In memoriam, spring 2024
Date range: July 1-Sept. 30, 2023
1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s
Obituaries
1944
David M. Bland, Plano, Texas, 7/16/2023.
1945
James F. Dinwiddie, Moneta, Va., 6/19/2023.
Henry R. Forkner Sr., Reedville, Va., 8/18/2023.
Edwin H. Powell, Williamsburg, Va., 8/20/2023.
1946
Frederick R. Jarratt, McLean, Va., 8/12/2023.
William C. Strauss III, Keymar, Md., 9/13/2023.
1948
Laurie V. Atkinson, Huntsville, Ala., 8/11/2023.
1949
Ernest J. Degen, Glen Allen, Va., 7/3/2023.
Mason P. Holland, Columbus, Ga., 9/2/2023.
George “Robin” Hunt Jr., Oakley, Utah, 8/14/2023.
Carroll L. Smith, Lynchburg, Va., 6/8/2023.
1950
William S. Davis, Winchester, Va., 6/11/2023.
Gordon Hammond Jr., Doswell, Va., 6/19/2023.
Robert O. Whaley Sr., Charlottesville, Va., 7/4/2023.
1951
Beverly “Monty” Montague Anderson, Ashland, Ky., 9/19/2023.
Albert J. Engelberg Jr., Springfield, Mo., 8/17/2023.
Terry A. Hurlbut Jr., Plano, Texas, 8/18/2023.
Frank G. Lesure, Frederick, Md., 9/3/2023.
Evelyn C. Black Long, Blacksburg, Va., 8/8/2023.
Charles R. Sayre Sr.,Watkinsville, Ga., 6/27/2023.
1952
Guy W. Buford, Roanoke, Va., 9/8/2023.
Harry W. Carlson, Burlington, N.C., 9/8/2023.
Robert L. Foster Jr., Radford, Va., 8/27/2023.
James C. Eggleston, Wilmington, N.C., 7/26/2023.
Thomas M. Grizzard Jr., Richmond, Va., 7/4/2023.
Wilfred “Jake” C. Williams, Warfield, Va., 8/22/2023.
James A. Zollman, Lancaster, Pa., 7/4/2023.
1953
Robert D. Hunt Jr., Roanoke, Va., 8/6/2023.
1954
Roger M. Brewster, Fredericksburg, Va., 7/20/2023.
T. Roger Chartters, Fredericksburg, Va., 8/13/2023.
P. Decatur Gwaltney IV, Manns Harbor, N.C., 8/24/2023.
1955
Thomas E. Tabor III, Hillsville, Va., 8/21/2023.
1956
Laura Davis Crawford, Oakmont, Pa., 8/16/2023.
William D. Ditman, Keller, Texas, 8/13/2023.
Charles E. Gray Jr., Delton, Mich., 9/5/2023.
Donald F. Mears, Elon College, N.C., 7/21/2023.
Betty Stenhouse Johnson, Sumter, S.C., 8/8/2023.
1957
Charles William Cox, Columbia, S.C., 8/15/2023.
Hugh C. Hilliard Jr., Yarmouth Port, Mass., 7/23/2023.
Stuart T. Jones, Franklin, Va., 8/27/2023.
Sidney A. Martin Sr., Virginia Beach, Va., 8/28/2023.
Neubert Clayton Phillips, Buckhannon, W.Va., 7/5/2023.
David W. Robinson, Wheeling, W.Va., 7/19/2023.
Bronson E. Stoneman, Richmond, Va., 7/8/2023.
Samuel M. Williams, Mount Pleasant, S.C., 7/22/2023.
Claude W. Wilson, Franklin, Tenn., 6/21/2023.
Robert F. Woody Jr., Christiansburg, Va., 8/7/2023.
1958
James R. Ballengee, Columbus, Ga., 8/23/2023.
Nelson S. Burkholder Jr., Indian Trail, N.C., 1/7/2023.
Floyd N. Coppage, Albuquerque, N.M., 7/23/2023.
Francis W. Gencorelli, Merrick, N.Y., 6/27/2023.
Edward J. Gorman, Alpharetta, Ga., 8/3/2023.
C. Howard Robins Jr., Williamsburg, Va., 8/31/2023.
Dabney E. Short Jr., Chester, Va., 7/7/2023.
