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Robert Louis Nelson October 4, 2017 A government major, Bob Nelson walked into the admissions office at Georgetown Law school with his grades and resume and was offered admission on the spot. Following graduation from Georgetown, he went to work for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He was drawn away from the District of Columbia by work for the U.S. Agency for International Development, which took him to Rio de Janeiro and Africa. He was the executive director of the Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights when Ed Muskie ’36 tapped him to become deputy campaign manager of his 1972 presidential campaign. In 1977, President Carter named him assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve. Survivors include wife Rita Hutchins Nelson; daughters Karen Shernan and Robin Gay; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Barry Sundlum Novek December 22, 2016 Barry Novek served in the U.S. Army following graduation and had an affinity for the U.S. Coast Guard, living in the port city of Fall River, Mass. A government major, he was active in the Robinson Players and intramural sports. He is survived by wife Meryl; children Karen Novek Reynolds and Keith Novek; and two grandchildren. Nancy Johnson Wiegel February 21, 2018 If you ever bought greeting cards from American Greetings, there’s a chance the verse was written by Nancy Johnson Wiegel. A published poet in her own right, she founded the White Pelican Review poetry quarterly, and edited and managed it. She also taught a little: violin, German, and poetry. In 1982, she became a travel agent, indulging her passion for travel. Survivors include husband Ronald Wiegel; children Christopher Wiegel, Andrea LeDew, and Erica O’Neill; and 10 grandchildren. Her late grandparents were Grace Pratt Johnson 1906 and Albert G. Johnson 1906, and her late aunt was Margaret Johnson Maclean ’33.
1957 George Arthur Baker Jr. December 2, 2017 George Baker followed in his parents’ footsteps. They worked in executive positions at a youth rehabilitation facility in Massachusetts; he majored in sociology and earned a master’s in social work from Boston College. He was a probation officer for 10 years in the Lawrence, Mass., area, where he lived his father’s creed: “It is better to build boys than to mend men.” His passion for working with youth of Lawrence led him to develop many programs using individual and group therapy with an emphasis on character building. Survivors include children George III, Andrew, Jeffrey, and Beth Baker,
Monica Ratkovich, and Dawn Getchell; eight grandchildren; four step-grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. John Quayle Cannon Jr. December 27, 2017 Jack Cannon served in the U.S. Army before coming to Bates. An economics major, he also earned a master’s from Brigham Young Univ. He served in the South Africa Johannesburg mission and many other capacities for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His career primarily was at Southern Utah Univ. as director of both financial aid and career placement until he retired in 1995. Survivors include children Michael and John Cannon, Dian Morrison, and Martha Ann Johnson; 18 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren. Robert Joseph Kunze December 30, 2017 After Robert Kunze broke two $35 thermometers in five minutes, a Bates professor said he’d never seen anyone less likely to become a chemist. He persevered and eventually built a career in the field. His first job was with Celanese Plastic Co., helping market the company’s polyacetal resins. He worked at GE for a decade, rising to become manager of the plastics division in Europe. A pioneer in venture capital, he was a general partner of Life Science Ventures, specializing in medical startups. In the ’80s, seeking to publish Nothing Ventured, about the venture capital business, he contacted his friend and then-literary agent, the late Michael Powers ’59. Powers helped him publish the book – and introduced him to his future wife, Betsy Nolan, owner of the agency. Born in Brooklyn near Ebbetts Field, he retired to San Francisco, staying close to his beloved Giants. In addition to his wife, survivors include children from his marriage, to Janet Arnold Kirk ’58, which ended in divorce: John Harry Kunze and Anne Kunze Brush; four grandchildren; and a brother, Harry Kunze. Douglas VanDeventer Leathem July 28, 2017 Douglas Leatham was a financial analyst and certified financial planner who held an MBA from the Univ. of Pennsylvania. He served on his 40th Reunion committee and the campaigns for Bates in the 1980s. He lived in South Paris, Maine. He had two children, Douglas Jr. and Jill. Susan Gaines Ovitt February 8, 2018 Susan Gaines Ovitt left Bates before graduation. She married Thomas R. Ovitt and enjoyed 40 years as an Army wife. She was active in the Enosburgh (Vt.) Historical Society. Her children are Catherine, Ruth, Mary, Gail, Thomas, Nancy, and Jaquelyn Ovitt. John Edward Towse December 5, 2017 Jack Towse left Bates after two years and graduated from the
Univ. of Massachusetts. Survivors include daughter Laura Towse. His late brother was Robert W. Towse ’48.
