GEORGE S. STANFORD, a nuclear reactor physicist and a member of the team that developed the Integral Fast Reactor, died Oct. 7, 2013. He was 85. He received his bachelor’s degree from Acadia University, a master’s degree from Wesleyan University in 1951, and a PhD from Yale University. He retired from Argonne National Laboratory after a career of experimental work in power-reactor safety. Survivors include his wife, Janet Bowlby Stanford, and three children.
W. FRASER KEITH, a retired systems manager, died Dec. 4, 2013, at age 83. He was a member of Sigma Nu and received his degree from the University of Minnesota. Among those who survive are his wife, Bevelyn Gervais Keith, four daughters, two stepdaughters, 10 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and his sister.
THOMAS D. GIVEN, a retired science teacher in the Duxbury, Mass., schools, died Apr. 7, 2014. He was 84. The son of Philip L. Given of the class of 1909, he was a member of the John Wesley Club and received a master’s degree from Harvard University. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Survivors include his wife, Donna Zizek Given, and two children, David A. Given ’85, and Mary E. Given ’93.
LOUIS D’AMANDA, 84, a retired attorney, died Jan. 21, 2014. A U.S. Army veteran, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and received his law degree from Cornell University. He also attended Harvard Business School. After he passed the New York State bar exam he joined his father’s firm of Chamberlain & D’Amanda, where he practiced trial law for 40 years. In 1987 he was elected a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He was an active athlete and a dedicated conservationist. Survivors include his wife, June Allis Van Voorhis D’Amanda, four children, 19 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren.
DAVID J. BATDORF, 86, a retired attorney, and a community and political leader, died Dec. 15, 2013. The son of Jonathan P. Batdorf of the class of 1921, he was a member of Sigma Chi and received his law degree from the University of Tennessee. He was a U.S. Army veteran. A practicing attorney for 50 years, he was the Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 1973 to 1976. In addition to his work in the law community, he was involved in many election campaigns and in his church, where he served on national boards. A Berks County planning commissioner for nine years, he also served on the Kutztown University Board of Trustees. Among his many awards for community service, he received the Wesleyan University Service Award. He is survived by his wife, Carol Spangenburg Batdorf, three children, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren; and three sisters.
Bob Switzgable wrote from Stratford, Conn. I had told him and others about the companionship I have with my little dog, Bennie, and our ice cream ritual at bedtime. Bob’s wife died three summers ago and he keenly feels the void. I think he will look for a pet. Bob has two grandsons at Bryant University, just 10 miles from where I live.
Two generations ago Ken Kenigsberg’s family was chased out of Russia, then the Soviet Union. Now, ironically, Ken’s son is an honored guest and drives around Moscow in a car with diplomatic plates. Ken’s daughter-in-law is with the U.S. State Department. She, Ken’s son, and their two children live in the embassy compound. He is the editor of Nautilus, an online science magazine, and sends all his copy via the Internet. Ken wrote that he’s had to give up skiing, hiking, tennis, and sailing, but he still swims and enjoys writing poetry. He acquired a taste for it during his undergraduate years at Wes. One more thing about the Kenigsberg family: Ken’s granddaughter, Alison, graduated from Wesleyan four years ago and is finishing up four years of cantorial studies.
Dave Jones wrote to tell about the trip he and his wife, Ann, made on the steamboat American Queen from Memphis to New Orleans. On the way, they saw many beautiful mansions and Civil War battlefields. “The music on-board was terrific,” Dave wrote.
To the benefit of fellow members of the John Wesley Club who might want to be in touch with him, Dave Morey has moved to the following address: 10 Savage Farm Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850-8839. He moved to eliminate the up-hill climb that he and his wife, Helen, had to make from their cottage to the main building of their retirement establishment. The move was a difficult one for the Moreys because their mover didn’t move everything. “Many carloads later, I finished the job,”wrote Dave. “Now the big job is finding things and locating a new place for each one.”
Frank McCathran wrote that he and his wife, Carol Anne had decided to move back from Ocean Springs, Miss., to Germantown, Md. “Tired of the heat, humidity, and hurricanes,” Frank wrote.
Roger Stimson wrote from the frozen north (Michigan) that he’d had total knee replacements on both knees, the first in November, the second at the end of January. “It takes about six weeks to feel the knee is close to being back to normal, so I had my second knee done as soon as possible,” Roger wrote. “That should make me ready for the sailing season this summer. Better to be housebound in the winter than in spring or summer,” he added. Other than bum knees, Roger said that his health has been good and he works out regularly at the Y. His son, David, who is in the old-time vinyl record and audio equipment business, got Roger involved in restoring a 1950s vintage turntable. Roger also continues to be an active ham radio operator.
Bill Churchill wrote in the fall that he and his wife, Maggie, had decided to move to a continuing care retirement community in Burlington, N.C. “We have been happy in Fearrington Village,” he wrote, “but we decided to downsize and move to a place where we can get more care when the time comes. Meanwhile, we are living in a comfortable duplex with a view of the lake and the company of several friends from our old village.” Bill wrote, “Hope to find a new golf course and some volunteer activities to keep me going.” Bill said that he and Bob Switzgable had their annual lunch on Cape Cod this past summer and that Bob hadn’t lost his sense of humor.
DAVID M. PHILIPS | davephilips69@hotmail.com
100 Elena St., Apt. 618, Cranston, RI 02920-7620
ROBERT M. PHELPS, a retired dentist, died Jan. 3, 2013. He was 87. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He received his bachelor’s and dental degrees from Western Reserve University. Among those who survive are two sons.
LEONARD M. LEIMAN, 82, an attorney and partner in Fulbright & Jaworski, died Oct. 30, 2013. A member of Sigma Nu, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in government. After receiving his law degree from Harvard University, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review, he clerked for Appeals Court Judge Learned Hand and for Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan. He joined the former law firm Reavis & McGrath in 1956, becoming a partner and playing an important role in the firm’s merger with Fulbright & Jaworski, and he remained of counsel to the multinational law firm Norton Rose Fulbright. He practiced securities law, advised many nonprofits, and counseled numerous companies on how to navigate complex regulatory environments. He was a member of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, a member of the Legal Affairs Committee of the New York Stock Exchange, and was past chair of the Committee on Securities Regulation of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He also taught corporate and securities law as a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and New York University law schools. His wife, Joan Maisel Leiman, survives, as do his son, Alan J. Leiman ’85, his daughter, three grandchildren, his sister, and an extended family.
CHARLES JACKSON HOOVER SR., an executive and mortgage broker, died Apr. 8, 2012, at age 82. A member of Delta Upsilon, he was the brother of the late Walter B. Hoover Jr. ’49, M.D. Predeceased by his wife, Joan Salvucci Hoover, among those who survive are two sons, including Charles Jackson Hoover Jr. ’75, two grandsons, and his sister.
J. BRUCE CARLOCK, 87, who retired as professor of English at Erskine College, died Apr. 5, 2013. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi and received his PhD from the University of South Carolina. A U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, he also wrote and produced musical comedies. His wife, Ruth McCardle Carlock, a son, and a daughter predeceased him. He is survived by a daughter, a son, and six grandchildren.
