Obituaries | 1960-1969

SIBLEY P. REPPERT, a trial attorney who was also a competitive rower and blue-water sailor, died Aug. 21, 2013. He was 68. A member of EQV, he received his degree summa cum laude and with high honors from the College of Social Studies. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and continued his education at Christ Church, Oxford, where he received a degree in politics in 1969. After several years in the U.S. Navy, he earned a law degree from Harvard University and joined a law firm in Boston. His career as a litigator spanned three decades, and he won major cases in patent litigation, as well the national asbestos property damage litigation, breast implant cases, and in large construction, insurance, and professional malpractice cases. During his career he was a partner at several law firms, most recently Pearl, Cohen, Zedek, Lazter, Baratz. A lifelong competitive rower, he was a founding member of the Wesleyan University crew team. He rowed for the Union Boat Club in Boston, competing in hundreds of regattas around the U.S. and internationally. He also sailed extensively, crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as cruising extensively along the Atlantic seaboard and throughout the Caribbean. Survivors include his wife, Christine Ann Vezetinski; two daughters, including Victoria C. Reppert ’04; his sister, and two nephews.

GUNTIS V. LEMESIS, 69, a corporate executive who specialized in employee compensation and benefits, died Jan. 13, 2013. He was a member of Alpha Delta Phi. After working for New York State Electric and Gas, Honeywell, and United Airlines, he rose to the rank of vice president at GTE, and then retired from Scientific-Atlanta. After retirement he worked as a consultant, mainly for nonprofits. During his career he taught courses and published articles in his field. He is survived by his wife, Susan Durden Lemesis, one daughter, two grandchildren, his brother and sister, and several nieces and nephews.

MICHAEL S. PALMER, M.D., a physician and best-selling novelist who helped popularize the genre of medical thrillers, died Oct. 29, 2013. He was 71. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University and served in the U.S. Public Health Service. He served as a clinical instructor in medicine at Tufts University and was on the faculties of Harvard Medical School and the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. At the time of his death he was an associate director emeritus of Physician Health Services. His debut book, The Sisterhood, sold millions of copies worldwide and is still in print today. He wrote 19 more New York Times best-selling novels that have been translated in 35 foreign countries. Extreme Measures, his fourth novel, was made into a movie in 1996. He was an accomplished bridge player, adventurous traveler, and a musician. Survivors include his companion, Robin Broady; three children, including Matthew A. Palmer ’88; four grandchildren; and two sisters.

JOHN A. REEDER JR., 71, an attorney who was chief counsel for British Petroleum Alaska for 22 years, died July 23, 2013. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and received his law degree from Southern Methodist University. After serving in the Peace Corps for two years and working as house counsel for a small energy startup in Dallas, he moved to Alaska, where he spent three years as the chief attorney in the Anchorage branch of the Attorney General’s office. He then joined BP, where his work spanned most of the major issues the industry has faced, including the development of the Prudhoe Bay oil field and the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. After leaving BP, he served several more years as an independent oil and gas consultant. His wife, Loisann Lindemood Reeder, survives.

JAMES M. MATTSON, a real estate appraiser, died July 23, 2013, at age 72. He was a member of Kappa Nu Kappa and served in the U.S. Coast Guard. His career in real estate spanned more than 40 years. Survivors include three children, three grandchildren, two sisters, and a large extended family.

F. PARKER BARTLETT III, a banker and real estate agent, died Aug. 6, 2013. He was 74. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he served with U.S. Army Intelligence. As vice president of Chemical Bank, he opened their first branch in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, later moving to Maine, where he became a real estate agent and was active in the Lincoln Arts Festival. He is survived by his wife, Frances Matko Bartlett, two children, and a large extended family.

STANLEY D. TABOR, 59, an attorney who was an executive in the healthcare and building materials industries, died Jan. 12, 2007. A member of the Commons Club, he was a barefoot punter for the football team. He received a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College and a law degree from the University of Denver. Survivors include his wife, Anna Manis Tabor, three children, his mother, and a sister and brother.

ROGER A. YOUNG, a geophysicist and associate professor at the University of Oklahoma, died Oct. 13, 2009, at age 66. He was a member of EQV and received his degree with high honors in geology. After receiving a master’s degree from Stanford University, he served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Map Service). In 1979 he received his PhD from the University of Toronto and became best known for his work in near-surface geophysics. He received the Stubbeman-Drace Presidential Professorship, given to outstanding faculty on the basic of teaching, willingness to mentor, and dedication to research, creative activity and service. Survivors include his wife, Frances Anne Bovee Young; his father, Dr. John A. Young ’40; two sisters; and a large extended family.

WILLIAM W. LEWIS JR., 66, who worked in community development and who had worked in the alumni office at Wesleyan, died May 19, 2013. He received an MALS from Wesleyan in 1982. He worked for Community Action of Greater Middletown until the agency closed, then was employed by The Middletown Press and most recently by Kuhn Development Opportunities. Survivors include his mother, Frances Lewis, a cousin, and several close friends.

ALAN B. NICHOLS, a freelance writer who specialized in golf travel reviews, died July 6, 2013, at age 67. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and had majored in English. Among those who survive are his sister and a lifetime friend.