1940s
Robert Wallace Towner ’41
Robert Wallace Towner ’41, an American Baptist minister, was born on June 25, 1919, in Hornell, N.Y., the sixth of seven children of Jennie and Ben Towner. He was educated in the Hornell public schools, where his mother was the first woman president of the school board.
Towner followed his brother, William Towner ’39, to College Hill where he focused his studies in English literature and history. A member of the Emerson Literary Society, he was also active with the baseball and basketball teams, the Debate Club, College Choir, Quadrangle and Doers & Thinkers. His skill as an orator earned him the Clark Prize.
Towner went on to graduate from the Colgate-Rochester Theological Seminary in 1944, the same year he married the former Helen Rose. He served as a naval chaplain during World War II before heeding the call to Baptist churches in half a dozen states from Maine to California. He retired to Madison, Wis., in 1984 and continued his ministry as an interim pastor in local churches.
Towner’s congregants appreciated his good humor, faith and dynamic preaching that drew on religion, history, current events, arts and culture, sports and his favorite comic strip, “Peanuts,” according to a published obituary.
Known also for his bass-baritone singing voice, Towner was active in opera and theatre in the communities where he worked, and he served on the boards of numerous church and community organizations, including a term as president of the Madison Wisconsin Library board during the time when a new central library was approved and constructed.
With such a full life, Towner mused in his 50th class reunion yearbook, “Now I am happy to bask in the reflected glory of the achievements, musical, theatrical and otherwise, of my children and grandchildren.”
Robert W. Towner died in San Mateo, Calif., on Nov. 22, 2016, at age 97. His first wife predeceased him in 1993. His is survived by his second wife, Lucille Collins Hargrove, five daughters, 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
John W. Hayden ’44
John W. Hayden ’44, an orthopedic surgeon, was born on Oct. 3, 1922, in Buffalo, N.Y., the son of the former Frances Wood and Hamilton Hayden, a salesman. He graduated from the University School in Cleveland in 1940.
After earning his degree from Hamilton and enlisting in the Navy near the end of World War II, he entered the State University of New York Syracuse Medical School on the G.I. Bill, earned his medical degree in 1947 and served an internship in pathology under Nobel laureate Dr. George Whipple at Rochester’s Strong Memorial Hospital. In 1948, he married the former Mary Phyllis Briddell.
For his 50th reunion yearbook, Hayden reminisced thusly on his years on College Hill: “The Hamilton experience, extracurricular as well as academic, was a great preparation for life and for my life’s profession, for which I am very grateful — all the more so because so many others were not able to finish or finished only after a long wartime hiatus.”
Hayden served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean Conflict from 1951 to 1953 as a lieutenant and general medical officer on the USS Midway and at the U.S. Naval Academy. Later, he moved to Boston, where he was a resident at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, and chief orthopedic resident at Boston Children’s Hospital. He also served on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School.
In 1958, Hayden left academia and moved to La Crosse, Wis. He and a colleague established the orthopedic center at Gundersen Clinic-Lutheran Hospital, where some of the first total hip replacements in the region were performed. Beginning in the 1960s, he served on the clinic’s board of directors, as president of the Lutheran Hospital-La Crosse’s medical staff and as a member of the hospital’s board of trustees. He retired in 1994.
Life outside the hospital was just as fulfilling, a published obituary noted. He helped found the La Crosse Community Theatre, played flute in the La Crosse Symphony and was a lifelong member of Christ Episcopal Church. A dedicated outdoorsman, he captured wildlife in photography and pastels. In his final years, Hayden also handcrafted furniture and assisted Habitat for Humanity with his woodworking skills.
John W. Hayden died Feb. 5, 2017, at Bethany-St. Joseph Care Center in La Crosse. He was 94. Predeceased by his wife, he is survived by five children and 12 grandchildren.
James Philander Soper III ’44
James Philander Soper III ’44, a timber company executive with a long Hamilton family legacy, was born on Aug. 20, 1920, in Lake Forest, Ill., the son of the former Hazel Stevens and James P. Soper, Jr., Class of 1911. He prepared for college at the Los Alamos Boys School in New Mexico and the Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts.
