Obituaries | 1950-1959

James B. Shuman, a writer, died on Aug. 31, 2017 at age 85. At Wesleyan, he was the editor-in-chief of the Argusand a member of Psi Upsilon. He was an award-winning newspaper reporter and an editor for Reader’s Digest. He later worked as an aide to President Gerald Ford. He was the author of several books. His latest book was a memoir, In Pakistan: Journeys in the Land Beyond the Headlines, where he shared his personal observations of the people he met and the country’s history and politics.

John S. Brownson, a scientist, died on Feb. 26, 2018 at age 85. He earned a master’s degree from Columbia University and a PhD from Boston University. He retired from the MIT Lincoln Laboratory in 1993, where he worked for 30 years. He served in the U.S. Army in Korea. At Wesleyan, he majored in economics. He leaves behind his wife Sonya (Mayer) Brownson.

Dr. Roger W. Haskell died on Dec. 28, 2017. He was 88. Roger was born in Hempstead, N.Y., on March 11, 1929, the third child to Merritt S. and Kathleen (Rayner) Haskell. He attended the Hempstead school system, graduating in 1946. From there he went on to Wesleyan University, graduating in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in bio-chemistry. He entered the medical school at the University of Liege in Belgium in 1952 for a six-year program of intensive medical studies given in the French language. Only an intense dedication to his dream of obtaining that degree in medicine saw him through the rigorous days of study for which he also had to learn French.

Upon graduation with honors, Roger returned home to serve his internship at Mercy Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. He honored his military draft obligation by joining the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) and was assigned to the Indian Health Service (IHS). He was posted as the sole on-site physician at the clinic of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in central Oregon. There, with only a one year of internship experience as a licensed physician (as was typical in that era for incoming IHS) doctors), Roger served a population of 2,000 Native Americans from 1959-1961. In his autobiography, written over 50 years later, Roger vividly described this time as an intense personal and professional experience.

He went on to complete a USPHS general practice residency in Galveston, Texas, in 1963. Roger was then posted as service unit director to the Tuba City Clinic on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. In this combined clinical and administrative position, Roger demonstrated remarkable skill in health care planning. He saw the critical need for data on which to base assessment and improvement and became the prime mover for development of a large computerized health data system, which was ultimately implemented nationally throughout the entire Indian Health Service. For this achievement, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal of the USPHS by C. Everett Koop, U.S. surgeon general. While serving on the Navajo reservation, Roger also completed his master’s in public health at the University of California Berkeley in 1966, deepening his expertise in health care planning.

In 1969, Roger was appointed deputy area director of the IHS Portland area office, responsible for the health care services of tribes throughout Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. There he became an early adopter of problem-oriented medical records in that three-state service area. Along with a pediatrician colleague, Dr. Jean Gorman, Roger developed an innovative set of well-child clinic forms and preventive health care records, which both implemented a standard of best practice and allowed for data collection for subsequent rounds of improvement. Problem-oriented records and the use of standardized preventive medicine forms were early and extremely valuable innovations, which heralded a revolution, still ongoing 50 years later, in the deployment of electronic health records. We now recognize data management and information processing as among the fundamental challenges of our society. Roger was among the innovators in applying these ideas to medical care.

The preventive health care templates developed by Roger and Dr. Gorman proved so valuable in what came to be called primary care practice, that they were eagerly adopted by young IHS physicians who, after two or three years in the IHS, returned to primary care residencies and then to clinical practice. Thus, these useful forms were disseminated to other health care settings, including the Department of Public Health Primary Care clinics in San Francisco, which later became the citywide  universal health care program known as “Healthy San Francisco.”

In his final eight years with the USPHS, Roger served as director of ambulatory care at the USPHS Marine Hospital in Seattle, and subsequently at the USPHS outpatient clinic in Portland. Roger was justifiably proud of these  accomplishments and considered his Indian Health Service years the most productive and creative of his work as a physician.

Music of all kinds was most important to him, from his high school days through college and medical school. He played trumpet, and while in medical school, he often sat in with a jazz group that played in a lounge in Liege. He also had a love of classical music, attending recitals and concerts as often as possible. Throughout his travels, his trumpet accompanied him.

While living in Europe, Roger married his first wife, Muguette, who predeceased him. His second marriage to Edna Alfonso, lasted through Roger’s last days; they made their home in Greer, SC.

