1950s

Robert Kimble Dennis ’50

Robert Kimble Dennis ’50, a prize-winning newspaper reporter and public relations executive, was born on March 21, 1928, the only child of Clarence K., an industrial engineer, and Esther King Dennis, in Syracuse, N.Y. He grew up in Binghamton, N.Y., where he was graduated in early 1946 from Binghamton Central High School. He enrolled at Hamilton that spring and joined Chi Psi, but left the College after the fall semester.

Having majored in economics, Robert Dennis obtained his B.A. degree from Syracuse University in 1951. That year, he was married to Martha J. Bullard. His early employment included supervisor of service and claims for Kroehler Furniture Manu­facturing Co. in Charlotte, N.C., and field underwriter for Shenandoah Life Insurance Co., also in Charlotte.

In the early 1960s, Robert Dennis joined the staff of The Charlotte Observer as a reporter. He became the principal reporter on The Observer’s series of articles, “Brown Lung: A Case of Deadly Neglect,” that documented the debilitating effects on the health of textile workers from breathing cotton dust. The series received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Gold Prize for Meritorious Public Service and the George Polk Award, both in 1981. As a reporter, Robert ­Dennis also broke the national story of the settlement after a bitter 20-year struggle between the textile workers’ union and J.P. Stevens Co., the nation’s second largest textile manufacturer.

Robert Dennis, who specialized in business writing and wrote with exceptional literary style, also served The Observer consecutively as assistant state editor, assistant metropolitan editor and state editor. He retired from the newspaper after 24 years in 1986. Thereafter he was for a decade a public relations executive with Epley Associates in Charlotte, specializing in media relations and environmental issues for large corporations.

Robert K. Dennis was still residing in Charlotte when he died on Jan. 7, 2015. He is ­survived by two daughters, Pamela Silverman and Darby K. Dennis; three sons, Robert K., Jr., Payson B. and Christopher K. Dennis; and four grand­children.

Robert Harold Price ’50

Robert Harold Price ’50, a professor of French who taught for 20 years at Sam Houston State University, was born in New York City on April 1, 1926. His parents were Harry Lustig, who was engaged in advertising, and Grace Price. Reared by his mother following his parents’ divorce, he grew up in New York City, where he was graduated in 1943 from DeWitt Clinton High School. He soon entered the U.S. Navy and served as a pharmacist’s mate in the Pacific theater during World War II. He took part in the occupation of Japan after the war’s end and was released from active duty in 1946.

After taking courses for two years at Champlain College, Bob Price transferred to Hamilton as a junior in 1948. He focused on his studies while on the Hill with excellent result, gaining election to Phi Beta Kappa. He was awarded his A.B. degree with honors in French and philosophy in 1950. In later life he recalled that “my decision to become a teacher was influenced in large measure by the inspired teaching of ­Hamilton’s outstanding faculty,” and that the faculty members he encountered “continued to be role models for 40 years in my own academic career.”

Bob Price sailed to France following his graduation, having been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for study at the University of Montpellier. During 1950-51 he also taught English at a secondary school in that city. After ­further studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, he returned home to acquire an M.A. in French from Middlebury College in 1952. In 1953, following a year as an instructor in French at Texas Technical College, he began doctoral studies at the University of Texas, where he also served as a teaching assistant. By the time he earned his Ph.D. in 1958, he had already been an instructor in French for two years at the University of Colorado.

Promoted to assistant professor, Dr. Price left Colorado in 1962 and returned to Texas when appointed as an associate professor at Southern Methodist University. In 1971, he made his last academic move by joining the faculty of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, as professor of French and chairman of the foreign language department, a post in which he would serve for 10 years. He subsequently served as coordinator of foreign language studies. Although he retired in 1986, he continued to teach part-time until 1991.

Dr. Price, who specialized in 16th-century French literature as well as contemporary French philosophy, contributed numerous articles to scholarly journals. During his career at SMU in Dallas, he had also worked closely with the French Embassy in bringing notable French writers, artists and musicians to that city. In recognition of his contributions to the furtherance of French culture in the United States, he was named a Chevalier of the Order of the Academic Palms by the French government in 1966.

