CHARLES A. ELLIS JR., M.D., a retired internist, died May 11, 2008, at age 78. He was a member of Sigma Nu and received his medical degree from Albany Medical College. After completing his medical residency training in the U.S. Navy, he was affiliated with Lawrence (Mass.) General Hospital and Holy Family Hospital for more than 43 years. Predeceased by his wife, Jane Timbrell Ellis, he is survived by five children and six grandchildren.
WILLIAM U. COPELAND, 77, the owner of Bird Bay Realty in Venice, Fla., died Nov. 12, 2006. He was a member of Psi Upsilon and received his degree from the University of Nebraska. During the Korean War he served in the US Air Force. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Logan Copeland, two sons, three stepdaughters, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a brother.
DONALD G. CONRAD, a financial executive who more recently was senior adviser to the president of the World Bank in Washington, D.C., died Aug. 9, 2008. He was 78. After attending Wesleyan, he received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi. After four years as a U.S. Navy officer, he joined Exxon as CFO of Esso Europe. He then spent 18 years with Aetna in Hartford, Conn., as chief investment officer, CFO and a member of the board. In 1988 he became part owner and CEO of the Hartford Whalers hockey club, which he sold in 1991. He was a founder of the Greater Hartford Arts Council and chairman emeritus of the American Council of the Arts, now Americans for the Arts. Among those who survive are his wife, Stephania Conrad, four children, a stepdaughter, a sister, and six grandchildren.
ROBERT P. BRODY, 79, professor emeritus of business administration at the University of New Haven, died July 14, 2010. A member of Delta Upsilon, he received his degree with honors. He received an MBA from the University of Chicago and a DBA from Harvard University, and he taught at the University of Washington and Rider College before joining the faculty at the University of New Haven. He is survived by his wife, Charlotte Abrams Brody; four children, including Neal Brody ’80; and seven grandchildren, including Alexander Brody ’12.
NORMAN H. BERRY JR., 75, a manufacturer of automotive ignition system components and the designer of an innovative sparkplug wire, died Feb. 1, 2006. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and received an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. A member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, he founded LGM, Ltd., a supplier of ignition systems, with his wife, North Carolina Labor Commissioner Cherie Killian Berry, in 1985. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two children, two step-daughters, and a brother.
HARRY M. BECK, a retired vice president of the Bank of California, died Oct. 13, 2011, at age 86. A member of Sigma Chi, prior to attending Wesleyan he served in the Naval Pilot Training Program and the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. Survivors include his wife, Frances Carran Beck, three children, 11 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. One son predeceased him.
GIAN L. BERCHIELLI, a retired elementary school educator and U.S. Navy officer, died Sept. 11, 2007, at age 78. A member of Sigma Nu, he served four years of active duty and then spent 30 years in the Reserves. After leaving active duty he received a master’s degree and later a PhD from the University of Florida. He was a classroom teacher, a school principal, and an award-winning administrator. A leader in many civic and professional organizations, he was honored as the Florida Educator of the Year. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Renalducci Berchielli, two daughters, and five grandchildren.
