THEODORE S. CONNELLY, the chairman of the Communications Institute, died Feb. 7, 2013, at age 87. He was the son of Herbert L. Connelly of the class of 1909. During World War II he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve and then received his degree in 1949.
ARTHUR H. COTINS, manager of international operations for the Eaton Corporation, died July 28, 2011. He was 84. A member of Psi Upsilon, he received his degree with high honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received a master’s degree from Columbia University and served in the U.S. Maritime Service. His wife, Carroll Cusick Cotins, survives, as do two daughters, including Catherine Cotins ’86, one son, and eight grandchildren.
CLIFFORD E. BULL, the founder and president of Bull Metal Products in Middletown, Conn., died Dec. 20, 2004 at age 78. A member of Sigma Chi, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He had also been a pitcher for the Middletown Giants and the Washington Senators baseball teams. Among those who survive are three children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
PETER A. BONEE, 82, a retired teacher in the Hartford, Conn., public schools, died Oct. 13, 2008. A member of Eclectic, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was the brother of the late Joseph S. Bonee ’49. He received master’s degrees from the University of Connecticut and from Central Connecticut State University, and he taught the class for gifted children at the Naylor School in Hartford for 28 years. Among those who survive are his wife, Marie Russo Bonee, two children, two grandchildren, a brother, and a large extended family.
W. ROBERT BENKISER, retired chief executive officer of the overseas affiliates of the Caltex Petroleum Corp., died Apr. 22, 2005 at age 80. He was a member of Chi Psi and received a master’s degree in business administration from New York University. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Benkiser, and three children, including Gregory Benkiser ’73.
CARLYLE F. (“HAP”) BARNES, 87, the retired chief executive of the Barnes Group, Inc., and the recipient of a Distinguished Alumnus Award from Wesleyan, died Jan. 21, 2012. He was a member of Psi Upsilon. After receiving his degree he joined his family’s business, a diversified manufacturing company, and rose to become chairman and CEO in 1964, retiring in 1994. In 1977 he received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Trinity College. He was a director of numerous educational and charitable institutions, for which he received many awards. In 1999 he received the John Filer Award for Creative Leadership in Philanthropy from the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy. He also collected antique fire memorabilia, a hobby that evolved into the creation of the Museum of Fire History in Bristol, Conn. The brother-in-law of the late Edwin H. May Jr. of the class of 1948, survivors include his wife, Elizabeth May Barnes, four children, ten grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and a large extended family
HOWARD S. BAKER, a travel and tourism executive, died Mar. 13, 2011. He was 85. A member of Psi Upsilon, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was active in civic organizations in Lake Placid, N.Y., and he served on the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee in 1980. No immediate family survives.
JOHN H. UNDERHILL JR., 84, who spent his career in the insurance industry, first with John Hancock and later with Deland Gibson Insurance Associates in Wellesley, Mass., died Apr. 22, 2010. A member of Eclectic, he was the son of John H. Underhill of the class of 1918 and the nephew of Frank T. Underhill of the class of 1917. Cousins included Frank H. Underhill and Donald P. Underhill of the classes of 1918 and 1921 respectively. He served both in the U.S. Army and the Army Reserves. Among those who survive are his wife, Rebecca Stout Underhill; two sons; two grandchildren; a niece, Carolyn Taylor Casey ’78; and a cousin, the Rev. William D. Underhill ’53.
GERALD TSAI, 79, a fund manager and financier who pioneered the creation of performance–oriented mutual funds, died July 9, 2008. After spending one semester at Wesleyan, he transferred to Boston University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics. He started Fidelity Investments’ first aggressive growth fund, and from that first success he established other funds, which he sold or out of which he created conglomerates. He was the chief executive of Primerica and was one of the founders of what eventually became Citigroup. Three children and five grandchildren survive.
SHELDON F. SMITH, who retired as director of social work at the Southbury (Conn.) Training School, died May 10, 2011. He was 87. He was 87 and received his master’s degree in social work from the University of Connecticut. He also consulted for Yale University and its Institute for the Aging. Predeceased by his wife, Barbara J. Smith, he is survived by four children, three grandchildren, his sister and brother, and a large extended family.
