In Memoriam: 1950s
Notices sorted by graduation date
Henry Lee Valentine II (Col ’50 CM) of Richmond, Virginia, died Sept. 21, 2023. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1945 and served as World War II concluded. At UVA, he was elected Student Council president and was a member of St. Anthony Hall, the IMP Society, the Raven Society, Eli Banana and Omicron Delta Kappa. He was a member of the men’s tennis team and won championships in both singles and doubles at the Richmond City Tennis Tournament. Upon graduation, he joined the financial services firm Davenport & Co. when it had approximately 15 employees. When he stepped down as chairman in 2012, the firm had grown to over 400 employees. He retired from the company in 2021, having served as both CEO and president. Elected in 1970 to the Richmond City Council, he served for eight years, including two as vice mayor. He believed the city’s future depended on inclusion, collaboration and understanding across the population. He joined a group of Richmond’s business and political leaders to establish Richmond Renaissance, serving as a board member for 15 years, including as president. In 1996, he received the Humanitarian Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews for promoting equality, respect and understanding among people of all races, religions and cultures. In 2010, he was inducted into the Greater Richmond Business Hall of Fame. He chaired the board or served as president for a variety of organizations, including the Children’s Hospital of Richmond, Richmond Eye and Ear Hospital, Richmond Tennis Patrons Association, the UVA Alumni Association, the United Givers Fund, and Woodberry Forest School. He also served on the boards of the Commonwealth Club, the Country Club of Virginia, Hollywood Cemetery, Media General, the UVA Board of Visitors, and the YMCA. Survivors include his wife of 68 years, Peggy; four children, including Henry L. Valentine III (Col ’81 CM), Ida V. Farinholt (Col class of ’84), and Ned Valentine (Col ’87, Darden ’93 CM); 11 grandchildren, including Ann McKerny Valentine (Col ’21 CM) and Henry Lee Valentine IV (Col class of ’25); and two great-grandchildren.
Carl Campbell (Educ class of ’51, class of ’62) of Oxford, Pennsylvania, died July 26, 2023. Before graduating high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and served on a landing ship in the Pacific during World War II. After completing his military service, he used the GI Bill to earn his bachelor’s in chemistry at Lynchburg College. Upon graduation, he began his teaching career in Virginia before earning both his master’s and his doctorate in education at UVA. He then moved to Pennsylvania, where he was a professor of educational administration at Shippensburg University for 26 years before retiring. Outside of work, he was an avid puzzle solver, completing multiple word puzzles daily. He also enjoyed golf, fishing, art history, museums and searching for arrowheads. Survivors include his daughter, his sister, three granddaughters and eight great-grandchildren.
Gelon S. “Pistol” Hobbs Jr. (Col ’51 CM) of Suffolk, Virginia, died April 9, 2022. At age 18, he joined the U.S. Merchant Marine as an ensign and subsequently joined the U.S. Army as a staff sergeant. While earning his bachelor’s in economics at UVA, he played freshman tennis and was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. For 45 years he owned and operated G.S. Hobbs Clothier in downtown Suffolk. He also served as president of the Retail Merchants Association, president of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, and president of the Suffolk Rotary Club. President of the Suffolk Golf Association, he was a founding member of the Suffolk Sports Club. He considered graduating from UVA his most important achievement. Survivors include two daughters; three grandchildren, including Meredith E. Prince (Educ class of ’08) and Sarah Hoffman (Col ’14 CM); and three great-grandchildren.
