CHARLES S. EMERSON, 68, a mainframe computer software specialist at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft and at Cigna Corporation, died Jan. 27, 2010. He was a member of the John Wesley Club, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Hartford, and a master’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Among those who survive are his wife, Janice Coyle Emerson, his parents, two daughters, and three grandchildren.
JOHN CHARLES DUFFY died of a heart attack on March 15 in Gettysburg, Pa., at age 64. Throughout his life, he was passionately engaged with the arts, as a musician, conductor, educator, critic, writer, and avid theatergoer.
As a young man, John studied the trumpet with a leading trumpet player in the Cleveland Orchestra and performed summers at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. While he was an undergraduate at Wesleyan, his musical interests shifted to choral and vocal works. He sang with the Wesleyan Glee Club under Richard Winslow, as well as with the Smith-Wesleyan Concert Choir and the Cardinalaires. He also played trumpet on worldwide tours with the Smith-Amherst Chamber Singers, under the direction of Iva Dee Hiatt. During this period, he developed his lifelong passion for the music of Schubert, performing the “Winterreise” song-cycle for his senior recital.
As a graduate student at Brown University, he studied musicology and conducting, and met his wife, Jeannie de Brun. In 1971, he helped co-found the Providence Singers, a choral group that performed a diverse repertoire. He completed his doctorate in musicology at Boston University, and his resulting book, The Songs and Motets of Alfonso Ferrabosco, the Younger, was published by the University of Michigan Research Press in 1980. He taught and conducted the choruses at Tufts University in the mid to late 1970s.
In 1980, he left academia to teach for Digital Equipment Corporation. Even as he worked in the field of computer technology, he continued to participate in the arts. He sang in the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (along with his wife) and the John Oliver Chorale, among other vocal groups in the Boston area. While living in the Twin Cities in the 1990s, he conducted a performance of Orlando de Lassus’ “The Tears of St. Peter” at the Basilica of St. Mary, a concert broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio. He also took great joy in working with young people in music, leading the students of the Apple Valley High School Music Listening Team to two consecutive state titles, and directing the choir of Normandale Community College on several occasions.
As a music critic, he wrote reviews for the Boston Herald, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and other newspapers. He was a lifelong member of the Music Critics Association and the American Musicological Society, and he delivered talks on Schubert and other subjects at professional meetings.
Theater was another passion of John’s. He became an ardent supporter of the Guthrie and other theaters in Minneapolis and, later, the Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, WV.
John and Jeanne moved to Gettysburg, PA, in 1999, when Jeanne pursued a career opportunity at Gettysburg College, her alma mater. John also worked at Gettysburg College—on the development and early implementation of CNAV, the college’s award-winning portal. In addition to his enthusiasm for music and theater, John was a connoisseur of fine coffee, dark chocolate, Herrell’s ice cream, and esoteric books. He is survived by his wife, his daughter Vanessa of Burtonsville, MD, his son Alec of New York City, and his two-year-old granddaughter Tabitha Duffy-Goodman.
WILLIAM D.S. DICKSON, a teacher at the Haverford (Penna.) School, died of cancer Apr. 2, 2003. He was 61. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, he also received specialized educational administration degrees from West Chester University and from Immaculata College. He taught at the Episcopal Academy for 22 years before joining the faculty and administration at the Haverford School, where he received the school’s Outstanding Teacher Award. Survivors include a daughter, a grandson, a brother, and a sister.
GEORGE T. BRUBAKER, a founding partner of the law firm of Hartman, Underhill, & Brubaker, LLP, died of cancer on Aug. 1, 2006. He was 64. A member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and a history major as an undergraduate, he received his bachelor’s degree with honors. He attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School, earning his doctorate of jurisprudence, magna cum laude. He held a federal clerkship before returning to Lancaster, Pa., where he served in the office of the District Attorney and then entered into private practice. He developed a special expertise in municipal and school law and was active in his firm until his death. He is survived by his wife, Margot Lasher Brubaker, a daughter, a son, Theodore Brubaker ’93, and two grandsons.
MICHAEL A. AUSTIN, 68, an attorney who specialized in tax, and in trusts and estates, died Dec. 7, 2011. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi, received his degree magna cum laude, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After four years of service in the U.S. Navy, he entered Harvard Law School and upon receiving his degree began practicing law in Boston, first with a larger firm and later on his own. Predeceased by his daughter, he is survived by his wife, Nolly Corley; two sons, including Jeffrey M. Austin ’00; two sisters; a stepson; and many nieces and nephews.
