Obituaries | 1950-1959

ROBERT E. NAGLE, an attorney who specialized in labor law, died Aug. 16, 2014. He was 84. A member of Sigma Nu, he received his degree with high distinction in history. After receiving his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and his LL.M. from Georgetown University, he served as a legal officer in the U.S. Navy. After leaving the Navy, he began a career in government service that spanned more than two decades. Most of his work targeted the protection of the rights, health, and safety of American workers. This included more than a decade at the U.S. Department of Labor. During the Kennedy administration he served as a special counsel to the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. He later was associate counsel to the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, where he was involved in developing and drafting the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) and the Coal Mine Safety Act of 1969. From 1971 to 1974 he was general counsel to the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, where he helped develop and draft the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). He was in private practice from 1974 to 1979. From 1979 to 1982 he was executive director of the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. From 1982 until his death, he served as an arbitrator and mediator in employee benefits and labor disputes, and from 1985 until his death he served as neutral trustee and chairman of two multi-employer pension and health benefit funds. His wife, Ronna Paolicchi Nagle, predeceased him. Survivors include three children, including Robert E. Nagle III ’81; three grandchildren; and two brothers.

FRANK C. HOHMEISTER JR., 89, an importer, died Jan. 24, 2015. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He imported French marine products and served on community boards. His wife, Joanne Davis Hohmeister survives, as do three sons, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

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.