Obituaries

SACHIKO S. MALLACH, 42, a fund-raiser and development officer for several non-profit institutions, died July 1, 2015. After graduating with a degree in comparative politics, she studied at Magdalene College of Cambridge University and at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. She was affiliated with InterExchange and International House in New York City, and the Hackley School in Tarrytown, N.Y. She was the director of development for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, director of development for the Chester County Historical Society in West Chester, Penna., and most recently the vice president for institutional advancement at Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, Penna. She loved listening to and playing music, hiking and camping, and being with people. She touched the lives of many people with her smile, optimism and generosity, and maintained her strong heart and sense of humor all the way to the end of her life. Her husband, Dan Mallach, survives, as do her daughter and her brother.

KATHARINE KELLOND ROTH, M.D., a hospice and palliative care physician, died Dec. 15, 2014. She was 45 and had a long struggle with seizure disorder and Behcet’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease. After receiving her medical degree from Georgetown University Medical School in 2001, she was determined to pursue her medical career despite several health obstacles, and her family reports that she was an inspiration to those who knew her. She is survived by her husband of 16 years, Chris Weston; her young sons, Nicholas and William; her mother, Judge Jane Richards Roth; her brother; and a niece and nephew.

GEORGE H. DIXON, 55, a healthcare and financial executive, died Sept. 14, 2015. At the time of his death he was senior vice president in the commercial lending division of Boston Private, a unit of Boston Private Financial Holdings. Earlier, he worked with a venture capital firm as strategic and financial adviser, as well as with Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, Inc., CSI Solutions, Inc., and Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management. Among those who survive are his wife, Jane Oleski Dixon, and several nieces and nephews.

KEVIN F. MCCARTHY, 70, a RAND Corp. social scientist who worked on projects ranging from immigration to the arts, died Mar. 17, 2015. After receiving master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, he was an instructor there and a consultant with the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. He joined RAND in 1976 and retired in 2007 but continued to contribute to RAND research in an adjunct capacity until 2013. He began his career working on housing policies, an area where he developed tools to help predict family mobility and its impact on housing. He later directed the RAND Institute for Civil Justice and headed an initiative at RAND that studied the role of the arts in the American economy and society. He also authored a series of studies examining the impact of immigration on California’s economy and studied options for rebuilding housing in the Gulf Coast region after Hurricane Katrina. In addition, he conducted analyses of demographic and economic trends in Mexico and the Caribbean Basin, the Middle East, and Russia. Known as one of RAND’s most versatile researchers in terms of the range of public policy issues he tackled, according to its president, his work “helped cities, states, judiciaries and museums address some of their most difficult issues.” He is survived by his wife, Susan Edwards McCarthy.

JOHN R. VINTON, M.D., a physician and retired medical administrator, died July 8, 2015. He was 73. After receiving his degree with honors and with distinction in letters, he served first in the U.S. Army and then in the Peace Corps in Chile, where he learned Spanish and taught pottery techniques. He then returned to the U.S. and received his medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania. In 1977 he moved to Damariscotta, Maine, where he and his wife practiced internal medicine. In 1985 they moved to Salt Lake City, where he worked as a medical administrator. An able outdoorsman, he trekked, skied, and rowed, in addition to traveling widely. Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Dr. Mary Ann Chase, two sons, three granddaughters, three sisters, and a large extended group of family and friends.

HAL H. WYSS, 75, professor emeritus of English at Albion College, died July 28, 2015, of pulmonary fibrosis. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in English. He also received a master’s degree and a PhD from Ohio State University. In 1970 he accepted a position at Albion College, where he taught until his retirement in 2005. He specialized in American literature, with a particular love for Hemingway, Frost, Twain, Faulkner, and Melville. He also worked as an administrator, serving at times as the assistant, interim, or acting dean of the faculty. He served on all major faculty committees and was an early member and chair of the college’s pre-medical program. Named Albion College Advisor of the Year, he was also a recipient of the Student Senate’s Teacher of the Year Award. After retirement, he enjoyed teaching and taking classes through Albion’s Lifelong Learning program. He was also an accomplished fisherman and birder, as well as a gardener. His wife, Melissa Blair Wyss, survives, as do a daughter, two grandsons, his brother, and several nieces and nephews. One daughter predeceased him.

GEORGE D. BRYANT, 77, a local architectural historian, architectural consultant, and public servant in Provincetown, Mass., died Mar. 25, 2015. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and received a master’s degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Among the first group of Peace Corps recruits, he was stationed in Peru where he oversaw construction of a housing project. Later, he worked for a large architectural firm and also bought and renovated buildings in Cambridge, Mass., before returning to Provincetown, his hometown. He was a trustee of Seamen’s Bank for many years. Survivors include two sons, one of whom is the son of his second wife, Dr. Rosemary Elliott, a grandson, a brother, and several cousins.

RICHARD E. STEPHENS, who had been a business manager for a realty company, died Aug. 14, 2015. He was 82. A member of Alpha Chi Rho, he had worked in retailing and advertising, and served in the U.S. Army in Korea for three years. Survivors include his brother, a niece and nephew, and his very close friend, Ron Carty.

SOMERVILLE PARKER, whose entire career was in private secondary education, died July 13, 2015. He was 82. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with honors. He received a master’s degree in teaching mathematics from the University of Virginia and taught at Christchurch School of Virginia, St. Albans School, and the Blue Ridge School, before spending the rest of his career at the Landon School of Maryland, as a teacher, coach, head of the upper school and assistant headmaster. His wife of 56 years, Joan Hovendon Parker, survives, as do three children, eight grandchildren, and his brother.

HOYT CHAPIN, the retired owner and president of the Pottery Barn Inc., died July 16, 2015, at age 82. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and also attended the Columbia University School of Business. After beginning his retail career at Bloomingdale’s and then moving to Dansk International Designs, he spent the majority of his work life since 1966 as owner and president of the Pottery Barn Inc., until he retired. His forward thinking, creative and entrepreneurial approach championed “good contemporary design at a great price,” according to his family. After he retired, he remained involved in several business adventures, including the creation of two developments, Browns Hill and the Georges Mills Boat Club, in Sunapee, N.H., and consulted to Mesa International in Warner, N.H. He was an active member of the New London community, as a director of the Little Sunapee Protective Association, New London Hospital, and the Kearsarge Council on Aging, among others. Among those who survive are his wife of 60 years, Marybelle Carruth Chapin; three children, including Deborah Chapin ’81; three grandchildren; a niece and nephew; and several cousins, including Edward W. Hoyt ’69, who officiated at the memorial celebration of his life.