In retirement, Bob Price found time to pursue long­standing hobbies and ­interests, including numismatics, gardening and travel. With his wife, the former Mildred Locklear, whom he had wed on March 29, 1956, in Austin, Texas, he enjoyed many travels to countries abroad.
Robert H. Price, a faithful and supportive alumnus, was still residing in Huntsville when he died on Jan. 6, 2015. Predeceased by his wife and a son, Jack, he is survived by a grandson, Sean.

Samuel Dunham Fairchild ’51

Samuel Dunham Fairchild ’51, a retired hardware store owner, was born on Oct. 13, 1929, in Plattsburgh, N.Y. The only child of John D., a lumber dealer, and Harriett Haynes Fairchild, a shop owner, he was a nephew of David P. Fairchild ’31. Sam Fairchild grew up in Plattsburgh and prepared for college at Solebury School in New Hope, Pa. He enrolled at Hamilton in 1947 and joined the Emerson Literary Society. He sailed through four years on the Hill without making much of a ripple, except for a few extracurricular activities that earned him some local fame, such as driving his Harley across the football field and on to Dean Tolles’ lawn, leaving muddy tracks back to ELS!

Drafted into the U.S. Marine Corps following his graduation in 1951, Sam Fairchild pulled stateside duty during the Korean conflict, “typing and playing pinochle” as a supply sergeant. On Jan. 25, 1952, while in military service, he was married in Boston  to Frances C. Flindt, whom he had met at a Hamilton houseparty. Discharged in 1953, he returned to Plattsburgh and worked there for 18 years in construction-related sales. He was at various times an estimator for a general contractor and manager of contract sales. In 1972, he went into business for himself as owner and proprietor of Plattsburgh Hardware, Inc. He retired after selling the business in 1988.

A resident since 1954 of rural West Chazy, outside of Plattsburgh, Sam Fairchild served as an elder, sexton and trustee of the Chazy Presbyterian Church, where he sang bass in the choir. For 15 years he was the church’s representative to the Presbytory of Northern New York. He also served as president of the Chazy Volunteer Fire Department. His spare time was spent as a general handyman for his church and around his own home, which had been built by his ancestors in 1840 and which he completely remodeled. In addition, he lovingly restored antique cars, including a 1929 Mercedes roadster and a 1929 Model A Ford, as well as vintage military jeeps. All became well-known features of local parades and car shows. Known for his irrepressible humor, he is remembered by one old friend as a “straight-shooting, hard-working, sometimes funny, sometimes crotchety, compassionate man.”

Samuel D. Fairchild, a devoted alumnus, died on Oct. 3, 2014, after a long battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He is survived by his wife of 62 years. Also surviving are two daughters, Laura Cabrera and Janice Chavero; a son, John H. Fairchild; and five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Barry Taylor Held ’52

Barry Taylor Held ’52, a retired radiologist and medical educator, was born on Nov. 5, 1931, in Brooklyn, N.Y. The son of Julius M. Held, a musician, and the former Mathilda “Tillie” Taylor, Barry Held grew up in Brooklyn, where he was graduated in 1948 from Lafayette High School. As a youngster he greatly admired an uncle who was a medical doctor, and he had early determined to emulate him by becoming a physician himself. After a year at New York University, he transferred to Hamilton, seeking the benefits of a small college for his premedical education. He joined the Squires Club and became its social chairman. As its “master of the revels,” he was the leading organizer of its activities. Credited with a variety of talents by The Hamiltonian, he was described as “a canny combination of scholar and epicurean” as well as “gifted in music and sensitive to poetry…a shrewd judge and keen thinker.”

Following his graduation in 1952, Barry Held returned to Brooklyn and enrolled in the State University of New York’s Downstate College of Medicine. He acquired his M.D. degree in 1956 and completed his internship and residency in radiology at Long Island College Hospital in 1960. That year, he was appointed as instructor in radiology at the Yale University School of Medicine and served as assistant radiologist at New Haven Hospital. In 1962, he joined the radiology department of Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, and in 1966, he became director of the radiology department of the Salvation Army’s Booth Memorial Hospital in Flushing, Queens. Three years later, at the age of 37, he was elected to chair the hospital’s medical board. He continued to head Booth Memorial’s department of radiology for more than 30 years.

