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July. That wedding pulled her away from the farm in Auburn she’d grown up on, eventually to Wisconsin, where her husband, Edmund Byrkit, had been hired to help design and build the interstate system. Once her children were grown, she used her knowledge of fabrics and sewing by working at Northwest Fabrics. She spent part of every year in Maine except during her final illness. Her husband passed away in 1996. Survivors include children Cynthia Byrkit ’74, George, Nancy Hohenstein and Carol Haumesser; and four grandchildren. Her sister is Jane White Stoddard ’43, whose husband is Samuel Stoddard Jr. ’43. Their son is William F. Stoddard ’75. Tobin Frye White ’94 is her cousin. Other family members also attended the college and predeceased her, including mother Marion Wellman White ’17; brothers John W. White ’39 and Wallace H. White ’42; sister Claire G. White ’42; and sisterin-law Evelyn Jones White ’38.
1948 Anna Smith Ackerman May 10, 2012 Anna Smith Ackerman was a psychology major with a great interest in English literature, especially its masters of wit, such as S.J. Perelman. She was a member of the Wareham (Mass.) School Committee, where she advocated strongly for children with disabilities. Her marriage to classmate John H. Ackerman ended in divorce; he passed away in 1998. Survivors include children Mary Jane and John. Jane Louise Cathcart April 22, 2012 “Peachy.” That was Jane Cathcart’s response to most requests at her work as a librarian, according to those who worked with her. She left Bates with an English degree and taught in Connecticut before garnering a library science degree from Simmons in 1955. She worked in libraries in Vermont, Ohio and Germany before settling in the Syracuse area in 1967. As the adult services librarian of the Onondaga Library System, she oversaw its merger with the Syracuse Public Library, eventually becoming head of the extension services of the merged Onondaga County Public Library. In 1984, she received the literacy award of the International Reading Assn. for her work in improving literacy. Through that work, she placed computers in prisons and youth detention centers, to supplement volunteer tutors. She worked closely with the N.Y. State Library for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, and with Literacy Volunteers. She retired in 1988. Survivors include a cousin, Robert Baker.
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Jacob Davidson May 6, 2012 Jack Davidson was the first American citizen in his family, born in Auburn after his Russian parents had opened their American dream grocery store, a store that still stands in Auburn. He earned a degree in math from Bates and master’s from Boston Univ., becoming a math teacher and then a mechanical engineer. His first wife, Bernice Beckerman Davidson, whom he married in 1950, passed away in 1988. His second wife, Jeanne Rubin Davidson, a childhood friend with whom he reconnected in 1990, survives him, as do children Anne and Jack, and one grandchild.
1949 Barbara Cooper Decker March 13, 2012 “Coop” to her classmates, Barbara Cooper Decker was a close follower of the arts, especially music, and volunteered at the Kentucky Center for the Arts. Her degree from Bates was in English, and she held a master’s in teaching from Spalding College. She had taught special education in Kentucky. Her late husband was classmate Dan Theodore Decker, who died in 1982. Survivors include children Donald, Dana and Amy Hulsey; and three granddaughters. Laura deMarco Belsky June 13, 2012 Laura deMarco Belsky eschewed the usual path into academia, that complete arc through education or research right out of college. No, she waited 20 years to pursue a master’s of science from Mount Holyoke College, then went on to become a professor of biology at Holyoke Community College, retiring in 1991. A lifelong conservationist, she was a water commissioner for the South Hadley, Mass., Fire District for many years. Survivors include husband Theodore Belsky ’50; sons Michael, Charles ’78 and Richard; and six grandchildren. Her niece is Valerie Wilson DuPuy ’64; Mr. Belsky’s late brother was Robert C. Belsky ’42. Mary Fisher Currie February 4, 2010 Mimi Fisher Currie worked at UMass–Dartmouth for more than 23 years, first as head administrative clerk and later as affirmative action director. She also served as president of the university’s library associates, a program that supports the library’s mission through fundraising and cultural events. She was active in the Congregational Church in South Dartmouth, Mass., where she had lived for 45 years. Her husband, Andrew Currie, passed away in 1988. Survivors include children Andrew, Scott, Alan and Elizabeth McDowell.