Thomas H. “Tuck” Maddux III (Com ’51 CM) of Baltimore, Maryland, died June 15, 2023. Originally from Marshall, Virginia, at age 17 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy to join the World War II effort. At UVA, he was president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and a member of the IMP Society. After graduating, he began his business career at Black & Decker, eventually becoming an executive vice president and traveling worldwide to manage operations. In 1975 he was named executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Easco Corp., a Baltimore-based tool manufacturer. In 1985, he was appointed Maryland secretary of economic and community development by Gov. Harry R. Hughes, and helped Hughes navigate the state’s savings and loan crisis of the mid-1980s. Later, he established and was CEO of American Stone Mix Inc., a company that manufactured and sold building materials. He also served on many boards, with significant time dedicated to Washington College and Greater Baltimore Medical Center. In his free time, he enjoyed golf, boating, gardening and skiing. Survivors include his brother, three children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Porter B. “Pete” Echols Jr. (Col ’55, Med ’58 CM) of Richmond, Virginia, died Sept. 4, 2023. During his time at UVA, he was a Lawn resident and member of the cross country and track and field teams. He matriculated directly to the University of Virginia School of Medicine after three years of undergraduate study. In 1993 he completed the hours for his bachelor’s degree. Following medical school, he completed an internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and a residency at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital in New York City. He practiced ophthalmology in Lynchburg, Virginia, from 1962 to 1995. After retirement, he moved to Richmond to be closer to his family. Survivors include his wife of 67 years, June Welsh Echols (Educ ’73 CM); three children, including Burks Echols (Col ’85 CM); his daughter-in-law, Ann Carter “Boo” Refo Echols (Col ’86 CM); and two granddaughters, Carter Echols (Com ’22 CM) and Sarah Echols (Col class of ’24).
William Kent Ford Jr. (Grad class of ’55, class of ’57) of Millboro Springs, Virginia, died June 18, 2023. After graduating from Washington and Lee University, he earned his master’s degree and doctorate in physics from the University of Virginia. During his time on Grounds, he was a member of the Honor Committee. He spent his professional career at the Carnegie Institution of Washington’s Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, where he designed and installed electronic image tube spectrographs on telescopes around the world. One of the instruments he built is on display in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. He was also known for his work measuring galactic rotation curves with astronomer Vera C. Rubin. In retirement, he led water quality monitoring programs for the Cowpasture River Preservation Association. He enjoyed spending time in nature, operating ham radio, and tinkering with wires, glass and metal. Survivors include his wife, Ellen, three children and four grandchildren.
Melvin “Mel” Roach (Col ’55 CM) of Richmond, Virginia, died July 31, 2023. An ROTC graduate of UVA, he served two years of active military duty as an ensign in the U.S. Navy. At UVA he played on the baseball, basketball and football teams and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, T.I.L.K.A., and the Raven Society. He went on to play baseball professionally in the major leagues and appeared in two World Series. He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1988 and the UVA Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. Following his career in Major League Baseball, he joined the Bank of Virginia Trust division and remained a loyal employee for 25 years as it moved through several name changes. He retired as the president of Signet Trust Company in 1985. Throughout his life, he continued to receive baseball cards and fan mail. Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Marilyn, two children, a brother and five grandchildren.
Randolph Wall Cabell (Darden ’59 CM) of Williamsburg, Virginia, died Sept. 7, 2023. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, serving for two years at Fort Bliss, Texas. He graduated with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech. After a brief stint with GE in Philadelphia, he returned to his home state of Virginia to attend the newly opened Darden School of Business at UVA, where he received his M.B.A. and was a member of the Raven Society. He enjoyed a 28-year career as an engineer with IBM and proudly celebrated Virginia history through music and family. This included editing and publishing music of the Band of the 19th Virginia Heavy Artillery, co-founding a saxhorn band at the Virginia Military Institute, and composing nearly a dozen marches. He was masterful at orchestrating fun and will be remembered for the joy he brought to those around him. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mary Katherine Huggin Cabell (Grad ’57, ’60 CM); five children, including Elizabeth Cabell (Col ’83 CM) and Martha Cabell (Col ’90 CM); 15 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
F. Patrick Dillon (Col ’59 CM) of Surprise, Arizona, died Feb. 8, 2023. He served in the U.S. Navy with tours of duty in locations such as Europe and Brazil as assistant naval attaché. While studying psychology at UVA, he was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and Navy ROTC. He spent the next 18 years working in human resources and later as the senior executive/vice president of MSI. In 1983 he started PAVI Enterprises. He continued as president for the rest of his career, focusing on sales and human resources and consulting for Fortune 500 companies. He served on the board of advisers to the California State University of San Bernadino, La Vern University, Orange Coast College, and the University of California, Riverside. He also was an instructor for Long Beach City College, University of San Francisco, Loyola University, National University and Saddleback City College. Survivors include his wife, Vicki, one child and five grandchildren.