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Brannan Desjardins; children Patricia Howes, Nancy Kneeland, Mary-Ann Peck, Jeffrey, and John Jr.; nine grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; Janalie’s children, Phyllis Ouellette and Dennis Desjardins; her three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
1946 Marilyn Abbott Gentile June 7, 2013 Marilyn Abbott attended Bates for one year, leaving to marry Frank Gentile ’44 during World War II. She earned an MSW at Wayne State and became a social worker in the Detroit area while he ministered in Unitarian Universalist congregations. She was active with the UUA’s Women and Religion committee during this time. Frank died in 1984. She eventually realized her deepening love for a close friend, the Rev. Jody Shipley, and the two became partners. She worked closely with the Modesto (Calif.) UU church and community ministry. The Rev. Shipley died in 2002. Marilyn is survived by daughters Alice and Patricia. Catherine Patalano Grillo March 1, 2012 Catherine Patalano moved to California shortly after receiving her degree and lived there for the rest of her life. She was an instructor at Laney College in Oakland. She married Evelio Grillo and had four children, Elisa, Antonio, Evelio, and Trina.
as well as the regular student body. He received his degree in mathematics in 1947 after serving as a lieutenant aboard a PT boat during the war. He earned an engineering degree from Northeastern and went on to a long career with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as the principal civil engineer at the department of public works and the assistant district maintenance engineer for the state. He was a past master of the Lynnfield Masonic Lodge. Survivors include children John Rawcliffe and Susan Smith; and five grandchildren.
1947 Doris Adams Beverlin October 7, 2014 Doris left Bates with a degree in sociology for Hartford, where she earned a master’s in Christian studies. From there she moved to Michigan, where she met and married Donald Siebert. She worked as a Christian educator and later operated a motel with her husband before they moved to Florida. He passed away in 1994. She married Donald Beverlin in 2001; he died six months before she did. Survivors include daughter Mary Joslin and one grandchild.
1948
Kathleen Reilly Parkington April 25, 2014 Four of Kathleen Reilly Parkington’s granddaughters comprise the Parkington Sisters musical quartet, and they took a poem she wrote to her husband and put music to it shortly before his death several years ago. Music and literature defined her life, whether it was singing, editing The Garnet, teaching English and French, or playing the mandolin on her 90th birthday with family and friends. All of her children learned that music is the language of the soul, they said. She and husband Harry owned cabins on Cape Cod, and she taught high school French and English in both Orleans and Provincetown. They also owned the lighthouse keeper’s house in Wellfleet for a while. Survivors include children Dawn, Margaret, David, Daniel, Joanne, and Andrew; 18 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. William Canty ’46 is her brother-in-law.
Charles Chakoumakos July 21, 2014 “Everybody had one inspirational person who taught them how to be successful in life. Chuck was mine.” That’s what one student wrote about Chuck Chakoumakos, his high school chemistry teacher in 1964 in Goshen, N.Y. A beloved teacher, Chuck taught chemistry at Gould Academy in Bethel as well as in Goshen before moving to the Univ. of Maine at Farmington, where he taught for 22 years before retiring. He held degrees in chemistry from Bates and the Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison as well as a master’s in education from the Univ. of Maine. Before starting his teaching career, Chuck served in the U.S. Army during World War II during the Battle of the Bulge. He married classmate Mary Alice Golder shortly after graduation. Besides his wife, survivors include children Scott, Bryan, Alison, and Andrew Chakoumakos; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. His sister-in-law is Donna Golder Henderson ’49, whose husband is Milton E. Henderson ’50; their son is James L. Henderson ’82.
