Obituaries | 1950-1959

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.

LESTER P. JONES JR., the retired executive director of wood products for Steelcase, died Jan. 14, 2014, at age 86. He was a member of Alpha Chi Rho and received his degree with honors. During World War II he served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He had a long career in office equipment sales and design, and launched the Steelcase Wood Division, through which he brought modular wood products to the open office plan. Among those who survive are his wife, Chloe Bissell Jones, one daughter, one granddaughter, and a sister.

ANDREW F. WISSEMANN, the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, died Aug. 20, 2014. He was 86. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in German, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He studied at Union Theological Seminary and received his Bachelor of Sacred Theology and honorary Doctor of Divinity from General Theological Seminary. He served churches in Connecticut and Massachusetts before 1983, when he was elected bishop of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts, serving in that position until his retirement in 1992. Survivors include his wife, Nancy Whittemore Wissemann; four children, including Mary Wissemann ’82 and Martha Wissemann Burr MAL’95; and five grandchildren.

CARL G. MURANO JR., 87, a former FBI special investigator, died Aug. 23, 2013. He was a member of Chi Psi and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After a 28-year career with the FBI, he joined General Telephone as a special investigator. He was also an avid athlete. Predeceased by a son, his wife, Catherine Foote Murano, survives, as do five children, 12 grandchildren, and two sisters.

ROBERT A. JENSEN, the owner of a jewelry store in LaSalle, Ill., died Feb. 3, 2014, at age 81. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. His wife, Betty Whitaker Jensen, predeceased him. Three children, four grandchildren, two sisters, and many nieces and nephews survive.

PAUL M. LEWIS, 78, who had a career in public relations and later owned a store, died Feb. 27, 2014. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard. Survivors include his wife, Susan Williams Lewis, two children, and two grandchildren.

WILLIAM A. WISDOM, emeritus associate professor of philosophy at Temple University, died Dec. 15, 2013. He was 78. A member of the John Wesley Club, he received his degree with honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received a master’s degree from New York University and a PhD from Bryn Mawr College, and joined the faculty at Temple University, where he taught for 33 years. A specialist in formal logic, he co-authored the textbook Deductive Logic. He taught deductive logic at the introductory, intermediate and advanced levels, and also taught modal logic. He was director of graduate studies at Temple from 1986-89 and served on many committees in the College of Liberal Arts. In his retirement he enjoyed writing stories about his life and about his skepticism, as well as playing music with friends. He was married for 29 years to Frances Wisdom and their only son died. He is survived by his wife, Fritzi, and her three children.

FREDRIC W. FROST III, a consultant and retired director of corporate facilities management, died June 10, 2013, at age 79. A member of Psi Upsilon, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps for ten years. He was the grandson of Fredric W. Frost of the class of 1894, the son of Fredric W. Frost Jr. of the class of 1923, and the cousin of Bradford R. Frost of the class of 1935. Survivors include his wife, Birgitta Frost; four children; and his cousins, Vincent W. Jones Jr. ’45, David P. Jones Sr. ’51, John F. Frost ’70, and David P. Jones Jr. ’83.

JOHN J. MILLER III, 79, professor emeritus of pediatrics at Stanford University and a noted leader in the study and treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, died Dec. 11, 2013. He was a member of Gamma Psi and received his medical degree from the University of Rochester. After completing a residency in pediatrics at the University of California at San Francisco, he traveled to Australia as a National Institutes of Health post-doctoral fellow to pursue a PhD in immunology at the University of Melbourne. Upon completion of his PhD, he returned to California to fulfill military duties at the National Radiological Defense Laboratory and then began a 35-year career at Stanford Children’s Hospital and Stanford Medical School. During his tenure at Stanford, he conducted extensive research on childhood autoimmune diseases and the health care delivery and psychosocial outcomes for children with them. In 1967, he developed the Northern California Center for Children with Arthritis and Related Diseases at the Children’s Hospital at Stanford, which became an important West Coast center for study and treatment, and a valuable resource for patients and their families. After retiring from Stanford in 1997, he spent time mentoring young pediatricians and served as a consultant and visiting professor in London and in Mexico City. He was an avid outdoorsman and devoted theatergoer. Survivors include four sons; three grandchildren; his longtime companion, Mayo Marsh; his former wife, Anne Miller; two siblings; and a large extended family.