1959
Paul H. Baum, Dover, Pa., 6/20/2023.
James N. Brooks, South Hill, Va., 5/26/2023.
Allan L. Butler, North Chesterfield, Va., 8/31/2023.
Melvin A. Fiel, Ocala, Fla., 8/17/2023.
Bruce McIntosh II, Waterford, Va., 3/28/2023.
Michael J. Mugler, Yorktown, Va., 8/12/2023.
George Thomas Riggin Jr., Longs, S.C., 8/6/2022.
William G. Roberts, Faber, Va., 7/12/2023.
David T. Shereda, Seattle, Wash., 7/27/2023.
1960
Jon H. Betts, Powhatan, Va., 7/28/2023.
Guy L. Bush Jr., Austin, Texas, 8/2/2023.
Roy Palmer Green, Alberta, Va., 8/26/2023.
Ralph E. Snyder, Mebane, N.C., 7/4/2023.
William W. Stover Jr., Simpsonville, S.C., 6/2/2023.
1961
John H. Costenbader III, Virginia Beach, Va., 9/4/2023.
William D. Garwood Jr., Apple Valley, Minn., 3/28/2023.
Paul W. Lefebvre, Gainesville, Fla., 9/4/2023.
1962
Joseph Cary Bryant, Dillwyn, Va., 8/20/2023.
Edgar “Eddie” L. Capps Jr., Newport News, Va., 7/30/2023.
Charles O. Farris, Southern Pines, N.C., 9/4/2023.
Robert L. Gillenwater, Summerville, S.C., 7/31/2023.
Bernard P. Gravely Sr., Glen Allen, Va., 6/8/2023.
Ronald E. Hilton, Jacksonville, Fla., 9/16/2023.
Jerome A. Michelsen, Louisville, Ky., 3/3/2023.
Christopher P. Wright, Minnetonka, Minn., 8/25/2023.
1963
William R. Elliott III, Phenix, Va., 1/22/2023.
David L. Graney, Fayetteville, Ark., 7/4/2023.
James M. Gray, Dunn, N.C., 7/6/2023.
Johnny M. Logan, Gray, Tenn., 7/2/2023.
Stanley C. Mayhew, Palm Bay, Fla., 8/7/2023.
Leonard Lee Manning, Santa Fe, N.M., 8/7/2023.
Lyle C. Motley Jr., Painted Post, N.Y., 8/8/2023.
Joel P. Silvey, Gibsonville, N.C., 7/26/2023.
Russell H. Smith, Plymouth, Minn., 8/21/2023.
Howard G. Townsend Jr., Alma, Ark., 7/4/2023.
1964
William E. Klotz, Cary, N.C., 7/14/2023.
Joseph “Larry” Long, Franklin, Va., 4/25/2023.
William C. Ryder, Fort Mill, S.C., 7/17/2023.
1965
Willis C. Barrow, Norfolk, Va., 7/30/2023.
Robert G. Bremner, Mechanicsville, Va., 6/11/2023.
Robert E. Hathaway, Netcong, N.J., 8/26/2023.
Henry “Richard” Koelling, Hillsboro, Ore., 9/18/2023.
Richard L. Smith, Austin, Texas, 7/13/2023.
1966
Donald T. Anderson, Charlotte, N.C., 6/29/2023.
Andrew B. Campbell Jr., Smyrna, Ga., 8/3/2023.
Norman R. Cox Jr., Carrollton, Texas, 8/1/2023.
Patsy Daniel Delohery, Marietta, Ga., 6/19/2023.
Hari C. Dewan, Punjab, India, 8/30/2023.
Kenneth W. Garnett, Vinton, Va., 7/24/2023.
Kenneth A. Skrivseth, Laurel, Md., 8/10/2023.
1967
Gerald W. Duncan, Blacksburg, Va., 7/10/2023.
David A. DuFresne, Bethany Beach, Del., 7/12/2023.
Julian “Jerry” L. Greenwood Jr., Wilmington, N.C., 6/7/2023.
Lowell L. Koontz, Glen Allen, Va., 8/18/2023.
Dennis C. Loy, Ruckersville, Va., 8/12/2023.
Jesse D. Moon Jr., Long Island, Va., 1/4/2023.
