In Memoriam: 1950s

Notices sorted by graduation date

Joe Moffett Brock (Arch ’50) of Harrisonburg, Virginia, died Oct. 30, 2014. At the University, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Mr. Brock was associated with the Virginia Craftsmen furniture company for 40 years before retiring in 1991. Survivors include his wife, a daughter, a son and a granddaughter.

Robert Pegram Buford III (Law ’50 L/M) of Richmond, Virginia, died July 20, 2014. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. A lawyer specializing in corporate, securities and banking law in the Richmond law firm that is now Hunton & Williams, Mr. Buford became a partner in the firm in 1959 and retired in 1992. An active supporter of education, Mr. Buford served on the University of Virginia Board of Visitors from 1972 to 1980 and on the board of trustees of St. Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Virginia. He also served on the board of the Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia. Mr. Buford’s greatest joy was spending time at “Nepenthe,” the family retreat he built in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Albemarle County. There, he spent time with his children and grandchildren, leading hikes and work crews and sharing his knowledge of the flora, fauna, history and geology of the Blue Ridge. Survivors include his wife; two daughters, including Peyton Buford Valentine (Col ’80 L/M); and six grandchildren, including Emily B. Valentine (Col ’05 L/M), Isabelle P. Abbot (Col ’06), Granville G. Valentine IV (Col ’08), Robert B. Valentine (Col ’12 L/M) and Lydia B. Abbot (Col ’13).

Ephraim “Bud” Phillippe III (Engr ’50 L/M) of Bedford, Virginia, died May 26, 2014. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. A chemical engineer, he worked in New Jersey, Wisconsin and California before settling in Virginia with his family in 1964, and retired from Virginia Chemicals/Hoechst-Celanese in Portsmouth in 1988. After retiring, Mr. Phillippe and his wife moved to Bedford, where they bought an apple orchard and enjoyed planting new and heirloom apple trees and making wine from their grapes. He and his wife were avid outdoorspeople, taking many hiking trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on the U.S./Canada border, and together they enjoyed traveling and hosting family gatherings. Mr. Phillippe collected magazines and newspaper clippings from World War II and from his time serving in the South Pacific during the Korean War; he donated his collection to the U.Va. Library. Survivors include three daughters, including Susan Phillippe Stewart (Col ’76) and Peggy Phillippe Ireson (Nurs ’78); five grandchildren; one great-grandson; and a sister.

Edward T. Caton (Com ’51, Law ’56 L/M) of Virginia Beach died Nov. 18, 2014. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard and remained active in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve for many years. At the University, he lived on the Lawn and was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity and the International Legal Honor Society of Phi Delta Phi. Mr. Caton began practicing law in Virginia Beach in 1956 and practiced for more than 50 years out of the same office, a renovated beach cottage on Pacific Avenue for which he received a beautification award. He was very involved in his local community, as a member of the American Legion Post in Ocean View, a representative to Boy’s State and a member of the Jaycees and various other organizations. He served on the Virginia Beach city council from 1958 to 1965, and in the early 1960s was involved in the preparation of the preliminary charter to merge the City of Virginia Beach with the larger Princess Anne County, all of which became the City of Virginia Beach as it is known today. Mr. Caton also served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1966 to 1968 and in the Virginia Senate from 1968 to 1972. After leaving the legislature, he was appointed to the Virginia Beach school board, where he served until the early 1980s, and was appointed a commissioner in chancery for the Virginia Beach court system. He enjoyed playing tennis at the Princess Anne Country Club. Survivors include his wife, a daughter, two sons and five grandchildren.

Grover A. “Bat” Masterson (Col ’51 L/M) of Brevard, North Carolina, died Jan. 19, 2015. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. At the University, he was a member of the Army ROTC, the Raven Society, Arts & Sciences Council, V Club, Phi Delta Theta fraternity, 13 Society, Skull and Keys, the Jefferson Sabres, IMP Society and T.I.L.K.A., and was elected to Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society. He was also a member of the cross-country and boxing teams, winning the Eastern Intercollegiate Boxing Tournament three times and the Southern Intercollegiate Boxing Tournament twice, receiving the Most Outstanding Boxer award in both tournaments his senior year. An amateur Golden Gloves boxing champion, he was inducted into the Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. Mr. Masterson worked for DuPont in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Wilmington, Delaware; and Brevard, where he worked for 26 years in the photo products plant as a production supervisor and in senior management. He enjoyed a long and active retirement of traveling, golfing and hiking in Pisgah National Forest. Survivors include his wife, a daughter, two sons, three grandchildren, a brother and a sister.

