Obituaries

GREGORY L. MAIRE, an architect and interior designer, died Oct. 4, 2015. He was 67. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and received a master’s degree in architecture from Harvard University. He had a long career as an architect and designer until he closed his first studio, Gregory Maire Architect Ltd., in 2005. His homes and designs can be seen on Chicago’s Gold Coast and throughout the North Shore suburbs. His firm was the consulting architects for renovations at The Baha’i Temple in Wilmette, and his international work reached as far as Saudi Arabia. Equally well known for his historically accurate detail or innovative design, his work has been published in a number of architecture and design magazines, as well as The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune. He was a board member and past president of DIFFA, the Design Industry Foundation for AIDS for many years, and he worked pro bono for the Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest helping to design a handicapped-accessible artist studio for their residency program. In recent years, he began to paint prolifically and had several shows. He was also instrumental in helping to create “Michael’s Museum: A Curious Collection of Tiny Treasures,” which went on to become a permanent exhibit at the Chicago Children’s Museum on Navy Pier. He is survived by his partner of more than 40 years, Michael Horvich, and a brother.

WILLIAM F. OCHS, a scholar, performer and teacher of Irish traditional music, especially the tin whistle, died Oct. 5, 2016. He was 70. A cum laude graduate who earned high honors in French and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, he earned an MFA in theater at Sarah Lawrence College. He dedicated his life’s work to playing, teaching, and understanding the history of Irish wind instruments: the tin whistle, wooden flute and uilleann pipes. He sought out teachers in the U.S. and Ireland at a time when almost nobody in the U.S. was playing the instrument. The recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to study in Ireland for six months, he was also involved with the Irish Arts Center in Manhattan, where he taught for more than 40 years through 2015. Throughout his long career, he explored many aspects of traditional music: performing, researching and writing, producing albums of other musicians, creating transcriptions of tunes, and teaching. In addition he was a political activist as well as an outdoorsman. Among those who survive are his partner, Margaret Vetare, and his sister.

DAVID A. BERRY, a playwright and screenwriter, died Dec. 16, 2016, at age 73. A member of the Commons Club, he enlisted in the U.S. Army shortly after graduation. He studied theater and European history, but did not set out to write plays. When he was writing a novel inspired by his Army service in the Vietnam War, his former wife, Robin Schmidt, urged him to turn it into a play. It became G. R. Point, which ran off-Broadway before moving to Broadway in 1979. The play earned him an Obie award for distinguished playwriting. In 1980 his play, The Whales of August, was presented at the WPA Theater in Manhattan, and in 1987 he wrote the screenplay for the movie version, which starred Bette Davis, Lillian Gish, Vincent Price, and Ann Sothern. After the success of his two plays he continued to write and teach at several institutions, including the National Theater Institute in Waterford, Conn., and more recently, the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. In addition to his former wife, he is survived by his sister, his brother, and a stepdaughter, Julia Lee Barclay-Morton ’86.

ROBERT E. KILLHEFFER, who retired as a Yale University librarian, died Oct. 2, 2016. He was 72. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, he received his degree cum laude and with honors in letters. He was a member of Alpha Delta Phi. After receiving master’s degrees in history and in library science, he went on to a career than spanned more than 35 years at the Yale University libraries as a catalogue librarian and team cataloguer, manager, and mentor to many. He made significant professional contributions throughout his career, supporting the organization of the Yale Library collection, participating actively in the American Library Association, and serving as a liaison between Yale’s Sterling Library and the Library of Congress. He also collected rare books and special editions. After his retirement from Yale he volunteered as a cataloguer in the Hamden, Conn., library. Survivors include his wife, Anne Blankenbaker; four children from a previous marriage; eight grandchildren; and his sister and brother.

WILLIAM A. HAUSER, an outdoorsman and musician, died Oct. 21, 2016. He was 72. A member of Eclectic, he received a master’s degree in Slavonic and Eastern European Studies from the University of London. During the Vietnam War he served in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany as a Russian interpreter. In addition to his love of the outdoors, he played the trumpet, sang, and acted in numerous community productions. A former Outward Bound instructor, he volunteered for the Forest Service and fought fires; he also volunteered for the annual loon count in Minnesota. His wife, Sharon Angel Magliulo, survives, as do a stepson, his sister, and several nieces and nephews.

WILLIAM B. GROSSMAN JR., a Methodist minister, died Oct. 22, 2016, at age 75. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he received master’s and doctoral degrees in divinity from Drew University. He served as pastor of many Methodist churches in upstate New York, and returned from retirement to become interim pastor of several churches. Active in Rotary International, he was a member for 48 continuous years and was a former district governor. He also played the trombone in community bands. Survivors include his wife, Laura Allene Stewart, three children, two stepdaughters, eight grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, three siblings, and a large extended family.

CARL F. SYRIALA, a aquaculture specialist, died Nov. 12, 2016. He was 78. He was a member of Chi Psi and received an MBA from the University of Chicago. After serving in the U.S. Coast Guard and working at New England Merchants Bank, he returned to Cape Cod, where he was born, and founded Finn Farms in West Barnstable, digging steamers and quahogs, and raising oysters. He was also the treasurer of the West Barnstable Fire Department. Among those who survive are his brother, two nephews, and his close friend, Helen Ranta.

RICHARD H. HUDDLESTON, a former director of development at Wesleyan, and an executive in nonprofit educational institutions, died Jan. 5, 2017, at age 78. He was a member of Eclectic and received his degree with honors. An American Field Service Exchange student in Athens, Greece, he was also a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Florence, Italy, and an Italian History Research Scholar in Rome, Italy. He received master’s and PhD degrees in European history from the University of California, Berkeley. He worked at the University of North Carolina and at New College before returning to Wesleyan, where he directed annual giving and then development. Serving Wesleyan both as a volunteer and as an employee, he was secretary for his class for many years, co-class agent, and Reunion co-chair. In addition to his 22 years at Wesleyan, his professional career was solely in the nonprofit world, with service to such organizations as Winrock International, a Rockefeller international agricultural research and development foundation, as well as World Learning, and Save the Children. Survivors include his wife, Lindsey Hall Huddleston, and two children, including Michael A. Huddleston ’90.

HAROLD H. SHIVELY JR., M.D., a cardiologist, died Jan. 4, 2017, at age 79. He was the nephew of Kenneth E. Steele of the class of 1927. A member of Eclectic, he received his medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine and served in the U.S. Army. After 10 years of active military duty, he relocated to La Jolla, Calif., where he practiced cardiology at Scripps Memorial Hospital. He continued his military career in the Army reserves for 25 years, attaining the rank of Brigadier General. A private pilot and instructor, he also enjoyed playing baseball as well as the trumpet. Survivors include his wife, Carol Steele; three children; 12 grandchildren; and a niece, Anne Hege ’98.

DAVID G. DAVIS, a retired educator, died May 6, 2016, at age 79. A member of Alpha Chi Rho, he received a master’s degree from the University of Washington. Among those who survive are five children.