W. FRASER KEITH, a retired systems manager, died Dec. 4, 2013, at age 83. He was a member of Sigma Nu and received his degree from the University of Minnesota. Among those who survive are his wife, Bevelyn Gervais Keith, four daughters, two stepdaughters, 10 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and his sister.
THOMAS D. GIVEN, a retired science teacher in the Duxbury, Mass., schools, died Apr. 7, 2014. He was 84. The son of Philip L. Given of the class of 1909, he was a member of the John Wesley Club and received a master’s degree from Harvard University. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Survivors include his wife, Donna Zizek Given, and two children, David A. Given ’85, and Mary E. Given ’93.
LOUIS D’AMANDA, 84, a retired attorney, died Jan. 21, 2014. A U.S. Army veteran, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and received his law degree from Cornell University. He also attended Harvard Business School. After he passed the New York State bar exam he joined his father’s firm of Chamberlain & D’Amanda, where he practiced trial law for 40 years. In 1987 he was elected a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He was an active athlete and a dedicated conservationist. Survivors include his wife, June Allis Van Voorhis D’Amanda, four children, 19 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren.
DAVID J. BATDORF, 86, a retired attorney, and a community and political leader, died Dec. 15, 2013. The son of Jonathan P. Batdorf of the class of 1921, he was a member of Sigma Chi and received his law degree from the University of Tennessee. He was a U.S. Army veteran. A practicing attorney for 50 years, he was the Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 1973 to 1976. In addition to his work in the law community, he was involved in many election campaigns and in his church, where he served on national boards. A Berks County planning commissioner for nine years, he also served on the Kutztown University Board of Trustees. Among his many awards for community service, he received the Wesleyan University Service Award. He is survived by his wife, Carol Spangenburg Batdorf, three children, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren; and three sisters.
ROMOLO R. RUSSO, who retired as a branch sales manager for the Unisys Corporation, died May 16, 2013, at age 88. A member of Sigma Nu, he was the brother of Edmund P. Russo of the class of 1944. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Survivors include his wife, Therese Schenker Russo, and three children.
PETER S. MANSFIELD, chairman emeritus of the department of English at the Noble and Greenough School, died Aug. 17, 2011. He was 87. A member of Psi Upsilon, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He received a master’s degree from Boston University. Survivors include his wife, Patricia Cox Mansfield; three sons, including Geoffrey S. Mansfield ’78 and Timothy D. Mansfield ’83; a daughter; and eight grandchildren.
DON E. FRENCH, 87, a retired executive with Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, died Apr. 1, 2014. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he had a long career in the U.S. Army before joining Connecticut General. In the military he served in intelligence capacities, as well as in leadership positions, and he was awarded a Bronze Star. After the war he was recruited to serve as a special agent in the military intelligence division at the Pentagon. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1960 as a Major, and he then began his career with Connecticut General, where he worked for 38 years. Predeceased by his wife, Gladis Soto French, among those who survive are three children, two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
CHARLES S. STONE JR., a prominent and pioneering American journalist, university professor, former Wesleyan trustee, and a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists, died Apr. 6, 2014. He was 89. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. He received a master’s degree from the University of Chicago. During the height of the civil rights era, he worked as a reporter and editor at several influential black newspapers, including The New York Age and The Chicago Defender. From 1960 to 1963, he was editor and White House correspondent for The Washington Afro-American. In 1972 he was hired as the first black columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, where he was also a senior editor and reported extensively about police brutality and the criminal justice system. During this time, more than 75 criminal suspects asked him to escort them into police custody to avoid becoming victims of police brutality. In 1981, he was asked to help negotiate a deal between law enforcement officials and six prisoners who had taken 38 inmates and employees hostage at a Pennsylvania state prison. Four years later he began teaching journalism at the University of Delaware and then went to the University of North Carolina in 1991, where he taught for 14 years. He received six honorary doctoral degrees and numerous honors, including the University of North Carolina’s Thomas Jefferson Award, the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Free Spirit Award from the Freedom Forum, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. From 1972 to 1975 he served as a Wesleyan trustee. Beyond teaching and writing newspaper columns, he also wrote a number of books. These included Tell It Like It Is, a compilation of his columns, and Black Political Power in America, a college textbook; a novel called King Strut, which was based on a fictionalized account of the rise and fall of Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., for whom Stone worked as a special assistant; and a children’s book, Squizzy, The Black Squirrel. He and his wife, Louise Davis Stone, divorced after decades of marriage, and she predeceased him. Survivors include three children, one grandchild, and two sisters. He was the cousin of Alan K. Dockerey ’08.
ARTHUR H. COTINS, the manager of international operations for the Eaton Corporation, died July 28, 2011, at age 84. A member of Psi Upsilon, he received his degree with high honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was also the manager of the undefeated football teams of 1945-1948. He received a master’s degree from Columbia University after serving in the U.S. Maritime Service during World War II. An avid traveler and gardener, he worked tirelessly on his and his wife’s 1719 home, which is slated to become a museum. Among those who survive are his wife, Carroll Cusick Cotins; one son; two daughters, including Catherine A. Cotins ’86; and eight grandchildren.
WILLIAM A. SUTTON, an attorney who retired as division counsel for Olin Corporation, died Feb. 2, 2014, at age 90. A member of Sigma Chi, he received his degree with honors. He was the son of Joseph A. Sutton of the class of 1915, and the grandson of William H. Sutton of the class of 1857. He was also the nephew of Howard A. Sutton of the class of 1895, of Isaac C. Sutton of the class of 1900, and of Henry C. Sutton of the class of 1907, as well as the cousin of James A. Sutton of the class of 1935. He served in the U.S. Army in Europe in World War II, decoding messages in the Signal Corps, and fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. A graduate of Columbia University Law School, he joined Olin in 1959 after working for several other companies. During his career with Olin he spent eight years on a special fuel energy project based in Little Rock, Ark. He later settled in Stamford, Conn., where he became a community volunteer after retiring from Olin in 1986. Predeceased by his wife, Cleve Simpson Sutton, survivors include four children, seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and his sister survive.