Dr. Held, who became co-head of outpatient radiology at New York Hospital Medical Center in 1998, retired in 2003. Concurrently he had served as assistant professor of clinical radiology at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Cornell University’s Weill Medical College in Manhattan. A past president of the New York Roentgen Society, he was also a national advisor for the accreditation and standards of radiology care for the American College of Radiology, and member of the National Board of Medical Examiners as well as the American Board of Radiology.

Barry Held was known to patients, students and colleagues alike for his empathy and ability to connect. His approach to medicine was humanistic, and he credited his Hamilton education, especially courses in philosophy, with widening his horizons beyond medical science. His love of literature was also nurtured at Hamilton, and he remained a voracious reader, taking great pleasure in it throughout the rest of his life.

In 2002, Barry Held, for 30 years a resident of Sharon, Conn., built a second home in Wyoming with his wife, the former Melinda Sweet, whom he had married in 1980. An amateur photographer since his teenage years, he enjoyed focusing his camera on scenes of nature out West. He also enjoyed travel, and with camera ready to hand he ventured abroad to such places as Patagonia and Antarctica.

Barry T. Held, an ever faithful and generously supportive alumnus, died at his home in Sharon on Oct. 6, 2014. His wife, Melinda, survives him. He is also survived by his former wife, Barbara Mandich Held, whom he had wed in 1955, and their daughter, Patricia Grunebaum ’84. He was predeceased in 1999 by their son, James D. “Jamie” Held ’82, whose wife, Sharon Abrams Held, survives. Other survivors include Dr. Held’s stepdaughter, Elizabeth Dowling, and stepson, Howard C. Sweet, and seven grandchildren.

Frank Randall Jewell ’52

Frank Randall Jewell ’52, an attorney-at-law who practiced in Dallas for 45 years, was born on Aug. 8, 1930, in Middletown, N.Y. His parents were Frank H. Jewell, a chiropractor, and the former Theodosia Randall, a schoolteacher. Young Frank grew up in the Catskills town of Liberty and was graduated in 1948 from Liberty High School. As a high school student he had excelled in debate, despite his loss of hearing, the result of an infection, and became a state speech and debate champion. Thanks to an experimental treatment, his hearing was subsequently restored in one ear. As a youngster, he had joined the Boy Scouts and later became a Scout leader. He also spent many delightful summers at his family’s camp on the Neversink River. As a result of those two youthful experiences, he developed a lifelong love of the outdoors and outdoor activities.

Frank Jewell arrived on College Hill in the fall of 1948 and soon affiliated with Delta Kappa Epsilon. He played in the Band and, not surprisingly, went out for debate and gained election to the honorary forensic society Delta Sigma Rho. He also became a campus leader, serving on the Chapel Board and the Student Council. In his senior year, when president of the Deke house, he was elected president of the Interfraternity Council. Having majored in Latin and philosophy, “the man with the Santa Claus laugh and a size 14 shoe,” in The Hamiltonian’s words, was awarded his diploma in 1952.

Assisted by a warm recommendation from Dean Winton Tolles, Frank Jewell applied to law school. He chose the University of Texas, a state in which he would reside for the rest of his life. After acquiring his LL.B. degree in 1955, he settled in Dallas, where he served for a year as assistant district attorney. Thereafter he established his private practice, specializing in civil trial law. He later became a partner in the firm of Hultgren, Jewell & Kolb. He retired in 2001.

Frank Jewell spent as much of his spare time as possible at a second home in Taos County, N.M., and also in the Rocky Mountains, hiking, camping, skiing, mountain climbing and kayaking. He passed along to his children his love of the outdoors, and the family spent many happy weekends on lakes, enjoying boating and water-skiing. When he retired from his law practice, he bought a small ranch in Bastrop, Texas, and there enjoyed his favorite pastime, reading, a love he had acquired at Hamilton. He also enjoyed playing with his dogs, which at one time included four golden retrievers and two English pointers that he and his wife had trained and shown.

