JOSEPH I. CARTA, a retired businessman, died Nov. 29, 2014. He was 85. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he served in the U.S. Army and worked in sales for several companies. Among those who survive are his wife, Florence D’Onofrio Carta, five children, 12 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
WILLIAM W.M. BERKMAN, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, died Nov. 12, 2014, at age 85. He was a member of Sigma Nu. During the Vietnam War he completed 148 combat missions. Later, he served at bases worldwide, retiring after 31 years as assistant director of Plans HQ NORAD/ASCCOM. He received numerous awards and medals. Survivors include his wife, Cynthia Hammond Berkman, four children, seven grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, and his sister.
ROBERT J. BUTLER, a chemist, died July 20, 2014. He was 86. The nephew of Albert Q. Butler of the class of 1923, he was a member of the John Wesley Club, served in the U.S. Army, and received his MBA from Columbia University. He worked for three large chemical companies during the course of his career and had many hobbies. His wife, Janet Meekins Butler, predeceased him. He is survived by his wife, Wanda Sue Butler, six children, ten grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
ROBERT H. BERLS, 81, a manager for the U.S. Department of Education and an active member of the Anglers’ Club of New York, died Sept. 1, 2014. He received a master’s degree from Yale University. In addition to editing the Anglers’ Club Bulletin and winning several club awards, he served on their board of directors and was also a member of the Flyfishers’ Club of London. Survivors include his wife, Janet Wolf Berls, and his brother.
ROBERT F. SAYRE, emeritus professor of English at the University of Iowa, died Apr. 16, 2014. He was 80. The son of Harrison M. Sayre of the class of 1916, who was the founder and publisher of My Weekly Reader, and the brother of the late James W. Sayre ’46, M.D., he served in the U.S. Navy after receiving his degree with honors and distinction. He earned his PhD. From Yale University. After teaching at the University of Illinois and as a Fulbright Scholar in Sweden, he received a Guggenheim award to conduct research at Princeton University. In 1965 he moved to the University of Iowa, whee he taught in the English department and American Studies program for 33 years. His primary academic focus was autobiography, and his anthology, American Lives, was published in 1994. His love of Iowa’s natural and social history led him to edit a series of books that championed a greater appreciation of his adopted home state, and he did the same for Fire Island, New York, where he and his family summered. He was also active in many sports and in community organizations and causes. Among those who survive are his wife, Hutha Colby Sayre, whom he married in 1988; three children, two stepchildren, and seven grandchildren. He was also the uncle of Dixon F. Miller ’69, Robert K. McNamara ’73, Jean S. McNamara ’77, and of Elizabeth W. McNamara ’83.
VICTOR H. LANE III, a retired language teacher, died June 26, 2014, at age 80. A member of the John Wesley Club, he received a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and a PhD from New York University. He taught at Nebraska Wesleyan and the City University of New York, among other places. His wife, Caroline Warram Lane, and one son are among those who survive.
JAMES R. MILLER JR., an attorney and former Maryland legislator, who spent 15 years as a federal district judge in Baltimore, died June 25, 2014. He was 83. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he received a law degree from Georgetown University and joined his father and stepmother in private practice. While a member of that firm, Miller, Miller & Canby, he began his long career of public service, which included time as president of the Rockville (Md.) Chamber of Commerce, president of the Bar Association of Montgomery County, and a member of the Governor’s Commission on Reorganization of the Government of the State of Maryland. He also chaired the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee and he served a four-year term in the Maryland House of Delegates. In 1970 he was sworn in as a federal judge and in 1991 rejoined his firm as a counselor and adviser. He also remained active as an arbitrator and mediator on the national level. His first wife, Jo Anne Trice Miller, died in 2006. Survivors include two sons and two daughters, including Katherine T.M. Goldberg ’89; 12 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; a brother; and Patricia L. Chapman, his companion of more than seven years.
DAVID B. JENKINS, 83, the former chairman, president and CEO of Shaw’s Supermarkets and a Wesleyan Trustee Emeritus, died June 17, 2014. He was the son-in-law of Wandell McM. Mooney of the class of 1918. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in English, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After receiving an MBA from Harvard Business School he served in the U.S. Navy and then joined his family’s firm, a maker of fiber-based materials. He then transitioned to the grocery business, which he learned from the ground up. Among his accomplishments at Shaw’s was the creation of the Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) model, a revolutionary inventory management method that became a standard in the grocery industry. He served as chairman of the Food Marketing Institute from 1990 to 1992 and also chaired FMI’s ECR committee, and he received the Sidney Rabb Award for his commitment to the industry. He served on numerous boards of directors, both for corporations and for non-profit organizations, and took on leadership roles for several institutions. As a Wesleyan Trustee, he chaired the Alumni Fund as well as the Campus Affairs Committee. He received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Wesleyan, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus Award. His wife, Joy Mooney Jenkins, predeceased him. Survivors include his wife, Shirley Muirhead Jenkins; two children, including Susan Jenkins Warren ’83; five grandchildren, including Hannah Jenkins ’15; a brother, George O. Jenkins ’56; several nephews, including Stephen E. Mooney ’80 and John B. Mooney ’82; several nieces, including Gail J. Farris ’84 and grandnieces Kimberley B. Farris ’14 and Jennifer G. Farris ’16; and several stepchildren, including Susan M. Bates ’78 and Judith Kiplinger ’81.
JAMES B. REAP, former rear admiral in the U.S. Navy, commander of the New York State naval militia, chief judge for the city of White Plains (N.Y.), and federal administrative law judge for the Court of Hearings and Appeals, died June 8, 2014. He was 83. A member of Chi Psi, he won nine varsity letters in soccer, basketball, and golf, and he earned his degree with honors. After graduation he was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy and also played semi-pro basketball. He later attended Harvard Law School, worked pro bono for Boston Legal Aid, and remained in the Navy as a reserve officer. In 1957 he moved to White Plains and to practice civil law, and in 1959 he was appointed to the Judge Advocate General Corps of the Navy. He continued to work both in private practice and for the city of White Plains, while increasing his responsibilities to the Navy. When he retired as Rear Admiral (Surface Warfare) from the U.S. Naval Reserve, he had earned 15 military medals, including two Presidential Legions of Merit for his work as Commander of the Military Sealift Command, Atlantic, where he was in change of 1,000 active duty and reserve Navy personnel. He was an active reader and golfer, and he kept his lifelong interest in scouting. Survivors include his wife, Nancy Leigh Reap; two sons, including James J. Reap ’81; one daughter; two grandchildren; and a sister.
WILLIAM B. BRUNER, 84, a retired industry specialist with IBM, died Aug. 30, 2014. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he was the grandson of Alfred C. Bruner of the class of 1879, the son of Abram B. Bruner of the class of 1913, and the cousin of the late Clark E. Bruner of the class of 1936. He was a U.S. Army veteran. After joining IBM in 1968, he and his family spent time in the Middle East, Europe, and South America. He was an avid sailor. Survivors include his wife, Jean Bruner; two sons; two grandchildren; his brother, Henry B. Bruner ’54; two sisters; many nieces and nephews; and a cousin, William E. Bruner II ’71, M.D.