Joseph A. Taylor, Kingsport, Tenn., 9/1/2023.
1968
Donald C. Ahlstrand, The Villages, Fla., 6/14/2023.
Thomas L. Bailey Jr., Westerville, Ohio, 7/26/2023.
Mary B. Kershes, Springfield, Va., 7/27/2023.
Thomas R. Morgan, Richmond, Va., 5/31/2023.
1969
Roger W. Carico, Wise, Va., 7/12/2023.
Gary L. Cockram, Meadows of Dan, Va., 7/20/2023.
William Gregory Cridlin Jr., Cheriton, Va., 7/14/2023.
Mark R. Davis, Appomattox, Va., 9/12/2023.
James T. Gabbert Jr., Hernando, Ms., 6/20/2023.
Patsye L. Matthews Johnson, Deerfield, Va., 6/21/2023.
Paul W. McClanahan II, Stephens City, Va., 7/24/2023.
Norman E. Rose, Bumpass, Va., 8/19/2023.
Philip R. Stoneburner, Woodstock, Va., 7/21/2023.
1970
Charles W. Cartwright Jr., Holiday Island, Ark., 2/3/2023.
Harry D. Immel III, Clarksville, Va., 6/6/2023.
Warner L. Pinchback, Danville, Va., 5/25/2023.
Calvin B. Rodgers, Mount Sidney, Va., 6/27/2023.
1971
James W. Breakfield Jr., Conway, Ark., 8/30/2023.
Bruce E. Mayer, Vinton, Va., 8/13/2023.
Cecil A. Overfelt Jr., Cary, N.C., 4/4/2023.
1972
James R. Dolbear, Chester, Va., 6/14/2023.
Robert L. Keeton, Henrico, Va., 6/18/2023.
Carol Senger-Korynta, Newport News, Va., 7/24/2023.
Anne King St. Clair, Mechanicsville, Va., 6/11/2023.
Thomas E. Willis, Mechanicsville, Va., 8/18/2023.
1973
Steven E. Harris, Ashburn, Va., 6/29/2023.
Don Paul Smith, St. Petersburg, Fla., 9/16/2023.
Thomas V. Williams Jr., Flint Hill, Va., 7/7/2023.
Gary H. Zehnpfennig, Roanoke, Va., 7/6/2023.
1974
Susan Alford, Tazewell, Va., 6/13/2023.
Jerry B. Chase, Wytheville, Va., 8/15/2023.
Thomas A. Egeland, Fairfax Station, Va., 7/13/2023.
George A. Robertson, Columbia, S.C., 6/5/2023.
Gerald J. Stiles, Ferrum, Va., 8/30/2023.
1975
Carlyle P. Comer, Colonial Heights, Va., 6/13/2023.
Carl G. Dury II, Franklin, Tenn., 7/16/2023.
Dana Quesinberry Markham, Roanoke, Va., 9/15/2023.
David W. Rowland, Salem, Va., 9/13/2023.
John V. Thompson III, Salisbury, N.C., 7/21/2023.
1976
Patricia A. Hunter, Centennial, Colo., 6/22/2023.
Julia Parish Jennings, Rural Retreat, Va., 6/10/2023.
Kevin V. Kelly, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 8/12/2023.
1977
J. Lee Gravatte III, Washington, D.C., 6/29/2023.
Katherine E. Hines, Annandale, Va., 8/14/2023.
Reid “Chip” S. Lawson Jr., Acworth, Ga., 8/5/2023.
Barbara Reid, Atlanta, Ga., 7/17/2023.
John B. Christian IV, Swoope, Va., 6/25/2023.
Gene A. Tingle, Roswell, Ga., 1/26/2023.
1978
Richard T. Eudy II, Alexandria, Va., 7/3/2023.
Rosalyn P. Lawrence Ewing-Brown, Portsmouth, Va., 6/7/2023.
Sally Hoffmaster Foy, Blacksburg, Va., 4/3/2023.
Russell “Rusty” L. Lindsay Jr., Katy, Texas, 6/5/2023.
1979
Edgar S. McClellan III, Clarksville, Va., 7/3/2023.
Steven T. Pondek, Bel Air, Md., 5/11/2023.
Charles A. Simko, Columbus, Miss., 6/12/2023.
