Obituaries | 1930-1939

Edward O. King died of natural causes at Riverwoods in Exeter, N.H., on Friday, May 11, 2007. Mr. King was born in St. Louis, Mo., Aug. 9, 1913, to Leotie B. and Charles E. King. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, in 1935, and from the Harvard Business School in 1937. He began a career with the Shell Oil Company in St. Louis, that spanned 40 years and moved him and his family to New York City and Houston, Texas.

In 1940, he married Janet Frost of Cleveland, Ohio. They had four children, Katharine King Raybin, Elizabeth King Elliman, Edward Wyllis King, ’68, M.D., and Charles Allen King whom they raised in Darien, Conn. Ed was an avid sailor, champion tennis player, and enthusiastic singer. He was a member of the Petroleum Club in Houston, Texas and the Harvard Club in New York City. A born optimist, he embraced life with gusto until his death at age 93.

He was predeceased by his son Charles in 1977 and his wife Janet in 2004; he is survived by three children, their spouses, six grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren.

A memorial service was held in the Great Bay Room at Riverwoods, 7 Riverwoods Drive, Exeter, NH 03833, on Saturday, May 19, 2007, at 4 pm, with the Reverend Nancy Rockwell officiating.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Squirrel Island Preservation Foundation, c/o Gail Cinelli, P.O. Box 84, Yarmouth, ME 04096.

STEWART W. KERNAGHAN, a chemist with General Electric for 34 years, died Nov. 16, 2003. He was 90. At Wesleyan he was a member of Sigma Nu and received his master’s degree in chemistry in 1936. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Marguerite Fleury Kernaghan, a daughter, two sons, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

DAVID JAFFE, a retired labor attorney, died Mar. 12, 2005. He was 90. He received his degree with honors and with high distinction in government ,and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After receiving his law degree from the University of Chicago, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Survivors include his wife, Norma Cohen Jaffe, two children, and a niece, Jamie Jaffe ’77.

JOHN L. HOWLAND, 95, who was counsel for the Westinghouse Electric Corporation for nearly 30 years, died May 11, 2009. The son of Leroy A. Howland of the class of 1900 and the brother of the late Leroy A. Howland Jr. ’31, he received his degree with honors and with high distinction in government. He was a member of Psi Upsilon and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. For many years he was secretary of the class of 1935. After receiving his law degree from Harvard University, he was associated with a law firm before joining the U.S. Army during WWII, serving at the Pentagon with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He later served as associate general counsel for acquisition with the Air Force during the Korean War. At Westinghouse, which he joined in 1953 as assistant general counsel, he worked to improve the acquisition process and policies for major weapon systems. He retired as counsel for government affairs. His wife, Jane Snyder Howland, died in 1998; there are no immediate survivors.

BRITTON HARRIS, a fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners and professor emeritus of city and regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania, died Feb. 8, 2005, at age 90. A member of Delta Upsilon, he received his degree with honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi. He received a master’s degree from the University of Chicago. An early advocate of the use of computers and models in urban planning, he made many contributions to land use and transportation modeling. His interest in developing societies was expressed by his international consulting work. At the University of Pennsylvania, he also served as department chair and dean of the former School of Public and Urban Policy. After his retirement, he continued to write and lecture and was the recipient of numerous awards and citations for his research. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Brandstetter Harris, three children, a granddaughter, and a sister.

WILLIAM G. BRYDEN, who operated the Bryden Insurance Agency in Sandwich, Mass., died Feb. 23, 2007, at age 93. He was a member of Psi Upsilon. Predeceased by his wife, Marilyn Ormsbee Bryden, he is survived by five children, 19 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren.

ALBERT M. BELL JR., an advertising and sales administrator who was associated with Uniroyal for 30 years and then founded his own typesetting business, died Nov. 11, 2003. He was 89. A member of Phi Sigma Kappa, he was the nephew of Harry W. Bell of the class of 1912, a cousin of the late Warren F. Bell ’43, and the grandnephew of Clarence F. Corner of the class of 1903. Survivors include his wife, Dorothy S. Bell, four daughters, and two brothers, including Charles F. Bell ’40.

RAIMON L. BEARD, who was an entomologist for the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station for almost 40 years, died May 27, 2003. He was 91. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi, he received his degree with honors and with high distinction in biology before receiving a doctoral degree from Yale University. Author of numerous scientific papers on a wide range of his entomological research, he also undertook problems in the field of applied entomology. He was one of the pioneering researchers concerned with resistance to pesticides. He served on the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Insecticides from 1962-1972. Predeceased by his wife, Frances Beard, two daughters and four granddaughters survive.

ROBERT M. BALL, the commissioner of Social Security in the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations, one of the chief architects of Medicare, and an influential opponent of privatizing Social Security, died Jan. 30, 2008, at age 93. He received his degree with high distinction in English and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, he was the brother of the late Theodore H. Ball of the class of 1926. After receiving a master’s degree in economics at Wesleyan, he joined the Social Security Administration soon after the Social Security Act became law and rose through the ranks to become commissioner in 1962. An effective administrator who could effect bi-partisan compromises, he had a vast knowledge of the Social Security system and an ability to explain complex topics clearly. He was a policymaker who advised other policymakers, and he wrote books, commentaries, and position papers. Even after his retirement in 1973 he continued to advocate for Social Security, calling Social Security “the nation’s most effective anti-poverty program.” In 1996, reportedly working from his living room, he headed off proposals to privatize Social Security. As recently as 2004 he worked to defeat the proposed plan to allow younger workers to invest part of their payroll taxes in private accounts. The author of six books, his most recent was Insuring the Essentials: Bob Ball on Social Security (2000). Survivors include his wife of 71 years, Doris McCord Ball; two children, including Robert Jonathan Ball ’65; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

WILLIAM L. TURNER, a retired associate professor at George Washington University, died Mar. 12, 2011, nine days short of his 100th birthday. A member of Sigma Chi, he received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. His wife, Marie-Louise Ralph Turner, predeceased him, and he is survived by three sons and four grandchildren.