1960s

Fred Lincoln Hewitt III ’60

Fred Lincoln Hewitt III ’60, a Navy aviator who later devoted his life to teaching, was born on Sept. 25, 1938, in Buffalo, N.Y. The son of Fred Hewitt, Jr. and the former Marion Attridge Hurley, he grew up in Short Hills, N.J., and prepared for college at The Pingry School. At Hamilton, Fred Hewitt was a member of Chi Psi, Block H Club, International Relations Club, the soccer team and Newman Club. He majored in history.

From 1960 to 1973, Fred Hewitt served in the U.S. Navy, having attended the Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I. Until 1962, he was a line officer on the U.S.S. Boston and then became an instructor at NOCS for two more years. Motivated by President Kennedy’s famous words, “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” he decided to remain in the Navy and proceeded to Pensacola, Fla., for flight training. He was a naval aviator in attack squadrons VA-42, VA-75, VA-85 and VA-34, and survived 205 combat strikes over North Vietnam. Fred Hewitt received several honors for his service, including the Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses and 16 Air Medals.

On June 9, 1962, Fred Hewitt married Ann Poley. After 14 years as a naval officer, he decided to change professions in order to spend more time with his family. In 1973, he took a job as an athletics director, history teacher and ice hockey coach at Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island. Two years later, the family moved to Antwerp, Belgium, where he assumed the role of athletics director at Antwerp International School. The family enjoyed exploring Europe during these years, especially Christmas holidays spent skiing in Switzerland.

In 1977, the Hewitts returned to the U.S. to settle in Severn Park, Md., where Fred became athletics director and taught history at the Severn School for 25 years. Joining him was Ann, who became the school’s office secretary, and all four of his daughters who attended the school. In 1979, he received a master’s degree in education from Michigan State University. He served as president of the Maryland State Athletic Directors Association and was subsequently inducted into the Severn School and the Maryland State Athletic Director’s halls of fame.

A golfer and Red Sox fan, Fred Hewitt was a tennis professional who gave summer lessons. He and Ann both retired in 2002 and moved to Galesville, Md., south of Annapolis. They continued to enjoy traveling and relaxing at their vacation home in the mountains of western Maryland.
Fred L. Hewitt, who credited Hamilton with playing a role in his development, especially helping him “focus on ‘payback’ for the many gifts that have come my way,” died on May 14, 2015. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his four daughters, Cathy, Meg, Beth and Amy, as well as eight grandchildren.
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Raymond Allen Mohl ’61

Raymond Allen Mohl ’61, a renowned urban historian and professor, was born on Oct. 8, 1939, in Tarrytown, N.Y. The son of Raymond Mohl, Sr., a sales manager, and the former Eileen McFadden, he prepared for college at Washington Irving High School. During his time on the Hill, Ray Mohl participated on the swim team, which he captained his junior and senior years, and was a member of Delta Upsilon. A history major passionate about his studies, he earned the E. Root Fitch Prize Scholarship.

One year after his graduation, Ray Mohl received a master’s degree from Yale University and launched his career in education by teaching history at Valhalla High School in N.Y., while researching the history of poverty before 1825 in New York City for his dissertation. He earned a second master’s in 1965 and his Ph.D. in U.S. urban history in 1967, both from New York University.

Dr. Mohl began his career as a college professor at Indiana University and retained the position for three years, during which time he published two books. In 1970, he “escaped the Rustbelt for the Sunbelt” to become associate professor of history (and later department chair) at Florida Atlantic University and remained in Boca Raton for 26 years. In addition to teaching, he served as editor of a book series for 10 years, organized a faculty labor union and founded the Journal of Urban History. After retiring from his teaching position within the Florida State University system in 1996, he became chair of the history department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and, for a short time, was a visiting professor at the University of New Orleans. In the midst of Ray Mohl’s teaching career, he earned two Fulbright Scholarships, spending a year as a lecturer at Tel Aviv University in Israel and later participating in a Senior Fulbright Lectureship at the University of Western Australia. He was honored as the George Bancroft Fulbright Chair in American History at the University of Gottingen in Germany.

In addition to his commitment to teaching, Ray Mohl maintained a passion for history throughout his life. He was an avid researcher, editing and authoring more than a dozen books and some 150 journal and scholarly articles. After moving to the South, he became focused on urban history issues regarding race and civil rights, as well as immigration, specifically in the Miami area. Some acclaimed titles include Poverty in New York, The New African American Urban History (1971), Urban Policy in Twentieth Century America (1993) and South of the South: Jewish Activists and the Civil Rights Movement in Miami, 1945-1960 (2003). Most recently, his research focused on the impact of interstate highways on American cities. In 1979-80, he was awarded a Research Fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies, and the National Endow ment for the Humanities allowed him to spend the 1984-85 academic year researching Miami’s public policy, growth and politics since World War II. He also received a grant from the Race Research Action Council. Additionally, he served as the president of the Urban History Association, a board in which some 500 scholars internationally share their interest in urban studies.

