In Memoriam: 1980s

Notices sorted by graduation date

William Dewar Hopkins (Col ’83, Law ’86 L/M) of Flint Hill, Virginia, died Dec. 6, 2015. At the University, he was a member of Sigma Phi fraternity and the James Madison Society, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and assisted the athletics department in creating a new system for allocating student tickets for the ACC basketball tournament. He began his law career in 1987 with the Washington, D.C., firm of Ross Dixon & Masback, now part of Troutman Sanders. In 2001, Mr. Hopkins quit law to pursue songwriting. A gifted musician and lyricist, he divided his time between Washington, Flint Hill and Nashville, where he collaborated with other songwriters and recording artists. He performed numerous times at the Bluebird Café, won the grand prize in the 2004 Mid-Atlantic Songwriters Association Competition and in 2005 received the Most Promising Male Writer award from the Tennessee Songwriters Association International. A song he co-wrote with Ellen Britton, “That’s What Makes the Bluegrass Blue,” topped the bluegrass charts in 2015; another tune he co-wrote with Britton was recorded by country artist Ty Herndon. Mr. Hopkins enjoyed cooking and was a skilled gardener who designed, executed and maintained nearly four acres of gardens at his Flint Hill residence, which were featured on the 2013 Garden Club of Virginia Historic Garden Week tour. He was also a lifelong fan of Virginia Cavaliers basketball. Survivors include his husband, Joseph Harold Gale (Law ’80); a brother, John L. Hopkins Jr. (Arch ’80 L/M); a sister-in-law; a niece; a nephew; an uncle; an aunt; and many cousins.

Philip Weber III (Col ’84) of Charlottesville died Dec. 29, 2015. He was known throughout Charlottesville as “The Running Man,” an avid runner who ran daily and participated in numerous races in the Virginia and Washington, D.C., area. When not running, he volunteered reading textbooks for the blind and dyslexic and was a frequent blood donor with Virginia Blood Services. Survivors include his parents; two sisters, including Suzanne Weber Varner (Col ’86); two nieces; three nephews; and one great-nephew.

Dana Brand Moody (Col ’87 L/M) of Savannah, Georgia, died Sept. 2, 2015. At the University, she was a member of Delta Zeta sorority and volunteered with Madison House. As an alumna, she chaired her class giving committee. She earned a medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and in 1992 became the first female resident in the University of Florida’s department of urology. A physician with a specialization in urology and urological oncology, Dr. Moody cared for her patients as if they were family. As a mother, she had the ability to see each of her daughters’ unique gifts and loved spending time helping them develop academically, athletically and spiritually. Survivors include her two daughters and her husband.

Carmelita “Natalie” Estrellita (Col ’89, Grad ’91) of Charlottesville died Jan. 8, 2016. She was an artist and a poet who loved music and opened other people’s lives to the work of Leonard Cohen, Mavis Staples, Doug Sahm and others. Most of all, Ms. Estrellita’s life was about love, compassion and connection with people. Survivors include her father, Henry Fairfax Conquest (Med ’54); her mother; two sisters, including Meredith Conquest Shipp (Com ’79 L/M); and a brother, Christopher Conquest (Darden ’79).