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In Memoriam | Fall 2017

In Memoriam: 1960s

Notices sorted by graduation date

Richard Downing Lane (Arch ’60) of Greenwich, Connecticut, died April 16, 2017. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve. At the University, he was a member of Sigma Nu. He worked for small architectural firms until 1967, when he was asked to join a firm specializing in commercial interior design, his field until he retired from Deloitte and Touche in 2004. He was active in his community, serving on the boards of the Greenwich Architectural Review Committee, the Greenwich Land Trust and Friends of Greenwich Point. He was also a member of the Art Society of Old Greenwich. He is survived by his wife, Vera; a son; a daughter; a granddaughter; a brother; and a sister.

Wesley L. Millett (Engr ’62 L/M) of Haverhill, Massachusetts, died January 17, 2017. At the University, he lived on the Lawn. He also took a walk with William Faulkner during his time as writer-in-residence at the University. After graduation, Mr. Millett worked as a mechanical engineer on missile guidance systems. As a researcher in the field, he published articles in numerous technical magazines. Mr. Millett was an author, artist, sculptor and historian. He was an avid Civil War researcher and spent 12 years researching and writing The Rebel and the Rose: James A. Semple, Julia Gardiner Tyler and the Lost Confederate Gold (Cumberland House Publishing, 2007), a nonfiction account of the disappearance of $86,000 in Confederate gold coin and bullion. He was also dedicated to veterans’ groups and contributed to Their Finest Hour: Profiles of American Veterans (Donning Company Publishers, 2012). A sports enthusiast, he coached baseball and followed UVA sports with interest. Survivors include his wife, Laurie; two daughters; a son; his children’s spouses; three granddaughters; and four grandsons. 

Clinton Howard Whitehurst Jr. (Grad ’62) of Clemson, South Carolina, died January 11, 2017. He served in the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II, the U.S. Army during the Korean War and the U.S. Naval Intelligence Reserve from 1957 to 1972. Mr. Whitehurst became a professor of management and economics at Clemson University in 1960. In 1988, he retired as the head emeritus of the Department of Industrial Management and professor emeritus of management and economics. He continued to write and contribute works as a senior fellow of the Strom Thurmond Institute and the American Enterprise Institute. Among the numerous awards and accolades he received during his career was the Maritime Port Council of Greater New York and Vicinity’s Paul Hall Memorial Award. Mr. Whitehurst traveled extensively with his wife, visiting Scotland, Portugal, India, Taiwan and Australia. Survivors include his wife, Marion; a son; a daughter; a granddaughter; three grandsons and two sisters.

Joseph W. Board (Col ’62, Law ’65 L/M) of Pickens, South Carolina, died Dec 27, 2016. He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during the Vietnam War. He was a member of Sigma Nu and attended the University on an athletic scholarship, playing defensive back on the football team and running track. He went on to be a family court judge and an active member of his community. He founded and ran the student court in the Pickens County school system, and he was active in the local Boy Scouts, American Legion, and Honor Flight, an organization that helps veterans visit Washington, D.C. He was also instrumental in the construction of the Playground of Promise, a community-funded playground built by volunteers in Pickens. Survivors include his wife, Martha; three children; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

John R. “Jud” Judkins (Col ’62 L/M) of Baltimore died May 26, 2017. At the University, he played lacrosse and was a member of Delta Phi Fraternity (St. Elmo Hall). After graduation, he spent the majority of his career as a broker with Alex. Brown & Sons before also working with Smith Barney and Merrill Lynch. Known for his integrity and sense of humor, Mr. Judkins enjoyed teaching his family to water ski, bait a hook and shoot a gun. An avid waterfowl hunter, he founded the Island Point Hunting Club on Langford Bay on the Eastern Shore in 1970, and he served as president of the Washington chapter of Ducks Unlimited. Survivors include his wife, Frances; a sister; four children, including Margaret “Margee” Cronin Sullivan (Col ’06, Curry ’07); daughter-in-law Lauren Aumiller Cronin (Col ’03); and eight grandchildren.

Leslie Gordon Kirschner Jr. (Res ’64) of Washington, D.C., died April 27, 2017. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He attended Central Methodist College (now Central Methodist University), Southeast Missouri State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before completing his residency at the University of Virginia. He also received training at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute. Dr. Kirschner served on the faculty at the University of Virginia for three years before moving to Washington, D.C., where he spent the rest of his career. In 1969, he opened a private practice, which he maintained for 48 years. He was also a member of the faculty of George Washington University and was co-founder and co-chairman of the Advanced Psychotherapy Training program at the Washington School of Psychiatry. Survivors include his wife, Hattie, four daughters, three grandsons and two granddaughters.

Emil F. Aysseh (Col ’66 L/M) of New Canaan, Connecticut, died May 2, 2017. At the University, he served as president of Sigma Phi Epsilon, worked for the Cavalier Daily and Corks & Curls and was a member of the Sceptre Society. He played football before an injury sidelined him after his first year. A retired real estate developer, he was happiest around his family; he never missed a son’s sports game or a chance to be with his grandkids. He especially loved being on the water, whether boating or fishing. He was a proud Wahoo throughout his life. Survivors include his wife, Josephine; four sons; two brothers; a sister; and 10 grandchildren.

Laurie Riddell Geary (Educ ’67) of Gloucester, Massachusetts, died April 30, 2017. She attended Mary Washington College before graduating from the University of Virginia. She later completed a master’s degree in education at Boston University. Ms. Geary taught high school Spanish and English and worked as a trainer and facilitator with the outdoor education firm Outward Bound Professional. She also worked as a trainer for the Teacher Education Institute and a consultant with Right Management and became certified as a life coach and a cancer coach. Ms. Geary served her community as an educator and brought many programs to Gloucester, including parent effectiveness training, stress management, living with cancer and others. She was an avid reader and wrote the books Gear Up with Games! (2014) and Dancing Through Cancer (2013). Additionally, she contributed to the book Getting It: Self-Esteem (2012). Ms. Geary loved to dance, especially to Zydeco music. She also loved the outdoors and to sail, windsurf, ski, hike and ride a bicycle. Survivors include two sons, three grandchildren and a sister.

Clyde Eugene “Gene” Arnette Jr. (Educ ’68, ’69 L/M) of Keswick, Virginia, died February 9, 2017. He served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy. At the University, he lived on the Lawn and was a member of Zeta Psi fraternity, the Imp Society and Eli Banana. After leading Charlottesville’s Lane High School to the 1963 State Championship, he played quarterback on the University’s football team and played on the baseball team. He loved spending time with his family and playing golf. In the community, he was active with the Miller School of Albemarle, the Virginia Student Aid Foundation, and several youth athletic teams. Survivors include a sister; a daughter, Cali Arnette Hendricks (Col ’01 L/M); a son; and four grandchildren.