W. ROBERT BENKISER, retired chief executive officer of the overseas affiliates of the Caltex Petroleum Corp., died Apr. 22, 2005 at age 80. He was a member of Chi Psi and received a master’s degree in business administration from New York University. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Benkiser, and three children, including Gregory Benkiser ’73.
CARLYLE F. (“HAP”) BARNES, 87, the retired chief executive of the Barnes Group, Inc., and the recipient of a Distinguished Alumnus Award from Wesleyan, died Jan. 21, 2012. He was a member of Psi Upsilon. After receiving his degree he joined his family’s business, a diversified manufacturing company, and rose to become chairman and CEO in 1964, retiring in 1994. In 1977 he received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Trinity College. He was a director of numerous educational and charitable institutions, for which he received many awards. In 1999 he received the John Filer Award for Creative Leadership in Philanthropy from the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy. He also collected antique fire memorabilia, a hobby that evolved into the creation of the Museum of Fire History in Bristol, Conn. The brother-in-law of the late Edwin H. May Jr. of the class of 1948, survivors include his wife, Elizabeth May Barnes, four children, ten grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and a large extended family
HOWARD S. BAKER, a travel and tourism executive, died Mar. 13, 2011. He was 85. A member of Psi Upsilon, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was active in civic organizations in Lake Placid, N.Y., and he served on the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee in 1980. No immediate family survives.
JOHN H. UNDERHILL JR., 84, who spent his career in the insurance industry, first with John Hancock and later with Deland Gibson Insurance Associates in Wellesley, Mass., died Apr. 22, 2010. A member of Eclectic, he was the son of John H. Underhill of the class of 1918 and the nephew of Frank T. Underhill of the class of 1917. Cousins included Frank H. Underhill and Donald P. Underhill of the classes of 1918 and 1921 respectively. He served both in the U.S. Army and the Army Reserves. Among those who survive are his wife, Rebecca Stout Underhill; two sons; two grandchildren; a niece, Carolyn Taylor Casey ’78; and a cousin, the Rev. William D. Underhill ’53.
GERALD TSAI, 79, a fund manager and financier who pioneered the creation of performance–oriented mutual funds, died July 9, 2008. After spending one semester at Wesleyan, he transferred to Boston University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics. He started Fidelity Investments’ first aggressive growth fund, and from that first success he established other funds, which he sold or out of which he created conglomerates. He was the chief executive of Primerica and was one of the founders of what eventually became Citigroup. Three children and five grandchildren survive.
SHELDON F. SMITH, who retired as director of social work at the Southbury (Conn.) Training School, died May 10, 2011. He was 87. He was 87 and received his master’s degree in social work from the University of Connecticut. He also consulted for Yale University and its Institute for the Aging. Predeceased by his wife, Barbara J. Smith, he is survived by four children, three grandchildren, his sister and brother, and a large extended family.
WILLIAM F. SPRENGER, 86, a social worker who had been managing director of community services for United Way of Central Maryland, died Mar. 23, 2011. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi and received his master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania. He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II and later in the Naval Reserve. In 1976 he was named Social Worker of the Year by the Maryland Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. At United Way, he supervised new projects such as the funding for sickle cell anemia programs and the organization of PUSH, Project Urban Self-Help. Survivors include his wife, Johanna Walti Sprenger, and two children.
WHEELER SMITH, who retired as director of government relations at CIGNA (Connecticut General Life Insurance Company), with which he was associated for 35 years, died Sept. 26, 2008, at age 80. He was a member of Psi Upsilon. After retiring from CIGNA, he continued his work at the Citizens’ Committee for Effective Government in Hartford. He is survived by his wife, Claire Coope Smith; six children; 17 grandchildren; his brother, Donald S. Smith ’39; and his sister.
EDWARD W. ROBERTS, D.D.S., who practiced dentistry in New Jersey, died Jan. 28, 2006. He was 82. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and was the brother of the late Charles Y. Roberts ’44. He is survived by his wife, Janet Mapletoft Roberts; two sons, Charles E. Roberts ’73 and Thomas B. Roberts ’77; a daughter; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
ROBERT F. QUIMBY, a retired attorney and vice president of the Bank of Boston, died July 30, 2011. He was 88. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received his degree with high distinction in government and received his law degree from Harvard University. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He is survived by his wife, Muriel Smith Quimby, three children, five grandchildren, and a large extended family.
