In Memoriam: 1970s

Notices sorted by graduation date

George W. Everson (Educ ’70) of Oakton, Va., died March 16, 2013. He was retired from the Fairfax County Public Schools, where he was a longtime educator. Survivors include his wife; a son; and a daughter, Jane Everson (Educ ’80, ’83 L/M).

Charles C. “Craig” Ayres (Col ’72) of Onancock, Va., died May 24, 2014. For more than 30 years, he taught art history at Ryan Academy in Norfolk, Va., where he also coached baseball, soccer and basketball. An avid athlete and competitive tennis player, Mr. Ayres won numerous Norfolk-area singles and doubles tennis tournaments. He was a member of the Onley Tennis Club in Onley, Va., where he enjoyed playing tennis with friends. Mr. Ayres was quick-witted and had an adventurous spirit. Survivors include his mother, two sisters, a brother, and 10 nieces and nephews.

Wanda June Hensley Meadows (Educ ’73) of Grottoes, Va., died May 17, 2014. Throughout her career as an educator, she taught at Page County High School, Montevideo High School, Kate Collins Middle School and Waynesboro High School, and worked as a chemist at Reynolds Metals Co., the second-largest aluminum company in the U.S. and the producer of Reynolds Wrap. Ms. Meadows was very active in her community as a volunteer at Shenandoah National Park, a member of Shenandoah Valley Folk Life and the Shenandoah Valley Saddle Club, and was a licensed Tennessee Walker judge. She was also a lecturer and conducted research for the Virginia State Soil and Conservation Agency. Additionally, Ms. Meadows played guitar in the Country Echos Band. Survivors include her husband; a daughter; a son, Glenn Meadows (Col ’75, Med ’81); five grandchildren, including Leah Meadows (Col ’08); and two great-grandchildren.

Helen Dunn Melton (Educ ’74 L/M) of Chatham, Va., and Atlanta died June 19, 2014. She worked at Chatham Hall boarding school for young women from 1962 to 1975, as secretary to the dean of the faculty, as registrar, and then as director of development. She later served as registrar at Gill St. Bernard’s School in Bernardsville, N.J., and as dean of the Algerian Petroleum Institute in Arzew, Algeria, where her husband taught natural gas technology. In retirement, Ms. Melton wrote fiction under the pseudonym Kenyon McCann, publishing novels such as Ride into Darkness and A Cruel Wind Blowing. The novels were nominated for the Library of Virginia Literary Prize for Fiction in 1999. She and her husband were active in a book discussion group, and Ms. Melton volunteered often with the Philanthropic Educational Organization Sisterhood, an international organization dedicated to furthering higher education for women by providing them with financial aid. She was a cheerful and loving person who enjoyed spending time with her family. Survivors include three sons, including William F. Melton (Col ’71); six grandchildren, including Cooper N. Melton (Arch ’99 L/M); and one great-granddaughter.

Michele Torrance Tarbet (Nurs ’74 L/M) of Redondo Beach, Calif., died July 11, 2014. She worked in the health care management field for more than 35 years. From 1996, Ms. Tarbet served as senior vice president and chief executive officer of Sharp Grossmont Hospital, which houses the busiest emergency department in San Diego County. Under her leadership, Sharp Grossmont Hospital expanded into a premier medical center in its region, adding a five-story emergency and critical care center and a state-of-the-art heart and vascular center to its facilities. She partnered with Grossmont Healthcare District to raise $247 million in public financing to complete the hospital’s expansion in 2006, one of the most successful bond initiatives ever in the state of California. A tireless advocate for Sharp HospiceCare, Ms. Tarbet was the driving force behind the hospital’s purchase of two hospice houses to serve the terminally ill, as she believed that a hospital and its staff should treat all patients with the care they would want for their own loved ones. She served on the U.Va. School of Nursing advisory board from 2000 to 2006 and on the U.Va. Alumni Association Board of Managers  from 2008 until June 2014. She recently received the School of Nursing’s Alumni Achievement Award for superior achievement in a field other than nursing. Ms. Tarbet was very active in the San Diego community, serving as chair of the Boys & Girls Club of East County and the East County Chamber of Commerce. She was a member of “Marybeth’s MegaMilers” San Diego 3-Day Walk team to raise funds for breast cancer, the La Mesa Rotary Club and the La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation board. For her community involvement, she received a number of awards, including the 2001 Hero Award from the Council on Community Clinics. An enthusiastic cook, she enjoyed preparing gourmet meals for her family and friends. She loved the outdoors, especially skiing. Survivors include her husband; a daughter, Alexis M. Tarbet (Com ’12 L/M); a son; and a brother.

