PHYLLIS R. BRUCE, an accomplished musician, writer, and administrator, died Nov. 8, 2010. She was 69. After receiving an associate’s degree from Mattatuck Community College, she earned a bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s degree in American studies from Wesleyan. As a performer and scholar, she is best known for her work with the songs of American women, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries. She is the author of several short articles in the Grove Dictionary of American Music. Her master’s thesis was on the life and work of composer Carrie Jacobs Bond. For many years she worked on a biography of Mrs. Bond, left unfinished at the time of her passing. She was also well-known for her performances of the music of her husband, Wesleyan Professor of Music and American Studies Neely Bruce. She sang in major premieres of works by many American composers. The late John Cage considered her performance of his Song Books definitive. She was the associate director of the Graduate Liberal Studies Program at Wesleyan from 1976 to 1984, and she also worked in real estate and property management. Since 1997 she served as co-director of music at South Congregational Church in Middletown and with her husband wrote a series of three church musicals. Among those who survive are her husband, seven children, 12 grandchildren, her mother, four sisters, a brother, and a large extended family.

JOSEPH A. BOUGHTON, the purchasing manager at Lord Corporation (formerly Hughson Chemicals), died May 18, 2010. He was 76. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University. He was a devotee of jazz music and produced more than 25 CDs with various musicians. Survivors include his wife, Emily Richardson Boughton, four children, and eight grandchildren.

The Rev. Canon FRANCIS S. BANCROFT III, 77, an Episcopal priest, died June 3, 2012. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and received his divinity degree from the General Theological Seminary. After a 40-year career serving St. James Episcopal Church in Ridgefield, N.J., where he was also an active community volunteer, he retired to Wellfleet, Mass., where he continued to volunteer in the community. His wife, Janet Currey Bancroft, predeceased him. Survivors include his son, two grandchildren, his sister, and several nieces and nephews.

ROBERT M. BURRILL, 75, who taught geography at the University of Georgia, died Apr. 5, 2009. He was a member of the John Wesley Club and served in the U.S. Army. He received his master’s degree from the University of Chicago and his PhD from the University of Kansas. At the University of Georgia, he received an outstanding professor award from the Honors Program. Survivors include his wife, Terry Oshita Burrill, his sister, his mother–in–law, and his extended family.

ROBERT M. BURRER, an art instructor and graphic artist, died Jan. 3, 2011. He was 78. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in creative art. He received a master’s degree from Wesleyan and then joined the English and studio art faculty at Deerfield Academy. In 1961 he joined the faculty at the Hotchkiss School, where he taught until a massive stroke in 1975 incapacitated him. He had also worked for Browning Associates, designing graphics and writing copy. Among those who survive are three nieces.

WILLIAM R. BAILEY, a retired labor economist with the U.S. Labor Department and the co–author of the Employment Cost Index, which is used by the Federal Reserve to set monetary policy, died June 14, 2008. He was 76. A member of Eclectic, he received his degree with high distinction in economics. After serving in the U.S. Army, he received master’s and doctoral degrees from George Washington University. Among those who survive are his wife, Mary Halpin Bailey, one son, and three granddaughters.

DANA ELIZABETH BRAMLETTE died of a heart attack Sept. 26, 2004, in Tuscon, Ariz. She was predeceased by her father in 1974, and is survived by her mother, Joan Docherty Bramlette Howell of Dallas, Texas; two sisters; and a brother.

WILLIAM M. BUCK JR., a retired registered representative with the Lincoln Financial Group and a former human resources executive with the Peabody Coal Company, died July 29, 2010, at age 79. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and received an MBA from the University of Chicago. Predeceased by his wife of 32 years, Jacquelin Machin Buck, survivors include his wife, Marthann, two daughters, two grandchildren, two stepchildren, and two step-grandchildren.

WILLIAM M. BUCK JR., a retired registered representative with the Lincoln Financial Group and a former human resources executive with the Peabody Coal Company, died July 29, 2010, at age 79. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and received an MBA from the University of Chicago. Predeceased by his wife of 32 years, Jacquelin Machin Buck, survivors include his wife, Marthann, two daughters, two grandchildren, two stepchildren, and two step-grandchildren.

WALTER W. BUCKINGHAM, who retired as a manager of Sage-Allen department stores in Connecticut after a 30-year career with the company, died Oct. 24, 2011. A member of Beta Theta Pi, he received his degree from Dickinson College. He was the son of the Rev. Harold C. Buckingham of the class of 1923. In addition to managing the stores in Wethersfield and at Westfarms Mall, he was very active in his community, sponsoring inmates from the state prison system, hosting exchange students, and sponsoring families immigrating to the U.S. He sang in his church choir for more than 50 years. Survivors include his wife, Anne Campbell Buckingham; four children; eight grandchildren; two brothers, Robert C. Buckingham ’49, M.D., and Harold C. Buckingham Jr. ’52; numerous nieces and nephews; and a special extended family.