Clyde L. Morris (Col ’51 L/M) of Fairfax, Virginia, died Nov. 26, 2014. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. At the University, he was an intramural boxing champion; a member of the Virginia Spectator staff, the Student Council publication committee and Sigma Chi fraternity. Mr. Morris worked for several corporations throughout his career, including Smith-Corona Typewriter, CPT Corp. and A.B. Dick. As members of the Annapolis Yacht Club, Mr. Morris and his family won more than 60 trophies cruising and racing their 34-foot ocean racing yacht, the Cavalier. After retiring from business, he studied genealogy at George Mason University. His research led to the publication of a book, My Virginia Ancestors, and to the discovery of a previously unknown Revolutionary War patriot for the Daughters of the American Revolution. A member of the Sons of the American Revolution and the University’s Thomas Jefferson Society of Alumni, Mr. Morris also enjoyed playing tennis with the Fairfax Golden Racquets. Survivors include three sons, including John R. Morris (Col ’77 L/M), and six grandchildren.

John R. Hornady III (Col ’52 L/M) of Stevenson, Maryland, died Nov. 20, 2014. He served in the U.S. Navy. At the University, he was a member of the Jefferson Literary & Debating Society, Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the Army ROTC. Mr. Hornady was marketing director of the United States Trust Co. from 1956 to 1982 and later worked as director of sales and marketing in the trust department at the Mercantile-Safe Deposit and Trust Co. in Baltimore from 1982 to 1996. A member of the Farmington Country Club, the Riverside Yacht Club, the University Club of New York, the Green Spring Valley Hunt Club, the Maryland Club and the Center Club, he was also active in his church’s vestry. Mr. Hornady served as president of the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut chapter of the University of Virginia alumni club and was active in the Alumni Association. He enjoyed sailing, tennis, genealogy, colonial American history and refinishing furniture. Survivors include two daughters, including Katherine Hornady Magee (Col ’85 L/M); a son; and five grandchildren.

Frank Graber Turner (Col ’52, Med ’55, Res ’61 L/M) of Danville, Virginia, died Dec. 15, 2014. At the University, he served on Student Council and was a member of the Cavalier Daily staff, German Club/P.K. Society, Student Union, Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity and T.I.L.K.A. Dr. Turner practiced obstetrics and gynecology in Danville for 36 years before retiring in 1997. He also served for 10 years as a consultant for the Free Clinic of Danville. Throughout his career, he was a member of the Medical Society of Virginia, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and various other medical organizations. He served on the board of the South Atlantic Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and was a past chairman of the board of Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Virginia. An active member of his church, Dr. Turner was also a member of the Jamestowne Society and the National Huguenot Society. He received numerous awards throughout his career, but his favorite was a plaque he received on “Doctor’s Day” 1984 from hospital operating room nurses, naming him “Best All-Around Operating Room Surgeon.” Survivors include his wife; three children, including Elizabeth Turner Leemhuis (Col ’80 L/M) and Banks Whitaker Turner (Col ’84, Med ’89 L/M); daughter-in-law Margaret Knebel Turner (Col ’85, Law ’89 L/M); eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Henry B. Betts (Med ’54) of Chicago died Jan. 4, 2015. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Dr. Betts was an outspoken advocate for people with disabilities and a pioneer in the field of rehabilitation medicine who led efforts to transform the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago into the leading facility of its kind. Dr. Betts arrived at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in 1963, after completing a medical residency with Dr. Howard Rusk, who was considered the founder of rehabilitation medicine, at the Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (now the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine) in New York City. Dr. Betts was made director of the RIC two years later. In addition to improving medical care and raising money to expand the institute, he worked to change the public’s view of the disabled locally and nationally, championing progressive steps such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. Long before the act passed in 1990, Dr. Betts successfully urged then mayor of Chicago Richard J. Daley to provide sidewalks with inclines at intersections so that people in wheelchairs could get around more easily and safely. Later in his career, Dr. Betts worked to boost the institute’s ties with academic hospitals, forming an affiliation with Northwestern University and creating the first physical medicine and rehabilitation residency program in the nation. In 1986, Dr. Betts was named the institute’s CEO, a job he held until reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. He remained active with the institute, continuing to consult, raise money and advocate for patients. Under his leadership, RIC evolved into a clinical, educational and research institute that has been ranked the No. 1 physical medicine and rehabilitation hospital for 24 years running by U.S. News & World Report. Survivors include his wife, a daughter, a granddaughter and a sister.

