Obituaries | 1940-1949

JOHN W. MAYNARD, an editor and journalist who specialized in educational journalism, died Dec. 10, 2014, at age 91. He was a member of Eclectic and received his degree with honors. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he received a master’s degree from the Columbia University School of Journalism. He was the great-grandson of Elliott J. Peck of the class of 1851, the grandson of John W. Maynard of the class of 1883 and of Susan M. Peck of the class of 1884, and the son of John P. Maynard of the class of 1913. After working as a reporter for The Providence Journal, he moved to Middletown to join the staff of Current Events and Weekly Reader, and became senior editor of the former. He received prizes for excellence in educational journalism. One of three founders of the Mattabeseck Audubon Society, he was an active volunteer in the Middletown community. His wife, Jean Finley Maynard MALS’80, CAS’96, survives, as do three sons, including John P. Maynard ’72, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and his sister.

The Honorable STEWART F. HANCOCK JR., 91, an attorney in Syracuse, N.Y., who served for eight years on the New York State Court of Appeals, died Feb. 11, 2015. He was the grandson of Theodore E. Hancock of the class of 1871, the son of Stewart F. Hancock of the class of 1905, the brother of Theodore M. Hancock of the class of 1934, and the cousin of John S. Hancock of the class of 1936. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he received his bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy and his law degree from Cornell University. He was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He began his legal career at the firm founded by his grandfather, and he later served for 15 years on the state Supreme Court and its Appellate Division before he was appointed to the Court of Appeals. He later returned to private practice and taught as a Distinguished Visiting Professor and Jurist in Residence at the Syracuse University College of Law. One son predeceased him. Survivors include his wife, Ruth Pass Hancock; five children, including Marion Hancock Fish ’76; 13 grandchildren; his nephew, Stewart H. McConaughy ’65; and his cousins, James L. McConaughy ’68 and Charles E. Hancock ’72. And Elizabeth Hancock Sillin ’77.

ARTHUR L. SNYDER, a retired businessman, died Nov. 11, 2014, at age 93. A member of Psi Upsilon, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He was in the industrial equipment business. Among those who survive are his wife of 71 years, Ellen Tuttle Snyder, four children, eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

GEORGE F. MCFARLAND, 93, who retired as Craig Professor of English at St. Lawrence University, died Jan. 5, 2015. He received his degree in 1946 after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. He later received a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His scholarly interests centered on the poetry and thought of the late Romantic and early Victorian periods in England. He is survived by his wife, Janet Allen McFarland, three children, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

GEORGE P. MORRILL, a writer and editor who worked at American Educational Publications, and longtime Wesleyan class secretary, died Jan. 3, 2015. He was 94. A member of Eclectic, he served in the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II. After the war he taught English at the University of Connecticut in New London, then moved to Vermont where he worked for a printing company. In 1956 he returned to Connecticut to become an editor at American Educational Publications, then owned by Wesleyan. He received a master’s degree from Wesleyan in 1957. During this time he wrote short stories for magazine such as Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post. He also used his experiences at sea to write a novel about life on a freighter during the war. Entitled Dark Sea Running, it received favorable reviews. He wrote other books as well, including a biography of John Emory Andrus of the class of 1862, a successful businessman and investor who, along with his later family, brought millions of dollars to Wesleyan. A lover of books, he served for 30 years on the board of the Brainerd Memorial Library in Haddam, Conn. His wife, Phyllis Christensen Morrill, predeceased him. Survivors include four sons and four grandchildren.

THOMAS N. LOSER, the co-founder of the industrial chemical company Wyrough & Loser, Inc., died Oct. 27, 2014, at age 93. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1946, during which period he became commanding officer of the Navy’s principal training school for communications officers. His entire business career was in the field of industrial chemicals, and his company was an acknowledged world leader in specialty rubber chemicals. The holder of several patents, he also served as chairman of the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society, which in 1983 was the world’s largest organization devoted to rubber chemistry and technology, with more than 5,000 members in 40 countries. He was a community volunteer as well as an avid bridge player. Among those who survive are his wife, Carol Kuser Loser, one daughter, two grandsons, and his brother.

STANLEY F. KAY, 93, a retired national general sales manager for International Silver, died Dec. 19, 2014. He was a member of Chi Psi. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He joined International Silver, eventually retiring as national general sales manager of the World Tableware Division. His wife, Lois Moneypenny Kay, predeceased him. He is survived by one son, three daughters, seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

ARTHUR W. FEINSTEIN, who practiced law in Hartford, Conn., for almost 50 years, died Dec. 29, 2014, at age 94. In addition to Wesleyan, he attended New York University and then received his law degree from the Hartford College of Law, now the UCONN School of Law. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army. After practicing with Cole and Cole, he co-founded Krevolin, Feinstein, Gorman & Herrmann, P.C., in Hartford and was active in the community. Among those who survive are his wife, Rhoda Grodin Feinstein; three children, including Andrew Feinstein ’72; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; his niece, Susan Barry ’76; and his cousin, Julius Kaplan ’56.

HARRY W. CROOP JR., a retired sales manager, died Dec. 12, 2014. He was 94. A member of Eclectic, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. His career was in the building materials sales industry, and he retired as general sales manager for the General Dynamics Corporation. He also volunteered in his community in numerous projects. Predeceased by his first wife, Rosemary Shea Croop, survivors include his wife, Helen O’Reilly Croop, two daughters, and numerous nieces and nephews.

DONALD G. ARNAULT, M.D., a surgeon in Middletown, Conn., and a former associate physician at Wesleyan, died Dec. 9, 2014. He was 96. A member of Chi Psi, he received his degree with honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, after which he served in the medical corps of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He practiced general surgery for 32 years and was also a longtime member of the Conversational Club. After retirement, he became an avid artist in oils and watercolors. In 1993 he received an MALS in painting. His wife, Carol Barrows Arnault, died in 2009; they had been married for 63 years. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, two daughters, six grandchildren, a sister, and several nieces and nephews.