DARYLE R. WALL, a writer and poet, died Apr. 22, 2007, at age 48. A writer for the United Negro College Fund and for Con Edison, at the time of his death he was working on a collection of poetry. His father predeceased him, and he is survived by his mother, Tina Wall, a sister, two godchildren, and a large extended family.
DWIGHT VAN de VATE JR. ’52, a retired professor of philosophy at the University of Tennessee, died Aug. 25, 2012, at age 84. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he enrolled at Wesleyan, where he was a member of Gamma Psi, received his degree with honors, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received both an MA and a PhD from Yale University. His career began at Florida State University; he then taught at the University of Mississippi and Memphis State University before he joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee, where he spent 33 years.
The author of numerous books and articles, he was also active in civic affairs and was an accomplished painter. He is survived by his wife, Anita Van de Vate, three children, two stepchildren, six grandchildren, his brother, and numerous nieces and nephews.
JOSEPH VEROFF, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Michigan and an eminent social psychologist, died Sept. 30, 2007. He was 77. A member of the John Wesley Club, he received his degree with high honors and with high distinction in psychology. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi. After receiving a master’s degree from Wesleyan, he received a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He taught at Princeton University before returning to the University of Michigan, where he spent 41 years on the faculty. He mentored numerous doctoral students and influenced U.S. policy regarding the provision of mental health services. His wide-ranging research included two large-scale studies of mental health in the U.S., numerous studies concerning motivational issues in determining behavior, a long-term study of marriage and marriage stability, and more recent studies on the topic of savoring. Survivors include his wife, Jody Bennett Veroff; five children, including Daniel Veroff ’81; ten grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
GEORGE B. von der LIPPE, 61, professor of German at St. Anselm College for 26 years, and chairman of the foreign language department, died Nov. 2, 2009. He received his PhD from Brown University, where he did groundbreaking literary detective work comparing Edgar Allan Poe and E.T.A. Hoffmann. The author of many scholarly articles, as well as a critical study of Martin Luther, he translated Max Schmeling’s autobiography and also an important World War II novel critical of the Nazi regime. Survivors include his son, his mother, and his former wife, Angela von der Lippe.
RICHARD H. VELAJ, M.D., a radiologist who specialized in neuroradiology, died Oct. 14, 2011, at age 52. He received his degree magna cum laude. After receiving his medical degree from Duke University, he trained at George Washington University and at Massachusetts General Hospital. He joined the Greenwich (Conn.) Radiological Group and the staff at Greenwich Hospital in 1990. In addition to Board certification in general radiology, he achieved additional Special Competence in neuroradiology. He was also a senior member of the Greenwich Hospital Peer Review Committee and president of the Greenwich Radiological Group. He is survived by his wife, Nicole Velaj, two daughters, his parents, and his brother.
DONALD H. TREDWELL ’51, the retired president of Markwell Medical Institute, Inc, died Oct. 27, 2012. He was 83. A member of Sigma Chi, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, after which he received an MBA from Harvard University. He spent his career in advertising, marketing, and brand management working in New York City for a number of companies, including McCann-Erickson, and Colgate-Palmolive before joining S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
In 1981 he left the corporate world and with two others started a venture-backed manufacturing company focused on selling medical products for diabetics. Active in Wesleyan alumni affairs, he was a past president of the New York Alumni Club. Survivors include his wife, Anne Scott Tredwell, two children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
RICHARD C. TEEVAN, 86, professor emeritus of psychology at the State University of New York, Albany, died June 3, 2006. He received his degree with honors and with distinction in psychology, and he was elected to Sigma Xi and to Phi Beta Kappa. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He received a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. After teaching at Smith College and Bucknell University, where he won awards for distinguished teaching, he joined the faculty of SUNY, Albany, where he was chairman of the department and published prolifically. He is survived by his wife, Virginia Stehle Teevan, four children, and 10 grandchildren.
