Author: Randi Alexandra Plake

JAMES MUTRIE JR., the former Capitol bureau chief of the New Haven Register, died Oct. 26, 2016. He was 89. A U.S. Army veteran, he received his degree with honors. After working for a few years in Albany, N.Y., he and his family returned to Connecticut when he was hired as a journalist by the New Haven Register. He ultimately became the Capitol Bureau Chief in Hartford, a position he held for many years until his retirement after more than 30 years with the newspaper. He was well known in state political and journalism circles as the Dean of the Capitol Press Corps. Predeceased by his wife, Rose Marie Weller Mutrie, and by his son, survivors include his daughter and her husband, his daughter-in-law, three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, his sister, and a large extended family.

RAYMOND H. BATEMAN, a former New Jersey state senator, acting governor, and community college advocate, died June 25, 2016, at age 88. The son of Charles P. Bateman Sr. of the class of 1921 and of Charles P. Bateman Jr. of the class of 1948, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and received his degree with honors and with distinction in government. He served in the U.S. Army during the occupation of Japan. After graduating he attended the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. From 1951 through 1954 he was the associate editor of Forbes magazine and served as an assistant to then-State Senator Malcolm S. Forbes. He served as the executive director of the New Jersey Republican State Committee from 1954 through 1958. In 1958 he was elected to the New Jersey State Assembly and became majority leader in 1965. In 1967, he was elected to the New Jersey State Senate and became the Senate President in 1969. He was also the Acting Governor for a period during that time. In 1977, he became the Republican nominee for Governor. He co-authored the legislation that established New Jersey’s county-based community college system. As Senate President, he also chaired a study commission that ultimately established the Delaware and Raritan Canal as a state park, today’s most utilized park in New Jersey. In the 1960s, he established Bateman & Associates, which he ran as an advertising and public relations agency in Somerville until it was sold in 1977. In 1978, he started Public Affairs Consultants, a government advisory service for corporate and foundation management, where he continued to work for the remainder of his life.
In 1978, he was appointed to the Somerset County College (now Raritan Valley Community College) Board of Trustees as Vice Chairman. Soon after he became the Chairman, serving for 26 years until 2005, when he became a Trustee. During his tenure as Chairman, Ray spearheaded the growth and expansion of Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC). He was instrumental in persuading the Governor to increase State funding to community colleges by $48 million. He was also co-chair of New Jersey’s community colleges “Team for Tomorrow,” a committee that advocated for tuition aid grants for community college students, and a $200 million increase in the Chapter XII community college construction and building renovation fund. In 2003 he received national recognition with the Association of Community College Trustees 2003 M. Dale Ensign Trustee Award for his leadership role in advancing RVCC and community colleges throughout New Jersey. In 2014, in honor of his contributions, RVCC dedicated the Ray Bateman Student Center for Student Life and Leadership. In 1994 he was appointed as chairman of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. He was also a Visiting Professor at Rutgers University from 1979 through 2000. He had a large following as a columnist for the Courier-News, where he always wrote honestly and fearlessly. His columns ranged from such topics as politics, the environment and Rutgers, to Maine, sports, dogs and family. He also wrote for Forbes’ publications and the Somerset Messenger Gazette. Predeceased by his wife, Joan Speer Bateman, one son and one daughter, survivors include four children, three daughters-in-law, two sons-in-law, 12 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and his friend and companion, Nancy Maulding.

ALBERT I. PRINCE JR., a psychologist who retired as chairman of the department of psychology at Marietta College, died Nov. 26, 2016, at age 91. He was the son of Albert I. Prince Sr., of the class of 1915. A member of Sigma Nu, he served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific as a paratrooper and as part of the occupying forces in Japan. After receiving a master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and a PhD from the University of Connecticut, he taught at Stetson University, the University of Denver, Evansville University, and at Marietta College where he served as department chair until his retirement in 1990. Predeceased by one son, among those who survive are his wife, Anna Thornhill Prince, two sons, and eight grandchildren.

ROBERT A. TUCKER, a retired senior financial officer with Beneficial Financial Management who also bred harness racehorses, died Oct. 23, 2016. He was 90. A member of Sigma Chi, he received a master’s degree in finance and economics from Brown University. During World War II he was a Naval air cadet in the Navy V-5 program. He started his professional career at Bankers Trust in New York, as a security analyst in the investment research division. In 1954 he joined Beneficial Management Corporation, and in 1969 became chief financial officer and first vice president, and a member of the executive committee. He retired in 1985 after 31 years of service. He was also a trustee of numerous charitable and educational organizations. In 1965 he started Stonegate Standardbred Farm, a prominent breeding and boarding facility of harness racing horses. A number of his horses have been recognized nationally. His wife, Lauren Bergheim Tucker, survives, as do six children, 14 grandchildren, four great-grandsons, and his sister. One son and one granddaughter predeceased him.

PETER C. NOWELL, M.D., an acclaimed cancer researcher who was the Gaylord P. and Mary Louise Harnwell Emeritus Professor, and former chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, died Dec. 26, 2016. He was 88. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, he was elected both to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi. After receiving his degree with high honors and with distinction in biochemistry, he received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He trained in pathology and then spent two years at the U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory in San Francisco, after which he returned to the University of Pennsylvania Medical School as an instructor, and later as a professor in the Department of Pathology. He served as chairman of the department from 1967-1973 and was the first director of the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center, now known as the Abramson Cancer Center. In 1960, he and a colleague discovered the first genetic defect proven to cause cancer. They observed that the number 22 chromosome in the tumor cells of individuals suffering from chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) was abnormally small. The observation was the first consistent chromosome abnormality found in any kind of malignancy. The finding—known as the “Philadelphia chromosome”—took cancer research in a new direction, transforming CML from a fatal disease to a chronic disease that could be kept under control for many years. Among the awards and citations he received for his work, are the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award, and the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science. Last year an endowed chair was established in his name at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Nowell was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Wesleyan in 1968. He served on Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees for 15 years and was elected trustee emeritus of the university. He was predeceased by his wife, Helen Walker Worst Nowell and one daughter. He is survived by four children, seven grandchildren, a brother, and a nephew, Andrew M. Nowell ’82.

BRUCE W. CUNNINGHAM, who retired as treasurer of the Tennessee Eastman Company, died Jan. 4, 2017. He was 90. A member of Eclectic, he received an MBA from Harvard University. He was with Tennessee Eastman, a global chemical company, for 37 years in both Rochester, N.Y., and in Kingsport, Tenn. A community volunteer, he was active with the Boy Scouts of America for more than 75 years as an Eagle Scout, scoutmaster of three troops that produced 46 Eagle Scouts during his tenure, and scoutmaster to two World Jamboree troops. Among those who survive are his wife, Mary McKown Cunningham, three children, eight grandchildren, and his brother.

BERNARD R. PAJEWSKI, a retired attorney, died Nov. 28, 2016, at age 89. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and received a degree from Cornell University. Survivors include his nephews and a niece.

JOSEPH A. DIPAOLO, a renowned cancer researcher, died Nov. 3, 2015. He was 91. A member of Delta Upsilon, he was elected to Sigma Xi, received a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University, and a doctorate from Northwestern University. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy. His wife, Arleta Schreib DiPaolo, predeceased him. Survivors include his son, John K. DiPaolo ’89, his daughter, and a granddaughter.