Frank R. Jewell, a devoted alumnus, was residing in Paige, Texas, when he died on Oct. 15, 2014. He is survived by his wife, the former Margaret Clark, whom he had married in Weatherford, Texas, on Dec. 29, 1955, shortly after his graduation from law school. Also surviving are three sons, Frank H., Walter S. and Michael J. Jewell; a daughter, Laurie K. Jewell; and five grandchildren in addition to his dogs, especially his close companion Bingo.

Charles Turner Bates ’53

Charles Turner Bates ’53, a lawyer, corporate executive and former trustee of the College, who embarked on a second rewarding career as a school teacher following his retirement, was born on Jan. 3, 1932, in Tarrytown, N.Y. A son of Harry Cole Bates, Class of 1912, also a lawyer, and the former Helen Morris Turner, he prepared for college at Hackley School in Tarrytown and entered Hamilton from Irvington-on-Hudson in 1949. He was preceded on the Hill by his brother, Harry Cole Bates III ’50, as well as his father, and would be followed by his younger brother, David F. Bates ’55. Charlie Bates joined the family’s fraternity, Sigma Phi, and quickly established himself as a campus leader. He trouped with the Charlatans and became head manager of the football team, and in his senior year he was a member of the Student Council, president of the Chapel Board, associate editor of The Spectator and co-captain of the swimming team. While in the pool, he set a Hamilton record for the 220-yard freestyle. He was elected to D.T. and Was Los, and tapped for Pentagon, and it was not surprising that when Life magazine ran a feature on Hamilton’s Class of 1953, he would be singled out as the “Activities Man.”

Charlie Bates also achieved high marks academically and was rewarded with the Benjamin Walworth Arnold Prize Scholarship as well as the Captain Gerald Fitzgerald Dale Senior Scholarship. He was graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1953, and with honors in English literature, French, history and public speaking. Capping his academic career, he received the prestigious James Soper Merrill Prize as typifying “the highest ideals of the College.”

Shortly after his graduation, Charlie Bates was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served in the enlisted ranks of the Ordnance Corps for two years, including 18 months in France. Released from military service in 1955, he enrolled at Yale Law School, aided by the G.I. Bill. After receiving his LL.B. degree in 1958, he joined a small law firm in New York City, Townley & Updike, and engaged in the practice of general corporate law.

In 1969, Charlie Bates began his 20-year career with the Columbia Broadcasting ­System as an attorney in its law department. Promoted to assistant corporate secretary in 1971, he was named secretary of CBS as well as associate general counsel in 1974. One of his greatest satisfactions while at CBS was assisting in the implementation of ethical practice standards in its corporate governance. Upon his retirement in 1988, he returned to his alma mater, ­Hackley School, of which he had been a trustee, and joined its faculty. For 11 years until his second retirement, he took great pleasure in sharing his enthusiasm for learning with high schoolers as an instructor in U.S. history.

Charlie Bates was long a resident of Irvington, where he had served as clerk, treasurer and vestryman of the Church of St. Barnabas. It was the Episcopal church where he had been baptized and in whose choir he had sung since he was a child. He also volunteered at the Irvington Historical Society and regularly checked the “new arrivals” shelves of local libraries for non-fiction books, especially histories and biographies, which he avidly read. He enjoyed travel abroad, especially to Europe, and kept physically fit at home by swimming a few laps as often as possible and, weather permitting, biking and hiking.

In the 1953 Hamiltonian, Charlie Bates was described as “inspired by a deep love for Hamilton, a sincere enthusiasm for all things Hamiltonian, and the energy to do something about it.” In the ensuing years his affection for the College never wavered and his energetic commitment on its behalf never faltered. He served as an alumni trustee from 1975 to 1979, and as president and reunion chairman for his class. The depth of his devotion to the College was warmly reflected in his half-­century annalist’s letter, delivered to a standing ovation in 2003. In 2010, he was recognized by the Alumni Association for his many contributions with the Bell Ringer Award.

Charles T. Bates was still residing in Irvington when he died on Aug. 1, 2014. Never ­married, he is survived by a brother, Robert P. Turner, and eight nieces and nephews, “who will miss his wide-ranging knowledge and wit.” He was ­predeceased by brothers Harry, in 1999, and David, in 1996.