Roger completed his autobiography, A Rewarding Life, shortly before he died. It is a surprisingly complete account of his life, from his earliest years to the present, showing an amazing memory for events and people, and a wonderful glimpse into his innermost thoughts and feelings. He shared his love and care for his nuclear family—mother, father, and siblings, Merle and Stratton. His career with the Public Health Service is thoroughly recounted, many details of past experiences beautifully told. He had the book printed, published, and distributed to many friends, family, and professional acquaintances. A Rewarding Lifeis perfectly named—his life was just that. Those who have read his story have to be grateful for its timing.

Roger leaves his wife, Edna, his brother, Stratton (Virginia) Haskell, nephews, Robert (Kathy) Miller and Warren (Lynn) Haskell, and nieces, Priscilla (Jim) lvler and Holly (Kenton) Youngstrom, along with many grand-nieces and nephews and great-grand nieces and nephews. A memorial service was held in San Francisco and in Greer, S.C. 

We thank the family of Dr. Haskell for this information.

80. Wayne Harbinger, an osteopathic physician who specialized in musculoskeletal problems, died Dec. 25, 2017, at age 80. He was a member of Chi Psi and graduated from the Kirksville College of Osteopathy. During his 50 years in private practice, he also served in leadership roles for the American Osteopathic Association and the New York State Osteopathic Medical Society. At the Albany Academy, he was team physician and initiated a student trainer program. He spent many years coordinating and teaching EMT and First Aid/CPR programs in his area, and he was appointed chairman of the advisory council on physician assistants by three New York State governors. Survivors include his wife, Joyce Daudel Harbinger, three children, and six grandchildren.

William H. Higgins, a teacher and psychologist, died July 31, 2017. He was 80. A member of Chi Psi, he received a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut and an EdD from Columbia University. After teaching high school English, he worked as a psychologist and college psychology professor. An avid athlete, he coached baseball and soccer. His wife, Alice Dostal Higgins, survives, as do three children and three grandchildren.

Duncan Wall, 84, a retired librarian, died Jan. 9, 2018. He was a member of Delta Upsilon and received his degree with honors and with distinction in English. After receiving a master’s degree in library science from Columbia University, he began a long and distinguished career as a librarian at public and university libraries. A leader in the transformation of library science through technology, he developed a unique expertise in planning and developing user-friendly library buildings, and in taking cataloguing systems online. He also honored obscure library history, writing about the library innovations of Maria Mitchell, better known as a professional astronomer. In 1967 he and his family moved to Ontario, Canada, where he integrated the province’s university libraries into a single system. An advocate of reproductive health information, while director of the library at Kent State University he founded a free clinic for students to access reproductive health services. A baseball fan and former player at Wesleyan, he was also known for his prodigious newspaper reading each day. Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Carol Carter Wall; three children, including Suzanne L. Wall ’80; several grandchildren; his sister; and his half brother.

John M. Williamson, a retired packaging engineer at Eastman Kodak, died Jul. 31, 2016. He was 85. A member of Gamma Psi, he was a U.S. Army veteran. His wife, Joanne Siegenthaler Williamson, survives, as do three children and seven grandchildren.

D.J. Harry Webb, an attorney in New Britain, Conn., died Dec. 18, 2017, at age 88. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Connecticut. He also received a master’s degree in tax law from New York University. He was a partner and founder of several law firms, and was active in the community, serving as pro bono legal counsel for the Jerome Home Arbor Rose, where a library is dedicated in his name. Among those who survive are his wife, Sylvia Webb, four children, 10 grandchildren, and his former wife, Laurine Hoaglund Webb.

Dean W. Egly, 88, a retired financial executive, died Mar. 26, 2017. He was a member of Delta Upsilon and received an MBA from New York University. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. Navy, after which he joined Morgan Guaranty Trust Company. He retired from J.P. Morgan, its successor company, as an executive vice president. Survivors include his life partner, Charles Hailey.

Edgar B. Moore, a professor of history at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, for 45 years and a member of the town’s City Council, died Oct. 16, 2017, at age 89. He was the grandnephew of Robert M. Moore of the class of 1892 and the son of Robert M. Moore of the class of 1920. A member of the John Wesley Club, he received a bachelor of divinity degree from Drew Theological Seminary. He also received a master’s degree in sacred theology and later a PhD from St. Andrews University in Scotland. After coming to Baldwin Wallace as chaplain, he moved to the history department and rose to become department chair. During his tenure he helped to broaden the scope of the department’s course offerings, introducing a course on African history and then one on women in history, especially during the 19^thand 20^thcenturies. His interest in politics, which stemmed from his PhD thesis, led him to his position on the city council. He was also an avid genealogist. His wife, Gracelouise Sims Moore survives, as do three children, six grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, and his sister.