Obituaries

TOAN VU TRAN, a video blogger based in Hanoi, Vietnam, died July 23, 2014. He was 27. Known as Toan Shinoda to his followers, he returned to live and work in Vietnam after graduation from Wesleyan. His humorous video blogs covered various topics of modern social issues, and he was also know for music videos in which he sang, rapped, and covered famous bands. Fluent in English, he also posted videos on how to learn English effectively. His parents and family survive.

SETH TELLER, a member of MIT’s computer science and engineering faculty, who was internationally renowned for his efforts to develop robots that are useful to people in their daily lives, died July 1, 2014. He was 50. After graduating from Wesleyan he received his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, and did research at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and at Princeton University before joining the faculty at MIT, where he rose to the rank of full professor. He led a research group that focused on making machines aware of their surroundings and capable of interacting naturally with people in healthcare, military, civilian, and disaster-relief settings. As leader of MIT’s Fifth Sense Project, he worked with colleagues and students to develop wearable devices to assist people who are blind or have low vision. A neighborhood activist and longtime ultimate Frisbee player, he led grassroots efforts to promote neighborhood-friendly development decisions and to improve open spaces in Cambridge, Mass. Among those who survive are his wife, Rachel Zimmerman, two daughters, his parents, two brothers, and a large extended family.

JULIA WU TRETHAWAY, 55, a history teacher and administrator at the Hotchkiss School, died July 9, 2014. An East Asian and Modern European studies major, she joined the Hotchkiss faculty in the fall of 1980. After teaching there for several years she studied in the PhD program in East Asian studies at the University of Michigan and returned to Hotchkiss two years later when she married fellow Hotchkiss teacher Tom Trethaway. She later received a MALS from Dartmouth College. She served as a class dean and founded the Hotchkiss faculty women’s ice hockey team, in addition to being a well-known and respected presence on the campus. Survivors include her husband, Tom Trethaway, two children, and her mother.

ROBERT H. BERLS, 81, a manager for the U.S. Department of Education and an active member of the Anglers’ Club of New York, died Sept. 1, 2014. He received a master’s degree from Yale University. In addition to editing the Anglers’ Club Bulletin and winning several club awards, he served on their board of directors and was also a member of the Flyfishers’ Club of London. Survivors include his wife, Janet Wolf Berls, and his brother.

JAMES C. NEVIUS, 64, who retired from the Amerada Hess Corporation, died July 13, 2013. He was a member of Chi Psi. After retiring from Amerada Hess he formed his own consulting firm. Survivors include his wife, Angela Nevius, three sons, and one grandson.

ROBERT F. SAYRE, emeritus professor of English at the University of Iowa, died Apr. 16, 2014. He was 80. The son of Harrison M. Sayre of the class of 1916, who was the founder and publisher of My Weekly Reader, and the brother of the late James W. Sayre ’46, M.D., he served in the U.S. Navy after receiving his degree with honors and distinction. He earned his PhD. From Yale University. After teaching at the University of Illinois and as a Fulbright Scholar in Sweden, he received a Guggenheim award to conduct research at Princeton University. In 1965 he moved to the University of Iowa, whee he taught in the English department and American Studies program for 33 years. His primary academic focus was autobiography, and his anthology, American Lives, was published in 1994. His love of Iowa’s natural and social history led him to edit a series of books that championed a greater appreciation of his adopted home state, and he did the same for Fire Island, New York, where he and his family summered. He was also active in many sports and in community organizations and causes. Among those who survive are his wife, Hutha Colby Sayre, whom he married in 1988; three children, two stepchildren, and seven grandchildren. He was also the uncle of Dixon F. Miller ’69, Robert K. McNamara ’73, Jean S. McNamara ’77, and of Elizabeth W. McNamara ’83.

VICTOR H. LANE III, a retired language teacher, died June 26, 2014, at age 80. A member of the John Wesley Club, he received a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and a PhD from New York University. He taught at Nebraska Wesleyan and the City University of New York, among other places. His wife, Caroline Warram Lane, and one son are among those who survive.