In Memoriam: 1960s
Notices sorted by graduation date
John R. Feather (Educ ’63 L/M) of Fairfax, Va., died Dec. 8, 2012. He served in the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army and later in the U.S. Army Reserve. At the University, he lived on Copeley Hill, where University Hall was later built. Mr. Feather was a high school physics and mathematics teacher in Fairfax County for more than 30 years, teaching at Fairfax High School, Falls Church High School, W.T. Woodson High School and Chantilly High School throughout his career. Survivors include two sons, John Robert Feather II (Col ’77) and Melvin James Feather II (Engr ’84, ’87 L/M).
Mary Anne Watkins Orsick (Nurs ’63) of Indian Trail, N.C., died March 16, 2013. At the University, she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority. She retired as director of substance abuse services for Mecklenburg County, N.C. Ms. Orsick loved spending time with her four grandchildren.
Ralph E. Lawrence II (Law ’65 L/M) of Norfolk, Va., died March 3, 2013. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1960 to 1962 and was later a partner in the law firm of White Johnson & Lawrence until his retirement. Mr. Lawrence was a voracious reader and belonged to a monthly book group. He was an avid Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Rangers fan and loved to garden, serving more than 3,000 hours in the American Horticultural Society’s master gardener program.
James T. Schollaert (Law ’66) of Arlington, Va., died Feb. 17, 2013. He was a retired Foreign Service officer and Washington lobbyist for domestic manufacturing companies. He joined the State Department in 1966 as an economic officer, and his Foreign Service career took him and his family to assignments in Austria, Russia, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan and Bosnia. After retiring in 2003, Mr. Schollaert joined the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition as director of Senate relations and strategic outreach. In 2005, he formed his own lobbying consultancy, Made in USA Strategies, primarily looking after the interests of the domestic sock manufacturing industry. He fully retired in 2010. Mr. Schollaert was a founder of the Arlington Tigers boys’ wrestling team and a member of the Better Sports Club. He had a passion for generosity, for traveling the world, exploring other cultures and conserving the Earth’s natural resources. Survivors include a son, Christopher Schollaert (Col ’90 L/M).
Charles T. “Charlie” Peters (Arch ’67) of Richmond, Va., died Jan. 29, 2013. At the University, he was a member of Chi Psi fraternity, and he remained active on the Chi Psi Corporation board for many years after graduation. Throughout his career as a community planner in Richmond, Mr. Peters helped many small communities plan for development and growth. He worked for the Virginia Division of State Planning and Community Affairs for many years, serving as a consultant to the division, as senior planner and principal planner, and later as director of the Department of Planning and Community Development, a position he held until his retirement in 1997. He was very passionate about the city of Richmond and served on many local community boards, among them the Better Housing Coalition, the Fan District Association and the FRIENDS Association for Children. He enjoyed fly-fishing and riding his BMW motorcycle.
Donald Lynn Seemuller (Educ ’67, ’70 L/M) of Aiken, S.C., died March 9, 2013. At the University, he was a running back for the football team. In the late 1960s, he was the assistant director of the Charlottesville YMCA and taught physical education in the Charlottesville City Schools. Mr. Seemuller taught physical education in Fairfax County from 1969 to 1998 and was a football and track coach for 25 years, coaching both sports at Edison and Lake Braddock high schools and track at George Mason University. When Mr. Seemuller retired in 1998, he and his wife toured the back roads of the United States for three months in their Chevy Tahoe. In addition to traveling around the country, Mr. Seemuller enjoyed playing golf. Survivors include a son, Michael Dean Seemuller (Col ’96); and a brother, William W. Seemuller (Engr ’64, ’66, ’70 L/M).
George L. Maddrea Jr. (Engr ’68) of Yorktown, Va., died April 2, 2013. He was an electrical engineer at NASA for 40 years, retiring in 2003. Mr. Maddrea was a member of the Early Ford V-8 Club of America and the NASA-Langley Apiculture Club. He enjoyed raising cattle on his farm in Lunenburg County and spending time with his seven grandchildren.
Dan T. Schwartz (Col ’68 L/M) of Louisville, Ky., died May 25, 2012. At the University, he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega and Beta Theta Pi fraternities, known by some as “the first U.Va. hippie.” Mr. Schwartz was a loving, kind and accepting man who was a friend to many.
Henry D. Van Cleave (Educ ’68) of Front Royal, Va., died Feb. 19, 2013. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Mr. Van Cleave retired in 1985 as the manager of the Environmental Protection Agency’s national oil spill response division. He then served as vice president of Ecology and Environment’s Washington, D.C., office and worked as an independent consultant advising local and state governments on emergency management and homeland security plans.
Ruth “Pat” Thorne Chaplin (Educ ’69) of Richmond, Va., died April 14, 2013. She worked for many years at McGuire Veterans Hospital and for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and later practiced as a private speech pathologist. Ms. Chaplin, an avid bird watcher, gardener and world traveler who loved reading and doing crossword puzzles, was kind to everyone she met.
Linton R. Dunson Jr. (Grad ’69 L/M) of Greer, S.C., died April 20, 2013. He taught government at Wofford College for 42 years. In addition to serving as government department chair, Mr. Dunson was president and historian for the college’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and faculty adviser to the Kappa Alpha Order.
Anthony G. Hucks-Folliss (Med ’69 L/M) of Pinehurst, N.C., died March 12, 2013. He practiced neurosurgery in the Pinehurst and Moore County areas for more than 30 years. Survivors include a son, Andrew Hucks-Folliss (Col ’10).