DANIEL L. TAYLOR, an executive with CBS-TV for more than 35 years, died Dec. 27, 2006. He was 80. He was member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. Born in England in 1926, hewas evacuated to the US in 1940. He enlisted in the US Army and after serving as a paratrooper, enrolled at Wesleyan. Among those who survive are his wife, Marianne Stephan Taylor; three children; six grandchildren; two brothers, George R. Forbes ’49 and Harry F. Forbes ’49; and two nephews, G. Ross Forbes Jr. ’71 and Gregory H. Forbes ’71.
The Right Reverend ROBERT G. THARP, former Episcopal Bishop of East Tennessee, died May 30, 2003. He was 74. A member of Sigma Chi, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He received a master’s degree in divinity and a doctorate in canon law from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary; he also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of the South, of whose Board of Trustees he had been a member. Among those who survive are his wife, Ann Bradford Tharp, two children, four grandchildren, a sister, four stepchildren, and five step-grandchildren.
S. GARY (GARVER) THOMSON III, the owner and manager of the Tivoli Gardens Restaurant in Saint Croix, U.S.V.I., who was perhaps better known as “Gary” of Gary and the Wombats, died of cancer Feb. 28, 2009. He was 66. A member of Eclectic, he received an MBA from Columbia University and worked with Smith, Barney & Company for five years. He had owned and managed Tivoli Gardens since 1975. Gary and the Wombats are six Wesleyan alumni who started playing rhythm and blues and rock and roll at Wesleyan in 1962, and who played at other East Coast colleges and universities. They still perform together several times a year for charity fundraisers and private parties. He is survived by his wife, Martha; his sister; and his cousin.
John Dunton ’65 writes: With great sadness I write to tell you that Gary died Thursday, February 26 around 4 PM.
After his esophagus burst in early October, he waged a gallant, tenacious fight against infections, heart problems and failing lungs for over four months, but his weakened body was unable to overcome the latest bacterial attack.
David Dinwoodey spoke with his wife Martha Thursday evening. I paraphrase his message to me:
He had another series of infections attack his body about a week ago in the rehab facility near Patterson, NJ. Dave had seen him Tuesday afternoon and he was unresponsive but stable; whether he could hear Dave was uncertain. On Wednesday he again became unstable; his blood pressure dropped again, he was maxed out on antibiotic medicines; his heart got into difficulty and he got into systemic failure across the board trying to battle multiple problems.
Martha spent every day with him since this crisis began. She and his sister Jeannie were with him when he passed.
Since this has just occurred and Martha is dealing with the enormity of the event, there are presently no plans for a memorial service. I believe she will return to their home on St. Croix and be with their dogs, watch the sea and collect her thoughts. Sometime in the future there probably will be a gathering to celebrate Gary’s life.
We met at Wesleyan 47 years ago, became fraternity brothers and quickly became brothers in Gary and The Wombats. I have no idea how many thousand hours we have spent playing music together. Like most brothers, we laughed together, we partied together, we quarreled at times, we drew apart as life took us in different directions, and like many brothers, as we aged we drew closer.
His first health crisis with esophageal cancer occurred 10 years ago. He persevered in his battle against this horrible disease and, against heavy odds, achieved a decade of music, travel and enjoyment of good food and good friends.
In recent years he frequently came to Boston to make pilgrimage to Union Oyster House for cherrystone clams and to spend a quiet day or two visiting with Carol and me and with Dave and Mary Ellen Dinwoodey. There was an increased sweetness and mellowness in his demeanor that brought out his charming best. During these last 10 years when The Wombats would convene for a gig, he gave us his usual leadership and direction, but also was amenable to change and new approaches that he would not have embraced when we all were younger. In recent years he did not always have the stamina to perform at his best, but he always gave it everything he had. The last time we played together it was helping raise money for the ”Celebration of Hope — Wellness Community of St. Louis“ which supports the families of cancer victims.
Gary was, and will always be to me, Gary of Gary and the Wombats?my brother in music and my great and dear friend.
