurance brokerage agency, and after leaving Security House in 1983 established Weinstein Insurance Associates, where he worked until his retirement in 2004. Mr. Weinstein enjoyed watching football and was an avid tennis player who had a sharp wit and a wonderful sense of humor. Survivors include his wife and their two children; a brother, Richard L. Weinstein (Med ’63); a sister-in-law; two nieces, including Emily Weinstein Galdes (Col ’87 L/M); and a nephew.

George Ossman Jr. (Engr ’51 L/M) of Richmond, Va., died June 2, 2013. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. At the University, he lived on the Lawn, was the editor of the Virginia Engineering Review and was a member of Theta Chi fraternity and the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. He founded Ossman Binding Co. and served the printing industry for more than 30 years. Mr. Ossman was active in a number of local civic organizations, including the Richmond Gentry and the West Richmond Rotary Club, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow. He was an avid photographer with several successful juried show appearances. Survivors include his wife, two children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Paul Ellis Prillaman Jr. (Col ’51, Med ’53, Res ’56, ’61 L/M) of Bradenton, Fla., died May 20, 2013. After completing his surgical residency and thoracic surgery fellowship at the University, he joined his father’s surgical practice in Ronceverte, W.Va., where he practiced for 10 years. From 1972 until his retirement, Dr. Prillaman was a partner in Bradenton Surgical, practicing at Blake Medical Center and Manatee Memorial Hospital in Bradenton. Survivors include his wife; two daughters, including Sarah Prillaman (Nurs ’84); a son, Paul E. Prillaman III (Col ’84 L/M); and five grandchildren, including grandsons James K. Woolford Jr. (Col ’08) and Paul W. Prillaman (Col ’15 L/M).

George Yeardley Scarborough (Engr ’51) of Scott Depot, W.Va., died July 28, 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was a registered professional engineer in fire protection engineering and a life member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and the National Fire Protection Association. While a resident of Norris, Tenn., he served as a member of the municipal water commission for nearly 20 years. Mr. Scarborough was a member of various organizations, including the Jamestown Society, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America, and the Southwest Virginia “Texas Club.” Survivors include two sons, including Jessee A. Scarborough (Engr ’85).

Gustav Heinrich “Buddy” Stalling III (Com ’51 L/M) of Lynchburg, Va., died May 31, 2013. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. At the University, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Mr. Stalling was the president and CEO of Stalling Inc., dealers and processors of leaf tobacco. In 1971, he formed Tomahawk Warehousing Services, serving as the company’s CEO. He was involved in many corporate and leadership boards, including Central Fidelity Bank, Piedmont World Trade Council, Central Virginia Processors and various Stalling Inc. subsidiaries. Mr. Stalling, who served on the Virginia Port Authority for 10 years, was involved in a number of community organizations, among them the Boonsboro and Oakwood country clubs. Survivors include a grandson, Samuel P. Trevey Jr. (Col ’87 L/M).

Mary P. Adams (Grad ’52, ’58) of Roanoke, Va., died April 25, 2013. A professor of history and a Thomas Jefferson scholar, Ms. Adams taught history at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pa.; Winthrop College in Rockhill, S.C.; and Patrick Henry College in Martinsville, Va. She played the piano and violin and taught popular history lessons at Eastwood Assisted Living, a retirement community in Roanoke.

George F. Brasfield Jr. (Col ’52 L/M) of Washington, D.C., died July 11, 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. At the University, he was captain of the varsity track team and a member of the Naval ROTC, the Fraternity of Delta Psi (St. Anthony Hall), T.I.L.K.A. and the V Club. Mr. Brasfield spent his entire career as an investment banker and broker with the Washington, D.C., office of Alex. Brown & Sons. Survivors include his wife, a daughter, a grandson, and a brother, Evans Brasfield (Col ’54, Law ’59 L/M).

John Pierce Bretherton Jr. (Com ’52 L/M) of Charleston, S.C., and Bensalem, Pa., died July 19, 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. At the University, he was a member of the men’s soccer team, serving as captain his senior year, a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and the Army ROTC. Mr. Bretherton held various jobs throughout his career, and was most proud of his work as a master carpenter in Avalon, N.J. Along with his wife, he served on a number of resident committees in their life care facility in Charleston. Survivors include three stepchildren, seven grandchildren, and a brother, William Bretherton (Col ’53 L/M).

Robert J. Steamer (Grad ’52) of State College, Pa., died Jan. 24, 2013. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Mr. Steamer taught for 35 years as a professor of constitutional law at several universities, retiring from the University of Massachusetts at Boston in 1987. He wrote many articles and reviews in law and political science journals and wrote several books about the U.S. Supreme Court.

Peggy Morris Hyde (Educ ’53) of Charlottesville died Feb. 24, 2013. At the University, she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. Ms. Hyde was a longtime librarian at Woodbrook Elementary School. Survivors include a daughter; a son, David Hyde (Engr ’84 L/M); and a granddaughter.

Gwendolyn Shaw (Educ ’53) of Wilmington, N.C., died Feb. 7, 2013. She was a first-grade teacher who maintained a creative classroom. Ms. Shaw lived for many years in Chapel Hill, N.C., where she raised five children and was a flower show judge, realtor, community volunteer and member of the North Carolina Society of New York. She enjoyed decorating, entertaining, creating flower arrangements and spending time with her 13 grandchildren.

