In Memoriam: 1970s

Notices sorted by graduation date

J. Boyd Page (Com ’70, Law ’73 L/M) of Atlanta died June 17, 2013. At the University, he lived on the Lawn, played middle linebacker for the football team and was a member of Zeta Psi fraternity. He was widely recognized as one of the leading investor attorneys in the country, handling some of the largest investment fraud cases filed in courts and arbitration forums throughout his career. He worked for Cofer Beauchamp & Hawes from 1973 to 1987 and was later a founding partner of the Atlanta firm of Page & Bacek, which ultimately became Page Perry. A trial attorney, Mr. Page practiced primarily in investment disputes, with some of his cases chronicled in Kurt Eichenwald’s Serpent on the Rock, the story of Prudential Securities’ limited partnership problems. Mr. Page taught introduction to civil practice at Emory University School of Law and regularly spoke on securities and investment topics at law seminars. He was the founder and past president of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association, and for 15 years served on the compliance advisory committee of Edward Jones, a major national brokerage firm. He also served as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s securities arbitration subcommittee and was a member of various boards and committees, including the National Association of Securities Dealers’ securities arbitration policy task force. For his work, Mr. Page received the “Outstanding Georgia Citizen Award” from Georgia’s secretary of state. Survivors include his wife and a son.

Robert Leroy Atwell Jr. (Engr ’73 L/M) of Richmond, Va., died July 21, 2013. He served in the U.S. Air Force. An avid runner, Mr. Atwell completed 44 marathons, including the New York and Boston marathons and the first 24 Richmond marathons, and achieved his best race time of 3 hours, 5 minutes when he was in his 40s. He was a member of the Willow Oaks Country Club in Richmond and was a voracious reader who was knowledgeable on almost any conversation topic.

Margaret Schuster Johnston (Grad ’74) of Charlottesville and Portsmouth, R.I., died April 22, 2013. She loved music and the Spanish language. Ms. Johnston moved to Charlottesville in 1955 with her husband, the late Lee Robert Johnston Sr., a founding professor of the Darden School of Business, and became very involved in many local activities. She was an accomplished classical pianist who was involved with a number of music organizations in Charlottesville. She was a co-founder of the Piano Club of Charlottesville and was a member of the Wednesday Music Club and of the board of directors of the Tuesday Evening Concert Series. Ms. Johnston, a co-founder of the Charlottesville Club Hispanamerico, taught Spanish at Tandem Friends School from 1979 to 1983. She was also active in the University of Virginia Women’s Club and volunteered with many local groups, among them the University League Opportunity Shop, the Greenbrier Elementary School PTA and book fair, the Charlottesville Senior Center and the Piedmont Environmental Council. Survivors include a daughter, Caryn “Missy” Johnston (Arch ’78); and a son, Lee Robert Johnston Jr. (Col ’82, Darden ’86). Memorial contributions may be made to U.Va. to the Lee R. Johnston Sr. Scholarship Fund for Entrepreneurship at the Darden School of Business and mailed to Christine Knight, Darden School of Business, P.O. Box 7726, Charlottesville, VA 22906-7726.

John Burton Melaugh (Arch ’74 L/M) of Dade City, Fla., died April 7, 2013. He served in the U.S. Naval Reserve during the Vietnam War. At the University, he volunteered with Madison House. Mr. Melaugh was a municipal financial consultant who began his career with the public accounting firm of Daniel A. Robinson in Virginia, later working as a municipal bond analyst for Moody’s Investors Service and as a financial analyst for the consulting engineering firm of R.W. Beck and Associates in Orlando, Fla. Mr. Melaugh was a longtime resident of Winter Park, Fla., where he was active in city affairs. Survivors include his wife, a son, and a nephew, Dan Melaugh (Col ’07).

Anne Dowding Groth (Col ’75) of Virginia Beach died April 27, 2013. She was a partner with her husband at David’s Beach Shop, where she was in charge of buying gifts, jewelry and ladies’ apparel. Ms. Groth was a member of the Virginia Beach Garden Club and volunteered at the Virginia Aquarium for many years. She loved the beach, playing golf, scuba diving and traveling to warm and sandy destinations. Survivors include her husband, David W. Groth (Col ’74 L/M).

Frank C. Thornton (Col ’75 L/M) of Charlottesville died May 11, 2013. At the University, he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. An environmental scientist, Mr. Thornton held postdoctoral positions at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, and at the State University of New York in Syracuse. From 1986 to 1999, he worked as an environmental scientist with the Tennessee Valley Authority in Muscle Shoals, Ala., and later relocated to Charlottesville. Throughout his career, Mr. Thornton was an active participant in the forest and rangeland soils division of the Soil Science Society of America and the environmental quality division of the American Society of Agronomy. His research on the impacts of acid precipitation and ozone on forest ecosystems contributed to the most recent revision of the national ambient air quality standards. Mr. Thornton, who had a wicked sense of humor, enjoyed sitting down with a cold beer and a good cigar to listen to blues music. Survivors include two sons and two granddaughters.

Thomas H. Wilson (Col ’75) of Virginia Beach died June 19, 2013. He was chief operating officer of the CPA firm Dixon Hughes Goodman. A member of the firm for 40 years, he helped grow Dixon Hughes Goodman into the largest CPA firm in the South and often boasted about winning the firm’s annual chili contest. He served in various capacities on many local and educational boards, among them the Virginia Beach Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, the Tidewater Community College Board, the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad Station 8 and the Virginia Beach Library Foundation. Mr. Wilson, a family man and U.Va. sports fanatic, loved visiting Ocean City, Md. to eat Thrasher french fries. He was also an avid wildlife photographer who traveled to Panama, Kenya and South Africa to photograph monkeys, lions and exotic birds. Survivors include his wife; two daughters, including Sarah Wilson Hou (Col ’03 L/M); and a granddaughter.

Lynn Louise White (Col ’76 L/M) of Kenner, La., died Feb. 12, 2013. At the University, she volunteered with Madison House, served as a University Guide and was a representative on the Judiciary Committee and a member of The Declaration staff. She practiced law in New Orleans for more than 25 years. Ms. White, who adopted New Orleans’ joie de vivre as her own, loved children and spent many days as a substitute teacher at Trinity Episcopal School. She loved cooking, gardening, good books and good conversation. Survivors include a brother and a sister.

Ann Elizabeth Burlin (Col ’75 L/M) of Washington, D.C., died Feb. 23, 2013. At the University, she lived on the Lawn, was the editor of Corks & Curls, volunteered with Madison House and was a member of T.I.L.K.A. and Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society. Ms. Burlin was an art buyer for Discovery Communications Inc.

Carter Bruce Foulds (Col ’78) of Winchester, Va., died June 2, 2013. He was an attorney and the deputy public defender in Winchester. Mr. Foulds was an adult leader for a local Boy Scout troop and a member of the Winchester Umpires Association. Survivors include his wife, Carol A. Petravage (Col ’81); and a son, Thomas C. Foulds (Engr ’14 L/M).