Richard Roob ’53

Richard Roob ’53, former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Benjamin Moore & Co., one of the nation’s leading paint manufacturers, was born on Aug. 12, 1932, in Brooklyn, N.Y. The son of Martin Roob, an attorney-at-law, and the former Edna Bass, a teacher, Dick Roob grew up in Brooklyn, where he was graduated in 1949 from Polytechnic Preparatory School. He entered Hamilton that fall and became a member of the Squires Club. Interested in a career in the law, he concentrated in political science and impressed fellow students and professors alike with his “fantastic term papers,” as well as his unusually tall stature. He left the Hill with his diploma in 1953.

Dick Roob returned to New York City, where he would be a lifelong resident, and enrolled in law school at Columbia University. After obtaining his LL.B. degree in 1956, he went on active duty with the U.S. Army and served in the enlisted ranks for two years. Thereafter he engaged in private practice with the law firm of Gifford, Woody, Palmer & Serles in Manhattan, and became a partner in that firm. On June 3, 1962, he and Rona Kaplan were married in New York City.

In 1977, Richard Roob left private practice to become ­general counsel for Benjamin Moore, the company with which his father had long been associated as an officer and counsel. It was the beginning of a distinguished corporate career. Named vice chairman of the paint company’s board in 1982, he was elevated to chairman in 1984 and chief executive officer in 1996. Under his leadership, the company, founded in 1883 and headquartered in Montvale, N.J., not only continued to be a major manufacturer of general-purpose paints and specialty coatings but also became widely known for its innovative marketing strategies and its concern for the environment.

Richard Roob retired from Benjamin Moore in 2000, when the company was acquired by Warren Buffet’s investment ­vehicle, Berkshire Hathaway. He continued to reside in an apartment in Manhattan and pursue his longtime interest in promoting the arts and art education, which he shared with his wife, Rona, retired chief archivist of the Museum of Modern Art. For many years until the end of his life, he chaired the board of Studio in a School, a program that promoted art education in New York City’s public schools by sending artists into the classroom to teach.

Richard Roob’s interest in promoting the arts extended to Hamilton, where he served on the Committee on the Visual Arts and chaired it, having succeeded John Root ’44 in that position in 2006. He contributed to the advancement of art programs on the Hill and participated in the planning and preparation for the Wellin Museum of Art, dedicated in 2012.

Richard Roob, a devoted alumnus and benefactor of the College, died at his home in New York City on June 2, 2014, following a long battle with cancer. He will be remembered as “a lifelong learner who loved nothing more than reading, the arts and spending time with his family.” He predeceased his wife of 52 years by less than four months. She died on Sept. 26. Surviving are their two daughters, Nancy Roob ’87, a charter trustee of the College, and Helen Jerome, as well as five grandchildren.

James Peirce Brown ’54

James Peirce Brown ’54, whose varied career included banking, teaching and ownership of a small art gallery, was born on June 24, 1932, in New York City. A son of Norton S., a physician, and Carolyn Peirce Brown, he prepared for college at Phillips Exeter Academy and arrived at Hamilton from Newtown, Conn., in 1950. Jim Brown joined Lambda Chi Alpha and became the chapter’s president in his senior year. He also played varsity lacrosse and contributed to The Spectator.

On June 12, 1954, six days after his graduation from the College, Jim Brown was married to Ellen Gifford in Millbrook, N.Y. He went on active duty with the U.S. Navy shortly thereafter and served as a lieutenant (j.g.) for two years until 1956. After six years with City Farmer’s Trust Co. and later First National City Trust Co., both in New York City, he came to the conclusion that “the banking business was not for me.”

Jim Brown then turned to teaching, and, aided by a warm letter of recommendation from Hamilton’s President Robert W. McEwen, was hired in 1963 as an instructor in history and English by Marvelwood School in Cornwall, Conn. Two years later, he obtained a master’s degree from Wesleyan University and subsequently taught at a business college in Manchester, N.Y., and at Sandhills Community College in Southern Pines, N.C.

By 1970, the Browns had settled in Pinehurst, N.C., and Jim Brown, having left teaching, established Longleaf Collectors’ Gallery in Southern Pines in 1984. He conducted the small retail art sales business, which included picture framing, for a number of years. His leisure activities included swimming in his backyard pool and golf on occasion. He also enjoyed woodworking and ­gardening around his “big old house” and was ardently devoted to model railroading. He was one of the founders of the Sandhills Model Railroad Club.

