Author: Cynthia Rockwell

DAVID B. JENKINS, 83, the former chairman, president and CEO of Shaw’s Supermarkets and a Wesleyan Trustee Emeritus, died June 17, 2014. He was the son-in-law of Wandell McM. Mooney of the class of 1918. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in English, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After receiving an MBA from Harvard Business School he served in the U.S. Navy and then joined his family’s firm, a maker of fiber-based materials. He then transitioned to the grocery business, which he learned from the ground up. Among his accomplishments at Shaw’s was the creation of the Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) model, a revolutionary inventory management method that became a standard in the grocery industry. He served as chairman of the Food Marketing Institute from 1990 to 1992 and also chaired FMI’s ECR committee, and he received the Sidney Rabb Award for his commitment to the industry. He served on numerous boards of directors, both for corporations and for non-profit organizations, and took on leadership roles for several institutions. As a Wesleyan Trustee, he chaired the Alumni Fund as well as the Campus Affairs Committee. He received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Wesleyan, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus Award. His wife, Joy Mooney Jenkins, predeceased him. Survivors include his wife, Shirley Muirhead Jenkins; two children, including Susan Jenkins Warren ’83; five grandchildren, including Hannah Jenkins ’15; a brother, George O. Jenkins ’56; several nephews, including Stephen E. Mooney ’80 and John B. Mooney ’82; several nieces, including Gail J. Farris ’84 and grandnieces Kimberley B. Farris ’14 and Jennifer G. Farris ’16; and several stepchildren, including Susan M. Bates ’78 and Judith Kiplinger ’81.

JAMES B. REAP, former rear admiral in the U.S. Navy, commander of the New York State naval militia, chief judge for the city of White Plains (N.Y.), and federal administrative law judge for the Court of Hearings and Appeals, died June 8, 2014. He was 83. A member of Chi Psi, he won nine varsity letters in soccer, basketball, and golf, and he earned his degree with honors. After graduation he was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy and also played semi-pro basketball. He later attended Harvard Law School, worked pro bono for Boston Legal Aid, and remained in the Navy as a reserve officer. In 1957 he moved to White Plains and to practice civil law, and in 1959 he was appointed to the Judge Advocate General Corps of the Navy. He continued to work both in private practice and for the city of White Plains, while increasing his responsibilities to the Navy. When he retired as Rear Admiral (Surface Warfare) from the U.S. Naval Reserve, he had earned 15 military medals, including two Presidential Legions of Merit for his work as Commander of the Military Sealift Command, Atlantic, where he was in change of 1,000 active duty and reserve Navy personnel. He was an active reader and golfer, and he kept his lifelong interest in scouting. Survivors include his wife, Nancy Leigh Reap; two sons, including James J. Reap ’81; one daughter; two grandchildren; and a sister.

WILLIAM B. BRUNER, 84, a retired industry specialist with IBM, died Aug. 30, 2014. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he was the grandson of Alfred C. Bruner of the class of 1879, the son of Abram B. Bruner of the class of 1913, and the cousin of the late Clark E. Bruner of the class of 1936. He was a U.S. Army veteran. After joining IBM in 1968, he and his family spent time in the Middle East, Europe, and South America. He was an avid sailor. Survivors include his wife, Jean Bruner; two sons; two grandchildren; his brother, Henry B. Bruner ’54; two sisters; many nieces and nephews; and a cousin, William E. Bruner II ’71, M.D.

LESTER P. JONES JR., the retired executive director of wood products for Steelcase, died Jan. 14, 2014, at age 86. He was a member of Alpha Chi Rho and received his degree with honors. During World War II he served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He had a long career in office equipment sales and design, and launched the Steelcase Wood Division, through which he brought modular wood products to the open office plan. Among those who survive are his wife, Chloe Bissell Jones, one daughter, one granddaughter, and a sister.

ANDREW F. WISSEMANN, the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, died Aug. 20, 2014. He was 86. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in German, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He studied at Union Theological Seminary and received his Bachelor of Sacred Theology and honorary Doctor of Divinity from General Theological Seminary. He served churches in Connecticut and Massachusetts before 1983, when he was elected bishop of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts, serving in that position until his retirement in 1992. Survivors include his wife, Nancy Whittemore Wissemann; four children, including Mary Wissemann ’82 and Martha Wissemann Burr MAL’95; and five grandchildren.

CARL G. MURANO JR., 87, a former FBI special investigator, died Aug. 23, 2013. He was a member of Chi Psi and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After a 28-year career with the FBI, he joined General Telephone as a special investigator. He was also an avid athlete. Predeceased by a son, his wife, Catherine Foote Murano, survives, as do five children, 12 grandchildren, and two sisters.

HENRI R.M. SALAUN, 88, a professional squash player who was a four-time U.S. national squash champion, died June 4, 2014. At the age of 14, he and his mother fled France for England and then came to the United States. Always an excellent athlete and tennis player, he learned English and was accepted to Wesleyan where he joined Alpha Delta Phi and competed nationally in tennis and squash. After two years at Wesleyan before he was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Germany, where he served in Patton’s 3^rd Army and was the sole survivor of a German ambush. When he was discharged he returned to Wesleyan and finished his studies, earning his degree with honors, while continuing his squash career. He won the first international U.S. Open of squash in 1954, won the U.S. championship four times, and won the Canadian Open eight times. He continued to play competitively into his 70s. A member of the inaugural class of the U.S. Squash Racquets Hall of Fame, he was also named to the first Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame class in 2008. He was the founder of Henri Salaun Sports, Inc., a sporting equipment company. Survivors include his wife, Emily Macy Salaun; two sons, including Georges V. Salaun ’85; and six grandchildren.

JOHN G. EASTON JR., a retired marketing manager for Aetna Life & Casualty, died Feb. 3, 2014, at age 87. The son of John G. Easton Sr., of the class of 1913, he was a member of Alpha Delta Phi and a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. He attended Fordham Law School but left to begin a life-long career with Aetna, beginning in sales and moving into management positions in the Northeast. Predeceased by his wife, Geraldine Betts Easton, among those who survive are two daughters, three grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

WILLIAM B. MERVINE, former national sales manager for Kaiser Aluminum, died July 4, 2014. He was 93. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received an MBA from New York University. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces and was later awarded the Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters as well as the Presidential Citation for meritorious achievement while participating in sustained bomber combat. After his retirement from Kaiser, he worked for Alcoa. His son, Richard Mervine ’75, predeceased him. Survivors include his wife, June Miller Mervine, and one daughter.

LAWRENCE ALEXANDER, who retired as the administrative attorney for the Connecticut Supreme and Appellate courts, died June 5, 2014, at age 91. After serving in the front lines at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, he received his bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan with honors and then received a law degree from Columbia University. He was a member of Sigma Chi. He and his first wife, Colleen Spielman Alexander, the mother of his four children, moved to the Philadelphia area, where he was an executive in a family business before returning to the law as a Pennsylvania assistant attorney general. He then moved to Connecticut, where he continued his work for political and social causes. After retiring in 1993, he continued to work for private practice attorneys, taught paralegal courses, and served a two-year term as a magistrate in small claims court. Survivors include his wife, Ruth F. Alexander; four children, including David Alexander ’74; two stepchildren; five grandchildren, including Molly B. Alexander ’09 and Jaclyn Alexander ’09; two step-grandchildren; and a nephew, Marc Levin ’73. He was the brother-in-law of the late Alan M. Levin ’46.