On College Hill, Soper was a member of Sigma Phi and played football until a knee injury suffered during a scrimmage shortened his promising fullback career. Although he remained on campus for only two years, he continued a longstanding Hamilton-Soper tradition that includes some 17 alumni benefactors beginning with Alexander C. Soper, Class of 1867. That Soper forebearer, who served on the College’s Board of Trustees for 33 years, and two brothers donated the funds for the Hall of Commons, which opened in 1903. Earlier, the Soper family’s generosity allowed the College to open its first gymnasium, converted from the former -Middle dormitory.
Throughout the years, family members also established scholarships and prizes in honor of the family, including the James Soper Merrill Prize, the James P. Soper Scholarship, the Arthur W. Soper Scholarship, the Soper Essay and Research Prizes, and the Arthur W. Soper Prize Scholarship in Latin.
With a presumably thrifty-minded sense of humor, Jim Soper III noted in the 50th reunion yearbook, “If as you say my tuition was only $400 a year in 1940 — then I have to say, ‘It was probably a bargain.’”
Like many of his classmates, Soper had his education interrupted by World War II. In 1942, he left the College to join the U.S. Navy V-5 program for aviators and was stationed with the Merchant Marines in the South Pacific. After his service, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1948.
After a brief time working in Chicago, Soper headed west in 1952 to take a job at the Soper-Wheeler Co., his family’s lumber business, established in 1870 in Chicago but later relocated to Strawberry Valley, Calif. In 1963, he bought a home overlooking Clear Lake in Kelseyville, Calif. He lived there with his second wife, the former Florence Bortness, for 53 years, according to a published obituary.
Like his family members before him, Soper maintained a fondness for Hamilton throughout his life. He gifted the deed of a valuable pear orchard to the College, was an enthusiastic donor to numerous Annual Fund campaigns, hosted various events at his home and served on the Class of 1944 reunion committee.
Ever the athlete, he loved to ski, golf and play tennis, was an artist and enjoyed adventure travel. He rafted the Bio-Bio, the Zambezi, the Colorado and the Snake, and visited Africa, Russia and China. Devoted to card playing in his later years, Soper also was an active member of his community and a vigorous, charismatic and farsighted man who lived by the motto, “You get out of life what you put into it.”
James P. Soper III died on Feb. 16, 2017, at the age of 96. He had been playing gin rummy with a daughter when he peacefully drifted off, according to the obituary. He is survived by three children and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Soper was predeceased by his first wife, the former Jane Starck, and his second wife.
Lee William Bolte ’45
Lee William Bolte ’45, a longtime real estate attorney, was born in Hudson County, N.J., the son of the former Bertha Davis and Lee Bolte. He was raised in Glen Rock and Ridgewood, N.J., where he attended high school.
Bolte majored in Latin and history at Hamilton. He voluntarily withdrew from the College to join the U.S. Army in January 1943, serving for more than three years. While enlisted he spent a year studying engineering at The Pennsylvania State University and completed his military career as a research specialist, obtaining the rank of sergeant. He completed his A.B. at Hamilton after his honorable discharge, graduating in 1947. Bolte was a member of Theta Delta Chi and earned Phi Beta Kappa honors.
Bolte began a career as a claims adjuster in Salisbury, Md., working for State Farm Insurance Co. It wasn’t long, however, before his interests turned to law, and he pursued a degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, where he graduated with honors and was selected for the law review.
After returning to Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Bolte handled some trial insurance claims before opening a practice in Berlin, Md., focused primarily on real estate but also on wills, estates, divorces, corporate preparation and registrations, and foreclosures. He later opened a law office in Ocean City, Md., after which he practiced at home until six months prior to his death. Bolte was among the oldest practicing attorneys in the state, according to a published obituary.
Bolte loved sports, especially college football and golf. His interests also included politics, music and old movies.
Lee W. Bolte died on Aug. 6, 2016. He is survived by his wife of 40-plus years, Patricia, one stepson, two step-grandsons and one step-granddaughter.