James P. Brown died in Pinehurst on Oct. 16, 2014. He is survived by his wife of 60 years. Also surviving are two sons, Jeffrey P. and Timothy G. Brown; a daughter, Lisa F. ­Monroe; and six grandchildren and a brother.

Joel Saul Cronin ’54

Joel Saul Cronin ’54, a physician who subsequently became an attorney-at-law specializing in medical cases, grew up in New York City, where he was born on Dec. 1, 1934. The son of Samuel J., engaged in sales, and Helen Hirsch Cronin, he was graduated in 1951 from Stuyvesant High School. Joel Cronin entered Hamilton with the Class of 1955. He became a member of the Squires Club and played junior varsity baseball for a time. Focusing on premedical studied and aided by attendance in ­summer sessions, he succeeded in acquiring his diploma after only three years in 1954. The son of a Jewish mother, he had experienced social discrimination and some harassment while on the Hill, but nonetheless remained supportive of the College in later life.

For three years beginning in 1955, Joel Cronin served in the enlisted ranks of the U.S. Army. Thereafter he traveled around Europe before deciding to take up medical studies at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. He obtained his M.D. degree in 1966 and returned to New York State, where he received training in ophthalmology at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. He was in private practice in Syracuse and later in Florida from 1971 until 1980, when he set out on a new career path by enrolling in the University of Florida Law School.

After earning his J.D. degree in 1982, Joel Cronin established his law practice in West Palm Beach. Specializing in medical malpractice, licensing and disciplinary actions relating to physicians, hospitals and nursing homes, he became a partner in the firm of Wagner, Nugent, et al, and later Romano, Eriksen & Cronin. Although his cases were limited to Florida, he traveled extensively throughout the country to take depositions from medical experts.

Joel S. Cronin was in ­La ­Spezia, Italy, when he died on Aug. 25, 2014. Among survivors is his wife of 39 years, Teresa “Terry” Cronin.

Peter Tilton Cox ’56

Peter Tilton Cox ’56, who retired after a career in financial services, was born on Jan. 21, 1934, to Herbert F., Jr., an industrial consultant, and Myra ­Butterworth Cox, in Philadelphia. He grew up in Syracuse, N.Y., where he was graduated in 1952 from Nottingham High School. He arrived on College Hill that fall and joined Alpha Delta Phi. Peter Cox played varsity soccer and tennis, and lettered in the latter sport. In his junior year he did his part to assure an undefeated season for the Continentals’ tennis team. With flashing blades as an enthusiastic ice skater, he also performed his “Dick Button” routine in Sage Hockey Rink. Credited by The Hamiltonian with “amazing coordination, quiet sincerity and a true love and toleration for people,” he sustained himself while studying by snacking regularly on peanut-butter sandwiches.

Peter Cox, who majored in philosophy, departed the Hill with his A.B. degree in 1956. After a couple of weeks of travel in Europe, he found employment with the First National Bank (later Citibank) in New York City. Married in that city on Aug. 20, 1960, to Elizabeth A. “Liz” Cernak, he took up residence with his wife in New Rochelle, N.Y., but later moved to Darien, Conn. He remained with First National in various capacities, including loan officer, for 12 years until 1968. Thereafter he joined the State National Bank in Stamford, Conn., as assistant vice president in charge of business development.

By 1972, Peter Cox had left banking to become assistant treasurer of PepsiCo Leasing Corp. He was subsequently employed in corporate finance and commercial banking, and with the Federal government as a contractor. For two decades a resident of Concord, Mass., in the Boston area, he enjoyed downhill skiing and swimming as well as squash and tennis. In 2001, Peter and Liz Cox, both retired, moved to North Carolina, where they continued to play tennis when not away enjoying travel to the Caribbean and elsewhere.

Peter T. Cox, a loyally ­supportive alumnus, was residing in Matthews, N.C., when he died on Oct. 9, 2014. He is survived by his wife of 54 years. Also surviving are two sons, Peter T., Jr. and David B. Cox; and four grand­children. His youngest son, Mark A. Cox ’96, died tragically in 1994 when he was a sophomore at Hamilton.

