Obituaries | 1950-1959

CHARLES L. STEVENS JR., who retired as an attorney for United States Steel Corporation, died Dec. 15, 2011. He was 84 and was a U.S. Navy veteran. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with honors. After receiving his law degree from Harvard Law School, he spent most of his working life with U.S. Steel. He was married for 39 years to Nancy Jones Stevens. Among those who survive are five children, eight grandchildren, his sister, and his companion of 20 years, Connie Lambert.

ROBERT L. STEARNS, professor emeritus of physics at Vassar College and a pioneer in the field of hyper–nuclear physics, died July 13, 2009. He was 82. The son of Carl L. Stearns of the class of 1917, who taught astronomy at Wesleyan for many years, he was a member of Phi Nu Theta (Eclectic). He received his degree with honors and with distinction in physics, and was elected to Sigma Xi. He received both a master’s degree and a PhD from the Case Institute of Technology. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army. In 1958 he joined the physics faculty at Vassar College and served as chairman of the physics and astronomy department, as well as dean of freshmen, before retiring as professor emeritus in 1993. He was the author of four books and numerous scientific articles. During the years 1957 to 1994, much of his research was done at Brookhaven National Laboratory; he was also a visiting scientist at CERN, the European nuclear physics laboratory, and at the Los Alamos (N.M.) National Laboratory. After 1980 his research shifted to pioneering work in the field of hyper–nuclear physics at Brookhaven, in collaboration with the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. Among those who survive are his wife, Frances Fowler Stearns; two sons, including Marshall Edward Stearns ’82; four grandchildren; and two sisters, Doris Stearns Swain, who is married to J.B. Swain V ’54, and Elva S. Creeger MA ’53, PhD ’74, wife of Professor Emeritus of English George R. Creeger.

JOSEPH D. SHAKESPEARE JR., an insurance executive with Aetna Life and Casualty for 38 years, died July 24, 2011, at age 83. He was a member of Chi Psi and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. In 1980 the Insurance Information Institute honored him as Insurance Man of the Year. Among those who survive are his wife, Mary Ann Shakespeare, three sons, five grandsons, a stepdaughter, two step-grandsons, and his sister.

FREDERIC C. SCHNEEBERGER III, 76, owner of Schneeberger and Associates, died Feb. 22, 2005. He was a member of Chi Psi and served in the U.S. Army. An executive in the radiography and nondestructive testing equipment business, he was also an associate professor in the engineering technology program at Parks College of St. Louis University, where he won several awards. Predeceased by his wife, Dorothy Donovan Schneeberger, and by his brothers, Alan C. Schneeberger ’53 and Jon T. Schneeberger ’61, survivors include four children, 11 grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, and a cousin.

Wilson A. Seibert, Jr., long-time resident of Chatham, MA and Naples, FL, died on April 20.

Wilson was the loving husband of Susan for 52 years. He was the beloved father of four children – Dena, Sara, Susan and Andrew – and four grandchildren.

Born in Brooklyn, Wilson was a World War II veteran and purple heart recipient. He graduated with honors from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT in 1950, where he was a member of DKE and Skull and Serpents, and was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1985 in recognition of outstanding achievement and service.

Mr. Seibert led creative teams at top advertising firms. He worked for J. Walter Thompson based in NYC for 33 years, rising from copy “cub” to Executive Vice President and Worldwide Creative Director. In 1982 he moved to Arnold & Company in Boston, retiring as Vice Chairman, Creative Services.

Mr. Seibert wrote with wit and wisdom, and his slogans and campaigns helped build the brands of America’s top companies. He volunteered his advertising skills, too, winning a Distinguished Public Service Award for his work with the American Lung Association (“It’s a Matter of Life and Breath”) and the Smithsonian Institution’s Public Service Award for his work with the United States Marine Corps (“The Marine’s Are Looking for A Few Good Men”, “The Few, the Proud, the Marines” and “We Don’t Promise You a Rose Garden”).

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 1856, Merrifield, VA 22116-8056.

EVERETT P. SKILLINGS, who retired as vice president and senior credit officer at Maine National Bank, died Jan. 26, 2005 at age 75. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he served in the U.S. Air Force. Among those who survive are his wife, Lois Ann Skillings, a daughter, and an extended family.

BURTON H. SCHELLENBACH, 76, a communications and publishing consultant, died May 28, 2010. He was a U.S. Army veteran and most recently worked for the Episcopal Church. He is survived by his wife, the Rev. Dr. Susan Schaeffer, three children, one grandchild, and two brothers.

FRED W. SHEARER, 71, who retired as a computer scientist at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, died July 23, 2007. A member of the John Wesley Club, he served in the U.S. Air Force. His wife, Lue Haggardt Shearer, died in 1998. Survivors include three children, six grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and a brother and sister.

SANFORD L. SEGAL, professor emeritus of mathematics at the University of Rochester, whose interests also covered a wide range of scholarly pursuits, died May 7, 2010, at age 72. A member of the John Wesley Club, he received his degree with high honors and high distinction in classical civilization and with distinction in mathematics. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi, he received his doctoral degree from the University of Colorado after graduate study at the University of Chicago. He received two Fulbright Scholarships and was also a Woodrow Wilson Scholar. In 1963 he joined the mathematics department at the University of Rochester, from which he retired after 44 years on the faculty. A mathematician whose expertise was in analytical number theory and complex function theory, he authored several textbooks and wrote numerous articles. He was also interested in history and spent much of his later career researching, teaching, and writing about the history of mathematics, leading to a secondary appointment in the department of history at the University of Rochester. Survivors include his wife, Rima Maxwell Segal MA ’58, three children, five grandchildren, and two brothers.

P. WILLIAM SIEVERLING JR., a former city editor and assistant managing editor at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. who retired as the director of the YMCA’s International Office for Asia, died Feb. 28, 2004. He was 69. A member of Delta Sigma, he received his degree with high honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He also spent three years in the U.S. Army counterintelligence corps and later was a Woodrow Wilson fellow at Harvard University. He won awards for investigative reporting and public service reporting in the state of Washington. After he left the Post-Intelligencer he worked for the YMCA. Survivors include his wife, Virginia Stout; two children; a stepson, Peter Stout ’85; a grandchild; and a sister.