Obituaries

LEWIS M. ANDREWS JR., 89, who retired as president of LMA Enterprises, Inc., died Feb. 1, 2008. He was a member of Chi Psi and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He is survived by his wife, Helga Andrews, and several children and grandchildren.

ROBERT MASON AGARD was born April 1, 1916, in Williamstown, Mass. He was the son of Harry L. Agard, Wesleyan Class of 1904. Bob was educated at Deerfield Academy, majored in history at Wesleyan University, and earned master’s degrees in library science at Columbia and history at Brown. Bob and Phyllis Fairweather were married in 1942 and spent the World War II years in Washington, were Bob was a reference assistant at the Library of Congress.

When the war ended, Bob became college librarian, working at Ripon College and then at Earlham, where he and Phyllis, as Bob’s father said, “got involved with these Quakers,” recognizing their alignment of faith and worship with political conviction and commitment to peace and social justice. They both joined West Richmond Friends Meeting and transferred to the Middle Connecticut Valley Meeting (now Mt. Toby Meeting) in 1961 when the family moved to Amherst, where Bob was chief of reader services at the University of Massachusetts. By then they had four daughters: Anne (Annie), Ellen, Jennette (Jennie) and Susan (Sukey). A fifth daughter was added when they became foster parents of Chamnan Koy, one of a group of Cambodian refugee teenagers resettled in Amherst in 1982.

The family moved to Vermont and Bennington Meeting when Bob became Librarian of Bennington College during the 1970s, and back to Amherst and Mt. Toby after he retired. Eventually Bob and Phyllis had 10 grandchildren: Amber Miller (who died in 1997); Katy and Emily Silgard; Tristan, Molly, and Meg Krause: and Tiffany, Melanie, Emily and Andrew Tan.

Bob loved his home and his family, his music, gardening, hiking, skiing, and helping to resettle wartime refugees–Latvians in Ripon, Germans and Hungarians at Earlham, and Cambodians in Amherst. Phyllis once counted at least 13 Cambodian children who called him Grandpa, and a few young Camdobian women who called him dad. He loved his work and eight or more young people became librarians because of his influence. He was active in many Quaker Monthly Meeting and Yearly Meeting committees, was a member of the board of directors of the New England branch of the American Friends Service Committee, and was, with Phyllis, co-clerk of Mt. Toby Meeting in the early 1980s.

Bob died at 87, a quiet and peaceful death from complications related to pneumonia. We remember him as a warm and gentle man, kind and wise in his advice, and blessed with a wry sense of humor that never deserted him. He had an open, inquiring mind, and his knowledge of the world was wide and deep. He dealt with the parcel of strong women in his life with grace and dignity. Toward the end of his life he developed disabilities in vision, hearing, and memory, which he coped with creatively and gallantly. We miss him very much and will love him always.

–Phyllis Agard and their five daughters

WILLIAM A. WINSLOW, M.D., a physician, died Nov. 5, 2005, at age 89, in Cambridge, Mass., following a protracted illness. He was a graduate of the Alban (N.Y.) Academy, where he’d been class valedictorian. A member of Chi Psi, he received his degree with honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year. He won the then-only economics prize and delivered the Rich Oration at Commencement. During World War II he was a conscientious objector who was imprisoned for refusing even to sign draft registration papers. He received his medical degree from Cornell Medical School. He later became a Hindu monk, practicing medicine in India and spending his later years as Swami Sarveshananda of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda order. He is survived by two brothers, including Richard K. Winslow ’40, and numerous nieces and nephews.

WALTER R. SONSTROEM, 90, a retired human resources executive, died Aug. 18, 2006. He was a member of Eclectic and received a master’s degree from Columbia During World War II he served in the U.S. Air Force. Active in community projects, he received the Bronze Keystone Award from the Boys Clubs of America. He is survived by his wife, Janet Norton Sonstroem, a son, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

EDGAR T. SEE, an attorney in Westport, Conn., for more than 60 years and a founding partner of the law firm of Wake, See, Dimes, Bryniczka, Day & Bloom (now merged into Berchem, Moses & Devlin), died Sept. 7, 2009. He was 93. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in government. After receiving a law degree from Yale Law School, he served in the U.S. Army counterintelligence corps during World War II. He was active in local government in Westport, serving in many capacities, including as town attorney and member of the Representative Town Meeting. He also chaired the boards of local charitable organizations and was involved in the Connecticut Bar Association. His wife, Katherine Merriam See, predeceased him, as did his brother, Charles M. See ’44. Among those who survive are four children, including Edmund M. See ’65, Alexander H. See ’68, and Eloise See McGaw ’72; many grandchildren, including Zachary T. See ’98 and Gregory H. See ’03; and several great-grandchildren.

CHARLES F. RICHARDS, M.D., professor emeritus of surgery at Jefferson Medical College and the former chief of surgery at Delaware Hospital, died Aug. 31, 2006. He was 90. A member of Eclectic, he received a medical degree from Jefferson Medical College. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army. He retired in 1984 after nearly 40 years in practice. Predeceased by his first wife, Marguerite Ringler Richards, he is survived by his wife, Eleanor Brubaker Richards, two daughters, two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

JOHN B. (BREAK) NEWMAN, the retired president and treasurer of Hazen’s Office Interiors in Middletown, Conn., died Mar. 19, 2007. He was 90. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi and received his degree with honors. Active in civic affairs, he served as vice chairman of the board of directors of Middlesex Hospital and in 1988 was named Philanthropist of the Year by the New England Association for Hospital Development. He also served as chair of the board for Liberty Bank, and was involved in numerous other local organizations. Predeceased by his wife, Norma Morris Newman, survivors include his sister and a niece.

EDWARD W. MALLEY JR., who built the North Terminal Inc., in South Boston and later in Hingham, died Jan. 7, 2003 at age 87. He was a member of Sigma Nu. The North Terminal, a business engaged in precision manufacturing, primarily for the military and for the automotive industry, was one of the smallest companies in the U.S. to receive the Army and Navy “E for Excellence” award during World War II. He was also a member of the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission. Predeceased by a daughter, he is survived by his wife, Aliceann Malley; a daughter; two sons; his children’s mother, Barbara Beyer Malley; and seven grandchildren.

JOHN G. MAGEE, 90, who retired as president of the R.W. Snyder Company in Battle Creek, Mich., died Mar. 22, 2006. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with honors and with high distinction in English. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation, he joined the Charles E. Hires Company; he left there in 1961 as a director and vice president. Among those who survive are his wife, Doris Becker Magee; two sons, including John G. Magee Jr. ’62; a daughter; four grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.