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In Memoriam | Spring 2016

In Memoriam: 1950s

Notices sorted by graduation date

Claude Garfield (Med ’50) of Kingsport, Tennessee, died Feb. 13, 2015. He served in the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II. A fellow of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Garfield worked as an emergency room physician and as medical director at Indian Path Medical Center from 1977 until his retirement. He was a loving husband and father and a great fan of the Cavaliers. Survivors include a daughter, Deborah Garfield (Grad ’81, ’91); two sons; and two grandchildren.

Robert “Bob” Maidment (Educ ’50, ’53, ’63 L/M) of Boca Raton, Florida, died Sept. 16, 2015. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. At the University, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Mr. Maidment was a John Hay Fellow and associate dean at Northwestern University as well as a Booz Allen consultant, and retired as a professor of education emeritus from the College of William and Mary. His publications include Robert’s Rules of Disorder: A Guide to Mismanagement. He worked around the world and always had stories and jokes to share. He was a prolific reader, averaging a novel a day during his 30-year retirement. Survivors include a daughter; two sons, including Jeffrey W. Maidment (Col ’77 L/M); six grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

Robert “Bob” Tapscott (Engr ’50) of Williamsburg, Virginia, died Dec. 24, 2015. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Early in his postwar career, he worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which became NASA. He remained at NASA until his retirement in 1980. He was involved in many aspects of flight research, including leading-edge work with helicopters and other low-speed aircraft. In 1973, the American Helicopter Society made Mr. Tapscott an honorary fellow in recognition of his achievements. The Federal Aviation Administration presented him with a Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award in 2006 for his many outstanding contributions to the cause of aviation safety. He was a charter member and flight instructor with the Tidewater Flying Club. He also volunteered as a flight instructor with the Civil Air Patrol and Boy Scouts of America. Survivors include three daughters, including Nona Tapscott Dolmetsch (Col ’74) and Tracy Tapscott (Col ’77 L/M); three grandchildren, including Kristin P. Kunze (Col ’15 L/M); and two great-grandchildren.

Thomas Hugh Nelson (Engr ’51 L/M) of Charlottesville died July 3, 2015. He served in the U.S. Army. At the University, he was a member of Trigon Engineering Society. Mr. Nelson was an engineer for many years and held various engineering and management positions in the lamp division of Westinghouse Electric Corp. before becoming manager of mechanization engineering at Philips Electronics. He volunteered for the Blue Ridge Food Bank and Meals on Wheels and in 1997 received the Joseph B. O’Connor Award for Outstanding Service to the Central Virginia Chapter of the American Red Cross. In his spare time, he enjoyed caning chairs, playing golf and taking care of his yard. Survivors include his wife; three daughters, including Patricia A. Nelson (Col ’83 L/M); and two brothers.

Ella Scott “Scotty” Tapscott (Educ ’51) of Williamsburg, Virginia, died Jan. 24, 2015. She was a teacher in Hampton and York counties and served on a number of local, regional and state education-related boards and committees. Survivors include three daughters, including Nona Tapscott Dolmetsch (Col ’74) and Tracy Tapscott (Col ’77 L/M); three grandchildren, including Kristin P. Kunze (Col ’15 L/M); and two great-grandchildren.

Dorothy Crute (Nurs ’52) of River Bend, North Carolina, died Nov. 21, 2015. She served in the Army Nurse Corps in Hawaii and Japan at the end of World War II. An avid boating enthusiast, Ms. Crute lived on or near water most of her life and enjoyed fishing and crabbing. She was gifted with a green thumb and spent many hours in her yard and her garden. She volunteered for Meals on Wheels and was on the neighborhood watch committee. She was known for her wide smile and generosity to those in need. Survivors include a sister.

Aaron Gellman (Col ’52 L/M) of Winnetka, Illinois, died Jan. 11, 2016. He served in the U.S. Army. At the University, he was a member of Hillel and the Army ROTC. In 1967, Mr. Gellman helped design a railcar to carry liquefied natural gas for North American Car Corp. and later was vice president of planning for Budd Co. He was also an adjunct professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He started Gellman Research Associates and worked with FedEx on its early transportation issues. Regarded as one of the world’s experts in transportation and logistics, he was director of the Transportation Center at Northwestern University from 1992 to 2000. He was also a professor of management and strategy at the Kellogg School of Management and a professor of industrial engineering and management sciences at the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern. He retired from Northwestern in 2014. In 1995, he received the Salzberg Honorary Medallion for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Transportation. He was a member of the American Economic Association and the American Railway Engineering Association and the Transportation Research Forum, of which he was president from 1988 to 1999. He sat on numerous government panels and committees, including the advisory board to the Panama Canal Authority and NASA’s Aerospace Technology Advisory Committee. Survivors include three sons and seven grandchildren.