Clifton Ellis Rawcliffe April 1, 2014 Like so many of his generation, Cliff Rawcliffe’s years at Bates were fractured by the war, and he was part of the V-12 group
Thomas Raymond Mansfield October 5, 2014 Subordinate teaching to learning! — a thought expressed by many, and espoused by Tom Mansfield, an educator known
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primarily for his long association with the Trevor Day School in New York City. He left Bates before graduation and completed his degree at Wesleyan. His ideas on education meant teaching children to read or to do algebra with the same enthusiasm as one helps them learn to walk: no preconceived notions, no judgments, no biases. He and his wife, Sumiko, opened their farm in Putney, Vt., to students as an outdoor education center. Besides his wife, survivors include children Sarah, Elizabeth, and Tony; nephew Robert M. Thomas ’79; and cousin Maralyn Davis Mazza ’49. His father was Allan W. Mansfield 1915; his aunt and uncle, Laura Mansfield Davis and Donald Davis, were both 1918. Glendon Herbert McAlister March 23, 2014 Glen McAlister went to Harvard at 17 before he came to Bates — but only for Navy training to serve in World War II. He had the good sense to enroll at Bates after the war, then went on to a successful career in education. He earned a master’s in education from Bridgewater State and designed curricula for both academically challenged and talented students. He worked with prison inmates seeking high school and college diplomas; in all, his career in education spanned 40 years. He also was a consultant to McGraw-Hill through the Office of Economic Opportunity and a training director for Job Corps. Survivors include children Jean Cowhig, Marjorie McAlister-Hynes, Frank, Terri, Mary, and James McAlister; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
1949 Raymond Linscott Bond Jr. September 29, 2014 Ray Bond was at Bates both before and after service in the U.S. Army during World War II, but graduated from Boston Univ. with a journalism degree. His career was primarily in public relations with Central Maine Power and the Maine Assn. of Real Estate Boards. He also remained active with the Army, attaining the rank of captain in the reserves. Survivors include children Jeffrey, Duncan, Thomas, Peter, Steven, Laurie Denis, and Lucy Bond; nine grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren. Richard Maurice Briggs June 8, 2014 Chemistry students today only hear the name W.A. Lawrance in the name of their society, but Emeritus Professor Richard Briggs studied, worked, and published papers with him. After receiving his degree from Bates cum laude, he earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Boston
Univ. He was appointed an instructor of chemistry in 1956 while Professor Lawrance was on a leave of absence and promoted to associate professor in 1965. In 1971, he was selected to appear in “Outstanding Educators of America.” He left Bates the following year. He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Norman and Nancy Briggs. Valjean Ripley Ienello October 24, 2012 Valjean Ripley Ienello continued her studies at New Haven Teachers College. She married Frederick Ienello ’50 and was involved with the Women’s Army Corps in Virginia before her children were born, then taught high school English in West Babylon, N.Y. Survivors include children Michael, Lila Ann, and Sandra. Beatrice Jane O’Brien May 10, 2014 Bea O’Brien was a librarian and a poet, and it’s hard to know which gave her more satisfaction. She earned a master’s in library science from Southern Connecticut State and worked for many years at the Connecticut State Library Service. Retirement gave her more time to travel, including a trip to Rome, where she was blessed by Pope Benedict. She was a founding member and past president of the Catholic Singles connected to her parish in Middletown. In 1997, a poem of hers won first place in a competition sponsored by the Famous Poets Society. She also had a notoriously delicious habit of stopping off at Hebert Candies between her house and that of her sister Helen O’Brien Goodwill ’33, now deceased. Survivors include a cousin, Jane Langley Stanton ’84. Helen’s husband was John J. Goodwill ’33; her cousins were George H. Langley ’52 and Richard M. Langley ’54. Rita Edith Stuart June 16, 2014 Rita Edith Stuart worked at Boston Five Cent Savings Bank throughout her career. She used her free time to volunteer in children’s programs at her Methodist church, where she was treasurer for over 20 years. A loving aunt and great-aunt, in retirement she became active in an elementary school’s reading program. She also managed to squeeze in regular trips to her favorite bakery and ice cream store. A class agent for 20 years, she was a member of her 40th and 45th Reunion Committees as well as her 45th and 50th Reunion Gift Committees. Kathryn Robish Topliff April 23, 2014 Kay Robish Topliff left Bates after two years and graduated from Eastern Connecticut State Teachers College. Nevertheless,