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In Memoriam | Fall 2024

In Memoriam: 1960s

Notices sorted by graduation date

William Joseph Allen Jr. (Com ’60 CM) of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, died April 10, 2024. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce, where he was a member of the Delta Sigma Pi professional business fraternity. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a pilot, with tours of duty in both Japan and Korea. After his military service, he became an investment adviser with Blythe & Co. After learning the business, he settled in Raleigh, North Carolina. He cemented a career as a certified financial planner, working for Reynolds, EF Hutton, Paine Webber and UBS. His love of aviation eventually led him to purchase a P-51 Mustang, which he taught himself to fly. Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Sherrod; two children, including William J. Allen III (Col ’85 CM); a sister; and four grandchildren.
Harold Collier (Com ’60 CM) of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, died June 5, 2024. He earned his bachelor’s degree in commerce from UVA, where he was a member of the glee club. During his college years, he was drafted and served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, stationed in Verona, Italy. He embarked on a 38-year telecommunications career, working in management at Centel and Frontier Communications. His work took him to various locations, including Virginia, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Minnesota. He served as president of the Virginia Telephone and Telegraph Association. In retirement, he enjoyed embarking on cross-country road trips and savoring his beloved homemade biscuits and gravy. Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Polly; four children; and 10 grandchildren.
Robert Gerald “Jerry” Bass (Grad ’61 CM) of Lynchburg, Virginia, died May 30, 2024. He graduated from Virginia Tech and went to graduate school at UVA, earning a doctorate in organic chemistry. After a few years working at DuPont, he embarked on a 35-year career in higher education, helping to develop Virginia Commonwealth University into a top research university. He enjoyed mentoring students and took a special interest in first-generation college students. His research focused on polymer chemistry and included work in support of NASA’s aerospace program. He was active in professional organizations, elected as a fellow of the American Chemical Society and as executive officer of the Virginia Academy of Science. He was awarded VCU’s Distinguished Service Award in 1992, and upon his retirement from the chemistry department in 1998, he and his wife established the Gerald and Susan Bass Scholarship. He enjoyed volunteering with Meals on Wheels, cheering on the Cavaliers and traveling the globe. Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Susan; his sons Robert C. Bass (Col ’82 CM) and David G. Bass (Grad ’90); his grandchildren Eleanor and Daniel Bass (Col ’21, Med ’22 CM); and a sister.
Ben Eldridge (Col ’61) of Fredericksburg, Virginia, died April 14, 2024. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UVA, where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He later attended graduate school at American University and the University of Maryland. He worked at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab before serving as chief mathematician for several companies, including Honeywell, Tetra Tech and Applied Hydro Acoustics Research. In the latter years of his career, he focused on research and algorithm development in the field of adaptive signal processing. In 1989, he won the H.W. Sweatt Award at Honeywell for outstanding creative and technical achievement in his field. He was also a legendary banjo player and a founding member of the Seldom Scene, a bluegrass band in the Washington, D.C., area. In 2014, he and the other original band members were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. He retired from the band in 2016 after a 45-year tenure. Survivors include his wife, Barbara; four children; and seven grandchildren.
Mary June Davis Dalton (Nurs ’63) of Richmond, Virginia, died Dec. 19, 2023. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from UVA, where she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority. She went on to work as a registered nurse in the Richmond area for 45 years. Survivors include three children; son-in-law Anthony J. Romanello (Col ’92 CM); eight grandchildren, including A. John Romanello Jr. (Educ ’18 CM); and two great-granddaughters.
William Howarth (Grad ’63, ’67) of Princeton, New Jersey, died June 6, 2023. He earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees in English at UVA. He then served for 51 years on the faculty at Princeton University, specializing in American literature of 1850 through 1950. He taught many courses on transcendentalism, Walden and Thoreau, and he supervised many theses and dissertations. He was a trustee of Princeton University Press and chairman of the Center for American Places. He reported on American literature for publications including National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New York Times and The Washington Post. Survivors include his wife, Anne; two children; and two siblings. 