William Allen Pierce ’57

William Allen Pierce ’57, a retired civil engineer, was born on Jan. 11, 1936, in Cortland, N.Y. The son of Luther L. ’21, a publisher’s sales representative, and Olive Van Schoonhoven Pierce, a teacher, he grew up in Cortland and followed his father to Hamilton in 1953 as a graduate of Homer (N.Y.) Central High School. Bill Pierce, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, left the College after a year. He later attended Syracuse University, where he obtained his B.A. degree in 1959 and a B.S. in civil engineering in 1961.

Licensed as a professional engineer by the State of New York, Bill Pierce joined the firm of O’Brien & Gere, consulting engineers and land surveyors, in Syracuse. Employed in its construction supervision department, he left the firm after six years to become associated with Tippetts, Abbott, McCarthy & Stratton in New York City. For two years beginning in 1967, he worked on a potable water project in northeastern Thailand. Having returned to O’Brien & Gere in 1969, he became the resident engineer on a water pollution control project in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

In 1974, Bill Pierce established his own consulting firm in Plattsburgh before returning to Syracuse, where he joined the city’s engineering department. He retired as Syracuse’s deputy commissioner of public works in 2002. Highly active in the Masonic Lodge and a Shriner, he was also a trustee of the First Methodist Church in Syracuse.

William A. Pierce, an always supportive alumnus, was still residing in Syracuse when he died on Oct. 11, 2014. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer. Surviving him is his wife, the former Priscilla Personeus, a teacher, whom he had wed on July 4, 1959, in Suffern, N.Y. He is also survived by a daughter, Lisa A. Pierce; two sons, William A., Jr. and Gregory V. Pierce; and three grandchildren. He was an uncle of Roger E. Bonsteel ’70.

Richard Daniel Dorsino ’58

Richard Daniel Dorsino ’58, a retired public school teacher, was born on Oct. 14, 1936, the son of F.A. and Helen Petrelli Dorsino, in Rome, N.Y. He enrolled at Hamilton from Rome Free Academy in 1954, aspiring to enter the field of medicine. Despite his difficulties with ­science courses, he persevered with pre-medical studies until the end of 1956, when he decided to switch his career plans to teaching. He voluntarily resigned from the College and transferred to what was then Oswego State Teachers College, where he was graduated.

Richard Dorsino taught at Staley Junior High School in Rome. He also served as president of the Rome Teachers Association. Active in sports, he coached the bowling team at Rome Free Academy and managed the Oneida County Indians semi-pro baseball team. He did award-winning custom painting on automobiles and motorcycles, and was a partner in the Central Hobby Supply Shop in Syracuse until his death.

Richard D. Dorsino was still residing in Rome when he died on Nov. 22, 2014, at Albany ­Medical Center. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, the f­ormer Eileen Knudsen. Also surviving are six sons, a daughter, 16 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Arthur Rossman Melius ’58

Arthur Rossman Melius ’58, a Methodist minister who had faithfully served numerous churches and congregations in New York and New England, grew up in Albany, N.Y., where he was born on Nov. 14, 1936. A son of Floyd Melius, a county clerk, and the former Esther Turner, a teacher, Art Melius came to Hamilton in 1954 after preparation at the Milne School in Albany. He joined the Emerson Literary Society, later becoming its president, and went out for basketball as well as baseball. A catcher, he played baseball for four years, lettering in the sport. In addition, he sang in the Choir and was proficient in debate and active in the Student Christian Association.

However, it was in student affairs that Art Melius “stormed to leadership,” in the words of The Hamiltonian. He was the first president of the newly established Student Senate, which replaced the old Student Council in 1957, and was credited with molding it into a highly effective body. Under his leadership, the Senate helped devise the College’s “100% opportunity rushing plan.” He also chaired the Chapel Board and served on the Honor Court and Judiciary Committee. Tapped for Pentagon as well as D.T. and Was Los, he majored in history and philosophy, and was graduated in 1958 with honors in public speaking. He was also awarded the prestigious James Soper Merrill Prize as exemplifying the “highest ideals of the College.”

