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In Memoriam | Fall 2025

In Memoriam: 1950s

Notices sorted by graduation date

John “Jack” Fletcher Perry (Col ’53) of Warrenton, Virginia, died March 10, 2025. After graduating from UVA, he joined the U.S. Army and then served in military intelligence in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He went abroad to Germany to study at the University of Freiburg. Upon his return to the U.S., he worked as a computer programmer and met his wife, Charlotte. The couple moved to Washington, D.C., where he began working for NASA as a budget analyst. He worked for NASA for 25 years until his retirement in 1987. His loved ones remember him for his wit and his easygoing personality. His favorite hobby was raising and showing Great Pyrenees dogs, and he was active in several dog clubs. Survivors include two daughters and five grandchildren.

Patrick Bolton Gregory (Col ’54 CM) of West Halifax, Vermont, died May 27, 2025. Born in New York to two poets, he came to UVA and studied French. After graduation and U.S. Army service, he settled in Paris and landed a job at the publishing firm Hachette. He returned to the U.S. and continued his career in publishing. He worked as an editor in New York and Boston, and he also translated French fiction and nonfiction. In 2004 he published a novel, The Daguerreotype. In 2023, he and his wife, Justina, relocated to southern Vermont, living in the 18th-century farmhouse where Justina had grown up. He volunteered at the Northampton Survival Center. His family remembers his literary sensibility and wide-ranging intellectual interests. Survivors include Justina; two children, including Tobias Gregory (Col ’93); and two grandchildren.

Jefferson Davis Hamlin (Col ’54, Engr ’59 CM) of Dallas died April 3, 2025. The Danville, Virginia, native was a member of the St. Anthony Hall (Delta Psi) fraternity, Eli Banana and Naval ROTC at UVA. He became a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, serving on the USS Nemasket and the USS Wisconsin. He had a successful career in systems engineering. He was a board member of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation, the UVA College of Arts & Sciences, and the UVA Alumni Association’s board of trustees. A lifelong classical music enthusiast, he volunteered time and resources to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Opera. Survivors include his wife, Winnie; three sons, including Jeff D. Hamlin Jr. (Engr ’86 CM) and Frank M. Hamlin (Col ’90 CM); and 11 grandchildren, including Elizabeth W. Hamlin (Col ’20, Educ ’20), John T. Hamlin (Col ’22), Henry T. Hamlin (Col ’27), J. Turner Hamlin (Engr ’21 CM), Parker D. Hamlin (Engr ’20 CM), Winborne L. Hamlin (Engr ’18 CM) and Will H. Hamlin (Col ’25).

Betty Jane Mothershead Ranson (Nurs ’54) of Florence, South Carolina, died March 23, 2025. She earned her nursing degree from UVA after transferring from Madison College, now James Madison University. She married Walter Gilmore Ranson (Engr ’56 CM) at the UVA Chapel in 1955. When her husband’s engineering career took them to Europe, she became a homemaker, raising her three boys in Northern Ireland, Luxembourg and Germany. Upon her return to the U.S., she renewed her nursing license and got into volunteer work. She served on the boards of several hospital organizations and spent 2,000 hours volunteering at the McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence. She was an accomplished painter, an avid reader, and an enthusiastic player of bridge and golf. She cherished keeping in touch with her UVA nursing classmates. Survivors include her children, including Walter Andrew Ranson (Col ’81 CM) and Carlton S. Ranson (Col ’87 CM); daughter-in-law Jamie Buchanan (Engr ’94 CM); a sister; two grandchildren; and 12 nieces and nephews.

John B. Vance (Educ ’56 CM) of Chesapeake, Virginia, died May 8, 2025. He received his bachelor’s degree from Madison College, now James Madison University, in 1953, before receiving his master’s degree in education from UVA. He was employed by Chesapeake Public Schools for 36 years as a physics teacher, supervisor of science education, director of personnel and director of employee services. He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1953 to 1955. He was a member of numerous professional organizations and had been a member of American Legion Post 310 in Chesapeake since 1955. Survivors include two children, including Charles Vance (Col ’80 CM); a sister; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; three nephews; and two nieces.

Ralph Folger Kneeland (Engr ’58 CM) of Sacramento, California, died March 31, 2018. Born in Delaware and raised in Alexandria, Virginia, he was forever loyal to UVA. During college, he played as a fullback on the football team and was a member of Eli Banana, the IMP Society, Alpha Tau Omega and the student council. He proudly served in the U.S. Navy for four years as a navigator. He spent his career at the Westinghouse Corp. and other companies across the country. He was an avid golfer, tennis player and sailor, and he could always be found with a book in his hand. Survivors include his wife, Mercedes; and several nieces and nephews.

H. Rand Pas (Com ’58) of Waterfall, Pennsylvania, died April 21, 2025. Born in Iowa, he came to UVA to study commerce. He joined the Tau Kappa Epsilon and Delta Sigma Pi fraternities. He served in the U.S. Air National Guard from 1958 to 1964. He worked at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and Verizon and later as an accountant in the financial industry. Survivors include his wife, Dorothy; his daughter; three stepchildren; six grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren.

Robert Julien Pauly (Engr ’58 CM) of Columbia, South Carolina, died Sept. 29, 2024. He earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from UVA and a master’s degree in engineering and an MBA from George Mason University. His career took him to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and AT&T Bell Labs in Washington, D.C., and Murray Hill, New Jersey. He then had stints as an adjunct professor at George Mason University, the University of Phoenix and St. Leo University. In his retirement, he served as a member and chair of the Midlands SCORE Chapter, providing business management workshops and client counseling to small-business entrepreneurs. He enjoyed an active life, coaching many of his sons’ sports teams and golfing frequently. Survivors include his wife, Peggy; his sister; his sons, Robert J. Pauly Jr. (Col ’89 CM), John C. Pauly (Com ’91 CM), Christopher P. Pauly (Com ’93 CM) and Mark; and two grandchildren.

Frances Marshall Purcell (Nurs ’59 CM) of Orange, Virginia, died June 27, 2025. She first attended the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, but transferred to UVA to study nursing. She was a member of Kappa Delta sorority. While working her first job at the University of Virginia Hospital, she met her husband, H. Harwood “Woody” Purcell (Col ’63 CM), who was a student at the university. They married in 1961. During her career, she worked as a public health nurse, first in Orange County, Virginia, and then in Albemarle County, Virginia. She was a woman of many interests, skilled in singing, needlepoint, painting, and playing tennis and golf. In addition to her husband, survivors include three daughters, including Courtenay Palaski (Col ’86 CM) and Sara Perine (Col ’89 CM); a sister; and three grandchildren, including Charlotte Perine (Col ’24).

Eugene Paul Rairden (Arch ’59 CM) of Raleigh, North Carolina, died Jan. 30, 2025. At UVA, he was a member of Naval ROTC, ATO, the architectural council and the Honor Committee. He entered Officer Candidate School and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, where he was stationed in San Francisco and Coos Bay, Oregon. He returned to the East Coast to work in the architecture firm of McGee, Scovil, and Rairden in 1963, and worked there until his death. He was a member of the Jaycees, vice president of Raleigh Sports Club, and a lover of the Virginia Cavaliers basketball and football teams. Survivors include his wife, Rebecca; three sons; and a granddaughter.