Robert S. Fithian, a retired territorial marketing manager for Sears, died Jun. 28, 2017. He was 89. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Survivors include his wife, Joan Beck Fithian, two children, and two grandchildren.
CHARLES A. HOYT, a professor of English literature, died June 19, 2017, at age 85. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and received his degree with honors and with distinction in musicology. He received an MAT from Wesleyan in 1955, and an MA and PhD from Columbia University. A specialist in the Romantic movement and Shakespeare, he was also interested in the study of the occult and was the author of a textbook on witchcraft. He was an accomplished jazz pianist. Among those who survive are five sons, including Samuel W. Hoyt ’99 and John T. Hoyt ’03; and eight grandchildren.
MILTON W. DOUGLASS, 80, a systems engineer at IBM, died Jan. 17, 2017. He was a member of Alpha Chi Rho. The founder of the Carying Place in Cary, N.C., he was also active in other local endeavors. Survivors include his wife, Patsy O’Neal Douglass, four children, three grandchildren, and his sister.
CAREY CONGDON, a sales representative in the publishing industry, died Aug. 2, 2017. He was 86. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, he served for three years in the U.S. Marine Corps prior to attending Wesleyan. He began a career in graphic arts as a sales representative for Mead Papers and then joined the Maple-Vail Books Manufacturing Group, retiring in 1999. He is survived by his wife, Mary Margaret Del Borrello Congdon.
JOHN A. BRUCE, a healthcare executive, died Aug. 24, 2017, at age 82. He received his degree with honors and was a member of Alpha Chi Rho. He also received a theology degree from the General Theological Seminary and, after serving as an Episcopal clergyman, received a PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1972. In 1975 he moved to Oregon and served as executive director of the E.C. Brown Foundation and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in the School of Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, until retiring in 1998. His wife, Judith Bruce, three children, three stepchildren, six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren survive.
H. BARRETT PENNELL JR., 82, a journalist and advertising executive, died July 19, 2016. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and served in the U.S. Army. At Wesleyan he hosted a classical music radio show, wrote for the Argus, and edited the yearbook. An avid photographer, he was a newspaper reporter and then worked at Curtis Publishing and TV Guide, where he was head of advertising promotion. His work was published in magazines, including the Saturday Evening Post. After his retirement, he was an active community volunteer. Among those who survive are his wife, Janet Davidson Pennell, and two daughters.
WILLIAM D. SHEPHARD, 84, professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame, died July 28, 2017. A member of Chi Psi, he received his degree with high honors and was elected to both Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. He received master’s and PhD degrees in physics at the University of Wisconsin. He then went to the University of Kentucky and in 1963 joined the faculty at the University of Notre Dame. At Notre Dame he co-founded the Notre Dame High Energy Elementary Particle Physics group, which carried out experiments at Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermilab, and CERN over the years, resulting in more than 200 refereed publications and 90 published papers in conference proceedings. He was a Fulbright senior research scholar and a guest professor in the Netherlands, and was a co-organizer of several international symposia on multiparticle dynamics. His first wife, Barbara Ann Parker Shephard, died. Survivors include his second wife, Nancy Kavadas Shephard, two stepchildren, seven grandchildren, and a nephew.
ALAN F. FLYNN JR., a teacher and headmaster, died Aug. 30, 2017. He was 85. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received a master’s degree from Trinity College. He also studied at the University of Hawaii’s East-West Center and the International Christian University in Tokyo. In 1954 he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and retired as a First Lieutenant. He later taught at the Canadian Academy in Kobe, Japan, where he met his wife and where his children were born. Returning to the United States, he taught Japanese history and was head of Kingswood-Oxford Middle School in West Hartford, Conn. He then became headmaster of the Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich, R.I., where the Alan F. Flynn Academic Center was built and dedicated in his honor. From 1992 to 1998 he was the headmaster of St. Michael’s School Country Day School in Newport, R.I. In addition to traveling, he was active in Rotary and was a charter member of a special group that was dedicated to bringing clean water, health, and literacy to Cambodia. He is survived by his wife, Emiko Tanaka Flynn; two children, including Sarah A. Flynn ’90; and five grandchildren.
CHARLES B. CHADWICK, 82, a sales executive, died Feb. 18, 2015. He was a member of Psi Upsilon and received his degree with honors. He was the son of Howard B. Chadwick of the class of 1930 and the brother of Benjamin B. Chadwick of the class of 1958. A U.S. Army veteran, he served in intelligence operations and medaled in international swimming competitions. His business career started in the advertising department at Continental Can, which had acquired his grandfather’s firm, the Benjamin Betner Bag Company. He then moved to Wyeth as a medical writer and eventually to Handgards, a startup that went on to become one of the world’s largest makers of plastic gloves. Survivors include four children, including Charles B. Chadwick Jr. ’83; nine grandchildren; two stepchildren; his first wife, Elinor Huston Chadwick; his second wife, Cheryl Chadwick; two brothers; and several nieces and nephews, including Laura C. Chadwick ’84.
SARGENT BRADLEE JR., an entrepreneur, died July 26, 2017. He was 87. A member of Chi Psi, his college career was interrupted by the Korean War. After serving his tour of duty in France, he returned to complete his degree at Harvard University. For many years he owned and operated the Winter Hill Package Store in Somerville, Mass., and was proud of his involvement with LifeRamp, a product designed to assist first responders in water rescues. Predeceased by his wife, Sally Humason Bradlee, he is survived by two children, four grandchildren, and two sisters.