Ted N. Steffen (Med ’54 L/M) of Louisville, Kentucky, died Aug. 8, 2014. He served in the U.S. Army. Dr. Steffen practiced otology at what is now known as the House Research Institute in Los Angeles, and was a contributing developer of the stapedectomy and cochlear implant surgical techniques; both techniques gave millions of people the chance to hear. While maintaining a full surgical schedule, he created teaching films on the stapedectomy and wrote various articles on the technique. Along with a neurologist, Dr. Steffen developed a procedure for a less-invasive removal of pituitary tumors that avoided major scarring and surgical trauma to the skull and brain. A master sailor, boat builder and member of the Hampton Yacht Club, he was also an avid Scout, volunteering for 25 years with the Boy Scouts of America and frequently taking his children on hiking, sailing, canoeing and horseback-riding trips. Dr. Steffen was also a talented furniture maker and collector who filled his Georgian Federal home with 18th-century furniture and pieces of his own design. In his spare time, he farmed, keeping his neighbors and friends well stocked with apples, vegetables and nuts during harvest time, and growing 80-pound “Big Mac” pumpkins to delight local children. He served on the vestry and as the buildings and grounds supervisor of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Louisville, where he and his son refinished all of the church’s pews and woodwork. He also enjoyed music, traveling and photography. Survivors include his wife, a daughter, a son and a grandson.

John B. Clements (Grad ’55) of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, died Nov. 5, 2014. A chemist, he began his career at Celanese Corp., now known as Hoechst Celanese, in Summit, New Jersey, and later worked for Chemstrand Corp., relocating to the newly developed Research Triangle Park in 1960. He later joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he worked until his retirement. Mr. Clements was known as a loving and supportive man. Survivors include his wife, a daughter, a son and a daughter-in-law.

William Morgan “Will” Cochran Jr. (Col ’55) of Las Cruces, New Mexico, died Nov. 24, 2014. At the University, he lived on the Lawn and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. His extensive background in both academic and strategic consumer research took him on assignments throughout the U.S. and all over the world. After teaching psychology for six years, Mr. Cochran worked as a senior psychologist for the Pillsbury Co., specializing in behavioral research. He later led strategic planning and research departments for several large marketing research and advertising agencies on the West Coast. Mr. Cochran also worked in the entertainment industry, as head of marketing services at Lorimar and as vice president of worldwide marketing for 20th Century Fox Films. After retiring, he moved from Beverly Hills, California, to Las Cruces, where he designed and built his own adobe hacienda. He remained connected to the University throughout his life, taking courses in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at Trinity College, Oxford University, and attending various symposia on Thomas Jefferson and architecture in Paris and Charlottesville. He also served as a guest lecturer at New Mexico State University. Memorial contributions may be made to the University of Virginia Library, c/o U.Va. Fund, P.O. Box 400314, Charlottesville, VA 22904.

Wilma Spurlock Wallace Howie (Nurs ’55 L/M) of Arlington, Texas, died Dec. 12, 2014. Before her retirement, she was head nurse of the surgical recovery room of Arlington Memorial Hospital. Ms. Howie enjoyed stamp collecting, cross-stitching and spending time with her grandsons. Survivors include her husband, James Howie (Com ’56 L/M); a sister, Mary Frances Spurlock Taylor (Educ ’70); two children and three grandsons.

