Obituaries | 1940-1949

THEODORE B. PATCHEN JR., a retired executive with Travelers Insurance, died Feb. 19, 2017, at age 94. He was a member of Alpha Chi Rho. As a U.S. Army Air Corps captain and navigator during World War II, he and his crew were shot down and captured. He remained a prisoner of war until liberated at the end of the war. He worked for Travelers for more than 30 years. Among those who survive are his wife, Constance Butwell Patchen, two daughters, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

ROGER E. KNAPPE, a pharmaceutical chemist, died Mar. 17, 2017. He was 89. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. After serving in the Pacific, he returned to his career as a pharmaceutical chemist and worked for American Cyanamid for more than 40 years. He was also an avid sailor. Predeceased by his wife, Margaret Gallagher Knappe, survivors include five sons, seven grandchildren, and his sister.

SETH S. FAISON SR., a retired insurance executive and former chairman of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, died Mar. 7, 2017, at age 93. He was the brother of John W. Faison of the class of 1941. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with distinction and with honors in government. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy. Born and raised in Brooklyn Heights, New York City, he was an avid supporter of the borough. As chair of the Brooklyn Academy of Music for six years, he helped to transform it into a center for theater and dance. He served on two dozen other boards and associations and won numerous awards for his trusteeship. An executive for 32 years at Johnson & Higgins, an insurance brokerage in lower Manhattan, he walked the Brooklyn Bridge to work. His first wife, Susan Tyler Faison, predeceased him. Among those who survive are his wife, Sara R. Faison; four children, including Seth S. Faison Jr. ’81 and Sarah Faison ’84; two stepdaughters; and 10 grandchildren.

PAUL R. MOSHER, a former financial journalist, died Mar. 5, 2017, at age 95. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and received a master’s degree in journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He wrote for the Journal of Commerce, The New York Herald-Tribune, and several public relations firms. He was also an active board member of the New York Financial Writers Association, the Overseas Press Club, and the Overseas Yacht Club, and he was active in community organizations. Survivors include his wife, Grace Ann Tucker Mosher; his son; his daughter, Caroline Gadaleta ’91; two granddaughters and a niece and nephew.

ROBERT A LEWIS, a retired U.S. Department of State officer, died Oct. 12, 2016. He was 95. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. He was stationed in U.S. Foreign Service offices in Greece, France, Korea, and Vietnam, among others, before he retired as a consul general. He received the Superior Honor Award from the U.S. Department of State. Predeceased by his wife, Irene Boggs Lewis, his son, four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and his longtime companion, Janet Burns, survive.

ALBERT I. PRINCE JR., a psychologist who retired as chairman of the department of psychology at Marietta College, died Nov. 26, 2016, at age 91. He was the son of Albert I. Prince Sr., of the class of 1915. A member of Sigma Nu, he served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific as a paratrooper and as part of the occupying forces in Japan. After receiving a master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and a PhD from the University of Connecticut, he taught at Stetson University, the University of Denver, Evansville University, and at Marietta College where he served as department chair until his retirement in 1990. Predeceased by one son, among those who survive are his wife, Anna Thornhill Prince, two sons, and eight grandchildren.

ROBERT A. TUCKER, a retired senior financial officer with Beneficial Financial Management who also bred harness racehorses, died Oct. 23, 2016. He was 90. A member of Sigma Chi, he received a master’s degree in finance and economics from Brown University. During World War II he was a Naval air cadet in the Navy V-5 program. He started his professional career at Bankers Trust in New York, as a security analyst in the investment research division. In 1954 he joined Beneficial Management Corporation, and in 1969 became chief financial officer and first vice president, and a member of the executive committee. He retired in 1985 after 31 years of service. He was also a trustee of numerous charitable and educational organizations. In 1965 he started Stonegate Standardbred Farm, a prominent breeding and boarding facility of harness racing horses. A number of his horses have been recognized nationally. His wife, Lauren Bergheim Tucker, survives, as do six children, 14 grandchildren, four great-grandsons, and his sister. One son and one granddaughter predeceased him.

PETER C. NOWELL, M.D., an acclaimed cancer researcher who was the Gaylord P. and Mary Louise Harnwell Emeritus Professor, and former chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, died Dec. 26, 2016. He was 88. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, he was elected both to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi. After receiving his degree with high honors and with distinction in biochemistry, he received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He trained in pathology and then spent two years at the U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory in San Francisco, after which he returned to the University of Pennsylvania Medical School as an instructor, and later as a professor in the Department of Pathology. He served as chairman of the department from 1967-1973 and was the first director of the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center, now known as the Abramson Cancer Center. In 1960, he and a colleague discovered the first genetic defect proven to cause cancer. They observed that the number 22 chromosome in the tumor cells of individuals suffering from chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) was abnormally small. The observation was the first consistent chromosome abnormality found in any kind of malignancy. The finding—known as the “Philadelphia chromosome”—took cancer research in a new direction, transforming CML from a fatal disease to a chronic disease that could be kept under control for many years. Among the awards and citations he received for his work, are the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award, the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award, and the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science. Last year an endowed chair was established in his name at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Nowell was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Wesleyan in 1968. He served on Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees for 15 years and was elected trustee emeritus of the university. He was predeceased by his wife, Helen Walker Worst Nowell and one daughter. He is survived by four children, seven grandchildren, a brother, and a nephew, Andrew M. Nowell ’82.

BRUCE W. CUNNINGHAM, who retired as treasurer of the Tennessee Eastman Company, died Jan. 4, 2017. He was 90. A member of Eclectic, he received an MBA from Harvard University. He was with Tennessee Eastman, a global chemical company, for 37 years in both Rochester, N.Y., and in Kingsport, Tenn. A community volunteer, he was active with the Boy Scouts of America for more than 75 years as an Eagle Scout, scoutmaster of three troops that produced 46 Eagle Scouts during his tenure, and scoutmaster to two World Jamboree troops. Among those who survive are his wife, Mary McKown Cunningham, three children, eight grandchildren, and his brother.

BERNARD R. PAJEWSKI, a retired attorney, died Nov. 28, 2016, at age 89. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and received a degree from Cornell University. Survivors include his nephews and a niece.