Paul C. Kircher (Col ’55 L/M) of Pittsford, N.Y., died June 22, 2013. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a New York State trooper and the founder and president of Kircher Insurance Agency. Mr. Kircher played center field for the AAA baseball farm team for the New York Yankees. He also enjoyed playing golf, serving as president of the Rochester District Golf Association, and was a member of the Monroe Golf Club for more than 50 years. Mr. Kircher had a dry sense of humor and a love for creative ideas and adventure. Survivors include his wife; seven children, including Barbara Kircher (Col ’78, Med ’83); nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Roland E. Ost Jr. (Col ’55) of Fayetteville, Pa., died March 12, 2013. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War and after, retiring with the rank of major in 1975. At the University, he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, the Air Force ROTC, the Cavalier Daily staff, the Arnold Air Society, the German Club and the Student Union and served as treasurer of the YMCA. During his career in the Air Force, Mr. Ost flew as a navigator in many different aircraft. He was one of the first men selected to fly the B-58 Hustler bomber, which flew at twice the speed of sound and broke the sound barrier. After retiring from the Air Force, Mr. Ost picked apples and worked in a bakery before working for the U.S. Postal Service in Frederick, Md. He and his wife founded the Christian Coalition in Franklin, Va., and Mr. Ost worked for a number of years as a committee chairman in Franklin County, helping to build up local voter registration. He was an avid Civil War and World War II buff. Survivors include his wife, a daughter, two sons and five grandchildren.

George Edward Tolson III (Engr ’56) of Cocoa Beach, Fla., died Feb. 18, 2013. He served in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserve. At the University, he was a member of the rifle team and Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Mr. Tolson was an aerospace engineer who worked for North American Aviation, the Naval Weapons Service Office and NASA at both Goddard Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., throughout his career. His work at NASA spanned numerous Department of Defense missions and the development of various launch vehicle platforms, including Delta, Titan, Centaur and Ariane. After retiring from NASA in 1986, he served for 20 years as the National Rifle Association’s chief referee for the National Smallbore Rifle Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio. Mr. Tolson also taught firearm safety and rifle marksmanship at Brevard Community College and the Florida Institute of Technology. A lifelong Washington Redskins fan, he enjoyed photography, technology, fishing and summers on the Chesapeake Bay. Survivors include his wife, three children and seven grandchildren, including Jacqueline Marie Tolson Goodrum (Col ’07).

Luther Y. Gore (Grad ’58, ’64) of Charlottesville died May 25, 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. At the University, he was a member of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. He joined the humanities division of the University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in the early 1960s, where he helped pioneer the study of the interrelationship between technology and culture. He later served as chair of the humanities division, was elected to the Raven Society and received the Mac Wade Award for outstanding service to the Engineering School. Throughout his teaching career, Mr. Gore taught a wide variety of courses, such as photography and aviation history. He retired as professor emeritus in 1992. He was a Renaissance man who loved writing and reading poetry and short stories, painting aviation and Virginia scenes and animals, woodcarving, playing ragtime piano and guitar music and building and flying model airplanes. In 1983, he helped organize the first meeting of America’s leading aviation artists, an event that inspired the artists to form the American Society of Aviation Artists, an organization for which he served as executive secretary. Mr. Gore, who once hiked the entire Thames Path of England on his own, also rode motorcycles and loved traveling the world, camping, fly fishing and carpentry. Survivors include his wife, Joan Elias Gore (Grad ’71, ’72); three daughters, Alice Gore (Col ’77, Educ ’83, ’19), Mary Kardos, a nurse in the U.Va. Health System, and Harriet Gore (Col ’04, Educ ’06); a son; six grandchildren, including Hannah Hunt (Col ’16 L/M) and Austin Gore (Engr ’15 L/M); and three great-grandchildren.

Robert J. “Bob” Knight (Grad ’58) of Homestead, Fla., died May 19, 2013. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He worked for many years at the Subtropical Horticultural Research Station in Homestead, where he developed and contributed to the enhancement of avocado, mango, carambola, passion fruit, lychee and other tropical fruits and flowers. Mr. Knight later worked for the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. After retiring, he taught in the horticulture department at the University of Florida and in the biology department at Florida International University. He was a member of many plant-related organizations, among them the American Society for Horticultural Science and the Florida State Horticultural Society, and was a past president of the Florida chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Mr. Knight authored more than 120 publications and traveled widely throughout the tropics in exploratory, lecture and advisory capacities.

Charles Kelly Lunt (Col ’58) of Aroyo Grande, Calif., died Dec. 29, 2012. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. At the University, he was a member of the marching band. Shortly after graduation, he and his wife moved to Germany, where he earned his Ph.D. A geologist, Mr. Lunt worked for Esso, first in Tyler, Texas, and later in Sydney, Australia. He and his family lived in Australia for eight years, where they explored the Australian continent in the family sailboat and in small planes that Mr. Lunt piloted himself. He later worked as an independent oil geologist in the Houston area. Mr. Lunt was an avid reader who followed national and international politics, enjoyed playing squash and tennis and had a passion for furniture building and jewelry making. He had a creative and curious spirit. Survivors include two sons and five grandchildren.

Wright Hugus Jr. (Law ’59) of Fairfield, Conn., died June 20, 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He practiced law throughout the U.S. and abroad with a specialty in sports law and sports management, and founded Hugus Enterprises in Greenwich, Conn. Following his retirement in 1994, Mr. Hugus owned and operated a Good Humor ice cream truck. Survivors include his wife, two daughters, a son and four grandchildren.

Shelby Flack Shires (Nurs ’59, Educ ’68 L/M) of Maysville, Ky., died Feb. 22, 2013. At the University, she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and the American Association of University Women. Ms. Shires taught in a number of nursing programs throughout her career, among them St. Mary’s Hospital in Huntington, W.Va.; U.Va.; Western Kentucky University; Harrisburg Community College in Harrisburg, Pa.; and Morehead State University, from which she retired. Ms. Shires kept in close touch with many of her U.Va. classmates. She was an avid animal lover who enjoyed reading, especially suspense thrillers; watching golf and basketball; and playing bridge. Survivors include a daughter.