CHARLES D. BECK JR., 83, an educator who was the Colorado facilitator for the National Diffusion Network and president of the Education Diffusion Group, died June 3, 2010. He was a member of Sigma Nu and received master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Denver. Among those who survive are his wife, Barbara Kennedy Beck, three children, five grandchildren, and his former wife, Carol Beck Nanney.
EDWIN P. BROWN, a retired advertising executive, died Sept. 6, 2006. He was 77. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he served in the US Army during the Korean War. Among those who survive are his wife of many years, Alice Brown Elgin, three children, two grandsons, and a brother.
REGINALD P. BRIGGS, a geologist and author, died Apr. 29, 2009. He was 80. A member of the John Wesley Club, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. A founder of the Geological Society of Puerto Rico, where he had worked for a number of years, he was active in professional organizations. Among those who survive are his wife, Rita Ferris Briggs, three children, and several grandchildren.
CHARLES E. BILLINGS, an internationally recognized expert in aviation medicine and human factors engineering, died Aug. 30, 2010. He was 81. He was a member of the John Wesley Club and received his medical degree from New York University. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, where he attended the School of Aviation Medicine, he studied aviation and occupational medicine at Ohio State University, from which he received a master’s degree. He taught at OSU for 15 years and then joined NASA, retiring as a Fellow and Chief Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center. He returned to OSU as Emeritus Professor and until the time of his death worked in cognitive systems engineering and human factors research. His wife, Lillian Wilson Billings, predeceased him. Among those who survive are his daughter, two grandsons, two great-grandsons, and his brother.
RALPH M. BEMIS, a retired insurance broker, died Dec. 19, 2007. He was 82. A member of Chi Psi, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He was active in community organizations. His wife, Jane Savard Bemis, predeceased him. Among those who survive are four children, eight grandchildren, and his brother.
JOHN R. BELLOBUONO, M.D., 79, a retired physician, died May 10, 2008. A member of Eclectic, he received his medical degree from the University of Liège (Belgium) Medical School. After practicing medicine in Middletown, Conn., he moved to Sierra Vista, Ariz., where he continued his private practice and also worked at the Fort Huachuca Army Hospital. Survivors include his wife, Annette Chapelier Bellobuono, two children, four grandchildren, and his sister.
DAVID BURSTEIN, a retired Arizona State University astronomy and astrophysics professor, died Dec. 26, 2009, at age 62. He received his degree cum laude and with honors in physics. A member of Delta Sigma and Kappa Alpha, he was elected to Sigma Xi. He received his PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz. A faculty member at ASU since 1982, he specialized in the structure of galaxies and the populations of their stars. His work contributed to a team of seven astronomers who spent nearly a decade researching how the universe was expanding. He is survived by his wife, Gail Kelly Burstein, two children, and a grandson, in addition to a cousin, Julie A. Burstein ’80.
WILLIAM T. BROMAGE, whose 40-year career in banking began at Hartford National Bank and culminated as President and Chief Operating Officer at Webster Bank, died Sept. 14, 2009. He was 63. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, he served in community leadership roles, particularly with Junior Achievement and Connecticut Public Broadcasting. Among those who survive are his wife, Kathleen Leary Bromage, three sons, four grandchildren, and a large extended family, including cousins Edward S. Bromage ’59 and Sally Van Dusen Bromage Suhr ’84. Other cousins include the late Arthur W. Bromage of the class of 1925, and the late Willard G. Bromage of the class of 1935.
NORMA B. BOURDEAU, 69, who retired as a visiting lecturer at Frostburg State University, died Feb. 7, 2010. She matriculated at Wesleyan 14 years after graduating from high school in New Jersey, and after receiving her degree worked for the Travelers Insurance Company, where she was the assistant director of training. She also taught writing courses part–time. In 1994, she received a master’s degree in theology from Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Conn., and then joined the faculty at Frostburg. She also lectured on various aspects of the Underground Railroad and in 2003 led the reorganization of the Allegany Branch of the NAACP, serving as its president. Among those who survive are her husband, Ray Bourdeau, five stepchildren, her daughter–in–law, two grandchildren, and numerous cousins.
ROBERT B. BUSSEY, owner of Bridgham & Cook, Ltd., and the former headmaster of Miss Hall’s School, died Aug. 19, 2012. He was 68. A member of Psi Upsilon, he received a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. After teaching at The Pomfret School and The American School in Switzerland, he was appointed as headmaster at Miss Hall’s, the youngest boarding school headmaster in the country at that time. He left Miss Hall’s after eight years, and he and his brother opened Bridgham & Cook, Ltd., a purveyor of British goods, in Freeport, Maine. Survivors include his wife of 23 years, Anne Norment Bussey, two children from his previous marriages to Karen Back Bussey and Lisa S. Bussey, three grandchildren, three brothers and sisters, and a large extended family.
