Obituaries | 1950-1959

Categories Obituaries, Obituaries | 1950-1959Posted on

James “Jim” Killough III ’57, P’85, ’88

James “Jim” Killough III ’57, P’85, ’88 passed away on December 2, 2021. Evan M. Drutman ’86 provided this memory.

James Killough, III

1935-2021

            It stands as a monument to his dedication, perseverance, and philanthropy.  The landmarked structure at 242 High Street, Middletown, Connecticut, built in 1893 on the campus of Wesleyan University and home to the Xi (pronounced “z’EYE”) Chapter of the Psi Upsilon Fraternity, has housed student members for over 125 years.  That grand dame of the campus, centrally located across from the office of the University president, has served daily meals, hosted meetings, seminars, musical and theatrical performances, educational events, and social gatherings for the Wesleyan campus at-large.  And it did so in recent years due to the indefatigable efforts of its de facto chairman, Jim Killough, who died on December 2, 2021, in the Renaissance Care Center in Gainesville, TX, a hospice facility outside of Dallas/Ft. Worth.

That a fraternity would even exist today on the politically “progressive” campus of Wesleyan University is no mean feat.  Much of the credit for its longevity and enduring popularity over the previous 30 years can be attributed to Jim Killough.  He provided the undergraduate members with advice and guidance, sometimes on a daily basis; he helped navigate the organization through the occasional adolescent misconduct of a member; he provided the diplomacy needed for the indulgence of a recalcitrant school Administration; and he had the intuition to admit women members, and to persuade a resistant membership, long before the University mandated co-education in 2014.

Most of all, he had the vision to sustain a traditionalist organization with values largely resembling his own.   Those values were articulated in four broad maxims expressing indisputable virtues which would define the organization and its mission:

  • Service before Self
  • Pursuit of Wisdom
  • Personal Responsibility
  • Virtuous Character 

Those phrases, which Jim labeled collectively as “The Credo”, would become his guiding principles for the fraternity.  In his typical modesty, Jim credited The Credo to someone else: the fraternity’s beloved former faculty advisor and university provost William Kerr; however, few ever doubted its true origin.

James Killough III was born in Albany, NY, on November 18, 1935, to James Killough, Jr. and the former Mary Ann Hunting.  Jim spent his childhood summers in the Thousand Islands, scooping ice cream at the legendary Guzzle on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, a venue to which he would return throughout his life. Like his uncle, he attended Wesleyan, graduating in 1957, and then received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1959.

He briefly served in the U.S. Army, at Fort Dix, NJ, in Army intelligence, from May to November of 1959.

His early career was spent in advertising:  first, with Proctor and Gamble; then with Dupuy-Compton (now Saatchi & Saatchi) in Italy, resulting in the occasional Italian language expression which would inflect his communications.  While in Italy, he became involved in politics, supporting Republican candidates in the United States, including the presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan, for which he worked upon his return to this country.

He had a second career later in life, improbably as an internet company executive, bringing his business acumen to RunTime Technologies, a New York City-based website creator and internet provider, which was suffering from the .com implosion.

Jim’s first marriage, to the former Sandra Davis, ended in divorce.  It produced three children:  James Killough IV, of Los Angeles, and Sarah K. Dhar, of New Canaan, CT, both of whom similarly attended Wesleyan, and John Hunting (“Hunt”) Killough, of Denver, CO.

He married his second wife, the late Donna Simpkins, in 1984, describing her as the “love of his life”, and moving with her from New York to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area to be closer to her children.  She predeceased him in 2018, following which Jim spoke for the rest of his life of marking time until he could rejoin her in Heaven.  Jim is survived by his three children, his son-in-law, Vishal Dhar, his daughter-in-law, Angela Killough, four grandchildren, two stepchildren, and a step granddaughter.

Until the end of his life, Jim remained committed to the welfare of “The Xi”, as the fraternity chapter is known by its members, reviewing correspondence, and offering the occasional recommendation.  As the fraternity continues its mission and its search for Jim’s successor—someone with his vision and commitment, someone putting Service before Self, someone betraying his Virtuous Character—it will have one advantage Jim never had:

It will have his example. 