Donald Ralph Feeley January 30, 2011 Donald Feeley had an unusual medical career. A graduate of Albany (N.Y.) Medical College, he practiced medicine in Olcott, N.Y., from 1955 to 1963, but then closed his practice to re-enlist in the U.S. Navy, assigned to the submarine service. He was the medical officer on the USS Lafayette until 1968, when he and his wife, high school sweetheart Lucille Battles Feeley, moved to Palo Alto, Calif., where he practiced occupational medicine until 1975. They then moved to St. Louis, where he became medical director at Western Electric for two years. One last move took them to Lewiston, Idaho, where he became medical director at Potlatch Corp., retiring in 1991. They had purchased a ranch as soon as they arrived in Idaho and raised llamas; at one point, they had a herd of 92. His wife passed away in 2007. Among his survivors is a brother, Thomas. Harris Lee Goldman June 13, 2012 Harris Goldman distinguished himself in the Army Air Forces by winning the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross three times before coming to Bates. An economics major, he was active in Hillel, chairing the state Hillel board during his senior year. He sold insurance and real estate at agencies he founded and owned and at agencies owned by others in the Swampscott, Mass., area, most recently at the Lynnford Schmishkiss Agency. He was a past president of Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead and past chairman of the general campaign of the Jewish Federation of the North Shore. Survivors include wife Carolyn Trockman Goldman; children Joan Finn and Charles; and five grandchildren. Jeanne Klein Shellenberger April 1, 2012 No matter how far Jeanne Klein Shellenberger roamed, there was always another campfire to be banked before bedtime. She started out assisting her husband’s work with the YMCA as he directed two camps on Lake George in New York. When they moved to Framingham, Mass., she ultimately became the director of a nursery school and kindergarten there. Later, she became the director of a camp in Becket, Mass., while her husband was the director of YMCA camps in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In September 2011, the Becket-Chimney Corners Alumni Assn., from the camp she ran, gave her a distinguished service award. Besides her degree in English from Bates, she held a master’s in counseling from Framingham State. She was active with the Dennis (Mass.) Union Church, the Cape Cod Museum of Art and the Garden
Club of Brewster. Her husband, Donald Shellenberger, died in 2001. Survivors include children David Shellenberger and Susan G.S. Bowers. Edgar Ernest Noel May 10, 2012 Ned Noel came to Bates after service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. An economics major, he played basketball and football. After earning a master’s in education at Fitchburg State College, he returned to his hometown of South Hadley, Mass., and taught in its elementary schools and junior high until moving into administrative positions. He was very active in Boy Scouting throughout his adult life, and was the South Hadley Lions Club citizen of the year in 1994, the same honor his father won in 1958. He was also president of the South Hadley Historical Society. His wife, Jane Beckwith, died in 2011. Survivors include children Norman and Kathryn. Neal Smith May 19, 2012 Neal Smith enlisted in the U.S. Navy out of South Portland High School and spent five years on a minesweeper doing convoy escorts during World War II. He graduated cum laude from Bates in geology and did graduate work at Washington Univ. in St. Louis before working for Chevron, then Standard Oil, as a geologist and geophysicist in the West. He also threw in work as a volunteer firefighter. Survivors include wife Elise Smith; children Kim Harty and Jason; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
1950 Robert Franklin Hamlen January 21, 2012 Bob Hamlen served in the U.S. Army before college, then came to Lewiston, where he met and married Gwendolyn Staveley ’49 shortly after her graduation. Bob graduated with a degree in English and went on to a 35-year career with Aetna in the Midwest, retiring in 1990, then turning his interests to travel and sampling fine foods. He also served on the board of the Friends of the Palatine (Ill.) Library Charitable Organization. His wife passed away in 2007. Survivors include children Roberta Cinnamon, Marcille, Geraldine, Mark and Kurt Hamlen; and six grandchildren. His late father, Frank ’21, and two uncles, Joseph ’19 and Charles ’20, were alumni. William James Lynn December 22, 2011 William James Lynn attended Bates briefly and was on the football team. He retired as president of the Waterbury (Conn.) Tag Co., having worked there for over 40 years. Survi-