Class of 1954 obits

With rue my heart is laden
For golden friends I had,
For many a rose-lipt maiden
And many a lightfoot lad.
By brooks too broad for leaping
The lightfoot boys are laid;
The rose-lipt girls are sleeping
In fields where roses fade.
--A. E. Housman, A Shropshire Lad

SEARCH A-E F-J K-O P-T U-Z

Edward Abbott of Dover, a WWII vet who after he graduated became the first director of the Portsmouth Housing Authority (1994)

Marion G. Alexander (8 Feb 1977)

Estelle Pepin Amoruso of Needham, MA, retired school teacher and 3M employee (22 Feb 2000)

Richard Austin of Troy, Michigan, died of pneumonia. Born in Somersworth, he got his degree in engineering and served with the U.S. Air Force before going to work for Dupont, first as a chemical engineer and then in marketing. "He was very artistic and had many interests, among them golf (especially at Myrtle Beach, S.C.), and fishing. He was a great outdoorsman and also loved to dance." He is survived by his wife Carmalita, two daughters, a son, three grandchildren, and his sister. (2006)

Leslie Baker died January 6, 2005, after a long illness in Litchfield ME. He came to UNH after service in the Coast Guard, and worked as an occupational therapist in the Veterans' Administration hospital in Togus ME. In retirement, he and his second wife managed a cabin colony in Pemaquid ME. He was a member of the Augusta Players, strong swimmer, and woodworker who undertook projects with (are you ready?) 24 grandchildren and 19 great-grands.

Carolyn Whitten Benson, at her daughter's home in Falmouth MA (February 2001)

Nancy Hill Border (23 Apr 1975)

Robert Becker of Rushville NY was working with his church group, shingling a roof, when he fell to his death (July 1996).

Fay Rice Becker of Canandaigua NY (18 Jan 2007).

Colby G. Beecher, died May 26, 1999 in Swanzey, NH

Richard Beliveau of Madbury NH died of emphysema. Amos Townsend emailed a recollection describing Dick as a "staunch supporter of all UNH things athletic, especially football" and also as an "avid rabbit and coon hunter; avid gardener for self, family & neighbors; avid fisherman" and (perhaps not incidentally) "avid smoker." Dick was formerly married to classmate Judith Ingram Beliveau of Somersworth. He ran a major appliance repair service for 35 years. (26 May 2005)

Carolyn Whitten Benson of Franklin, NH, died February 2001

Maurice Bernier of Epping NH, died at Exeter Hospital. After getting his B.S. degree in our class, Maurice earned a master's from Highlands University in Las Vegas. He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and longtime member of the American Legion post in Epping. He taught science at American schools in France and Germany and in New Hampshire high schools. (17 March 2007)

Alfred C. Bickford of Leominster MA, died in June 2004 while on vacation in Southport ME. He served in the U.S. Army and for 38 years was an office supervisor at John Hancock Financial Services. A long-time resident of Leominster, he is survived by his wife, his daughter ... and his mother!

Maurice Bilodeau of Manchester NH, Korean War veteran, Air Force lieutenant colonel, and for 39 years a civil engineer with the U.S. government. (18 Dec 2005)

George Bouthillette of Arlington VA, World War II veteran who studied at New Hampshire, Kansas, and Oklahoma, where he received his PhD in psychology. He worked as the research director of the President's Committee on Mental Retardation in Washington DC, where he died suddenly on October 24, 2007.

Peter Brooks of North Hampton died in November 1994 after an admirable career as teacher, administrator, and founder of organizations ranging from a scuba-diving club to a road-samaritan group. Carolyn Goss Brooks lives in North Hampton. They were married 37 years and have a son and a daughter living near.

Dorothy Ramsey Brownell, died May 2, 1999, in Exeter.

Donald Bruce, died in Sarasota, Florida; "formerly of Williamsburg, Va." He is survived by his wife Bobbie, two sons, three grandchildren, and his brother. (June 3, 2007)

Richard Bruce of Wilton, CT, died Sept. 15, 2000.

Raymond Bruchbacher (16 Dec 1978)

John Buote of Alton, a Thompson School graduate (Sep 1996)

Douglas Buswell of Eliot ME, onetime tech writer at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, died in June 2006.

Robert Edmund Caggiano Sr., at his home in Meredith NH (Bob started out with our class before transferring to Northeastern) (July 2004)

Bernie Campbell '55 died in November 1996 after a long battle with cancer. Fond best wishes to Marilyn Turner Campbell, who with Bernie ran her family's farm in Salem for many years, until in 1994 they turned it into Campbell's Scottish Highlands Golf Course. Marilyn continues as company president.