Larry R. Sweeney, Verona, Pa., 7/27/2023.
1980
Edward F. Jablonowski, Burkesville, Ky., 6/28/2023.
Michael W. Sieve, Fairfax, Va., 8/4/2023.
1981
Daniel C. Bowling II, North Tazewell, Va., 7/19/2023.
Thomas D. Ficklin Jr., New Kent, Va., 1/17/2023.
Carol Lowder Gay, Richmond, Va., 7/1/2023.
Lawrence A. Kenney, Hamden, Conn., 8/19/2023.
James N. Taylor Jr., Londonderry, N.H., 7/29/2023.
Douglas W. Trimble, Staunton, Va., 7/28/2023.
1982
Raymond J. Riha, Williamsburg, Va., 8/1/2023.
Gertrude A. Russell Huster, Carmel, Ind., 6/7/2023.
Scott R. Stacey, Albany, N.Y., 8/4/2023.
1983
Tammy J. Grimes, Savannah, Ga., 6/28/2023.
Anita S. Kessler, Roanoke, Va., 6/27/2023.
Ernest L. Seth Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo., 3/8/2023.
1984
Nancy Donohoe Benoit, Wake Forest, N.C., 5/31/2023.
Richard A. Chandler Jr., Henrico, Va., 8/9/2023.
Michael E. Gavula, Hyattsville, Md., 6/13/2023.
Norman Dwight Livesay, Denver, Colo., 7/5/2023.
Raymond C. Luken Jr., New Bern, N.C., 8/24/2023.
James David Stone, Sterling, Va., 7/24/2023.
Timothy T. Swecker, Gray, Tenn., 7/18/2023.
Eugene Graham White III, Oak Ridge, N.C., 7/23/2023.
1985
Robert D. Banfield, Houston, Texas, 6/29/2023.
Debra K. Shelton-Van Wagner, Gaithersburg, Md., 11/9/2022.
Wayne E. Speer, Jonesborough, Tenn., 7/6/2023.
Kathleen Morris Yelshin, Odenton, Md., 7/23/2023.
1986
Jackson L. Flanigan, Clemson, S.C., 8/5/2023.
1987
Mark H. Tiedje, Manassas, Va., 7/12/2023.
1988
Jennifer A. Salmon Vorsteg, Ellicott City, Md., 9/17/2023.
1989
Mark A. Debes, Falls Church, Va., 8/9/2023.
James P. Homerosky, Mcmurray, Pa., 7/25/2023.
Vernon L. Willet Jr., Brownville, Maine, 4/0/2023.
1990
Arthur J. Arrage, Virginia Beach, Va., 5/13/2023.
Martha A. Matlick, Frederick, Md., 7/16/2023.
Bryan K. Patrick, Salisbury, Md., 8/18/2023.
1991
Frederick A. Buck, New Albany, Ohio, 7/1/2023.
Scott T. Prillaman, Collinsville, Va., 8/22/2023.
Philip R. Savarie, Alexandria, Va., 8/16/2023.
Timothy P. Torrez, Richmond, Va., 8/18/2023.
1992
Timothy W. Cotman Sr., Ruthville, Va., 8/1/2023.
Benedict O. Dichoso Jr., Dumfries, Va., 3/4/2023.
1993
Charles E. Hawkins Jr., Roanoke, Va., 8/17/2023.
Greta T. Raines, Auburn, Ala., 8/10/2023.
Pamela C. Smith, Castroville, Texas, 8/2/2023.
1994
David Bryan Allman, Columbia, Pa., 2/21/2023.
Rigoberto Canales, Richmond, Va., 3/28/2023.
James A. Whiticar, Greensboro, N.C., 4/1/2023.
1995
Charles W. Carey Jr., Lynchburg, Va., 7/30/2023.
Albert “Travis” Mitchell Jr., Richmond, Va., 7/2/2023.
Jeffrey S. Osborne, Roanoke, Va., 8/24/2023.
1996
Theodora R. Zotto Demaria, Apex, N.C., 6/13/2023.
1998
James R. Watkins, Buckingham, Va., 7/1/2023.
2000
David S. Fitch, Clermont, Fla., 6/29/2023.
2001
John C. Horsley Jr., Newport News, Va., 6/10/2023.
