Tag: 1940

Henry B. Anderson ’40, MA’48 passed away on June 22, 2019 at the age of 101. A full obituary can be found here.

Douglas B. Stuart ’40 passed away on Feb. 5, 2019 at the age of 102. A full obituary can be found here.

DONALD G. ARNAULT, M.D., a surgeon in Middletown, Conn., and a former associate physician at Wesleyan, died Dec. 9, 2014. He was 96. A member of Chi Psi, he received his degree with honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, after which he served in the medical corps of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He practiced general surgery for 32 years and was also a longtime member of the Conversational Club. After retirement, he became an avid artist in oils and watercolors. In 1993 he received an MALS in painting. His wife, Carol Barrows Arnault, died in 2009; they had been married for 63 years. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, two daughters, six grandchildren, a sister, and several nieces and nephews.

JOHN A. YOUNG, 94, a retired professor of chemistry, died Feb. 17, 2014. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he received his degree with high distinction in chemistry and was elected to Sigma Xi. He received a master’s degree from Wesleyan and a PhD from the University of Florida. After working for General Electric Labs he pursued his true calling as a professor of chemistry. He first taught at the University of Florida, later at the University of Denver, and finally at the Universidad Autonóma de Guadalajara. He was an accomplished classical pianist until a chemical explosion destroyed the thumb and index finger of his right hand, but he continued to play tennis and to hike. His wife, Helen Chamberlain Young, and his son, Roger A. Young ’65, predeceased him. Survivors include two daughters, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

RAYNOR L. DUNCOMBE, professor emeritus of aerospace science at the University of Texas at Austin, and an astronomer and former director of the National Almanac Office, died July 12, 2013. He was 96. A member of Sigma Nu, he was elected to Sigma Xi. He received a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Iowa and later a PhD in astronomy from Yale University. He was a member of the NASA space science steering committee, having worked on the Vanguard, Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo projects, and was instrumental in determining the orbit of Sputnik when it was launched. A member of the Hubble Space Telescope Astrometry team, he was the past executive editor of Celestial Mechanics. He was a fellow of various astronomy associations and received numerous awards. He was as comfortable reciting poetry as he was discussing the universe. Also a singer and musician, he was skilled at plumbing, carpentry, and electrical work, and had learned to fly a plane. He was predeceased by his first wife, Avis Bailey Duncombe and by his second wife, Julena Steinheider Duncombe. He is survived by one son, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.