Hunter Neal “Chip” Conner (Col ’64, Educ ’65 CM) of Greensboro, North Carolina, died May 31, 2024. He attended UVA on a basketball scholarship. He excelled on the court, scoring 1,157 career points. In his fourth year he won the coveted First Team All-ACC award. He was also a member of the IMP Society and the track and cross-country teams. After earning both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in education from UVA, he taught and coached basketball at Lane High School in Charlottesville. He then worked as an assistant coach at UVA for several years before becoming a head coach at the University of South Florida. In 1980, he moved back to Virginia to begin a career in real estate, selling homes until his retirement in 2015. Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Clara; three sons; two brothers; and 10 grandchildren.
Thomas M. Ammons III (Col ’66, Law ’69 CM) of Virginia Beach, Virginia, died March 19, 2024. While earning his undergraduate degree in political science from UVA, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve for two years. He served as vice president of the student body, was a member of the Raven Society and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and lived at 4 East Lawn his fourth year. He also earned a law degree at UVA and a master of laws degree from the London School of Economics at the University of London. Beginning in 1970, he practiced civil rights litigation in Mobile, Alabama, specializing in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in employment. He then practiced real estate law in Virginia Beach and, in 1989, was appointed by the General Assembly to serve as a judge on the Virginia Beach General District Court. He remained on the court until retiring in 2005, serving as chief judge for five years of his tenure. He loved animals, especially dogs and horses. He served as a board member of the Virginia Beach SPCA for over 20 years. In 2016, the Norfolk SPCA created the Thomas M. Ammons III Award for contributions to animal welfare. In 2005, he volunteered at an animal shelter in Gulfport, Mississippi, that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina. He became certified in disaster animal rescue by the Humane Society and in horse rescue by Virginia Tech. 
Richard K. “Dick” DeScherer (Col ’66 CM) of New York City died March 23, 2024. After earning his bachelor’s degree in government from UVA, he received a law degree from Georgetown University and a master of laws in legal taxation from NYU Law School. During his legal career, he helped guide the establishment and growth of Bloomberg L.P. and mentored many young lawyers in the process. In addition to serving as personal lawyer to Michael Bloomberg for many years—including during his three terms as New York City mayor—he was a member of Bloomberg’s board of directors for nearly four decades. He was also senior partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, where he also served as co-chairman, for more than two decades. He served on the boards of the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation, Lincoln Center, Baryshnikov Arts and the National Dance Institute. He also served on the Governing Council of the Miller Center at UVA. Survivors include his wife, Jennie; his children Christopher K. DeScherer (Col ’93 CM) and Kate Anne DeScherer (Col ’00); and five grandchildren.
Carolyn Andrews Isaacs (Nurs ’66) of Fort Wayne, Indiana, died March 13, 2024. A native of Norfolk, Virginia, she knew from a young age that she wanted to be a nurse and earned her nursing degree at UVA. She started her career as a nurse in Albemarle County, Virginia, and later worked as an obstetrics nurse in Fort Wayne. She was passionate about childbirth and helped many women through challenging pregnancies, including as a Lamaze instructor. She also pursued many creative and artistic talents, including oil painting, flower arranging, gardening, scrapbooking, card-making and quilting. She was known for her beautiful, colorful quilts that she gave to loved ones and people in need. Survivors include her husband of 58 years, James Chisholm Isaacs Jr. (Engr ’64, ’67, ’70 CM); five children; and two grandchildren.
John Holloway Newman (Law ’69 CM) of Naples, Florida, died April 27, 2024. He was a U.S. Army veteran. He earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Centre College, followed by his law degree at UVA. He joined the New York City Wall Street law firm of Brown & Wood (later Sidley Austin), where he had a distinguished career in the corporate and securities department. He retired from Sidley Austin in 2015. He was appointed to the board of trustees of Centre College in 1990 and was proud to serve as a member of the board until 2021. From 2002 through 2016, he was vice chairman of the board of directors for the Center for Family Representation, which provides legal and social services to families in the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Queens. Survivors include two children, a brother and a sister.