John William “Bill” Via Jr. (Com ’52, Grad ’53, Law ’59 L/M) of Alexandria, Virginia, died Jan. 9, 2016. He served in the U.S. Air Force. At the University, he served on the editorial board of the Virginia Law Review and was a resident adviser and a member of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, Delta Sigma Pi professional business fraternity and Phi Delta Phi international legal fraternity. He was also elected to the Order of the Coif. Mr. Via practiced law for many years, first at Woods Rogers Muse Walker in Roanoke, Virginia, and with Patterson Belknap and Farmer in Washington, D.C. In 1964, he became senior attorney in the legal division of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, where he focused on bank regulatory matters under the Bank Merger and Bank Holding Company acts. In 1970, he became counsel in the legal division of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., where he worked on bank regulatory and antitrust cases until his retirement in 1992. Survivors include his partner; three sons, including John William Via III (Engr ’84 L/M) and Henry Fleming Via (Engr ’89 L/M); and three grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the University of Virginia Law School Foundation, 580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903.

David Clark IV (Col ’53) of Norfolk, Virginia, died Oct. 9, 2015. He served in the U.S. Navy. He worked in banking for 40 years, retiring as a senior vice president of SunTrust Bank in Norfolk in 2011. Mr. Clark was deeply involved in his community and served on the boards of Future of Hampton Roads, Regent University School of Business & Leadership, the College of Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Lee’s Friends. He had a particular interest in American history and took pleasure in his membership in the Society of the Cincinnati. He enjoyed tennis, golf and daily walks on the beach with his wife. He was a gentleman, a loyal friend and a resourceful, creative thinker. Survivors include three daughters, including Alden Clark Coe (Col ’77 L/M); 10 grandchildren, including Jessica Coe Duke (Col ’07, Educ ’07 L/M); and seven great-grandchildren.

Raymond Walker Davis Sr. (Educ ’54, ’56) of Colonial Heights, Virginia, died Dec. 17, 2015. He served in the U.S. Army in the 1940s and later in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. At the University, he was a member of the football team, V Club and Delta Upsilon fraternity. Mr. Davis settled in Colonial Heights in 1956 to teach at the new Colonial Heights High School, where he worked for 29 years. He was the school’s athletic director and started its football, basketball, track and baseball programs. In retirement, he taught driver’s education and was the world’s greatest backseat driver. He was a great fan of Cavalier football, returning to Charlottesville to usher at home games, and never needed persuading to share a football story from the glory days. He also enjoyed spending time with loved ones and relaxing in a comfy recliner. Survivors include his wife; two sons, including Raymond W. Davis Jr. (Col ’83); a daughter; and six grandchildren.

Richard “Buzzy” Wilkinson (Col ’55, Law ’62 L/M) of Bluefield, West Virginia, died Jan. 15, 2016. At the University, he was a member of T.I.L.K.A., Thirteen Society, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and the German Club. He was known as one of the greatest basketball players in the University’s history. Mr. Wilkinson was captain of the basketball team in the 1955 season and still holds the ACC and University records for season and career scoring average. The Helms Foundation selected him as an All-American in his final season at the University, and the Cavaliers retired his number, 14, at the end of the 1955 season. Mr. Wilkinson was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1955 but an automobile accident shortened his basketball career. He served a tour of duty in the U.S. Army and returned to the University to earn his law degree. He became a trust officer at First National Bank, now known as First Century Bank, in Bluefield in 1962. He spent the rest of his career at the bank, eventually becoming its president and CEO. He retired in 2010, but remained on the bank’s board until his death. Mr. Wilkinson was president of the University of Virginia Alumni Association’s Board of Managers. He was president of the Hugh I. Shott Jr. Foundation and of the Ethel N. Bowen Foundation. He was a member of many civic organizations in Bluefield and the local chamber of commerce. Survivors include his wife; two sons, including Frank Wilkinson (Col ’84 L/M); and three grandchildren.

7 Society MemberJoseph Stettinius (Engr ’56 L/M) of Charlottesville died Jan. 16, 2016. At the University, he was a member of the football team, V Club, P.K. Society and the Fraternity of Delta Psi (St. Anthony Hall). He worked as a real estate developer with projects in Virginia and Bermuda. Mr. Stettinius was known for his generosity, his loyal friendship and his mischievous sense of humor. Survivors include his wife; five children, including Edward Stettinius (Col ’86 L/M), Mary Stettinus Benevento (Col ’89 L/M) and Carolyn S. Rankin (Col ’99); a brother; and 12 grandchildren.