 

Evan M. Drutman 

Wesleyan University, B.A. 1986 

Member, Xi Chapter of Psi Upsilon

 

Categories Obituaries, Obituaries | 1950-1959Posted on

David E. Berlew ’53, P’79

David E. Berlew, a retired psychologist and management consultant specializing in organization change, management development, and entrepreneurial behavior, died on September 28, 2022, at his home at Kendal at Hanover in Hanover, NH. He was 91.

David was born in Orono, ME,  in 1931 to Lillian (née Kingston) and Herman Berlew.  They were both Methodist ministers. After the family moved to New Bedford, MA, when David was 13, he and his older brother Kingston attended the local high school in New Bedford, MA, where David lettered in football. Of his many accomplishments, few gave him as much pride as his induction years later into the New Bedford High School Football Hall of Fame.  David started college at Iowa State and eventually graduated from Wesleyan University, but only after two years with the Army in Germany. He married his first wife Diane (née Lehnhardt) in 1956. David went on to obtain a PhD in Organizational Psychology from Harvard University. He taught at both Wesleyan University and the MIT Sloan School of Management. In the mid-1960s, he served tours in Turkey and Ethiopia as country director for the Peace Corps.

In 1968, David started McBer and Company in Boston, a research and consulting firm, with his Harvard mentor David McClelland. Their firm specialized in mapping the competencies of entrepreneurs and managers across the world. This work enabled him to travel all over Europe, Asia and Latin America. Another early member of McBer was Richard Boyatzis, with whom David worked on leveraging McClelland’s work on achievement, affiliation and motivation. David authored and co-authored many books and articles with Warren Bennis, Richard Boyatzis, Douglas Hall, Roger Harrison, David Kolb, Earl Rose, Irwin Ruben, Ed Schein, Fritz Steele and others.

In 1976, David, Roger Harrison and Earl Rose founded the company Situation Management Systems, built around the Positive Power and Influence Program that they created. They worked with many Fortune 500 companies and the US government, licensing programs and trainers all over the world.

David was a mentor and friend to many during his long life. He is remembered by his many friends, colleagues and clients as a person who injected energy into every situation. His laughter and quirky meeting observations are legendary in the many businesses he helped.  He was a magnet for emerging consultants and had a significant role in starting many consulting companies. Years later, he served in leadership roles with “Instructional Systems Association,” the professional association of consulting/training companies.

David and Diane hosted many get togethers at their home in Newton, MA. These included Sunday morning touch football games, where he pioneered taping his glasses to his (hairless) head; dinners and holiday parties that featured competitive games of twister and dancing; and poker tournaments. True to David’s Maine origins, he, Diane, and their children vacationed on the Downeast coast with close family friends. These vacations were famous for raucous costume and dinner parties.

After some years of living in Maine with his family, David returned to Massachusetts and eventually settled in Duxbury, MA, with his second wife Jennipher. There they made a beautiful home overlooking Duxbury Bay. These were peak fishing years, when David brought many friends and family members on (mostly) successful outings.  He also expanded his fishing interests to include both fresh and saltwater fly fishing. During this time David also reconnected with old university friends like Jack Hoy. In addition to fishing, David loved following New England sports teams and was often seen at Celtics games in the original Garden with his old friend and colleague Dan Ciampa.

After retiring, David eventually moved to New Hampshire, where he enjoyed writing stories, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, and long walks with his third wife Meryl and later with his good friend Joan.

David is survived by his first wife Diane Berlew; his children Christopher Berlew (Linda) of Washington, DC; Katherine Berlew Santopadre (Kevin) of Round Rock, TX; Lucinda Berlew (Christopher) of Houston, TX; Michele Berlew of Houston, TX; and Adam Berlew (Janesta) of Redwood City, CA; as well as seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.  His second wife Jennipher Mills and good friend Joan Kidder also survive him.  Another grandson died in 2019.  David was predeceased by his parents Herman (1974) and Lillian (1992), and by older brother Kingston (2021).  His third wife Meryl Louis died in 2011.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Kendal at Hanover Emergency Staff Relief Fund at:

https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=kendal&id=104