1958 Stanton Francis Brown February 8, 2018 Stanton Brown left Bates to graduate from Suffolk Univ. But he was at Bates long enough to meet the woman who would become his wife, Jane Reinelt Brown ’58. He managed the family farm, H.F. Brown Inc., and Browns Harvest for most of his life. In addition to his wife, survivors include children Kathi, Kevin, and Susan; and four grandchildren. William Daniel MacKinnon Jr. December 16, 2017 Bill MacKinnon was trying to come up with something good to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial. He decided to start an infantry unit to take part in the celebrations in nearby Concord, Mass. His unit from Wilmington, one of the towns that actually fought on April 19, 1775, got his whole family involved. They participated in 86 events that year alone. His career was in banking, although he advised against it as a profession. He served on several town committees in Wilmington and sang in the choir in three churches. A longtime class officer, he served on his 45th and 50th Reunion committees. Survivors include wife Marilyn Brown MacKinnon; children Robert ’81, Jean Lane, and Pamela Carey; and six grandchildren. His brother-in-law is James S. Brown ’66. Loretta Fortin Moores February 27, 2018 Loretta Fortin Moores worked briefly at Central Maine Hospital before attaining her teaching certificate. She then taught in Falmouth for six years until the birth of her son. Her late husband was Barry P. Moores ’58. Survivors include son John Moores; two grandchildren; and brother-inlaw Brian W. Moores ’63. Her late father-in-law was G. Duncan Moores ’32, and her late cousin was Keith B. Moore ’55. Martha Riel Ring March 10, 2018 At Bates, Marty Riel met and married James F. Ring ’59. He passed away in 2010. She worked as an accountant at General Motors and as an insurance examiner. Survivors include children Michael, Dennis, and Mary Ring; and three grandchildren. Anne Ridley Scigliano November 20, 2017 Back in 1969, when every other newspaper article seemed to be about “the first woman to….,” Anne Ridley Scigliano wrote her own story: She was the first woman editor of the Lexington (Mass.) Minuteman. She had previously taught high school English, earning a master’s in English from Boston College at the same time. She left the newspaper to go into public relations, first at
Symmes Hospital in Arlington, Mass., and then became vice president for community relations at Choate Symmes Health Services Inc., a multi-facility health care system; and in 1989 became director of public relations for the Winchester Hospital. She and her husband retired to the Caribbean, where she volunteered at an elementary school and the Catholic church. She is survived by nieces and nephews.
1959 Robert Raymond Evans January 13, 2018 Being a farmer at heart, Bob Evans left Bates for Iowa State Univ., where he earned a degree in agronomy. He built a career as an investments analyst and portfolio manager in Hartford. Survivors include longtime partner Roxanne Jeffcoat; children Todd Evans, Sue DeBruin, and Dan Evans; former wife Christine Lamoy Evans; and six grandchildren. Harry Lee Goff August 7, 2017 Harry Goff, an engineer and surveyor in Durango, Colo., for most of his life, was in the forefront of exploring alternative and renewable energy sources. An engineering graduate of Colorado State Univ., he designed and built solar and irrigation systems to power his properties, including two farms. Survivors include wife Merlene; daughters Debbie and Jennie; and four grandchildren. His late father, Charles S. Goff, was a member of the Class of 1916; his grandfather, Joel Goff, received a bachelor’s degree in 1886 and a master’s in 1889. Eileen McGowan Guthrie January 18, 2018 An economics major, Eileen McGowan Guthrie worked first as a teacher and then had a long career as an administrative specialist at both AT&T and Lucent Technologies. After retirement, she and her husband, Elwin Guthrie Jr. ’59, relocated from New Jersey to South Bristol, Maine. A member of her 45th and 50th Reunion committees, she and her husband maintained close relationships with many Bates friends, often vacationing together. Besides her husband, survivors include children Thomas Guthrie ’81, Susan Shareshian, Jack Guthrie, and Jill Watts; five grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and daughter-in-law Denise I. Blanchette ’83. Dwight Seavey Haynes March 24, 2018 The Rev. Dwight Haynes learned early that he could achieve more if he set goals. As a second- grader in 1944, he won a contest by collecting more tin cans for the war effort than any other schoolkid in Haverhill, Mass. Told by his high school principal that he would never make it to college, he earned a degree in philosophy from Bates and two master’s degrees, one in divinity and the other in pastoral counseling, from
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