Obituaries

Walter C. Wheeler, a broadcast journalist, died Dec. 2, 2017. He was 76. A member of Gamma Psi, he served in the U.S. Army after which he began his broadcast journalism career working for radio stations in Connecticut. In 1968 he joined NBC News in New York City as a radio and TV reporter and news anchor. His career included stints with UPI and CBS, where he was chief political reporter for more than a decade. He was also vice president of news at Empire State Network, a state radio network serving stations across New York, which he founded along with colleagues from WCBS. Later, he served as deputy chief of public affairs at New York State’s Division of Military and Naval Affairs, where he participated in various emergency management exercises, and was the spokesman and webmaster. After retirement he created and maintained websites for commercial, non-profit and municipal entities; he was also a firefighter for many years. Among those who survive are his wife, Linda Wheeler, two daughters, a stepson, two granddaughters, a brother and two sisters, and a large extended family.

Jan S. Hogendorn, Grossman Professor of Economics, Emeritus, at Colby College, died Oct. 10, 2017, at age 79. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he received his degree with high honors and with distinction. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship. After receiving a master’s degree and a PhD from the London School of Economics, he joined the faculty of Boston University briefly before moving to Colby. Born in Hawaii and evacuated by flying boat after Pearl Harbor, he grew up in Oskaloosa, Iowa, where he was a champion high school debater, won the 1956 Voice of Democracy contest, and addressed that year’s Democratic convention. In 1958 he was in the inaugural group of students to visit Africa as part of Operation Crossroads Africa. Inspired by the promise of economic growth in Africa, he decided to major in economics. His PhD subject was British colonial agricultural policy in northern Nigeria. In 1966 he became assistant professor of economics at Colby. He later served as chair of the economics department and was appointed the Grossman Professor of Economics in 1977. He visited Nigeria and Britain several times, including a visit to Oxford University on a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship. During his career he published more than 50 articles and essays; multiple editions of textbooks in introductory, international, and developmental economics; and three books on the history of agriculture, slavery, and abolition in West Africa. Later, he participated in local politics, serving several times as moderator of the Vassalboro (Me.) Town Meeting. He is survived by his wife, Dianne Hodet Hogendorn; his son, Christiaan, associate professor of economics at Wesleyan; his daughter-in-law, Erika Naginski; and two grandchildren.

80. Wayne Harbinger, an osteopathic physician who specialized in musculoskeletal problems, died Dec. 25, 2017, at age 80. He was a member of Chi Psi and graduated from the Kirksville College of Osteopathy. During his 50 years in private practice, he also served in leadership roles for the American Osteopathic Association and the New York State Osteopathic Medical Society. At the Albany Academy, he was team physician and initiated a student trainer program. He spent many years coordinating and teaching EMT and First Aid/CPR programs in his area, and he was appointed chairman of the advisory council on physician assistants by three New York State governors. Survivors include his wife, Joyce Daudel Harbinger, three children, and six grandchildren.

William H. Higgins, a teacher and psychologist, died July 31, 2017. He was 80. A member of Chi Psi, he received a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut and an EdD from Columbia University. After teaching high school English, he worked as a psychologist and college psychology professor. An avid athlete, he coached baseball and soccer. His wife, Alice Dostal Higgins, survives, as do three children and three grandchildren.

Duncan Wall, 84, a retired librarian, died Jan. 9, 2018. He was a member of Delta Upsilon and received his degree with honors and with distinction in English. After receiving a master’s degree in library science from Columbia University, he began a long and distinguished career as a librarian at public and university libraries. A leader in the transformation of library science through technology, he developed a unique expertise in planning and developing user-friendly library buildings, and in taking cataloguing systems online. He also honored obscure library history, writing about the library innovations of Maria Mitchell, better known as a professional astronomer. In 1967 he and his family moved to Ontario, Canada, where he integrated the province’s university libraries into a single system. An advocate of reproductive health information, while director of the library at Kent State University he founded a free clinic for students to access reproductive health services. A baseball fan and former player at Wesleyan, he was also known for his prodigious newspaper reading each day. Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Carol Carter Wall; three children, including Suzanne L. Wall ’80; several grandchildren; his sister; and his half brother.

John M. Williamson, a retired packaging engineer at Eastman Kodak, died Jul. 31, 2016. He was 85. A member of Gamma Psi, he was a U.S. Army veteran. His wife, Joanne Siegenthaler Williamson, survives, as do three children and seven grandchildren.

D.J. Harry Webb, an attorney in New Britain, Conn., died Dec. 18, 2017, at age 88. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Connecticut. He also received a master’s degree in tax law from New York University. He was a partner and founder of several law firms, and was active in the community, serving as pro bono legal counsel for the Jerome Home Arbor Rose, where a library is dedicated in his name. Among those who survive are his wife, Sylvia Webb, four children, 10 grandchildren, and his former wife, Laurine Hoaglund Webb.

Dean W. Egly, 88, a retired financial executive, died Mar. 26, 2017. He was a member of Delta Upsilon and received an MBA from New York University. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. Navy, after which he joined Morgan Guaranty Trust Company. He retired from J.P. Morgan, its successor company, as an executive vice president. Survivors include his life partner, Charles Hailey.

Edgar B. Moore, a professor of history at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, for 45 years and a member of the town’s City Council, died Oct. 16, 2017, at age 89. He was the grandnephew of Robert M. Moore of the class of 1892 and the son of Robert M. Moore of the class of 1920. A member of the John Wesley Club, he received a bachelor of divinity degree from Drew Theological Seminary. He also received a master’s degree in sacred theology and later a PhD from St. Andrews University in Scotland. After coming to Baldwin Wallace as chaplain, he moved to the history department and rose to become department chair. During his tenure he helped to broaden the scope of the department’s course offerings, introducing a course on African history and then one on women in history, especially during the 19^thand 20^thcenturies. His interest in politics, which stemmed from his PhD thesis, led him to his position on the city council. He was also an avid genealogist. His wife, Gracelouise Sims Moore survives, as do three children, six grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, and his sister.