Benjamin Vincent “Ben” Pearman Jr. (Engr ’55 L/M) of Covington, Virginia, and New Smyrna Beach, Florida, died Oct. 30, 2014. At the University, he was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity and while a student worked as a telegraph operator for the Norfolk and Western Railway, using skills he taught himself as an adolescent. He worked as a civil engineer in various technical and managerial positions at Westvaco Corp. in Covington for 38 years, retiring in 1993 as supervisor of coating and additives. Mr. Pearman played piano by ear, and, like many of his family members, was a legendary storyteller. An avid golfer throughout his life, he was a founding member of Alleghany Country Club in Covington where, in 1961, he helped design the golf course. He was a longtime supporter of the University, Virginia Athletics and the School of Engineering and in 2005 was inducted into the Cornerstone Society for his philanthropic efforts. Mr. Pearman was an active member of the Thomas Jefferson Society of Alumni. Survivors include his wife; a daughter; a son, Ben V. Pearman III (Col ’00 L/M); two grandsons; two brothers, including John M. “Jack” Pearman (Col ’58); and a nephew, John G. “Gil” Pearman (Col ’88 L/M).

William Richard Sattler (Col ’55) of St. Louis died Jan. 27, 2015. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. At the University, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Mr. Sattler had a career in real estate, founded the Coffee Services Co. and was a founding member of the Greenbriar Investment Syndicate. He was committed to helping others through his work with Alcoholics Anonymous and other addiction treatment programs, and served on the boards of the Exodus Program of the St. Louis Foundation for Alcoholism and Related Dependencies, Sober Living by the Sea, and the Harris House Treatment and Recovery Center. Survivors include his wife, two daughters, a grandson, a granddaughter, a stepson, a niece and two nephews.

William R. “Bill” Dorsey III (Col ’56, Law ’62 L/M) of Baltimore died Jan. 15, 2015. He served in the U.S. Navy. At the University, he was a member of the Fraternity of Delta Psi/St. Anthony Hall, Navy ROTC, T.I.L.K.A., German Club, Trident Society and V Club, and served as captain of the men’s tennis team and as sports editor for the Cavalier Daily. He also sat on the editorial board of the Virginia Law Review and was selected for membership in the Order of the Coif and the Raven Society. In 1962, Mr. Dorsey joined the Baltimore law firm of Semmes Bowen & Semmes, where he practiced until retiring in 1993. He then served as of counsel to the firm. Mr. Dorsey began his career as a defense attorney, but changed his focus to maritime law, representing the Maryland Pilots Association, Bethlehem Steel Marine Division, the Maryland Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., and others. He traveled widely for his work and was known by his peers as a steady influence, a good writer and a gentleman in the courtroom; a 1998 Baltimore magazine article called him the “dean of the maritime bar.” He served on the boards of a number of organizations, among them the Gilman School and the Garrison Forest School, and was past president of Florence Crittenton Services in Hampden and the Maritime Law Association. Mr. Dorsey enjoyed traveling with his wife, playing tennis at the Elkridge Club and golfing at world courses, including St. Andrews in Scotland. Survivors include his wife; two sons; a daughter, Rebecca Dorsey Dybas (Darden ’01); six grandchildren; and two sisters.

James Hopkins Hill III (Engr ’58 L/M) of Simsbury, Connecticut, died Dec. 5, 2014. He served in the U.S. Army. At the University, he was a member of Chi Phi fraternity. Mr. Hill was a sales engineer for Hamilton Standard for 20 years before his retirement. An avid fly fisher and hunter, Mr. Hill was a member of the Bloomfield Fish and Game Club and was a member and past president of the Simsbury Fish and Game Club, where he also served on the board of directors. He also enjoyed intellectual pursuits and traveling around the country. Survivors include his wife, two sons and two grandchildren.

Robert L. Overstreet Jr. (Engr ’58, ’60 L/M) of Ruckersville, Virginia, died Dec. 31, 2014. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. At the University, he was a member of the E-Club. Mr. Overstreet worked for Bell Laboratories, first in North Carolina and later in the Whippany, New Jersey, scientific research lab, where he spearheaded project teams that earned many patents for the company. He traveled to China to discuss his work, and in 1998 received the Lucent Technologies Patent Award. On retiring in 1993, Mr. Overstreet and his wife moved to Albemarle County, Virginia, where they became active in the U.Va. Alumni Association and attended many alumni events and football and basketball games. He and his wife enjoyed traveling throughout the U.S. and Europe and when home loved entertaining friends “Virginia style.” Survivors include his wife; three daughters, including Laura Mitchell Mallan (Col ’80 L/M); and two sons.