Harold "Soup" Campbell of Newport, died March 30, 1999, of congestive heart failure

Thomas J. Canavan, March 15, 1999, in Cincinnati

Lois Brooks Carruthers, died in Media PA. She is survived by three sons and several grandchildren. (14 Jan 2007)

Francis H. Cheever of Crystal River FL. Formerly of Keene NH, he served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, and is survived by his wife Arline, two sons and a daughter, and two grandchildren. (18 April 2003)

James H. Christie (December 1997)

Joan Clough Collins of Arlington, TX, former flight attendant with Northwest Airlines (14 April 2000)

David Colpitts died January 26, 2004, at the Royal Nursing Home in Falmouth MA after a lengthy illness. He spent most of his life in Weston MA, graduating from UNH and serving in the U.S. Army before returning home to work in the family plumbing and contracting business. Later he became a real estate developer, including the area around Colpitts Road in Weston. A golfer, he belonged to country clubs in Weston, Falmouth, and Hilton Head SC, where he lived during the winter months. He is survived by his wife Roberta, 5 children, and 12 grands.

Dorothy Gaam Comolli (7 Apr 1977)

Arthur Joseph Copp (10 Mar 1978)

Judith Reed Covin, Flagler Beach FL?, after a hard battle with cancer. "She previously had been successful in real estate after a 5-year period of sailing in the Bahamas." (1995)

Dave Crockett writes: "It is with profound sadness that I report that Beulah Richardson Crocket '54 Died of colon cancer on August 25th 2006 ... It is her wish that all who knew her get a Colonoscopy!"

David Dickson of West Chester PA (November 1995)

Barbara Angus Douglas of Worthington OH (27 May 1994)

John C. Driscoll, died "peacefully at home" on May 5, 1999. Jack was one of two similarly named pre-law students in our class. I remember him propping his crutches against a parked car, the better to engage in a snowball fight near the Notch, meanwhile laughing at himself and the rest of us in that epic battle. I also remember the sound of those crutches dragging up three flights of stairs to Russian history class--no handicap-access laws in 1954! Jack graduated from Georgetown to become a lawyer and part-time city attorney in his home town, Portsmouth, later chairman of the State Board of Education, member of the National Educational Advisory Commission, and Rockingham County's first commissioner of the Democratic persuasian. Jack is survived by his wife, two sons, four daughters, a grandchild, and his sister. He will be missed.

Ronald Dugas died January 5, 2005, in Houston TX. A veteran of World War II, he earned graduated degrees at Drexel and Texas A&M, and worked as an engineer in offshore drilling.

Carleton Eldredge died in Stratham on June 27, 1995, ending a long and often stormy career as lawyer and Rockingham County prosecutor. In private life, he was by turns a joyous advocate of skiing, hiking, tennis, skating, theatricals, AA, and the Amethyst Foundation, which he established as a treatment center for drunk-driving offenders. He married the former Faith Donaldson and adopted her three children, all of whom later graduated from UNH.

Theodore Fecteau of Waitsfield, VT, died February 1996

Alice Charlotte Fiske (no date)

Kenneth Fiske, a Thompson School graduate, of South Ryegate VT, died suddenly in November 1996

Roy Richard Forsythe (26 Nov 1969)

Glenice Dearborn Fluery. Called "GG" by her family--her middle name was Grace--she was valedictorian at Franklin High and a medical technology major at UNH. She worked as a lab technician at two New Hampshire hospitals, married Reginald Fluery, and became a manager for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in Hartford CT. She also learned to fly. Retiring from P&W in 1998, she spent her winters in Orlando FL, where she died in October 2000. When her estate was settled in 2002, UNH benefited by a bequest valued at $691,000. The funds endowed a needs-based scholarship for engineering students, with the first scholarships awarded in 2002-03.

Henry Fraser, died May 2001 in Bexar, TX

Charlotte Fuller (no date)

Jane Gray Gemler (2 Jan 1971)

William Keith Gilker (30 Jun 1958)

Leighton Gilman died January 16, 2005, in Wellesley MA—I think, though he also had a home in Naples FL. His death was "sudden," which is a common euphemism for a heart attack. After UNH, Leighton went to work in public relations for Southern New England Telephone, and retired as a vice-president of the "Baby Bell" Ameritech. In recent years he consulted and lectured on public relations. Says his obit, in words I enjoyed: "Mr. Gilman enjoyed skiing and was known as a tolerant tennis player, humble golfer ... but most of all, he was a good sport." Good on you, Leighton!

