In Memoriam: 1950s
Notices sorted by graduation date
Donald J. Heim (Engr ’50 L/M) of Vienna, Virginia, died Feb. 3, 2015. He served in the U.S. Navy. He began his career as a cadet engineer at the Washington Gas Light Co. and for 42 years worked his way up the company ladder, eventually serving as WGL’s president, CEO and chairman of the board. During his tenure there, he secured contracts for all-gas operations at the Washington Hilton and for a novel gas heating and cooling system at the Watergate complex. As president, he oversaw the establishment of the Washington Area Fuel Fund, which went on to help hundreds of thousands of residents heat their homes; the Salvation Army still administers the fund. Mr. Heim also served on several committees of the American Gas Association before serving as the organization’s chairman of the board from 1989 to 1990. He was a very involved alumnus of the University, serving on the Virginia Engineering Foundation board of directors from 1992 to 1995, establishing two endowed scholarship funds with the School of Engineering and supporting both the Engineering Students Without Borders and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Entrepreneurs for Rural Services (WaSHERS) programs. Mr. Heim was elected to UVA’s Raven Society in 1995, and was involved in a number of organizations in the Washington, D.C., area, including the Kiwanis Club of Washington, D.C. He loved taking family vacations to Capon Springs, West Virginia; playing golf in Florida; fishing; and watching Washington Redskins games and Virginia Cavaliers sports. Survivors include his wife; five children, including Donald J. Heim Jr. (Darden ’77 L/M), Diane Heim (Col ’79 L/M), Laura Heim (Arch ’81 L/M), Sarah Heim (Col ’97 L/M); and seven grandchildren, including Matthew Heim (Engr ’03, Darden ’09 L/M), Richard Heim (Engr ’05), Ashley Heim (Engr ’07), and Melissa Reardon (Col ’14 L/M); and one great-grandchild.
William Lee Johnson Sr. (Col ’52 L/M) of Lynchburg, Virginia, died Sept. 1, 2015. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. At the University, he was a member of the Cavalier Daily and Corks & Curls staffs, Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Skull and Keys and the Young Republicans Club. For several years, he was administrative assistant to the director of advertising at Merck in Philadelphia and New York. He retired in 1986 from John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance as a life member of the President’s Honor Club and a life member of the Million Dollar Round Table. Mr. Johnson was a registered representative with the National Association of Securities Dealers and was past president of the Lynchburg Association of Life Underwriters, the Lynchburg Estate Planning Council and the Lynchburg Chapter of the American College of Chartered Life Underwriters. Survivors include his wife; two daughters; a son; and a brother, James G. Johnson (Col ’51).
Frederick Peters Cole (Engr ’53) of Reedville, Virginia, died Feb. 22, 2015. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Mr. Cole worked for Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. for several years before joining SunarHauserman Inc., a manufacturer of steel interior wall panels and systems, where he worked for 32 years as a sales engineer. He served on the planning and zoning boards before being elected to the board of trustees of the Village of Rockville Centre, in Nassau County, New York, where he served for 12 years. After retiring to Virginia, he served on his church vestry and on the board of the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum. Mr. Cole also served on the Bay Trust advisory board and the Rappahannock General Hospital board of directors. Survivors include his wife; a daughter; a son, Christopher P. Cole (Col ’83 L/M); daughter-in-law Kerry Miller Cole (Col ’85 L/M); and four grandchildren.
Thomas C. Scott Jr. (Educ ’53 L/M) of New Canaan, Connecticut, and Charlottesville died Aug. 31, 2015. At the University, he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, IMP Society, T.I.L.K.A., V Club and Eli Banana. He earned 10 varsity letters through his participation with the football, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, and track and field teams, and earned first team All-America honors in football and lacrosse, a first for any student athlete at UVA. Many years later, he was voted the best all-around athlete in the history of UVA, and the University retired his football jersey, number 65, in 2007 to honor his many accomplishments. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1952, but was sent to play for the Philadelphia Eagles instead. He played six seasons as a linebacker for the Eagles, receiving the 1953 NFL Rookie of the Year designation in his first season. In 1959, he was traded to the New York Giants and played during an era now described as the Giants’ golden years, when the team competed in the NFL Championship games four times in five years. Mr. Scott was named All-Pro in seven of his 12 seasons with the NFL, and after retiring as a player at the end of the 1964 season, became assistant defensive coach for the Giants. He was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. In 1996, he received the Profile in Courage Award from the NFL Players Association and was selected as a member of the ACC Legends class of 2013, representing the University of Virginia. After retiring from football, he worked for Mass Mutual for many years, specializing in life insurance. Mr. Scott also served on the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame board of directors from 1977 to 2005. He was a true gentleman, sportsman and family man who attended as many Virginia Cavaliers football games as he could. Survivors include his wife, two daughters, two sons, a daughter-in-law and eight grandchildren.
Donald John Kenneweg (Col ’54, Med ’58, Res ’65, ’66 L/M) of Fredericksburg, Virginia, died Aug. 16, 2015. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. At the University, he was a cheerleader and a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, P.K. Society and the Glee Club. In 1966, Dr. Kenneweg and his family settled in Fredericksburg, where he began his career as a radiologist with a special interest in nuclear medicine at Radiologic Associates of Fredericksburg at Mary Washington Hospital. He worked there for 32 years, serving for eight of those years as chair of the department of radiology and one year as medical staff president. He also served for many years as chairman of the hospital’s credentials committee. Dr. Kenneweg taught clinical radiology at the University of Virginia Medical Center from 1966 to 1976 and was a member of many medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the Medical Society of Virginia; he served in every office capacity for the Virginia chapter of the American College of Radiology. Dr. Kenneweg was also the founder and first medical director of the Mary Washington School of Radiologic Technology, and was appointed by the governor of Virginia to serve on the medical malpractice review panels of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Active in various civic organizations, such as the Fredericksburg Rotary Club and the board of the Fredericksburg Festival of the Arts, he joined the Rappahannock Medical Reserve Corps following his retirement from Mary Washington Hospital. Dr. Kenneweg loved reading, history (especially modern European history) and traveling. He also enjoyed spending time with his family. Survivors include his wife, former UVA School of Nursing instructor Bernice Miller Kenneweg; a daughter, Bronwyn Kenneweg Thornton (Col ’85 L/M); a son; three grandchildren; and a brother.
