Obituaries | 1940-1949

JEAN FRANÇOIS-PONCET, a French diplomat, businessman, senator, and former Secretary of State and Secretary General of France, as well as a recipient of an honorary degree from Wesleyan, died July 18, 2012, at age 83. He received his degree with honors and later received a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and a law degree and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Paris. During World War II he served in the French Underground. The son of André François-Poncet, who was the French ambassador to Germany from 1930 to 1938, he quickly made a name for himself in the 1950s as a brilliant young diplomat. He worked with Maurice Faure in the negotiation of the Treaty of Rome, which created the European Economic Community in 1957. He continued in the diplomatic service under the Gaullist government, serving in Morocco and Iran. In 1971 he interrupted his diplomatic career to serve as CEO of Carnaud SA, a metal packaging business belonging to the Wendel family, to which he was connected through his wife, Marie-Therese de Mitry. With the election of President Giscard d’Estaing in 1974, François-Poncet returned to government service as Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1976 to 1978 he served as Secretary General in the office of the President, a key post in French politics, and in 1978 he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, a position he held until 1981. Elected Senator from the Department of Lot-et-Garonne in 1983, he served in the Senate until 2010, chairing the Economic Affairs Committee of the Senate until 2001 and serving as Vice President of the Foreign Relations and Defense Committee. He led Senate delegations in Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, China, Central Asia, Afghanistan and Middle Eastern countries. Wesleyan celebrated his achievements at the 1980 Wesleyan Commencement ceremonies, where François-Poncet delivered the commencement address and received an honorary degree. In 1981, he returned to campus to deliver the keynote address for Wesleyan’s 150th anniversary.

WALTER C. BURKE JR., who began his career as an insurance agent and later became an administrator and patient advocate for people and families recovering from drug and alcohol abuse, died Aug. 28, 2008. He was 86. A member of Sigma Chi, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He was an accomplished athlete and in 1998 was ranked fourth nationally in the 75+ division of the U.S. Squash championships. The brother of the late Robert C. Burke ’50, he is survived by six children and nine grandchildren.

VERNE H. BOVIE, a retired professor of English and American literature at Nasson College, died Mar. 31, 2012. He was 88. A B-26 pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces who was shot down and imprisoned during World War II, he returned to college and received his degree from Wesleyan in 1947. He received a master’s from Colgate University and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. A literature professor at Nasson, he also was a flight instructor for many years. His wife, Everlyn Huer Bovie survives, as do four children and eight grandchildren.

WILLARD H. BONNER JR., 79, a retired research chemist, died Jan. 12, 2008. He was a member of Sigma Chi and was elected to Sigma Xi. After receiving a master’s degree from the University of Buffalo and a PhD from Purdue University, he joined Humble Oil and later duPont, where he was granted 13 patents in foam, fabric, and metal inventions. After moving to Maine, he was active in local environmental organizations. Among those who survive are his wife, Betty Cole, two children from his first marriage to Barbara Howard Bonner, three grandchildren, and a large extended family.

JOHN W. ATKINSON, renowned professor of psychology emeritus at the University of Michigan, founder of the University’s honors program in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, and recipient of the American Psychological Association’s highest award, the Gold Medal for Distinguished Scientific Contribution, died Oct. 27, 2003. He was 79 and a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army Air Corps. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi, he received his degree with high honors and with high distinction in psychology. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. After receiving both master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan, he joined the faculty there and remained at that university his entire career. The recipient of many honors and awards, and the author of numerous scientific publications, he pioneered the scientific study of human motivation, achievement and behavior. He was one of the first in psychology to incorporate rigorous mathematical models in his theories and to use computer simulations of these models for experimentation. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Mary Jane Atkinson, one daughter, two sons, six grandchildren, and two brothers, Frank G. Atkinson Jr. ’41, and Paul Atkinson ’54.

HOWARD J. WETSTONE, M.D., a Hartford, Conn., physician, died May 24, 2006. He was 80 A member of the John Wesley Club, he received his degree with honors and with high distinction in biology. He was elected to Sigma Xi and received his medical degree from Tufts. A veteran of the U.S. Army Air Force, he practiced internal medicine and joined Hartford Hospital, where his 35-year career encompassed a number of positions, including director of outpatient clinics and vice president of corporate medical affairs. After retirement, he served as medical director of a managed care company operated by the hospital and also served as vice president of medical affairs of Connecticut Health System. He was a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, the author of more than 40 papers and textbook chapters, and a past president of both the Hartford and Connecticut medical societies. He was instrumental in bringing the Lifestar air ambulance system to Connecticut. Among those who survive are his wife, Roan Horowitz Wetstone; four children, including Jeffrey Wetstone ’75, M.D., and Scott Wetstone ’75, M.D.; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

WILLIAM L. SMITH III, 83, retired president of the Taylor, Smith and Taylor pottery, died Feb. 28, 2004. He was a member of Chi Psi. He served in the Army Air Corps as a flight navigator in the South Pacific during World War II. When the family business was sold to the Anchor Hocking Company, he founded CMSUSA, a company that imports products for the pottery industry. He remained chairman of the company until his death. Survivors include his wife, Virginia. a brother, a sister, a son, a daughter, and five granddaughters, including Alexis W. Dowding ’06. A step-grandson and a great-granddaughter also survive.

DAVID J. SENCER, M.D. the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, died May 2, 2011, at age 86. A member of Eclectic, he left the university to join the U.S. Navy during World War II, and later received his M.D. degree from the University of Michigan, as well as an M.P.H. from Harvard University. He became director of the CDC in 1966 and expanded the role of the agency, making it a worldwide disease-fighting organization and promoting worldwide efforts to eradicate smallpox and measles. He later became New York City’s health commissioner and retired fully in 1989. In 2009, the University granted him an Honorary B.A. Among those who survive are his wife, Jane Blood Sencer; three children, including Stephen D. Sencer ’84; and six grandchildren.

PAUL R. MCCURDY, an expert in the fields of stem cell transplantation and blood safety, who served as director of the blood resources program at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, died Sept. 7, 2010. He was 84. The son of the late emeritus professor of physical education Hugh G. McCurdy and a member of Psi Upsilon, he received his degree with high honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa before receiving his medical degree from Harvard University. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and again during the Korean War. During his long career as a hematologist, he was a professor at Georgetown University Medical School, director of blood services for the Washington region of the American Red Cross, and an associate at the National Institutes of Health, where he received a Distinguished Service Award for his work on a national registry of individuals willing to donate bone marrow. He also studied the feasibility of banking umbilical cord blood as a source of blood stem cells. His first marriage, to Marion Fountain McCurdy, ended in divorce. Survivors include his wife, Kay Kane McCurdy, five children from his first marriage, three stepchildren, 13 grandchildren, and his sister.

The Rev. RALPH R. JOHNSON JR., a retired Presbyterian minister, died Dec. 10, 2006. He was 82. During World War II he served in the US Navy. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in government. He began doctoral studies and was a Rotary Foundation Scholar at Oxford University but became interested in the ministry and then received his divinity degree from the San Francisco Theological Seminary. During his ministry he was known as a social activist. Among those who survive are his wife, Anita Silfies Johnson, five sons, nine grandchildren, and a sister.