OBITUARIES

Donald A. Nixon, 46, General Sales Manager for Marsh Wall Products, fnc., Dover, Ohio, died March 5 following a three-month illness. He had been employed by the manufacturer of Marlite paneling since 1937.

Nixon served as Assistant Sales Manager for Marsh Wall Products prior to his ap- pointment as General Sales Manager in 1960. He was a member of the firm's Quarter Century service club. TIe was well known in the building materials and industrial field.

A graduate of Miami (Ohio) University, Nixon served as Captain in the Army Sig- nal Corps in World War II from 1942-1946.

Nixon is survived by his widow, Marjorie, and a son, James.

Robert A. Murchland, 65, owner of Central Valley Builders Supply, Reseda, California, died March 10.

He is survived by his wife, Florence; son, R. Keith Murchland; eight grandchildren; his brother, J. T, Murchland; and sisters, Kathleen Scamp and Mrs. Burleigh Hampton.

A. W. "Bates" Smith, 82, died as a result of a heart attack at his Carmel, California, home on March 12.

Although he had retired for several years, Mr. Smith had spent some 50 years in the lumber business, starting back at the turn of the century with the old Wendling Lumber Co. He later went with Napa Lumber Co., and after several years there moved to Fresno for California Pine Box Co. He then returned to the wholesale lumber business as Los Angeles representative for MacDonald Harrington Lumber Company.

After several years with that concern, he established his own wholesale business in Los Angeles which he operated until his retirement.

Clay B. Brown, 60, president of Clay Brown & Co., wholesale lumber firm of Portland, Oregon, died March 10 in a Portland hospital.

A prominent sportsman, Mr. Brown was first president of a local group that purchased Portland's Pacific Coast League baseball club in 1955 from George Norgan of Vancouver, B.C. When he died he was on the board of directors of Portland's Western Hockey League'Club.

L. A. "Les" Brown, retired lumberman, died on February 4, in Long Beach.

Born in Mendocino City, California, Mr. Brown was the former owner of McFarlane & Brown, a retail lumberyard he operated at 3650 Mission Street in San Francisco until his retirement five years ago.

Mr. Brown had spent his entire lifetime in lumber, many years ago in Alaska, and later with Christenson Lumber Company in San Francisco. He became interested in McFarlane & Brown in 1939.

Robert C. Harris, 50, general manager and secretary of the Lounsberry & Harris Lumber Co., died March 11 of a heart attack. He was a resident of La Canada. California.

Born in Los Angeles, Mr. Harris had lived his entire life in this area.

He was a member of the Lumber Association of Southern California, Crescenta Valley YMCA, Alvarado Christian Church and former member of Oakmont Country Club. He was a veteran of World War II.

Mr. Harris is survived by his wife, June B.; a son, Robert W. of La Canada; a daughter, Mrs. Parmelle Tunnell of Columbia, Mo.; his mother, Mrs. Bessie S. Harris of La Canada; and a brother, Stuart W. of Los Angeles.

Thomas .I. Fox, 5?, prominent lumber retailer and a leading citizen of Santa Monica, California, died suddenly on March 8.

President of the Fisher Lumber Co. of Santa Monica, Mr. Fisher joined the firm in the mid-thirties as a yardman, working his way up to head the corporation.

Born in County Galway, Ireland, on October 26, t905, he moved to Santa Monica in 1928.

As president of the Chamber of Commerce in 1953, Fox is credited with the idea of placing the now nationally famous Nativity scenes in Palisades Park during the Christmas season.

He helped found the Greater Santa Monica Bay Area Chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. and served as Brotherhood Week chairman last year when he was one of the four Santa Monica citizens honored by NCCJ.

Mr. Fox also held official positions in the Elks, American Legion, Red Cross, Community Chest, Rotary and Salvation Army. He was a former president of the National Retail Lumbermen's Association.