JAMES D. PLIMPTON, 84, a physicist and laboratory administrator, died Dec. 7, 2014. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in mathematics. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi, and then received his PhD from Iowa State University. He was the grandson of George L. Plimpton of the class of 1891, the son of Theodore F. Plimpton of the class of 1921, and the nephew of George L. Plimpton Jr., of the class of 1927. He worked in nuclear physics at the Sandia National Laboratories and later became an administrator there. Survivors include his wife, Donna Eide Plimpton, two children, three granddaughters, and his brother, Thomas L. Plimpton ’56.

JAMES KURT, a business executive, died Mar. 21, 2014, at age 83. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he served in the U.S. Naval Air Reserve during the Korean War. He was the grandson of Franklin T. Kurt and of Sarah T. Kurt, both of the class of 1895, and he was the son of Franklin T. Kurt of the class of 1926. He spent most of his career with the Schellens-True Corporation and joined the Dana Corporation when they acquired Schellens-True. He is survived by his wife, the Rev. Rachel H. Kurt, two sons, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Another son predeceased him.

ROBERT WONKKA, 85, professor emeritus at Vermont Technical College, died Dec. 10, 2014. He was a member of Chi Psi and received a master’s degree from Harvard University. A basketball and softball coach despite the long leg brace he wore after a bout with polio, he taught secondary school until he became the first full-time math teacher at Vermont Technical College. In his 30 years teaching there, he also served as department head and division director. He was the first recipient of the faculty advising award that now bears his name. He was also an active community volunteer. Among those who survive are his wife, Nadena Thompson Wonkka, three daughters, four grandchildren, and several siblings.

RICHARD M. SHERWOOD, an international construction manager, died Apr. 7, 2015. He was 85. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received a BS degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served in the U.S. Air Force. He had a long career as a construction manager that included assignments in the U.S. and overseas. He was the author of A Field Guide to Sailboats. During the time he lived in Amherst, N.H., he served as Selectman and on several town committees. Survivors include his wife, Janet Robertson Sherwood, two sons, five grandchildren, and his sister.

FREDERICK A. LOVEJOY, 86, a management consultant and author, died July 6, 2014. He was the son of Frederick F. Lovejoy Jr., of the class of 1923, the brother of Jonathan Lovejoy of the class of 1953, and the nephew of Louis R. Arnold of the class of 1924 and of Harry M. Arnold of the class of 1928. A member of Sigma Nu, he received an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He served in the both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force. After receiving his MBA he became a college professor and wrote two books, Divestment for Profit and Mergers and Acquisitions. After he stopped teaching he ran his own consulting business, the Princeton Research Institute. Two children, three grandchildren, and his brother-in-law, Roger S. Hanford ’50, are among his survivors.

GEORGE P. VENNART, M.D., a renowned pathologist, died Sept. 13, 2014, at age 88. He was a nephew of Elizabeth D. Clark of the class of 1907. During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy. A member of Sigma Nu, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in biology. He was elected to both Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Rochester, he held teaching positions at Columbia University and the University of North Carolina before becoming chairman of the Department of Pathology at the Medical College of Virginia. His wife, Mary Joan Miller Vennart predeceased him. He is survived by three children, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

JOHN B. HALSTED, 88, the Winkley Professor of History, Emeritus, at Amherst College, died Feb. 25, 2015. A member of Psi Upsilon, he received his degree with high honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received a master’s degree from Wesleyan and a PhD from Columbia University. He also received an honorary master’s degree from Amherst College, where he taught European history in a career that spanned 45 years. His publications included Romanticism: Problems in Definition, Explanation, and Evaluation; Contemporary Writing on the Coup d’État of Louis Napoleon; and Romanticism. After he retired he volunteered in his community. Among those who survive are his wife, Betty Nilsen Halsted, three children, five grandchildren, and two brothers.

EDWARD C. BREWSTER, who retired as a senior copy editor for IBM, died Nov. 26, 2014, at age 89. He was a member of Sigma Chi, an early member of the Jibers, and one of the founders of the Cardinals. He worked for IBM for almost 30 years as a senior copy editor in the promotional department. Survivors include his wife, Sara (Sally) Pearce Brewster, three children, one foster son, and several grandchildren.

CHARLES G. HILL, 90, an active Wesleyan volunteer who retired as professor of French at Brooklyn College, died June 7, 2015. He was a member of Sigma Chi. After receiving his degree with honors and with distinction in French, he received his master’s and PhD degrees from Yale University. He was the son of William N. Hill of the class of 1920, the brother of William N. Hill Jr., of the class of 1948, and the cousin of Edward R. Hill Jr. of the class of 1950 and Freeman R. Hathaway Jr. of the class of 1956. He spent a year at the University of Grenoble and then joined the faculty at Skidmore College, where he taught for nine years. In 1962 he moved to Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, where he taught for 30 years and served as chairman of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures for five years. He was active as a leader in the New York-area Amrican Association of Teachers of French, a role for which the French government honored him as a Chevalier des Palmes Académique. He served Wesleyan as chairman of the Annual Fund and as class secretary. In 1996 and again in 2006 the university honored him for his service. His wife, Dr. Elizabeth K. Hill, survives, as do three sons, including John N. (Nick) Hill ’85, two grandchildren, and two brothers. His daughter predeceased him.

The Rev. ROLLIN S. POLK JR., an Episcopal priest, died Mar. 16, 2015, at age 93. A member of Delta Upsilon, he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in divinity from the Virginia Theological Seminary. He also received an MSW from Our Lady of the Lake University. He served as priest in several Episcopal congregations in New York and the Midwest, as well as in Texas, where he was a hospital-based social worker. The owner of the Green Tree Press, he started Rollin’s Bindery in 1996. His wife, Betty Jane Tolliver Polk, predeceased him. Among those who survive are two children, a granddaughter, and his niece, Teresa A. Freeman MAT’69.