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In Memoriam | Fall 2026

In Memoriam: 1960s

Notices sorted by graduation date

William “Bill” Prescott Lecky (Arch ’60 CM) of Annapolis, Maryland, died April 5, 2026. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he attended UVA and was inducted into the Raven Society and ODK. During this time, he had a friendship with visiting writer-in-residence William Faulkner. After graduation, he formed Cooper-Lecky Architects, becoming a stalwart of the Washington, D.C., architectural community for nearly 40 years and training many architects. He worked on projects including the Blair House, the White House Press Room and projects at the National Zoo. He had a prominent role in designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. He was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 2008. Survivors include his wife, Paula; his children, Brooke Lecky Supple (Col ’92 CM) and Eric Lecky (Col ’97); and four grandchildren.

James Kent Morrison (Col ’62 CM) died May 23, 2026. At UVA, he was a member of Skull and Keys, the Jefferson Society, the Air Force ROTC and Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He served in the U.S. Air Force in Clovis, New Mexico, from 1964 to 1965. In 1968, while completing his doctorate from the University of Washington, he moved to Hong Kong and Taiwan with his young family to conduct academic research. His career in education started at the University of Utah, where he taught political science. He worked as an administrator at the University of Rhode Island and at Walden University in Minneapolis. After retiring, he spent many years as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, acting as a surrogate guardian for children in the legal systems in Minnesota and Washington. He traveled frequently and loved to prepare food from all over the world. Survivors include three sons and six grandchildren.

Kenneth M. Heilman (Med ’63 CM) of Gainesville, Florida, died July 15, 2024. At UVA, he studied chemistry for three years before being accepted into the medical school, skipping a bachelor’s degree. He trained in internal medicine at Cornell University Medical College. During the Vietnam War, he joined the U.S. Air Force and, at the rank of captain, deployed as chief of medicine at a NATO hospital in Izmir, Turkey. After discharge, he completed a neurology residency and fellowship at Harvard. In 1970, he joined the University of Florida, where he became the James E. Rooks Jr. Professor of Neurology. For many years, he also served as chief of the neurology service at what is now the Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Gainesville. He had a prolific literary career, writing and editing 22 books, more than 115 chapters and over 670 journal publications. Survivors include his wife, Patricia; three children; and five grandchildren.

Edward “Ned” A. Parrish Jr. (Engr ’64, ’66, ’68) of Charlottesville died May 28, 2026. He served as an air traffic control instructor in the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s, inspiring his passion for electronics. He studied electrical engineering at UVA. He earned membership in Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi and the Raven Society. He stayed at UVA as a professor, serving as the chair of the electrical and computer engineering department from 1978 to 1986. He was a recipient of UVA Engineering’s Distinguished Alumni Award. He held national leadership positions in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and ABET (formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). He was an early pioneer in pattern recognition and image processing. In 1987, he joined Vanderbilt University as the dean of the School of Engineering. In 1995, he became president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he remained until his retirement in 2004. Survivors include his wife, Shirley; four sons; two brothers; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

William Emmet Coleman Jr. (Grad ’66 CM) of New York City and Florence, Italy, died March 31, 2026. He earned his master’s in English literature from UVA after graduating from Providence College in 1965. He then earned his doctorate from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). He was professor emeritus of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at CUNY and of English and comparative literature at the CUNY Graduate Center, where he also chaired the Ph.D. program in comparative literature. His scholarship focused on medieval studies, particularly the works of Boccaccio and Chaucer. He co-published a critical edition of Boccaccio’s Teseida delle Nozze d’Emilia based on manuscripts in Florence. Survivors include his wife, Edvige; three children, including William Emmet Coleman III (Col ’94, Darden ’01 CM) and Daniela Coleman (Col ’99 CM); a sister; and two grandsons.

William Herring Hancock (Col ’66, Educ ’72 CM) of Union, West Virginia, died March 18, 2026. At UVA, he studied English and was active in Theta Chi fraternity. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and returned to UVA for his master’s in education after he completed his service. He returned to his hometown of Union, where he worked as a mental health counselor for the Monroe Health Center, later serving on its board of directors. He became the mayor of Union and took great pride in successful grant efforts to overhaul the town’s municipal water system and to reconstruct and beautify its downtown. He was also the proprietor of a local floral business. Survivors include his brother and sister-in-law, four children, and 10 grandchildren.

Eugene Watson Chappell Jr. (Engr ’67 CM) of Springfield, Virginia, died Feb. 16, 2026. At UVA, he was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity and the Naval ROTC. He lived on the Lawn in his fourth year and in the Crackerbox (an early Academical Village building) in his fifth year. After graduation, he served in the Navy for four years. During his military service, he was stationed on several submarines, including the USS Torsk. After his discharge from the Navy in 1972, he worked for several government contractors around Washington, D.C., including his own company, Science Engineering and Analysis, in the early 1980s. He loved playing tennis, golf and poker and was an avid reader of mystery novels. Survivors include his husband, Chuck; his sister, Marilyn Chappell Woolard (Nurs ’65); and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Thomas R. Rumsey (Grad ’69, ’72) of Palmyra, Virginia, died April 20, 2026. He earned his master’s and doctorate from UVA after completing his undergraduate education at Hamilton College. A gifted educator, he taught high school history for over 40 years, first at the Harrisburg Academy in Pennsylvania and later at Casady School in Oklahoma City. He was also the author of two textbooks on European history. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he worked as a college counselor, and he greatly enjoyed helping students identify colleges that would be a good match. Upon retirement, he moved to Palmyra, fulfilling a lifelong dream of owning a home in the woods with a personal library. He spent the bulk of his later years reading, writing, watching movies and collecting political cartoons. Survivors include two daughters, four siblings, two grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.