Laura C. Hudson (Grad ’75) of Arlington, Va., died May 11, 2014. She spent 23 years on the staff of United States Sen. J. Bennett Johnston of Louisiana, rising to the senior position of legislative director. In 1996, she joined the Washington, D.C., office of Unocal Corp., a petroleum explorer and marketer later acquired by Chevron Corp., where she worked in international government relations until her retirement in April 2014. Survivors include a sister and a brother-in-law.

Susan M. Pilch (Col ’76 L/M) of Silver Spring, Md., died April 14, 2014. She worked at the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration as a scientist and science administrator, and later at the National Institutes of Health Library as a biomedical informationist. Ms. Pilch focused her research career on nutrition and cancer prevention, and received the Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for her work. She enjoyed reading, storytelling, beading, photography, cats, cooking and Cajun dancing. Survivors include four sisters, including Sandra Pilch Cleva (Col ’78, Grad ’79 L/M) and Nancy Pilch Johnston (Nurs ’81); four nieces, including Elise Cleva (Col ’09); and two nephews.

Robert A. Roseberry Jr. (Col ’76 L/M) of Campbell, Calif., died Feb. 15, 2014. At the University, he was a member of the men’s rowing team. Mr. Roseberry was a project manager for Devcon Construction in Milpitas, Calif., and was vice chairman of the Campbell Planning Commission. Survivors include his wife; a daughter; a son; a brother; two sisters, including Susan Roseberry Heartwell (Col ’81); two uncles, Ed Roseberry Sr. (Com ’49 L/M) and William H. Roseberry (Arch ’70); many cousins, among them Edwin S. Roseberry Jr. (Col ’73 L/M); and many nieces and nephews.

Owen N. Shields (Educ ’76) of Dry Fork, Va., died May 10, 2014. He served in the U.S. Army. Mr. Shields was a teacher and coach for the Pittsylvania County Schools for more than 30 years, beginning at Whitmell Elementary School and later retiring from Tunstall High School. He coached baseball at Tunstall for 28 years, serving as head coach for 18 years and leading the team to the Virginia High School League state championship in 1994. He was inducted into the Tunstall High School Hall of Fame in 2013. Mr. Shields was also a co-founder of Pittsylvania County Youth Baseball. Survivors include two daughters, six grandchildren, two sisters and a brother.

Michael J. Shortley III (Col ’76 L/M) of Fairport, N.Y., died May 7, 2014. At the University, he was a member of the Jefferson Literary & Debating Society. He began his career as an attorney with Hughes Hubbard and Reed, where he specialized in litigation and antitrust law. He later specialized in telecommunications law and was part of the legal and regulatory teams at Bell Atlantic, Frontier Communications Corp., Global Crossing Telecommunications Inc. and most recently Level 3 Communications Inc. During his career, he argued cases in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia and 9th Circuits, the New York Court of Appeals, the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court and numerous other trial courts, and participated in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He was known for his dedicated work ethic, sense of humor and love of cats. Mr. Shortley also enjoyed running as a member of the Fleet Feet Rochester Running Team, training for and completing a marathon. Survivors include a brother, a niece, aunts, uncles and cousins.