Edward R. Smith (Col ’54) of Wilmington, Delaware, died Sept. 15, 2015. At the University, he was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. He served in the U.S. Navy as a White House aide during the Eisenhower administration and on board ships in many parts of the world. After retiring from the Navy, he worked for IBM Corp. before co-founding a private consulting firm that helped clients implement new office technology. Mr. Smith was permanently affected by a cerebrovascular accident in 1985 and was a member of the Stroke Club of New Castle County, sponsored by Easter Seals. Survivors include his wife, a son and two grandsons.
William F. Whalen (Col ’56 L/M) of Wilmington, North Carolina, died Oct. 13, 2015. At the University, he lived on the Lawn and was a member of the Virginia Spectator staff, the radio-television workshop and WUVA Corp., Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, Sigma Chi fraternity, the Glee Club, Naval ROTC and the Trident Society. He was also elected to the Raven Society. Mr. Whalen served in the U.S. Navy and in the Naval Reserve until retiring with the rank of captain in 1988. He later worked as a budget officer with the federal government in Washington, D.C., retiring to Wilmington in 2005. He served as a docent at the National Air and Space Museum, the Freer Gallery of Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the National Gallery of Art. He enjoyed classical music, opera and the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, and his other interests included military history and biography, tennis, biking, travel, art and aviation. Survivors include a daughter, Elizabeth Whalan Thorne (Nurs ’80); a son; and two granddaughters, including Ann Thorne Eaves (Col ’05, Educ ’05, ’09 L/M).
Otho Frederick Mears III (Engr ’57 L/M) of Atlanta died April 11, 2015. He served in the U.S. Navy. At the University, he was a member of the E-Club, Eli Banana, IMP Society, Naval ROTC, P.K. Society, Trident Society, Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society, and served on the Inter-Fraternity Council and the Judiciary Committee. He also lived on the Lawn. An electrical engineer, Mr. Mears began his career with General Electric, holding various roles in U.S. offices over the course of 22 years, and later was a senior executive with Reily Electrical Supply Co. in New Orleans for 12 years. He then worked with several electrical businesses in various roles until his retirement in 2005. He loved playing golf, especially with his wife and children, and cherished time spent with close friends; he frequently organized reunions for his fraternity brothers. Survivors include his wife; two sons, including John B. Mears (Com ’86, Darden ’92 L/M); five grandchildren; and a sister.
M. Harold Weasner (Grad ’57 L/M) of Succasunna, New Jersey, died Aug. 9, 2015. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War. At the University, he worked with psychology professor Frank Finger and took care of the rat lab after school and many evenings. He worked at Picatinny Arsenal, a military research and manufacturing facility in Rockaway Township, New Jersey, for more than 37 years. After he retired in 1989, Mr. Weasner and his family took many trips around the U.S. and abroad. He was a kind family man who never complained and loved to read. Survivors include his wife, two daughters, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, a sister and a brother.
Timothy J. Bentley Jr. (Com ’58) of Charlottesville died Oct. 1, 2015. He was a private investor. Mr. Bentley held various interests throughout his life, but especially enjoyed gardening and discovering new wine and spirits. Survivors include his wife, a daughter, a son and two grandchildren.
Stuart Earl Jones (Engr ’58 L/M) of Afton, Virginia, died Oct. 14, 2015. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. At the University, he was a member of the Judiciary Committee, Eta Kappa Nu electrical and computer engineering honor society, Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society and Theta Tau engineering fraternity. Mr. Jones was an electrical engineer with DuPont for more than 40 years. The position afforded him the opportunity to travel the world, showcasing his skills and forming friendships. He loved traveling with his wife, and their travels took them to England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Hungary, Morocco, Singapore and many other places. He was an active member and supporter of the Virginia Student Aid Foundation, now the Virginia Athletics Foundation, for more than 50 years. Mr. Jones had many hobbies, such as golfing, bowling and fishing, but his greatest love was riding his horse, Boy Scout, and devoting time to the hounds at Oak Ridge Fox Hunt Club. He was very interested in genealogy, and as a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and its Thomas Jefferson Chapter, he coordinated efforts with the Library of Congress and other resources to help interested parties secure SAR membership certification. Survivors include his wife, two daughters and three grandchildren.
John Martin Bailey (Grad ’59) of Catonsville, Maryland, died July 6, 2015. At the University, he lived on the Lawn and was a member of the University Judiciary Committee. After 17 years as a physics professor at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin, he switched gears and became a transportation planner, modeling and predicting traffic for the city of Baltimore and Montgomery County, Maryland. Mr. Bailey was a curious man who had a warm smile, gentle nature and clever sense of humor. Survivors include a daughter, Leslie Bailey Streissguth (Col ’87 L/M); a son, Brian J. Bailey (Col ’89 L/M); and five grandchildren, including Emily L. Streissguth (Col ’18 L/M).
Fritz T. Sandoz (Col ’59) of Daytona Beach, Florida, died July 19, 2015. At the University, he was a member of the football team and Sigma Phi fraternity. He was film editor at the American Broadcasting Co. for many years. He later joined his family’s real estate company and worked there until his retirement. Survivors include his brother, three nieces and a nephew.