1930s
John F.C. Glenn (ME ’37, Law ’40) of
Richmond, Va., died in October 2009.
During World War II, he served on the
War Production Board and served in the
American Field Service of the British
Army in Burma. He had a private patent
practice and argued before the U.S.
Supreme Court, and he become chief
patent counsel of Reynolds Metals Co.
1940s
Charles W. Ashby (EE ’42) of
Birmingham, Ala., died in October 2009.
While a student at the University, he was
a member of Theta Tau fraternity and
the honorary fraternity Omicron Delta
Kappa. He served in the U.S. Navy during
World War II and founded an electrical
equipment company, the Charles W.
Ashby Co., in Birmingham.
John H. Hunter (CE ’44) of Blacksburg,
Va., died in May. He served in the U.S.
Navy in Okinawa and Guam during
World War II and later taught at Clemson
University’s school of engineering and at
Virginia Tech in 1960.
Edward A. Jenkins II (EE ’46) of
Fresno, Calif., died in February. He
retired from Reedley High School as a
math teacher after a 19-year high school
teaching career. He began the Advanced
Placement Program in calculus at the high
school, was involved with Kings Canyon
Education Association as a high school
faculty representative and worked with
the California Teachers Association. He
directed plays and sponsored a drama club
for more than 10 years.
Thomas P. Peyton III (Engr Undeclared
’46) of Brookhaven, Miss., died in
February. He served in the U.S. Marine
Corps during World War II and the
Korean War and was a member of the
Reserves. He worked in the export
business in Washington, D.C., Cuba
and South America. Later, he worked for
Standard Oil of California and was with
Columbia Gas Transmission Company
until he retired in 1987.
Lawrence F. Altaffer, Jr. (Engr Undeclared
’47) of Warsaw, Va., died in January. He
served in the U.S. Marines during World
War II and the Korean War and later was a
manager for Pet Dairy.
Paul H. Connair (EE ’47) of Dayton,
Ohio, and Pinehurst, N.C., died in
September 2009. At the University,
he played football and was a member
of the Raven Society and Phi Gamma
Delta fraternity, and he served in the
U.S. Navy during World War II and the
Korean War. He began his career as an
electrical engineer for the U.S. Navy and
Westinghouse, followed by a move to
engineering sales for several manufacturing
firms.
Arthur F. Wittstock (Engr Undeclared ’47)
of Grosse Pointe, Mich., died in February.
At the University, he played varsity
baseball for three years and was a member
of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. He
served in the U.S. Navy during World
War II. During his career in Michigan,
he installed many of the slate roofs on
churches in the Detroit area, started
an electrical engineering company and
worked in civil engineering.
1950s
Don. O. McCauley (ME ’50) of Dunnsville, Va., died in January. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces and went on to a career in engineering.
William F. Muller (Engr Undeclared ’50) of Charlottesville, Va., died in February. At the University, he was a member of the ROTC and the Raven Society.
Charles L. Pitzer (EE ’50) of Hagerstown, Md., died in April. He served in the U.S. Army and then managed his family’s real estate business in Hagerstown. Survivors include a son, William G. Pitzer (EE ’75).
Deward M. Martin (CE ’49) of Holly
Hill, Fla., died in July 2009. He served in
the U.S. Navy and had a career in both
the design and construction engineering
industries.
1950s
Charles N. Jolliffe (Engr Undeclared ’51)
of Circleville, Ohio, died in December
2009. He served in the U.S. Navy during
World War II and worked as an electrical
engineer at E.I. Dupont de Nemours &
Co., where he was senior research scientist.
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Thierry N. Thys (Engr Undeclared ’52) of
Sacramento, Calif., died in August 2009.
He served in the U.S. Air Force and later,
with his brother, took over a struggling
metal casting company in Berkeley, Calif.,
moved it to San Leandro, Calif., expanded
it and renamed it Precision Founders Inc.
He was also an aviator. In 1970 he made
the world’s third-longest sailplane flight, a
distance of 570 nautical miles. In 2002 he
made the first self-launched sailplane flight
from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Cape Horn.
George R. Laubscher (ChE ’52) of
Wayne, N.J., died in August 2009. He
served in the U.S. Army during World
War II and was awarded the European
African Middle Eastern Service Medal,
among other honors. He was a chemical
engineer for the American Cyanamid
Corp. for 35 years.
Julian H. Dancy (ME ’55) of
Poughkeepsie, N.Y., died in May 2009.
He was a member of Tau Beta Pi and
the Glee Club. He served in the U.S.
Army Chemical Corps and then spent
his 38-year career in the oil industry with
Texaco Inc. He was a life member of the
National Society of Professional Engineers
and the New York Society of Professional
Engineers. He was awarded several U.S.
patents and contributed to technical
publications, including the chapter on
lubricants in Marks’ Standard Handbook for
Mechanical Engineers, 10th Edition.
Raymond L. deKozan (EE ’57), an
engineer-turned businessman who
invented the MetroCard, died in October
in San Diego, Calif.
Norman W. Skinner (EE ’55) of
Shorewood, Minn., died in January. He
served in the U.S. Army during World
War II and participated in major battles,
including D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge
and the crossing of the Rhine. At the
University, he was a member of Tau Beta
Pi, Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Eta Sigma
honor societies. An early developer of
the computer industry, he worked as a
research scientist at NASA, an executive
at Burroughs and a senior group vice
president for Control Data, managing
plants in the U.S., Canada, Europe and
Israel. He was a member of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the
National Academy of Science and many
other professional organizations.