Dr. Mohl, who acknowledged that in many ways his vocation was also his hobby, enjoyed traveling to France, Germany and China for extended periods with his wife, Sai Sai Dong, a physician from China whom he had married in 2002. In addition, he enjoyed adult softball, masters-level swimming and daily workouts. Other fond memories came during family gatherings in Florida, California and New Hampshire.

Raymond A. Mohl, a faithful alumnus who referred to Hamilton as “a great place to grow up and learn a little about life and the world,” died from complications due to cancer on Jan. 29, 2015, in Boca Raton, Fla. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two children, Nancy and Raymond, from a prior marriage to Penny Burkhardt. Also surviving are two grandchildren and two brothers, including Bruce Mohl ’68.
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David Ellis Blabey ’65

David Ellis Blabey ’65, a lawyer and former general counsel to the New York State Public Service Commission and later the New York Power Authority, grew up in Albany, N.Y., where he was born on April 13, 1943. A son of Robert, also a lawyer employed in state government, and Margaret Ellis Blabey, he prepared for college at the Milne School in Albany. A nephew of Professor of History David M. Ellis ’38, after whom he was named, Dave Blabey followed his older brother, Robert Blabey, Jr., ’63, to Hamilton. He also joined his brother’s fraternity, Alpha Delta Phi. An active participant in its house affairs, he majored in economics and speech, and won the coveted Clark Prize in his senior year.

Following his graduation in 1965, Dave Blabey entered Cornell Law School where he obtained his J.D. degree in 1968. Two years later, while with VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) in Washington, D.C., he acquired an LL.M. in urban law from George Washington University. In 1972, after two years as a staff attorney for Neighborhood Legal Services in Washington, he returned to Albany and served until 1974 as assistant counsel to Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller and his successor, Malcolm Wilson.

Appointed special counsel to the New York State Board of Elections, Dave Blabey left that post after two years in 1976 to become counsel to the State Senate’s energy committee. He concurrently served as a member of the State’s Energy Planning Board. That was followed by service as general counsel to the Public Service Commission from 1981 to 1987.

Thereafter, Dave Blabey left public service and entered private law practice as a partner in the firm of Hiscock & Barclay with offices in Albany. Specializing in public utility law, he represented energy and utility companies in state agency proceedings and earned listing in The Best Lawyers in America in 1994. After a decade with the law firm, he returned to state service as executive vice president, secretary and general counsel to the New York Power Authority. Following his retirement from those positions in 2005, he resumed practicing energy and utility law with Hiscock & Barclay for a time.

Beyond his professional activities, Dave Blabey took part in community affairs, serving as a member of the Town of Bethlehem’s planning board. When his children were young, he was a travel team coach with the Bethlehem Soccer Club. In retirement, he served on the boards of the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy and Albany Rural Cemetery.

David E. Blabey, a faithfully devoted alumnus and a resident of the Albany suburb of Delmar for many years, died at his home there on June 1, 2015, following a long illness. He is survived by his wife, Susan Lambeth Blabey, whom he had married in 1970. Also surviving are a son, David; a daughter, Virginia; and three grandchildren and two brothers, including Richard Blabey ’68. He was predeceased by a daughter, Sarah, and his brother Robert. Among other family members are a nephew, Robert Blabey III ’92, and nieces Nancy Blabey Baily ’91, Elizabeth Blabey Janigá ’95 and Anna Blabey Smith ’04.
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Brooks Boveroux ’65

Brooks Boveroux ’65, formerly chief financial officer for several prominent biotechnology companies, was born on Aug. 7, 1943, to George Leonhard Boveroux, an investment banker, and the former Sylvia Sayer, in Glen Ridge, N.J. He was the second of three sons, all graduates of Hamilton. Brooks Boveroux grew up in Essex Fells, N.J., and enrolled at the College from Montclair High School. An English literature major, he joined Sigma Phi, played hockey and tennis, sang in the Choir and served on the staff of campus radio station WHCL.

Brooks Boveroux went on to the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania where he earned an M.B.A. degree in finance in 1967. Already as a graduate student, he had signed up for service in the U.S. Navy. Commissioned as an officer, he served from 1967 to 1971, including two tours of duty as an F-8 fighter plane pilot in Vietnam, one on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Shangri-La and the other on the U.S.S. Oriskany. At home, awaiting his return, was his wife, the former Margaret Tassie, whom he had married in Princeton, N.J., on Dec. 29, 1968.

Following his release from the Navy, Brooks Boveroux began his long career in finance with Citibank. In 1980, after serving as assistant treasurer and director of business planning for PepsiCo, Inc., he joined Allied Chemical Corp. as director of development in charge of Allied’s acquisition program. He was later promoted to vice president, finance, of Allied’s Health & Scientific Products Co. Appointed in 1986 as vice president, finance, of Biogen, Inc., a leader in the development of new pharmaceutical products through genetic engineering, he was also named chief finance officer of the Biogen group.

