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In Memoriam | Summer/Fall 2022

In Memoriam: 1970s

Notices sorted by graduation date

William O. “Bill” Luckett Jr. (Col ’70 CM) of Clarksdale, Mississippi, died Oct. 28, 2021. A civil rights advocate, he was a lifelong member of the NAACP who tried to integrate the country club in his hometown during the 1970s. As a Kappa Alpha Order chapter president devoted to his UVA experience, he spearheaded regular reunions on Grounds for scores of members, attending the most recent reunion three weeks before his passing. He earned his law degree from the University of Mississippi in 1973, returning to Clarksdale to become perhaps its most energetic promoter. With actor Morgan Freeman, who also made the Mississippi Delta his home, Mr. Luckett founded the Ground Zero Blues Club to provide a stage for the state’s blues artists, drawing international visitors. He was also a private pilot, National Guard officer, fisherman, philanthropist, Ole Miss law professor and part-time movie producer and actor in numerous films. He ran unsuccessfully in the 2011 Democratic governor primary election and afterward served as Clarksdale mayor. Mr. Luckett passed away surrounded by his family as they listened to his favorite song, “A Horse with No Name.” He is survived by his wife, Francine, a son, a daughter and a grandson.


Carl M. Smith Jr. (Col ’70 CM) of White Stone, Virginia, died Nov. 24, 2020. After graduating from UVA, he flew U.S. Navy fighter jets for eight years. After completing his Navy tour, he flew for American Airlines before attending Georgetown Law School. He joined the Senate Armed Services Committee staff and became its staff director. After leaving the Senate staff, he joined a Washington, D.C., law firm and eventually partnered with a law school friend to open his own firm, McGovern and Smith. After retiring to the Northern Neck of Virginia, he could be found cruising local waters on his boat or flying his Beechcraft Bonanza. Known to friends and family as “Bubby,” he is survived by his wife, Wendy; daughter Kristen and son Bryant Smith (Col ’11); and a grandson.


Everett DeFord Millais (Arch ’71 CM) of Ventura, California, died Oct. 19, 2021. He was a member of the Raven Society and participated in the re-chartering of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity at UVA. He worked for the city and county of Ventura as a land use planner, redevelopment director and community development director, contributing substantially to the rebirth of downtown as a thriving city center. He loved adventure, and one of the high points of his life was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.  He enjoyed watching sports and was a great fan of the UVA Cavaliers basketball team. He is survived by his wife, Deborah, a son and two grandchildren.


Patricia C. Westhafer (Educ ’73, ’85) of Staunton, Virginia, died Feb. 20, 2022. After graduating from James Madison University, she began her career as a sixth grade teacher, helping students improve their reading skills. She earned a master’s degree in reading education at UVA. While working as a reading specialist in Staunton public schools, she recognized distinct differences in the way students learned and that the needs of many were not being met in traditional classrooms. She returned to UVA and completed a Ph.D. degree focused on learning styles. In 1984, she accepted a professorship in the College of Education at Mary Baldwin University, where she chaired the department and spearheaded design and creation of the Master of Arts in Teaching program during a 26-year career. She also taught at Washington and Lee University (W&L) and Virginia Military Institute (VMI). Her life’s work focused on empowerment and certification of teachers, and she created a joint teacher certification program for W&L, VMI and Southern Virginia University. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Terry; two children; and four grandchildren.


Julian Robert “Bob” Hume III (Col ’74 CM) of Norfolk, Virginia, died March 26, 2022. At UVA, he majored in environmental sciences and was a member of Chi Psi fraternity. He enjoyed a 36-year career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and retired in 2010 as chief of the Norfolk District Regulatory Office, where he led the statewide program that manages aquatic and wetland resources and navigation. He stayed involved in environmental conservation after retirement, serving as a board member for both the Elizabeth River Project and the Living River Trust, where he helped forge a novel approach to help developers and regulators offset impacts to healthy river bottoms and restore rivers polluted by industry. He loved sailing, whether at his local yacht club or in the Caribbean and was a Virginia Cooperative Extension Program master gardener. He is survived by his wife, Susan; a brother, John Hume (Col ’78); and a sister, Betsy Hume Madden. He was predeceased by his first wife, Jan.


Dr. M. Flint Beal (Med ’76) of New York, New York, died June 12, 2021. Dr. Beal was the former chair of the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medicine, as well as neurologist-in-chief at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Beal, who until his passing was the University Professor of Neuroscience in the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine, was an internationally recognized leader in neurology and neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Beal greatly expanded the scientific enterprise of the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, recruiting leading neuroscientists to conduct high-impact research while enhancing the institution’s reputation for clinical neurologic care. He had an outstanding bedside manner, which he eagerly demonstrated to medical students and neurology residents. Dr. Beal received numerous awards and honors for his exemplary achievements, including membership in the National Academy of Medicine. Survivors include his wife, Judy; two children and their spouses; four grandchildren; four sisters; and extended family and friends.


Susan Alice Bates (Nurs ’79) of Richmond, Virginia, died Jan. 25, 2022. Her love for life and desire to help others led her to a career in nursing. She loved working with mothers and babies and served as a registered nurse in the field of neonatology for more than 36 years, of which the last 23 were spent at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. Ms. Bates was a mother, a grandmother, a lover of Broadway musicals and Motown, an accomplished skier, a passionate gardener and a world traveler who visited nearly every national park in the U.S. and almost every country in Europe. In her honor, her daughters Lynsey Bates (Col ’07) and Jennifer Ceaser (Col ’90) and the rest of her family established the Susan Ceaser Bates Memorial Scholarship at the UVA School of Nursing. Survivors include her husband, six children and five grandchildren.