Frederic Rueckert, Jr. ’45
Frederic Rueckert, Jr. ’45, a plastic surgeon, was born on Oct. 24, 1921, in Cambridge, Mass., the son of the former Elizabeth Howe and Frederic Rueckert, Sr. The young Rueckert spent his early childhood in Cleveland; however, after his father died in a car accident, his mother moved the family to Southern France. At the age of 15, he made his way solo across Nazi-occupied France to Portugal, where he boarded a ship to New York City and from there attended the Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts.
Rueckert enrolled at Hamilton with the Class of ’45, but due to the war years did not officially receive his diploma until 1963. A member of Delta Upsilon, he majored in biology and chemistry and took to the pool for the swim team. He remained an active member of his initial Hamilton class throughout his lifetime and was a generous participant in the College’s various fundraising campaigns. His Hamilton ties include daughter-in-law Fleur Marks Rueckert K’78, as well as her children and Rueckert’s grandchildren, Elizabeth Rueckert ’08 and Julia Rueckert Shannon ’11. Another granddaughter, Susan Coughlin ’03; an uncle, John Howe ’24; and a cousin, John Howe, Jr. ’53, all graduated from the College.
For his 40th reunion yearbook, Rueckert mirrored Hamilton’s longstanding philosophy: “I sincerely hope that in this age of highly competitive specialization that Hamilton will continue to not only offer, but insist on, a broad liberal arts education for its students. In my opinion this certainly is the best way to prepare for the future, no matter what specialty one ends up in.”
Rueckert served in the U.S. Naval Reserves from 1943 to 1945 and subsequently in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1953. In 1947, he received his M.D. from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He pursued an internship at Bellevue Hospital and residencies at The American University of Beirut, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center before joining the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire in 1956, serving there until his retirement in 1986.
For 13 years, Rueckert served Dartmouth-Hitchcock as chairman of the Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and was appointed professor of plastic surgery and vice-chairman of the Department of Surgery at Dartmouth Medical School. He continued work after retirement as a consultant to both the Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the Veterans Administration Hospital in White River Junction, Vt., until 2005. One of his most famous patients was Paul Stanley, front man for the rock band KISS. In 1982, Rueckert treated the musician for a congenital ear deformity that left his external ear underdeveloped and essentially deaf. In a series of surgeries, Rueckert removed pieces of cartilage from Stanley’s rib cage and carved them into the framework of an ear.
Outside of the operating room, Rueckert was an avid skier and a dedicated tennis player. He was a regular fixture on the Dartmouth courts and on his court at the family’s summer home at the Thousand Islands. He remained dedicated to his educational institutions, serving on the board of the Northfield Mount Hermon School and as an active member of his class at Hamilton.
Frederic Rueckert, Jr. died on May 1, 2017. He was 95. He is survived by the former Joan Dodge, whom he had wed in 1947; three daughters; one son; 12 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren with another on the way.
Bruce Richard Hayes ’48
Bruce Richard Hayes ’48, a salesman and retail store buyer, was born on May 8, 1923, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of Robert Hayes and the former Mary Schroeder. He attended Columbia College before entering the Navy’s V-5 Program. After receiving his wings in Pensacola, Fla., he joined Air Group 12, flying fighter planes off the carrier USS Randolph, where he saw action in Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
At Hamilton, Hayes was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. After graduation, he embarked on a long career in retail, working as a department store buyer for Woodward & Lothrop’s flagship store in Washington, D.C., and at Forbes & Wallace. Later, he was a sales representative for H.P. & H.F. Hunt Co. Since 1963, he called Longmeadow, Mass., home.
After his retirement, Hayes traveled the country attending reunions of his fellow Air Group participants. He also loved returning to College Hill for reunions, and, according to his wife, was pleased to be considered the fifth “Burn son” when he was at Hamilton. He volunteered at the New England Air Museum, where he enjoyed showing visitors the Hellcat fighter plane similar to the one he flew for his country years before.