Art Melius went on to Yale Divinity School, where he acquired his B.D. degree in ­pastoral ministry in 1961. Called to the First United Methodist Church in Schenectady, N.Y., that year, he subsequently served from 1963 to 1967 as chaplain and instructor in religion at Green Mountain College in ­Vermont. In 1971, after four years as pastor of Hudson Falls United Methodist in Hudson Falls, N.Y., he returned to the First United Methodist Church in Schenectady as senior pastor. After a decade in that post, he transferred back to Vermont as pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in St. Johnsbury.

Art Melius, who earned a doctorate of ministry from Drew University in 1975, was also active in community affairs. He served as president of the Schenectady Mental Health Association and on the Schenectady City Planning Commission, in addition to various religious and educational boards. In recognition of his civic contributions, he received the Liberty Bell Award from the Schenectady County Bar Association.

In the early 1980s, the Rev. Dr. Melius was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and by 1984, he was confined to a wheelchair. On disability leave from the church, he nonetheless continued active for several years as a part-time pastor. In 1991, he was named to the executive committee of the Association of Physically Challenged Ministers of the United Methodist Church. Most recently residing in a health care center in Scotia, N.Y., he retained his mental acuity, sense of humor and “vibrant social conscience,” as well as his as his ardent devotion to the Yankees baseball team, until the end.

Arthur Melius, a faithful alumnus, died on Oct. 2, 2014. He is survived by Sharon Melius, his wife of 14 years. Also surviving are a son, David A. Melius, and two daughters, Jill Schermerhorn and Leslie Oblak ’91 (wife of Geoffrey S. Oblak ’93), all born of his first marriage, on June 17, 1961, in Schenectady, to Rosemarie Monaco. Other survivors include eight grandchildren, a sister and a brother.

Lewis Ronald French ’59

Lewis Ronald French ’59, a retired epidemiologist, was born on May 15, 1937, and grew up in Binghamton, N.Y. The son of Lewis M., an investment manager, and Esther Cornwall French, he was graduated in 1955 from Binghamton Central High School. Ron French enrolled at Hamilton that fall and joined the Emerson Literary Society. After trying his hand at athletics via brief forays into the swimming pool and onto the lacrosse fields and tennis courts, he found his forte in management as a highly successful president of ELS and chairman of the Student Publications Board. He was elected to the journalism honor society Pi Delta Epsilon. Having majored in anthropology, he was awarded his diploma with honors in anthropology and public speaking in 1959.

Fortified with a warm ­recommendation from Dean Winton Tolles, Ron French went out to the Midwest to pursue graduate study in psychology at the University of Minnesota, where he obtained an M.A. degree in 1963. On April 3, 1964, he and Elizabeth M. Sandness were married. After teaching for a time as an assistant professor at the State University of New York College, Oneonta, he returned to Minnesota and settled down in a neighborhood near the University of Minnesota’s campus in St. Paul. There, following a divorce, he reared his son, John, as a single parent. He also acquired a master’s degree in public health from the University of Minnesota in 1980. He then designed a study of the epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease, funded by the National Institutes of Health, that led to a Ph.D. from Minnesota in 1983.

Dr. French, who was subsequently employed as a chronic disease epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health, served concurrently as an adjunct faculty member at the university. There he was a co-investigator on studies of the epidemiology of diabetes as well as farm injuries. At the Department of Health, he aided in the development of a state-wide system for detecting occupational respiratory disease. He engaged in a variety of research efforts until his retirement in 2008.

Ron French, who fondly recalled his musical experiences at Hamilton, especially listening to John Baldwin’s choir and organ playing, began to take piano lessons at the age of 50 and became active in local music organizations, such as serving on the board of the Bach Society of Minnesota. He also served on the boards of organizations devoted to neighborhood betterment, including one that provided services to seniors within their own homes and another aimed at improving local quality of life. An exceedingly faithful and generously supportive alumnus, he tirelessly assisted Hamilton with its fundraising campaigns, and his largesse has led to the establishment of the L. Ronald French Scholarship at the College.

L. Ronald French died on Aug. 25, 2014. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Laurence French, to whom he was wed in 2009. Also surviving is his son, John R. French, as well as grandchildren.