Obituaries | 1970-1979

GEORGE T. BRUBAKER, a founding partner of the law firm of Hartman, Underhill, & Brubaker, LLP, died of cancer on Aug. 1, 2006. He was 64. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and a history major as an undergraduate, he received his bachelor’s degree with honors. He attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School, earning his doctorate of jurisprudence, magna cum laude. He held a federal clerkship before returning to Lancaster, Pa., where he served in the office of the District Attorney and then entered into private practice. He developed a special expertise in municipal and school law and was active in his firm until his death. He is survived by his wife, Margot Lasher Brubaker, a daughter, a son, Theodore Brubaker ’93, and two grandsons.

PHYLLIS R. BRUCE, an accomplished musician, writer, and administrator, died Nov. 8, 2010. She was 69. After receiving an associate’s degree from Mattatuck Community College, she earned a bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s degree in American studies from Wesleyan. As a performer and scholar, she is best known for her work with the songs of American women, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries. She is the author of several short articles in the Grove Dictionary of American Music. Her master’s thesis was on the life and work of composer Carrie Jacobs Bond. For many years she worked on a biography of Mrs. Bond, left unfinished at the time of her passing. She was also well-known for her performances of the music of her husband, Wesleyan Professor of Music and American Studies Neely Bruce. She sang in major premieres of works by many American composers. The late John Cage considered her performance of his Song Books definitive. She was the associate director of the Graduate Liberal Studies Program at Wesleyan from 1976 to 1984, and she also worked in real estate and property management. Since 1997 she served as co-director of music at South Congregational Church in Middletown and with her husband wrote a series of three church musicals. Among those who survive are her husband, seven children, 12 grandchildren, her mother, four sisters, a brother, and a large extended family.

DANA ELIZABETH BRAMLETTE died of a heart attack Sept. 26, 2004, in Tuscon, Ariz. She was predeceased by her father in 1974, and is survived by her mother, Joan Docherty Bramlette Howell of Dallas, Texas; two sisters; and a brother.

FATIMAH ALI, a radio host and Philadelphia Daily News columnist, died Jan. 23, 2012. She was 56. Known for her views as an advocate of social justice, she was also associated with a newspaper written and edited by the homeless. Survivors include her former husband, State Senator Vincent Hughes; her most recent partner, Natu Ali; five children; two grandchildren; and her sister. Her second husband, A. Brahin Ahmaddiya, predeceased her.