Bruce R. Hayes died on March 23, 2017, at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, Mass. He was 93. In addition to his wife, the former Elizabeth “Betsy” Jones, to whom he had been married for more than 60 years, he is survived by a son, a daughter, Elizabeth Hayes McGraw ’88, and three grandchildren.
Thomas O’Dowd Sweet ’49
Thomas O’Dowd Sweet ’49, a dentist, was born in Chadwicks, N.Y., on June 7, 1928, a son of the former Anna O’Dowd and Edwin Sweet, a justice of the peace and a foreman. He graduated from Chadwicks High School and followed his brother, Edwin Sweet ’44, to College Hill.
At Hamilton, Sweet was a member of Delta Upsilon. He loved baseball and basketball and played on the varsity teams. The 1949 Hamiltonian observed that “Whether discussing sports or affairs of the heart, Tommy returns troubled minds to peace by observing that it’s all the way the ball bounces!”
A mathematics and science major, Sweet went on to the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, earning his D.D.S. in 1953. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, serving with the Navy Dental Corps for two years, reaching the rank of lieutenant, junior grade.
Following his discharge, Sweet returned to New York State with his wife, the former Jeanette Bray, whom he had married in 1954. The family settled in North Syracuse, where he opened his dental practice.
Sweet believed deeply in his profession, according to a published obituary. As a practicing dentist for more than 50 years, he received countless awards and held many leadership positions at the local, state and national level of dentistry. These included serving as president of the New York State Dental Association and as a trustee for the American Dental Association. He was the editor and a contributing writer for the NYS Dental Journal for many years. Having received the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Award of Merit in 1993, he also served as an attending dentist at the SUNY Upstate Medical Center throughout his career.
A devoted family man, he enjoyed time on “the river” with his family at their summer home on Grenell Island in the Thousand Islands. He also played golf throughout his life and was an avid Syracuse University basketball fan. But most of all, he loved running up and down the sidelines at SU football games as the leader of the “Chain Gang” for more than 35 years.
Thomas O. Sweet, a life-long generous contributor to the College’s Annual Fund, died on Feb. 10, 2017. He was 88. Predeceased by his wife, Jeanette, to whom he had been married for 59 years, he is survived by five children and seven grandchildren.
Lionel Darcy Wyld ’49
Lionel Darcy Wyld ’49, a professor and New York State historian, was born on April 25, 1925, in Colonie, N.Y., the son of Fred Wyld, a postmaster. The younger Wyld graduated from Albany Senior High School.
At Hamilton, Wyld focused his studies in English literature and political science, disciplines that would serve him well throughout his professional career. He was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon while on the Hill, and participated in Hamiltonews, The Spectator, WHC, the International Club, Student Christian Association and the Charlatans.
After earning his degree, Wyld continued his education, earning his master’s degree in 1950 and a doctorate in 1959, both from the University of Pennsylvania. From there, he continued on in the classroom as a professor of English history at universities throughout the East and beyond, including Notre Dame, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Cazenovia College and Bryant College.
In 1961, Wyld was elected to the executive committee of the American Studies Association of New York State, a post he held various times throughout his teaching career. In 1968, he was appointed a research administrator at Syracuse University. Before retiring in 1994, he pursued a second career, working for more than 20 years at the Naval Underwater Systems Center.
The 1949 Hamiltonian early on took notice of Wyld’s proficiency as a writer, noting, “With a zest and appreciation for the art of the press, he soon turned his talents to meeting deadlines for the Utica dailies, and to helping the P.R. Bureau establish rapport with home-town editors.” That skill led him to author many articles and several books on New York history, including Low Bridge!: Folklore and the Erie Canal, published in 2015. He served as president of the New York State Folklore Society and the New York Canal Society.
Throughout his life, Wyld also maintained close ties with Hamilton, contributing regularly to the class notes and to the Annual Fund, and most recently serving on his class’ 60th reunion planning committee. In 1964, he presented the College’s annual Class & Charter Day address titled “The Quadrupedal Sam Adams.”
Lionel D. Wyld died on June 22, 2016, at the age of 91. He is survived by two daughters, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, the former Norma Scherer, to whom he was married for more than 60 years.
