PETER S. MANSFIELD, chairman emeritus of the department of English at the Noble and Greenough School, died Aug. 17, 2011. He was 87. A member of Psi Upsilon, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He received a master’s degree from Boston University. Survivors include his wife, Patricia Cox Mansfield; three sons, including Geoffrey S. Mansfield ’78 and Timothy D. Mansfield ’83; a daughter; and eight grandchildren.
DON E. FRENCH, 87, a retired executive with Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, died Apr. 1, 2014. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he had a long career in the U.S. Army before joining Connecticut General. In the military he served in intelligence capacities, as well as in leadership positions, and he was awarded a Bronze Star. After the war he was recruited to serve as a special agent in the military intelligence division at the Pentagon. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1960 as a Major, and he then began his career with Connecticut General, where he worked for 38 years. Predeceased by his wife, Gladis Soto French, among those who survive are three children, two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
CHARLES S. STONE JR., a prominent and pioneering American journalist, university professor, former Wesleyan trustee, and a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists, died Apr. 6, 2014. He was 89. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. He received a master’s degree from the University of Chicago. During the height of the civil rights era, he worked as a reporter and editor at several influential black newspapers, including The New York Age and The Chicago Defender. From 1960 to 1963, he was editor and White House correspondent for The Washington Afro-American. In 1972 he was hired as the first black columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, where he was also a senior editor and reported extensively about police brutality and the criminal justice system. During this time, more than 75 criminal suspects asked him to escort them into police custody to avoid becoming victims of police brutality. In 1981, he was asked to help negotiate a deal between law enforcement officials and six prisoners who had taken 38 inmates and employees hostage at a Pennsylvania state prison. Four years later he began teaching journalism at the University of Delaware and then went to the University of North Carolina in 1991, where he taught for 14 years. He received six honorary doctoral degrees and numerous honors, including the University of North Carolina’s Thomas Jefferson Award, the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Free Spirit Award from the Freedom Forum, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. From 1972 to 1975 he served as a Wesleyan trustee. Beyond teaching and writing newspaper columns, he also wrote a number of books. These included Tell It Like It Is, a compilation of his columns, and Black Political Power in America, a college textbook; a novel called King Strut, which was based on a fictionalized account of the rise and fall of Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., for whom Stone worked as a special assistant; and a children’s book, Squizzy, The Black Squirrel. He and his wife, Louise Davis Stone, divorced after decades of marriage, and she predeceased him. Survivors include three children, one grandchild, and two sisters. He was the cousin of Alan K. Dockerey ’08.
ARTHUR H. COTINS, the manager of international operations for the Eaton Corporation, died July 28, 2011, at age 84. A member of Psi Upsilon, he received his degree with high honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was also the manager of the undefeated football teams of 1945-1948. He received a master’s degree from Columbia University after serving in the U.S. Maritime Service during World War II. An avid traveler and gardener, he worked tirelessly on his and his wife’s 1719 home, which is slated to become a museum. Among those who survive are his wife, Carroll Cusick Cotins; one son; two daughters, including Catherine A. Cotins ’86; and eight grandchildren.
WILLIAM A. SUTTON, an attorney who retired as division counsel for Olin Corporation, died Feb. 2, 2014, at age 90. A member of Sigma Chi, he received his degree with honors. He was the son of Joseph A. Sutton of the class of 1915, and the grandson of William H. Sutton of the class of 1857. He was also the nephew of Howard A. Sutton of the class of 1895, of Isaac C. Sutton of the class of 1900, and of Henry C. Sutton of the class of 1907, as well as the cousin of James A. Sutton of the class of 1935. He served in the U.S. Army in Europe in World War II, decoding messages in the Signal Corps, and fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. A graduate of Columbia University Law School, he joined Olin in 1959 after working for several other companies. During his career with Olin he spent eight years on a special fuel energy project based in Little Rock, Ark. He later settled in Stamford, Conn., where he became a community volunteer after retiring from Olin in 1986. Predeceased by his wife, Cleve Simpson Sutton, survivors include four children, seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and his sister survive.
VINCENT A. SUPRYNOWICZ, 90, a retired professor of electrical engineering at the University of Connecticut, died Jan. 23, 2014. He was elected to Sigma Xi, received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ohio State University, and received his PhD from Yale University. His wife, Wilma Higginbotham Suprynowicz, survives, as do his three children, including Vincent Suprynowicz Jr. ’72, and a nephew, Frank Suprynowicz ’78.
SEYMOUR I. KUMMER, M.D., a family physician in Rockville, Conn., for more than 50 years, died Apr. 2, 2014. He was 87. After receiving his degree with honors, he received his medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College. In addition to his medical practice, he had been active in professional organizations. His first wife, Ruth Lavitt Kummer, died. Among those who survive are his wife of 30 years, Joan Hyde Kummer; three children, including Bart A. Kummer ’75, M.D., and Merle E. Kummer ’76; and a nephew, Daniel M. Kummer ’81. His brother, Howard K. Kummer ’53, predeceased him.
JOHN A. YOUNG, 94, a retired professor of chemistry, died Feb. 17, 2014. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he received his degree with high distinction in chemistry and was elected to Sigma Xi. He received a master’s degree from Wesleyan and a PhD from the University of Florida. After working for General Electric Labs he pursued his true calling as a professor of chemistry. He first taught at the University of Florida, later at the University of Denver, and finally at the Universidad Autonóma de Guadalajara. He was an accomplished classical pianist until a chemical explosion destroyed the thumb and index finger of his right hand, but he continued to play tennis and to hike. His wife, Helen Chamberlain Young, and his son, Roger A. Young ’65, predeceased him. Survivors include two daughters, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
RAYNOR L. DUNCOMBE, professor emeritus of aerospace science at the University of Texas at Austin, and an astronomer and former director of the National Almanac Office, died July 12, 2013. He was 96. A member of Sigma Nu, he was elected to Sigma Xi. He received a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Iowa and later a PhD in astronomy from Yale University. He was a member of the NASA space science steering committee, having worked on the Vanguard, Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo projects, and was instrumental in determining the orbit of Sputnik when it was launched. A member of the Hubble Space Telescope Astrometry team, he was the past executive editor of Celestial Mechanics. He was a fellow of various astronomy associations and received numerous awards. He was as comfortable reciting poetry as he was discussing the universe. Also a singer and musician, he was skilled at plumbing, carpentry, and electrical work, and had learned to fly a plane. He was predeceased by his first wife, Avis Bailey Duncombe and by his second wife, Julena Steinheider Duncombe. He is survived by one son, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
EDWARD L. STRATTON, 88, a manager who worked in sales, marketing, and education at IBM for 37 years, died June 29, 2013. A member of Sigma Nu, he received his degree with honors and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was also active in community organizations. Among those who survive are his wife, Anne (Nancy) Stratton, four children, 13 grandchildren, his sister, and a large extended family.