Ronald Francis Gladd (8 Feb 1963)

Fred L. Graves of Venice, FL, retired as president of a German company, SHW Inc., and married for 45 years to Jan Graves '55, died November 2000 after a year-long fight against cancer

Ronald Guittarr (August 1996)

Gloria Fitz Haapala, former teacher (including at Pease airbase) and more recently a literacy tutor, died in September 2006. Her husband Theodore '61 has established a scholarship in her name at Rockingham Community College, Wentworth NC.

Turo Hallfors of Lunenburg, MA (Dec 1996)

Francis Hancock of Mount Sunapee, retired teacher and farmer (9 Nov 1999)

George T. Hannon-Quamphegan of Rollinsford NH (May 9, 1999).

Frederick G. Harvey (10 Apr 1977)

Gerald Helmich missing in action in Southeast Asia, 12 Nov 1969

Maynard (Gene) Hilton, died of cancer August 1997 in Dallas, TX. Gene hoped to be a concert pianist but instead served 22 years in the army, winning a Bronze Star for valor and retiring as lieutenant colonel. He then had a second career on the business faculty of Brookhaven Community College, with a planned retirement date of Dec. 1997.

David A. Horne (22 Mar 1955)

Herbert Huckins of Medway MA, expediter at Raytheon (Aug 2002)

David Huffer: After a hitch in the army, Dave went to work as a machine operator for GE Somersworth, meanwhile serving as sexton, bell-ringer, and clock minder at Dover's Congregational church. (May 1996)

Gordon P. Humphreys (2 Mar 1957)

Mary Lou Hutchinson, in Hartford CT "after a brief illness." A native of Portland ME; worked for Connecticut General Insurance Co., Automobile Club of Hartford, and New England Distributors, all in Hartford. "She had a great interest in lighthouses of which she had a large collection of models" and "loved watching golf, although she never played." (July 3, 2002)

William Hutchinson died March 11, 2005, at the Good Shepherd Healthcare Center in Jaffrey NH after a battle with cancer. A U.S. Army veteran, he worked for Miniature Precision Bearings in Keene, for the Japanese company NMB in California, and for German companies in North Carolina and Jaffrey. In retirement, he owned a storage facility and was an avid sportsman.

Bernard Isroe of North Tonawanda NY, died in June 1996 of lung cancer

Janet Towle Jackson of San Antonio, teacher, special education consultant, and practitioner of needlepoint, died after a long bout with cancer. She's survived by her husband of 25 years, 7 children, 13 grands, and 9 great-grands--what a legacy! (March 2001)

John Jacobson died December 22, 2004, at his home in Manchester NH. He started out as a member of our class, but evidently dropped out and served as a lieutenant in the Korean War, later graduating from New England College. He was a consulting engineer, licensed pilot, jazz musician and member of the New Hampshire Philharmonic, and long-time member of the Bedford planning board.

William C. Jerome Jr of Newbury MA (Sept. 16, 2003)

Charles Jones, in Kill Devil Hills, NC (August 2001)

Robert Keefe died at home after a seven-year battle with cancer. He earned a master's in economics at Syracuse University and served in the U.S. Air Force before going to work for American Electric Power in New York City. Bob then returned to New Hampshire to begin a 34-year career as a stockbroker, working in Boston for Paine Webber and Lehman Brothers, then for Smith-Barney in Portsmouth. His motto was "I came to play"--football, baseball, hockey, in high school and college. Bob was a runner, often seen on early morning runs on campus, and he conducted a personal run to raise money for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He participated in clinical trial studies that resulted in two new treatments which offer hope to many; his oncologist called him a hero and a pioneer. (26 april 2007)

Elizabeth P. Ketzler (29 Aug 1965)

Warren Kingsbury of Lady Lake FL (1994)

Gordon Kinsman of Truro NS, former director of agricultural marketing and economics for Nova Scotia province (4 June 1999)

Richard Kumin, in Lilburn GA after a brief but savage bout with cancer. "He died with all of the five children along with me at his side," Betsy Kumin reported. "When diagnosed he said that he'd had 72 great years with no regrets. He valued your friendships." (July 2004)

Marvin Levins of Stamford CT, an incorporator of the UNH Foundation, chairman of its Committee on Philanthropy, and vice-chairman of its Board of Directors (November 1996)

Ralph C. Little of Bonita Springs, FL. Ralph was retired from the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, lived in Falmouth MA, and was married to Annick Menard of Brittany; they usually spent a month or so in France each year. (March 2000)