Donald E. Franklin (EE ’57) of Austin,
Texas, died in September 2009. He was
an electrical engineer and worked for the
U.S. Department of Defense in mine
detection. He taught engineering at several
universities and was a lifetime member of
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers.
James P. Burke (Aero ’58) of Dayton,
Ohio, died in March. At the University,
he was a member of the Phi Sigma
Kappa fraternity. He served in the U.S.
Air Force and was an engineer at Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base for 23 years. He
received many letters of commendation
for his work on automatic landing
systems and drones.
Thomas E. Sheets (Engr Undeclared ’58)
of Charlottesville died in January. He
served in the U.S. Navy and was a retired
electrical engineer. He had a lifelong love
of flying and was a private pilot.
Robert F. Roudabush (CE ’59) of
Midlothian, Va., died in October 2009.
He served in the U.S. Army during the
Korean War and later worked for the
federal government.
Ronald Peter Melnik (EE ’58, Darden
’62) of Spring Lake, N.J., died in August
2009. At the University, he played
football. He was drafted by the New York
Giants but instead decided to attend
the Colgate Darden Graduate School of
Business Administration, where, upon
graduation, he joined the faculty. He
served in the U.S. Army and worked for
40 years on Wall Street.
Robert F. Roudabush (CE ’59) of
Midlothian, Va., died in October 2009.
He served in the U.S. Army during the
Korean War and later worked for the
federal government.
Ronald Peter Melnik (EE ’58, Darden
’62) of Spring Lake, N.J., died in August
2009. At the University, he played
football. He was drafted by the New York
Giants but instead decided to attend
the Colgate Darden Graduate School of
Business Administration, where, upon
graduation, he joined the faculty. He
served in the U.S. Army and worked for
40 years on Wall Street.
. |
1960s
Robert L. Heilig (CE ’61) of Rockledge,
Fla., died in January. He served in the
U.S. Army during the Korean War. For
25 years, he worked in the aerospace
industry on the Saturn, Apollo, Space
Shuttle and Inertial Upper Stage
programs with the Boeing Company.
Edward L. Derrenbacker (CE ’62) of
Midlothian, Va., died in August 2009. He
worked as a chemical engineer with Merck
& Co. and retired from Mallinckrodt.
Thomas S. Lewis (EE ’64, ’67) of
Richmond, Va., died in October 2009.
After serving in the U.S. Army, he was
professor and dean of engineering at the
University of Hartford for 15 years. Later
he was executive vice president of the
engineering department for the Hartford
Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co
Hugh K. Wood (Col ’66, CE ’68)
of Norfolk, Va., died in May. At the
University, he was a member of Beta
Theta Pi fraternity. As an engineering
student, he worked on the construction
of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.
He was employed as an engineer
constructing the second span of the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge from Annapolis
to the Eastern Shore. He joined the
Naval Facilities Engineering Command
in 1985, from which he retired in
January 2010. He served as president
of the Norfolk Branch of the American
Society of Engineers.
Richard VanRyper (ME ’69) of
Wilmington, Del., died in October
2009. At the University, he was a
member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. He
was an engineer with DuPont for 40
years and a member of the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers.
1970s
Wilbur J. Dobson (EE ’70) of Greer,
S.C., died in January. He served in the
U.S. Navy for nine years, including
two tours in Vietnam. He worked for
Michelin North America for 25 years,
where he held many positions in South
Carolina and France.
John C. “Jay” Jennison III (Aero ’71)
of St. Augustine, Fla., died in July. At
the University, he was a member of the
golf team and later competed in the U.S.
Amateur, the British Amateur, the U.S.
Mid-Amateur and numerous other golf
events. He was the club champion at six
different clubs during his lifetime. He
was a member of the Florida Bar and
served in the Florida National Guard.
He had a business career in Washington,
D.C., New York City and south Florida.
Michael H. Williams III (Engr Sci ’71)
of Midlothian, Va., died in July 2009.
He began his career at Virginia Power
and retired from Philip Morris in 2000,
after 21 years of service as a director of
information services. After his retirement,
he became involved in helping others
through the study of movement education
utilizing the Feldenkrais Method and yoga.
Catherine A. Corliss (ME ’76) of
Shenandoah Junction, W.Va., died in
June 2009. At the time of her death,
she was working for the U.S. Chemical
Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
She previously had worked for Procter
& Gamble, Michelin Tire Co., the
Defense Intelligence Agency and Tenneco
Packaging/Amoco Foam Products in
Winchester, Va., and for FMC Lithium in
Bessemer, N.C.
Alan P. Main (Nucl ’79, ’81) of Louisa,
Va., died in January. He was employed
by Dominion Virginia Power as a nuclear
engineer for more than 25 years.
1980s
David C. Mason (CS ’85) of Dallas
died in November 2009. He worked as a
customer support engineer for Genband
of Plano, Texas, and at Bridgewater
System of Ontario, Canada, as a
professional services consultant.
Albert Leonard Deal III (CS ’88) of
Lexington, Va., died in August 2009. He
was a member of the Virginia Military
Institute faculty and taught as a visiting
lecturer at Mary Baldwin College in the
VMI evening college. He received the
VMI Distinguished Teaching Award in
1984 and 1995 and served on 13 major
faculty and staff committees at various
times during his career. At his retirement,
he received the Virginia Military
Institute Achievement Medal.
1990s
Lawrence D. Priest (ME ’90) of Virginia
Beach died in December 2009. He served
in the U.S. Navy and later worked as a
nuclear engineer at the Norfolk Naval
Shipyard for 19 years. He was adjunct
faculty for Tidewater Community
College. |
