Obituaries | 1950-1959

HENRY S. “HANK” TAUSEND, 73, a musician known for his jazz performances, died Oct. 14, 2009. He was a member of Gamma Psi and served in the U.S. Army. A drummer and percussionist, he was also a booking agent for well-known groups. He played with several symphonies in the Chicago area, as well as playing from Big Bands to parades to Klezmer. A volunteer for the Chicago Lyric Opera, he shared his love of opera with many audiences. Among those who survive are his wife, Iris Lieberman Tausend, a brother, and several nieces and nephews.

SWIATOSLAW TROFIMENKO, 75, a chemist, died Feb. 26, 2007. Born in the Western Ukraine, he came to Wesleyan on a scholarship and received his degree with honors and high distinction in chemistry. He was a member of the John Wesley Club and was elected to Sigma Xi. After receiving his PhD from Northwestern University, he completed postdoctoral studies at Columbia University and then joined the DuPont Company in 1959. While there, he discovered the polypyrazolylborate ligands, which he named Scorpionates. He published a book on this subject in 1999, and a sequel is scheduled for publication this year. The author of numerous scientific articles, and the holder of 36 patents, he retired in 1996 from DuPont and then joined the faculty of the University of Delaware as Honorary Scholar in the chemistry and biochemistry department. Survivors include his wife, Martha Babych Trofimenko; one daughter, Zoya Trofimenko ’85; and two grandchildren.

THOMAS M. TAYLOR JR., a railroad consultant and rail enthusiast, died Aug. 29, 2010, at age 78. He was a member of Sigma Chi and received a civil engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Predeceased by one son, he is survived by his wife, Glendora Boyce Taylor, two children, three grandchildren, two sisters, and his brother-in-law, Dr. Norman A. Clemens ’55.

JAMES D. TRUMBOWER, 79, a retired high school English teacher and language arts supervisor, died June 21, 2008. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and received a MALS from Wesleyan in 1969. Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Dale Trumbower, three children, eight grandchildren, one great–granddaughter, and a sister.

G. Vance Smith Jr., an advertising, public relations, and marketing executive, died Feb. 22, 2009. He was 78. At Wesleyan, he was a member of Chi Psi. After beginning his career with Central Advertising Agency, he also served as a vice president of Standard Life Insurance Company of Indiana and retired from the Indianapolis Star in 1998. He was an Eagle Scout and served on numerous local and civic boards. His wife of 49 years, Virginia Reavis Smith, survives him. Also surviving are a daughter, a son, a sister, and three grandchildren.

GEORGE E. SLYE, 81, the co-founder of Spaulding & Slye Corporation, a national real estate company, died July 13, 2012. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and received his degree from Babson Institute. A U.S. Navy veteran, he began his career in 1958 at Texaco, Incorporated, where he worked in sales promotion and real estate—specifically, developing and executing plans to leverage the federal highway program started by the Eisenhower administration. A career in real estate planning, development, construction, and management began at Dwight Building Company of New Haven and continued at American Urban Corporation of Meriden, Conn., where he served as Executive Vice President and Secretary and oversaw numerous mixed-use and industrial park developments. Having met his future business partner, Charles Hank Spaulding, at an Urban Land Conference in 1965, George co-founded Spaulding & Slye Company in 1966 and grew the business from a local urban and suburban development concern into a nationally recognized full-service real estate platform with an active presence throughout the Boston-Washington corridor, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Birmingham among other locations. Following a planned transition of leadership at Spaulding & Slye between 1981 and 1987, he founded GESCOM, a diversified investment platform, through which he joined numerous Boards and started several new business ventures. He pursued business interests in communications, banking, and real estate. He purchased Hayden Tolzmann & Associates, which was subsequently sold to Boston Mortgage. He served as a director on two real estate investment trusts for Travelers Insurance Company, as advisor to RealEnergy and Brentwood Capital Partners, and was a trustee at Babson College, where he started the Babson Center for Real Estate and was also awarded the Babson Medal for Distinguished Accomplishment and Service. He served on the Wesleyan University Hill Committee, as well as on many other boards of educational and community institutions. Among his hobbies was modeling (railroads and buildings), and his work was seen in National Geographic as well as on public television. He is survived by his wife, Suzanne Goodwin Slye; four children, including Paul E. Slye ’84; a stepson; his brother; 12 grandchildren; and four step-grandchildren. His first wife and the mother of his children, Susan M. Mayer, predeceased him.

ANTHONY SAVAGE JR., 81, a criminal defense attorney, died Jan. 3, 2012.  A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, he received his law degree from the University of Washington. A mentor to defense lawyers in the Seattle area, he practiced law for more than 56 years. His wife, Barbara Scribner Savage, predeceased him. Among those who survive is his sister.

LAWRENCE E. SCANLON, a retired professor, died Nov. 22, 2008, at age 81. He was a member of Sigma Chi and received his degree with honors and with distinction in English. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II he received a master’s degree from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. from Syracuse University. The recipient of several Fulbright grants, he taught at Mt. Holyoke College and then for more than 30 years at the Hartford College for Women. Survivors include his wife, Anne Sherrend Scanlon, three children, four grandchildren, a great–granddaughter, two brothers, and a sister.

JOHN PERRY STRANG ’50, an award-winning photographer and director, died Mar. 25, 2012, at age 85. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After further study at the University of Tulsa, the University of Houston, and New York University, he became a freelance photographer for national magazines. He later worked as a photographer and director in film and television. His short film, A Poem of Life, is in the Permanent Collection of the Library of Congress. He also established a nonprofit organization, Huguenot Heritage, to research and inform the public about the contributions of the descendants of the Huguenots, and he was active in professional societies. Survivors include a daughter, Suzanne Lightbourn, and two granddaughters.

CHARLES L. STEVENS JR., who retired as an attorney for United States Steel Corporation, died Dec. 15, 2011. He was 84 and was a U.S. Navy veteran. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with honors. After receiving his law degree from Harvard Law School, he spent most of his working life with U.S. Steel. He was married for 39 years to Nancy Jones Stevens. Among those who survive are five children, eight grandchildren, his sister, and his companion of 20 years, Connie Lambert.