C. Richard Chamberlain Jr. (Med ’57, Res ’59, ’61 L/M) of Augusta, Georgia, died Oct. 30, 2015. After completing his residency in pathology at the University, Dr. Chamberlain moved to Augusta to serve as chief of laboratory science at the local Veterans Administration hospital and associate professor of pathology at the Medical College of Georgia. He was a member of many medical organizations, a former member of West Lake Country Club and an active member of St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church. Survivors include his wife; two sons; three grandchildren; a brother; and four sisters, including Stephanie Chamberlain Barnett (Nurs ’68 L/M).

Frederick C. “Skipper” Davis Jr. (Med ’57, Res ’59, ’61 L/M) of Newport News, Virginia, died Aug. 20, 2012. He served in the U.S. Army. At the University, he lived on the Lawn and was a member of the Raven Society. He often told a story about eating a gallon of ice cream under a hot shower to win a contest among his Medical School classmates. Dr. Davis was a pathologist at Riverside Hospital in Newport News for 38 years and served as chief of pathology for part of that time. An attentive and devoted husband and father, he always gave his wife a kiss before leaving for work in the morning and on returning home in the evening. He and his wife loved playing Scrabble and taking their Saint Bernard for long walks. A brilliant and patient man with a wonderful sense of humor, Dr. Davis spent a great deal of time with his children and grandchildren, taking them golfing, fishing, camping and snorkeling and playing baseball in the front yard. Survivors include his wife, Phyllis Snow Davis (Nurs ’57); three children; and seven grandchildren.

Henry Poore (Med ’57 L/M) of Flagstaff, Arizona, died Nov. 11, 2015. He began his career by opening a medical practice in rural Virginia near South Boston. In 1962, he and his family moved to Flagstaff, where Dr. Poore opened a medical practice with his wife, Nina. They sold their practice in 1985. They traveled the country and filled in at medical clinics in towns where their travels brought them, from Gretna, Virginia, to Valdez, Alaska. They returned to Flagstaff in 1990 and opened Flagstaff Urgent Care, a walk-in clinic, which they operated until 1996. In 2011, they opened the Poore Medical Clinic, a completely free medical and dental clinic in Flagstaff, where Dr. Poore was medical director and chairman of the board until shortly before his death. He lived a life of service that took him to Kenya, Honduras, Mexico, the Navajo Nation and the area affected by Hurricane Katrina. While in “retirement” between clinics, he worked on his cattle farms in Virginia and wrote two books about his early life near Bristol, Virginia, and his later adventures. Survivors include his wife, Ninalei Bader Poore (Nurs ’52 L/M); seven children; and 13 grandchildren.

William C. Johnson Jr. (Law ’58 L/M) of Daytona Beach, Florida, died Nov. 9, 2015. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and later served in the U.S. Naval Reserve for 25 years, retiring with the rank of commander. Before his 1984 election to the bench of Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit, which covers Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties, Judge Johnson was an assistant public defender in Daytona Beach for 11 years and had his own general law practice for 20 years. He was re-elected in 1996 and continued to work in all divisions of the court for a total of 28 years until his retirement in 2002. He presided over cases as a senior judge for nine years thereafter. Judge Johnson was involved with many organizations, including the Florida Bar Association, the Virginia Bar Association, American Legion, Daytona Beach Navy League and Naval Intelligence Professionals. He also served on the board of directors for Volusia County’s Serenity House and Tiger Bay Club. He was involved with youth sports, followed current events closely and enjoyed going to the beach, swimming laps, working crosswords, listening to music, dancing, rooting for the Boston Celtics and playing no-holds-barred games of Chinese checkers. Survivors include his wife, Elfreda Senning Johnson (Educ ’62 L/M); two sons, including Thomas William Christopher Johnson (Col ’91 L/M); one daughter; three grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

Dorothy Fisher Noonburg (Nurs ’58) of Saddle Brook, New Jersey, died Aug. 11, 2015. She was a registered nurse for more than 40 years and served as assistant director of nursing at Beth Israel Hospital in Passaic. Ms. Noonburg was active in her church and in the Ladies Auxiliary of the Hasbrouck Heights Elks Lodge #1962. Survivors include her husband, three daughters, seven grandchildren, a brother and a sister.