Brooks Boveroux subsequently held top financial positions with such biotechnology companies as ImClone Systems and the Liposome Co. His last position was as chief financial officer of Imcor Pharmaceutical Co., from which he retired in 2004. As a consultant, he applied his wealth of expertise in advising health care and pharmaceutical companies on corporate finance.

Brooks Boveroux retired to South Carolina where he volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and sang in the Gospel Choir of the Charleston Symphony and with the Choraliers on Kiawah Island. He also served on the board of directors of the Medical University of South Carolina. His favorite leisure-time activities included skiing and amateur photography, and he especially enjoyed time spent on the tennis court and golf course, as well as playing table tennis.

Brooks Boveroux’s life ended at his home on Kiawah Island on June 9, 2015, following a long illness. He is survived by his wife of 46 years. Also surviving are a daughter, Lisa; a son, Parker; and four grandchildren, a sister and a brother, Kent Boveroux ’71. Among his nephews is Christopher S. Boveroux ’08. He was predeceased by his older brother, George Boveroux, Jr. ’56, in 2013.
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Gary Grant Briggs ’69

Gary Grant Briggs ’69, a self-employed contractor, was born in Wellsville, N.Y., on July 10, 1947. The son of educators William and Marguerite Perry Briggs, he prepared for college at Northern Potter High School in Ulysses, Pa. While on the Hill, Gary Briggs contributed to The Spectator and excelled in his studies, earning departmental honors in psychology and induction into the scientific research society Sigma Xi.

Upon his graduation from Hamilton, Gary Briggs continued to pursue his interest in the sciences at Duke University where he earned a Ph.D. in experimental psychology in 1974. Subsequently, he accepted an offer to continue research at the Duke University Medical Center, focusing on the neuropsychology of skilled motor performance. Dr. Briggs was also a member of the International Neuro psychology Society.

Sometime thereafter, Gary Briggs changed professions and become owner/operator of Briggs Building and Remodeling, specializing in residential and commercial construction projects in the surrounding towns of his birthplace. Additionally, as a former resident of Whitesville, N.Y., he was a member of the Whitesville Library’s board and served as a trustee of the North Bingham Cemetery Association.

Gary G. Briggs, a supportive alumnus, died on March 9, 2015, in a tragic fire at his home in Genesee, Pa., that also took the life of his wife, the former Mary Fuss, whom he had married on Aug. 6, 1983. He is survived by a stepson, Jay.
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Edwin John Effinger ’69

Edwin John Effinger ’69, a headmaster of several prep schools including one he cofounded for economically disadvantaged students, was born on March 5, 1947, to Edwin Effinger, a banker, and the former Alma Wieda in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he attended Poly Prep. During the college search process, he looked at four “in the country,” or at least what seemed to be the country to a young man from Brooklyn, and Hamilton was among them. He was drawn to Hamilton, he wrote in his 25th reunion yearbook, because he saw a couple of students wearing flannel shirts, “and boy, did I like to wear flannel shirts.” A history major, he pledged Delta Kappa Epsilon and was selected for the Was Los honor society. He played football, ran track, sang in the Choir and served on the Student Assembly where he made friendships that defied social, academic and athletic cliques. He valued and respected everyone, his classmates recall.

John Effinger earned a master’s degree in history in 1972 at Wake Forest University and spent a year teaching at a public school. From there, he returned to Hamilton to work in the Admission Office as assistant and then associate director. In 1977, he and his wife, the former Lynne Wilkinson K’74, whom he had married on June 15, 1968, moved to North Andover, Mass., where he took a job as director of college placement at Brooks School. After several years there, he served as headmaster at several schools: Landon Middle School in Bethesda, Md., Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal School in Memphis, Tenn., and Wooster School in Danbury, Conn.

In 1995, John Effinger became owner of E Title and Abstract, which he ran for more than 13 years. During that same time, he undertook the last of his academic leadership duties as founding head of Academy Prep in St. Petersburg, Fla. The school, initially for 60 boys grades 5 through 8, offered a tuition-free education to promising students from inner-city neighborhoods, many from “fractured families.” Beyond the challenging curriculum, the school stressed discipline and civility as well as ethics and values.

Ever devoted to his alma mater, John Effinger served the Class of 1969 as “co-president for life,” providing unflagging support. His classmates remember him as one of the most dedicated and passionate among them. As one put it, “He was the voice on the other end of the unexpected call that starts with, ‘How are you?’ and ends with ‘How much?’ Refusals and complaints never deterred him. John really cared about us. We were in his class at the college he loved.” A Reunion Gift Committee chair and class correspondent for this magazine, John Effinger joined other members of his class in accepting a College Key Award for spearheading the Class of 1969 Alexander Hamilton Scholarship and achieving participation and dollar goals for the Annual Fund in honor of their 40th reunion in 2009.

E. John Effinger died at his home in Rixeyville, Va., on March 10, 2015, a few days after his 68th birthday. In addition to his second wife, Pamela Enriquez, whom he had married in 2001, he is survived by his sons, John and James Effinger ’00; a daughter, Corey; two step-children, Mark and Melinda; and seven grandchildren.
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