Obituaries | 1940-1949

SPENCER L. PLEHATY, a senior systems engineer with Norden, a division of United Aircraft Corp., and a consultant, died Aug. 4, 2017. He was 92. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, after which he joined the Naval Reserve and retired as a Lieutenant Commander in 1970. He was an applied physicist with the U.S. Naval Ordnance Lab and then joined Norden. He was active in the Darien, Conn., town meeting for many years. His brother, Carl W. Plehaty Jr. ’41, predeceased him. A nephew, a sister-in-law, and several cousins survive.

ROBERT P. FOSTER JR., 93, a retired senior consultant at Prudential Insurance, and adviser to the president on special projects, died Oct. 12, 2017. He was the grandson of Addison B. Poland of the class of 1872, the son of Robert P. Foster of the class of 1921, and the nephew of John S. Foster of the class of 1922. A member of Eclectic, he entered Wesleyan with the class of 1945 but interrupted his college career to join the U.S. Army, where he served in the inspector general’s office at American headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany. He returned to Wesleyan and received his degree in mathematics in 1947. Starting as an analyst at Prudential in 1947, he rose through the ranks, retiring in 1985. He particularly enjoyed his involvement in the transition through the 1960s and 1970s from hand-managed to computer-processed insurance operations. Among those who survive are his wife, Sally Ann Bianchi Foster, three children, seven grandchildren, and a cousin, John S. Foster Jr. ’58.

BURTON H. MULLER ’45, a retired professor of physics at the University of Wyoming, died July 9, 2017, at age 93. He received his degree with high honors and was elected to both Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he received a master’s degree from Yale University and a PhD from the University of Illinois. He joined the University of Wyoming faculty in 1953. An advocate for faculty retirement benefits, he was also the author of papers on theoretical physics. Survivors include his wife, Jacqueline Russell Muller, and two daughters.

ROBERT S. COHEN, Professor of Philosophy and Physics, Emeritus, at Boston University and co-founder of the Boston University Center for Philosophy and History of Science, died June 19, 2017. He was 94. A member of the John Wesley Club, he received his degree with high honors and was elected both to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi. He received master’s and PhD degrees from Yale University. From 1949 to 1957 he was an assistant professor of physics and philosophy at Wesleyan, after which he moved to Boston University, first as an associate professor of physics, and then as a professor of both philosophy and physics from 1959 until his retirement in 1993. During his time at Boston University, he served as chair of both the philosophy and physics departments, and also as acting dean of the college. He helped recruit many scholars to BU, was a visiting fellow at several European academies of science, and held visiting appointments at MIT; Brandeis; the University of California, San Diego; and Yale. He was also a research fellow in the history of science at Harvard University. A trustee emeritus of Wesleyan, he received an honorary degree in 1986. He was active politically and spoke out on behalf of the principles of justice and fairness that defined his fundamental political convictions. Two of his greatest achievements were the founding of the Boston University Center for Philosophy and History of Science, and the launch of the book series Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, both of which have had a transformative and lasting impact on the field. The Boston Colloquium for Philosophy of Science, sponsored by the Center, brings together dozens of top scholars from around the world every year to discuss the history, conceptual foundations, and methodologies of the sciences. At the time of his passing, more than 325 volumes, over 50 of which he co-edited, had been published in the Book Series. As well, he helped to establish the field of philosophy of science around the world by organizing these volumes in other countries. His first wife, Robin Hirshhorn Cohen, predeceased him, as did his brother-in-law, Gordon L. Hirshhorn ’59. Among those who survive are his second wife, Karin von Trotha-Cohen, three children, and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.

THEODORE NELSON JR., the founder of Reddington Counters, Inc., died May 30, 2017, at age 99. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific during World War II. He was the 1940 class agent for many years, maintaining updates about his classmates. The founder and CEO of Reddington Counters, he was instrumental in the design and sales of mechanical and digital numerical counters found world-wide, especially on gasoline pumps. An avid tennis player, he won many gold medals in senior competition. He was also involved in the protection and preservation of a beach in Rhode Island, and in 1983 received the Henry M. Morris Memorial Trophy for outstanding citizenship, leadership and service to the Weekapaug community. His wife, Mary Smith Nelson, to whom he had been married for 75 years, died in 2017. Survivors include four children; seven grandchildren, including Jaime Nelson El Helw ’98; and 13 great-grandchildren.

JOHN F. SNOW SR., a former English teacher, died Feb. 23, 2017, at age 92. He was the son of the late Professor of English emeritus Charles Wilbert Snow, and the brother of Charles W. Snow of the class of 1947 and of Nicholas Snow of the class of 1949. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he left college to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps and served in the Pacific during World War II. After the war he completed his degree in English at UCLA and returned to his family’s summer home in Maine, where he worked at a cement plant and as a lobsterman. In 1967 he entered graduate school and received an MAT from Wesleyan in 1968. He then taught high school English in Middletown for 11 years. Predeceased by his second wife, Lyn Seagraves Sampson, he is survived by five children, seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, his youngest brother, three stepchildren, and a niece, Caitlin S. Clark ’03.

DAVID L. PIERCE, a public relations executive, died Mar. 16, 2017. He was 89. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he was a U.S. Army veteran and served during the Korean War. After the war he received a master’s degree in journalism from the Columbia University School of Journalism. He co-founded Pierce Brown Associates, a public relations firm in Rochester, N.Y. He also played Dixieland jazz trombone. Survivors include his wife, Elaine Smith Pierce, three children, and six grandchildren.

THEODORE B. PATCHEN JR., a retired executive with Travelers Insurance, died Feb. 19, 2017, at age 94. He was a member of Alpha Chi Rho. As a U.S. Army Air Corps captain and navigator during World War II, he and his crew were shot down and captured. He remained a prisoner of war until liberated at the end of the war. He worked for Travelers for more than 30 years. Among those who survive are his wife, Constance Butwell Patchen, two daughters, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

ROGER E. KNAPPE, a pharmaceutical chemist, died Mar. 17, 2017. He was 89. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. After serving in the Pacific, he returned to his career as a pharmaceutical chemist and worked for American Cyanamid for more than 40 years. He was also an avid sailor. Predeceased by his wife, Margaret Gallagher Knappe, survivors include five sons, seven grandchildren, and his sister.