Obituaries | 1960-1969

WILLIAM T. BROMAGE, whose 40-year career in banking began at Hartford National Bank and culminated as President and Chief Operating Officer at Webster Bank, died Sept. 14, 2009. He was 63. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, he served in community leadership roles, particularly with Junior Achievement and Connecticut Public Broadcasting. Among those who survive are his wife, Kathleen Leary Bromage, three sons, four grandchildren, and a large extended family, including cousins Edward S. Bromage ’59 and Sally Van Dusen Bromage Suhr ’84. Other cousins include the late Arthur W. Bromage of the class of 1925, and the late Willard G. Bromage of the class of 1935.

ROBERT B. BUSSEY, owner of Bridgham & Cook, Ltd., and the former headmaster of Miss Hall’s School, died Aug. 19, 2012. He was 68. A member of Psi Upsilon, he received a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. After teaching at The Pomfret School and The American School in Switzerland, he was appointed as headmaster at Miss Hall’s, the youngest boarding school headmaster in the country at that time. He left Miss Hall’s after eight years, and he and his brother opened Bridgham & Cook, Ltd., a purveyor of British goods, in Freeport, Maine. Survivors include his wife of 23 years, Anne Norment Bussey, two children from his previous marriages to Karen Back Bussey and Lisa S. Bussey, three grandchildren, three brothers and sisters, and a large extended family.

MICHAEL B. BURTON, 60, died Jan. 29, 2005, nine days after suffering a cardiac arrest. The son of the late Jackson K. Burton ’36, he was a member of Commons Club and had received a master’s degree in business administration from Iona College. A marketing executive, he was the executive vice president for finance and administration of Advantage International, a sports marketing firm, until it became Octagon in 1999, after which he continued as executive vice president of the Connecticut office. An accomplished athlete and the winner of four national platform tennis championships, he was twice ranked the number one tennis player in the New England Division of the USTA. Survivors include his wife, Linda Setapen Burton; three daughters, Betsy Burton ’90, Carly Burton ’97, and Amy Burton; two grandchildren; his mother; four brothers, including Leslie M. Burton ’72 and Steven B. Burton ’74; one sister; his uncle, Rollin B. Burton Jr. ’49, and twelve nieces and nephews, including Matthew Burton ’04.

ROBERT S. “Bob” BURNETT, one of the original folk-singing group The Highwaymen, and an attorney and banker, died Dec. 7, 2011, at age 71. A member of EQV, he received his degree with honors. At Wesleyan, he and three of his fraternity brothers formed The Highwaymen and recorded the song “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore,” which was a gold-record phenomenon in 1961. After graduation he joined the U.S. Army. Upon his discharge from the Army he lived and sang with the Highwaymen in Greenwich Village at the height of the folk-singing era. He then attended Harvard Law School, receiving his degree in 1967, and joined the firm of Edwards & Angell. He later worked as a senior vice president in the trust departments of the Hospital Trust National Bank, Fleet, Bank Boston, and, more recently, Bank of America. He was an active member of both the Probate & Trust Committee of the Rhode Island Bar and the Estate Planning Council of Rhode Island. An active community volunteer, he served as the chairman of the board of Moses Brown School, was on the board of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Cancer Society, and sat on and advised numerous non-profit boards. He was also an avid sailor and athlete, in addition to continuing to sing. In 1990 the original Highwaymen began to perform together again, reviving the sounds of the 1960s, and did so for 20 years. Among those who survive are his wife, Kathleen Cullis Burnett, three children, nine grandchildren, two brothers, and a large extended family.

STEVEN B. BUTTNER, a management consultant and former dean at Wesleyan, died Aug. 1, 2012. He was 72. A member of EQV, and an active participant in the fraternity for all his years, he received a master’s in Russian Studies from the University of Wisconsin and was a Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University in Eastern European and Russian Medieval History. After teaching at Queens College, he joined the administration at Wesleyan, where he was a lecturer in History and Dean of the Class of 1974. See Faculty and Administration.

HOWARD F. BOWLES JR., 68, a retired airline pilot, died June 22, 2008. A member of Kappa Nu Kappa, he served in the U.S. Air Force for six years, attaining the rank of captain. He was a Vietnam War veteran and participated in Operation Ranch Hand. After leaving the Air Force, he joined Pan American Airways. After retiring, he dedicated much of his life to volunteer work in his community. Survivors include his wife, Barbara Binsacca Bowles; his daughter, Abby Bowles ’96; and his son-in-law, Stephen Vopelak.

ANDREW C. ACKEMANN, 61, a management consultant and expert in rationalization of complex global organizational structures, died July 19, 2006. He was a member of Eclectic. During his nine-year service in the U.S. Navy, he commanded a coastal minesweeper as well as a unit of the Special Warfare Operations Command and was awarded numerous medals. Prior to becoming an independent consultant, he was associated with Booz Allen Hamilton, Alexander & Alexander, and MGM. He also served, pro bono, as a National Safety Inspector for Outward Bound Schools and for NOLS (the National Outdoor Leadership School), and he served in the search and rescue operations at the site of the World Trade Center attack in 2001. Survivors include his wife, Deborah Ackemann, and six children.

MICHAEL A. AUSTIN, 68, an attorney who specialized in tax, and in trusts and estates, died Dec. 7, 2011. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi, received his degree magna cum laude, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After four years of service in the U.S. Navy, he entered Harvard Law School and upon receiving his degree began practicing law in Boston, first with a larger firm and later on his own. Predeceased by his daughter, he is survived by his wife, Nolly Corley; two sons, including Jeffrey M. Austin ’00; two sisters; a stepson; and many nieces and nephews.

DAN R. ARONSON, an anthropologist whose career spanned 25 years at McGill University and 15 years at the World Bank, where he was the principal social scientist until his retirement in 2003, died Feb. 26, 2010. He was 69. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in anthropology, and was a member of EQV. He received master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago. A specialist in developmental anthropology, particularly in African countries, he tried to incorporate a deeper understanding of social structure and cultural values into efforts to improve the well–being and income–earning potential of the poor. He is survived by three children, including David A. Aronson ’86; eight grandchildren; two brothers; a large extended family; and his former wife, Theresa Lopez.

RICHARD M. ARMSTRONG, 72, the president of Armstrong Engineering Associates and the former chair of both the boards of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and of Chester County (Pa.) Hospital, died May 9, 2010. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and received a master’s degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His company, founded by his father, designs and makes heat–transfer equipment for the chemical and oil–refining industry. He was an advocate of open land and he served on several boards in addition to his hospital commitments. Survivors include his wife, Susan Dole Armstrong, three children, seven grandchildren, and a brother.