2002
David E. Brandeen, Severna Park, Md., 8/14/2023.
John E. Davis Jr., Ashland, Va., 9/12/2023.
Michael Hedlesky Jr., Dublin, Va., 1/6/2023.
2003
Stephannie M. Wise, Henrico, Va., 10/23/2022.
2007
Cory T. Malone, Fort Worth, Texas, 8/9/2023.
2008
Ward “Skip” L. Cornett III, Delaware, Ohio, 7/2/2023.
2011
Demetria “Demi” L. Argiropoulos, Blacksburg, Va., 8/8/2023.
2012
Michael S. Castor, Blacksburg, Va., 8/6/2023.
2015
Travis C. Cruz, Poquoson, Va., 3/7/2023.
2017
Lisa A. Harding, Eighty Four, Pa., 4/10/2023.
2018
Gerardo Bledt, Madison, N.J., 6/4/2023.
2020
Tyler J. Flanagan, Kaukauna, Wis., 7/26/2023.
Obituaries
Faculty/Staff
Maj. Gen. Jerrold P. Allen, U.S. Air Force (retired), who served as the 34th commandant of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets from 1999-2011, died Dec. 13, 2023. Allen markedly shaped the corps’ leadership program, establishing a leadership minor and four leadership courses that receive academic credit for cadets, all housed within the Maj. Gen. W. Thomas Rice Center for Leader Development, a comprehensive program of academic coursework, real-world leadership experiences, ethics education, public lectures, and guest speakers.
Bonnie Braun, former associate dean in what was then the College of Human Resources, died Nov. 5, 2023. Braun served the university from 1983-94. She served as the first associate director of Extension for both 4-H and family and consumer sciences and ultimately became responsible for agriculture and community resource development.
John “Jay” Nelson Edwards, former chair of the sociology department, died Jan. 19. Edwards joined Virginia Tech in 1968 and over the course of his career became internationally known for his research on marriage and the family. He received grants from the Social Security Administration and the National Institute on Aging to study marital instability and along with a colleague studied the effects of crowding on family relations and health in Bangkok, Thailand through a multiyear grant from the National Science Foundation. A prolific writer, Edwards published five books, and his work was featured in dozens of research publications.
James K. “Jim” Mitchell, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech, died Dec. 17, 2023. Mitchell was known for his passion for teaching and his expertise in soil properties and behaviors, ground improvement, environmental geotechnics, and geotechnical earthquake engineering. He was named the Charles E. Via, Jr. Professor of Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech in 1994 and was recognized as a University Distinguished Professor in 1996. He retired from Virginia Tech in 1999 but remained active in guiding research, co-teaching courses, and presenting seminars.
Howard Joseph Moses, who served as technical director for the Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) from 1999-2001, died Aug. 8, 2023. After retiring from a 40-year career that included serving in three major aerospace companies, Moses joined the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1999. He was appointed technical director of CPES, Virginia Tech’s only National Science Foundation-sponsored laboratory. After two years, he retired again but a few months later was fully engaged with a company at Virginia Tech’s Corporate Research Center, developing software tools to make aerospace design processes more efficient. He spent 15 years at the Corporate Research Center.
Joy Rosenthal, a longtime Virginia Tech photography instructor, died Nov. 7, 2023. Rosenthal started teaching photography for the School of Visual Arts more than 20 years ago and was an integral part of non-majors class offerings for the past several years.
Joseph Scarpaci, professor emeritus of geography in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, died Dec. 30, 2023. A member of the Virginia Tech community for approximately 20 years, Scarpaci engaged in the scholarship of urban and social geography and international development in Latin America with a specialization on globalization and Cuban civil society. He was the author of numerous works of scholarship. Scarpaci was selected by the Virginia Social Science Association as the Geography-Scholar of 2008 and was elected the vice chair of the Latin American Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers from 2008-11.
Norrine Bailey Spencer Ph.D. ’89, former associate provost and director of undergraduate admissions, died Sept. 23, 2023. During her tenure at the university, Spencer also served as associate dean of the Pamplin College of Business In 2007, she was one of six university administrators and faculty recipients of the Advancing Women Award, and in 2009, the Pamplin College of Business awarded her a Certificate of Excellence for Lifetime Achievement in Diversity.
