LESTER P. JONES JR. ’51

LESTER P. JONES JR., the retired executive director of wood products for Steelcase, died Jan. 14, 2014, at age 86. He was a member of Alpha Chi Rho and received his degree with honors. During World War II he served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He had a long career in office equipment sales and design, and launched the Steelcase Wood Division, through which he brought modular wood products to the open office plan. Among those who survive are his wife, Chloe Bissell Jones, one daughter, one granddaughter, and a sister.

ANDREW F. WISSEMANN ’50

ANDREW F. WISSEMANN, the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, died Aug. 20, 2014. He was 86. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in German, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He studied at Union Theological Seminary and received his Bachelor of Sacred Theology and honorary Doctor of Divinity from General Theological Seminary. He served churches in Connecticut and Massachusetts before 1983, when he was elected bishop of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts, serving in that position until his retirement in 1992. Survivors include his wife, Nancy Whittemore Wissemann; four children, including Mary Wissemann ’82 and Martha Wissemann Burr MAL’95; and five grandchildren.

CARL G. MURANO JR. ’50

CARL G. MURANO JR., 87, a former FBI special investigator, died Aug. 23, 2013. He was a member of Chi Psi and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After a 28-year career with the FBI, he joined General Telephone as a special investigator. He was also an avid athlete. Predeceased by a son, his wife, Catherine Foote Murano, survives, as do five children, 12 grandchildren, and two sisters.

HENRI R.M. SALAUN ’49

HENRI R.M. SALAUN, 88, a professional squash player who was a four-time U.S. national squash champion, died June 4, 2014. At the age of 14, he and his mother fled France for England and then came to the United States. Always an excellent athlete and tennis player, he learned English and was accepted to Wesleyan where he joined Alpha Delta Phi and competed nationally in tennis and squash. After two years at Wesleyan before he was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Germany, where he served in Patton’s 3rd Army and was the sole survivor of a German ambush. When he was discharged he returned to Wesleyan and finished his studies, earning his degree with honors, while continuing his squash career. He won the first international U.S. Open of squash in 1954, won the U.S. championship four times, and won the Canadian Open eight times. He continued to play competitively into his 70s. A member of the inaugural class of the U.S. Squash Racquets Hall of Fame, he was also named to the first Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame class in 2008. He was the founder of Henri Salaun Sports, Inc., a sporting equipment company. Survivors include his wife, Emily Macy Salaun; two sons, including Georges V. Salaun ’85; and six grandchildren.

JOHN G. EASTON JR. ’49

JOHN G. EASTON JR., a retired marketing manager for Aetna Life & Casualty, died Feb. 3, 2014, at age 87. The son of John G. Easton Sr., of the class of 1913, he was a member of Alpha Delta Phi and a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. He attended Fordham Law School but left to begin a life-long career with Aetna, beginning in sales and moving into management positions in the Northeast. Predeceased by his wife, Geraldine Betts Easton, among those who survive are two daughters, three grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

WILLIAM B. MERVINE ’47

WILLIAM B. MERVINE, former national sales manager for Kaiser Aluminum, died July 4, 2014. He was 93. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received an MBA from New York University. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces and was later awarded the Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters as well as the Presidential Citation for meritorious achievement while participating in sustained bomber combat. After his retirement from Kaiser, he worked for Alcoa. His son, Richard Mervine ’75, predeceased him. Survivors include his wife, June Miller Mervine, and one daughter.

LAWRENCE ALEXANDER ’44

LAWRENCE ALEXANDER, who retired as the administrative attorney for the Connecticut Supreme and Appellate courts, died June 5, 2014, at age 91. After serving in the front lines at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, he received his bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan with honors and then received a law degree from Columbia University. He was a member of Sigma Chi. He and his first wife, Colleen Spielman Alexander, the mother of his four children, moved to the Philadelphia area, where he was an executive in a family business before returning to the law as a Pennsylvania assistant attorney general. He then moved to Connecticut, where he continued his work for political and social causes. After retiring in 1993, he continued to work for private practice attorneys, taught paralegal courses, and served a two-year term as a magistrate in small claims court. Survivors include his wife, Ruth F. Alexander; four children, including David Alexander ’74; two stepchildren; five grandchildren, including Molly B. Alexander ’09 and Jaclyn Alexander ’09; two step-grandchildren; and a nephew, Marc Levin ’73. He was the brother-in-law of the late Alan M. Levin ’46.

F. EDWARD (“MUZZ’) MOLINA ’43

F. EDWARD (Muzz) MOLINA, the retired president of Edward Molina Designs, Inc., died Sept. 17, 2014. He was 93. A member of Psi Upsilon, he served in the U.S. Navy as a bi-lingual flight instructor during World War II. Later, he received an MBA from Dartmouth College and began a successful career in the textile industry. An avid athlete and traveler, he was also a loyal fan of Wesleyan football. In retirement, he became a community volunteer. His wife, Margaret Shippen Grubb Molina, predeceased him, as did a granddaughter. Among those who survive are three daughters; one son; nine grandchildren, including Dana E. Matthiessen ’09; and four great-grandchildren.

J. ALDEN NICHOLS ’41

J. ALDEN NICHOLS, 95, a retired professor of European history at the University of Illinois who had taught at Wesleyan, died June 28, 2014. A member of the John Wesley Club, he received his degree with high honors and with high distinction in history. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. During World War II he served as a conscientious objector. After receiving his master’s and PhD degrees from Columbia University, he taught at Wesleyan and at Skidmore College before returning to Wesleyan where he taught and was the managing editor of Daedalus, the journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which was then published by Wesleyan. In 1961 he joined the faculty of the University of Illinois. An authority on German history, he also created a new course at the University of Illinois that incorporated the music, art and literature of the Romantic period. An avid amateur musician, he was an active participant in local groups. His wife, Barbara Tuttle Nichols, and one son predeceased him. He is survived by a daughter-in-law with whom he lived, two daughters, five grandchildren, several step-grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

PETER S. WHARTON, Professor of Chemistry

PETER S. WHARTON, professor of chemistry emeritus and the person who introduced the Wharton Reaction, died Apr. 28, 2014. He was 82. An alumnus of Cambridge University, he received two master’s degrees and a PhD from Yale University. After completing post-doctoral study at Columbia University, he joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin in 1960. He attained the rank of full professor at the University of Wisconsin before joining the Wesleyan faculty in 1968. A gifted organic chemist, he introduced generations of Wesleyan students to the rigors of organic chemistry. He was also known for his musical ability and played the piano, in addition to continuing to bike, hike, and travel until a year ago. He was predeceased by his first wife, Ethel Hoffman Wharton. Survivors include his partner, Helen, and five children.