In Memoriam: 1960s

Notices sorted by graduation date

Ellen Hunt Chewning (Educ ’60 A/M) of Richmond, Va., died Oct. 21, 2009. She retired in 1986 from the position of supervisor of guidance services for the Richmond Public Schools system. During her career in education, Ms. Chewning was appointed to the Henrico County School Board, served on the J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College board and chaired the Henrico Democratic Committee. She received numerous honors and awards, including becoming a delegate to the White House Conference on Children and Youth. After her retirement, Ms. Chewning was a member of the steering council of Richmond Urban Partnerships for Education. In 1998, she received the Outstanding Citizen Award from the Virginia Council on Social Welfare, Capital Area District; and the Humanitarian and Caring Person Award from the Virginia Counselors Association.

Charles Peter Parrish (Col ’63 L/M) of Richmond, Va., died Dec. 31, 2009. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps. At the University, Mr. Parrish was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He was a vice president at Home Beneficial Life Insurance Co. In retirement, he served as treasurer of the Virginia Genealogical Society. Survivors include a son, Edward R. Parrish (Col ’95 L/M); a daughter, Clair W. Parrish (Col ’99, Educ ’99 L/M); a daughter-in-law, Sarah Smith Parrish (Col ’97 L/M); and nephews William P. Stringfellow (Col ’73) and Richard A. Parrish (Col ’73).

Bob Gene Raines (Grad ’63, Educ ’70) of Abingdon, Va., died Dec. 19, 2009. He taught physics and mathematics at Abingdon High School, served as principal of John S. Battle High School in Bristol, Va., became an associate professor of mathematics and director of admissions for Clinch Valley College in Wise, Va., and served the Washington County, Virginia, public schools as superintendent of schools. From 1981 until his retirement in 2000, Mr. Raines served Emory & Henry College in many roles, including as professor of mathematics and education and director of the William N. Neff Center for Teacher Education. His awards include the Emory & Henry College Excellence in Teaching Award, Phi Delta Kappa Southwest Virginia Teacher of the Year and the Dr. John Davis Award for Distinguished Teaching and Service. In 2005, Emory & Henry established the Bob G. Raines Scholarship.

Robert Bradley VanTassel (GSBA ’63) of Baton Rouge, La., died Dec. 15, 2009. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and received a World War II Victory Medal, an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two silver stars and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one bronze star. Mr. VanTassel worked in the textile manufacturing industry.

John Carter Clary (Educ ’64 L/M) of Albuquerque, N.M., died Oct. 11, 2009. At the University, he was a member of the U.Va. Rugby Football Club and glee club. Mr. Clary served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and after. He practiced law between 1974 and 2008 and served as criminal prosecutor for the state of Alabama, then for the state of New Mexico in Albuquerque, Raton, Clovis and Las Cruces. Mr. Clary also worked for the U.S. Department of the Interior. He taught at Wake Forest University School of Law in North Carolina, the International School of Business in Tokyo and other universities and schools.

Thomas Skipwith Lewis (Engr ’64, ’67 A/M) of Richmond, Va., died Oct. 10, 2009. After serving in the U.S. Army, he served as professor and dean of engineering at the University of Hartford for 15 years. Later, Mr. Lewis was executive vice president of the engineering department for the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co. before he retired in 1996. A gourmet cook, he attended the Greenbrier Cooking School in West Virginia for 13 years. Survivors include his wife, Jane Townsend Lewis (Educ ’64).

Stephen Hull McNamara (Col ’64, Law ’67 L/M) of Gaithersburg, Md., died Dec. 28, 2009. He served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal and the Purple Heart. Mr. McNamara was the senior vice president and general counsel for the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, now the Personal Care Products Council. He later served the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as staff attorney, senior trial attorney and eventually as associate chief counsel for food; for a year he served as the acting chief counsel. In 1984 he joined the law firm of Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, from which he retired in 2003.

William H. Vaughn (Law ’64) of Dover, Del., died Dec. 12, 2009. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Mr. Vaughn practiced law in Dover and later became CEO of the United Restaurant Group. Survivors include a grandson, Brian J. Snyder (Col ’01).

Joseph Christopher Tisdale III (Educ ’65, ’66, ’71 L/M) of North Myrtle Beach, S.C., died Dec. 20, 2009. At the University, he was a member of the baseball team. Mr. Tisdale played semipro baseball in the Valley of Virginia League. He was a math professor at Winthrop University from 1971 until his retirement, and a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Raymond V. Ford Jr. (Col ’66, Law ’76 L/M) of Hamilton, Va., died Dec. 31, 2009. Before he attended law school, he was a bartender and manager of Mitty’s General Store in Water Mill, N.Y. Later, Mr. Ford worked as assistant general counsel for Western Union for many years. Most recently, he had a private law practice in Virginia. Survivors include a daughter, Samantha Ford (Col ’00 L/M).

Irwin Beitch (Grad ’68) of Cheshire, Conn., died Oct. 12, 2009. He was a professor of biology at Quinnipiac University, where he taught courses in histology, histochemistry and biomedical photography. Survivors include his wife, Barbara Rose Beitch (Grad ’68).

John Pool (Educ ’68 L/M) of Richmond, Va., died Dec. 7, 2009. He served in the U.S. Navy’s submarine fleet during World War II and in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Mr. Pool taught history in Henrico County schools and later served as an assistant principal.

Vivian G. Howard (Educ ’69 A/M) of Ettrick, Va., died Dec. 7, 2009. At the University, she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Ms. Howard was a professor of mathematics at Virginia State College and led the development of graduate and undergraduate programs in mathematics education. She also served as assistant to the president of Virginia State College. Over her career, she also taught at Virginia Tech, Longwood College, St. Paul’s College and Virginia Union University. Ms. Howard designed and directed the Partnership in Mathematics and Science, a program to enhance science and mathematics achievement in middle school students. After her retirement, she taught at Howard University and co-founded Pi Lambda Theta International Honor Society in Education. She was a board member and Virginia supervisor of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and established five chapters in Virginia.