Author: Anne Marcotty

ALBERT E. PELS JR., a retired training consultant for the American Can Company, died June 28, 2013, at age 91. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. An enthusiastic skier, he was an active member of the National Ski Patrol for 62 years, serving for a time as a national board member. His wife, Elizabeth Voorhees Pels, predeceased him. Three children and five grandchildren survive.

EDWARD G. BARKER, a structural engineer, died Sept. 11, 2011. He was 89. A member of Sigma Nu, he was the grandson of Forrest E. Barker of the class of 1874 and the son of Stanley G. Barker of the class of 1909. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and then attended Iowa State College, where he received a degree in architectural engineering. He worked on a number of projects in the Boston, Mass., area before starting his own company, Metric Construction. He also received a master’s degree in urban development from Northeastern University and an honorary doctorate from Wentworth College, where he taught. He was a beekeeper, environmentalist, and active in the peace movement. Predeceased by one son, survivors include his wife, Louise Hunn Barker, six children, 15 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

CHARLES SCHWANDA, who had been executive vice president and treasurer of the Stafford (Conn.) Savings Bank, died Mar. 20 2013, at age 92. A member of Delta Upsilon, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a Boy Scout executive and partner of the former B. Schwanda & Sons button company, which closed in 1967. He then started to work for the Stafford Savings Bank where he had been a Trustee and retired as Trustee Emeritus in 1992. He was also a Trustee Emeritus of Johnson Memorial Hospital, having served the hospital in many capacities, including as President, and he was one of the founders of the Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation of Stafford. His wife, Jean Cooley Schwanda, predeceased him. He is survived by five children, 15 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

ALFRED B. ROLLINS JR., 91, the former president of Old Dominion University, as well as the former vice president for academic affairs at the University of Vermont, died Feb. 20, 2013. A member of Chi Psi, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his degree with honors and with distinction in English. After service in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with four clusters, he returned to Wesleyan and received an MA in History in 1946. He received a PhD from Harvard University in 1948. He began his lifetime of teaching as an instructor at the New Paltz (N.Y.) State Teachers College in 1948, and in 1963 left to become chair of the History Department at SUNY Binghamton. In 1967 he moved to the University of Vermont as a professor, later becoming dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and then Vice President for Academic Affairs. He moved to Old Dominion University in 1976 to become president, a position he held until 1985 when he returned to teaching history at Old Dominion until his retirement in 1991. He was predeceased by his first wife, Ernestine McMullin, and by his second wife, Faith Kenyon Prior. Survivors include his wife, Helen Jones, three children, five grandchildren, one great-grandchild, his sister, and two half-brothers.

RALPH MUCKLEY, M.D., a retired specialist in internal medicine, died Jan. 7, 2013. He was 92. The brother of William H. Muckley of the class of 1934, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. He received his medical degree from Columbia University. In 1954 he moved to Covina, Calif., where he started his 30-year practice at the Magan Clinic. He was an avid sportsman and outdoorsman. His wife, Gladys Ryan Muckley, survives, as do three children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

RICHARD W. LEIGHTON, a retired business executive and an active community volunteer, died June 29, 2012, at age 91. He was the son of William E. Leighton of the class of 1909, and the nephew of Ralph W. Leighton of the class of 1905 and of Harold C. Martin of the class of 1925. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he joined the U.S. Navy during World War II and continued to serve for 27 years. During his service in the Navy, he earned an MBA at Stanford University. After retiring from the Navy, he worked at the Bath Iron Works and the Maine Hospital Association while volunteering in the Brunswick, Maine, area. He was a past president of the Mid-Coast Red Cross and a recipient of the Clara Barton Award, as well as a Paul Harris Rotary Fellow. His first wife, Christine Davis Leighton, predeceased him. Among those who survive are his wife, Eileen Fletcher, three sons, one grandson, his brother, and a large extended family.

WALLACE B. HUSSONG, who practiced psychoanalysis for 50 years, died Feb. 19, 2013. He was 93. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After receiving his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College, he joined the U.S. Navy. During medical school he continued his athletic pursuits, playing for the Camden (N.J.) Zuni Indians semi-pro football team and during World War II was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. After leaving the Navy, he practiced psychoanalysis in the Camden-Cherry Hill area and was active in many community and athletic endeavors. He is survived by his wife, Catherine Weber Hussong; his son, Wallace F. Hussong ’68; two daughters; and three granddaughters.