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IN MEMORIAM | Remembering Those We Have Lost Alumni and Alumnae
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Stuart M. Low, 96, a retired business executive, died March 29, 2014, in Guilford, Conn. Born in Scarsdale, N.Y., Stuart came to Choate in 1931; he played tennis and basketball, and was in the French Club. After graduating from the University of Michigan, he served in the Army during World War II, attaining the rank of Major. In a long and varied career, he published the Downers Grove Journal in Illinois; was an executive in the public relations office of the pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer; and ran Flents Products Co., a manufacturer of safety equipment. He retired in 1998 at age 80. Stuart had been chairman of the Democratic Town Committee of Darien, Conn.; a member of the Guilford Democratic Town Committee; and on the Board of the Guilford Preservation Alliance. He
enjoyed history, politics, tennis, and railroads. In May 2010, Stuart, one of the few surviving members of John F. Kennedy’s class, had lunch with author Chris Matthews, who was on campus researching his book Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero. Stuart was a member of The Choate Society, those alumni and alumnae who have left a bequest to the School. He leaves his wife, Myra Low, 29 Grove Hill Rd., Guilford, CT 06437; a son; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A brother, the late Robert Low ’37, also attended Choate.
’37 C Eugene H. Arrendell, 96, a retired physician, died March 13, 2014, in Tulsa, Okla. Born in Ponca City, Okla., Gene came to Choate in 1934. He was Chairman of the Student Council, Captain of football, Vice President of the Athletic Association, Fire Chief, in the Glee Club, and on the board of
The Brief. He earned bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Oklahoma, then served as a Lieutenant J. G. in the Navy’s Medical Corps in the Pacific. After World War II, he returned to Ponca City as a family physician, initially in practice with his father. In 1979, Gene retired from private practice and was a primary care physician at the University of Oklahoma. Interested in art, he was a docent at two Oklahoma museums. He was widowed twice, and leaves two sons, including Michael Arrendell, 7300 Humboldt Hill Rd., Eureka, CA 95503; four stepchildren; two grandchildren; four step-grandchildren, and a brother, C. W. Arrendell Jr. ’35.
’38 RH Mary Brown Griggs, 93, a retired realtor, died June 22, 2014, in Montecito, Calif. Born in Kenilworth, Ill., Mary came to Rosemary Hall in 1934. She was Captain of hockey and won the School athletic cup; she was also in the Choir and several school plays. After graduating from Stanford, she was engaged in various community activities. When her children were grown, she was a realtor in St. Paul, Minn., for 15 years. Mary was an accomplished portrait painter; her favorite subjects were children and pets, although she painted adults as well. She leaves three children; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and her twin sister, Beatrice “Brownie” Borden ’38, 300 Hot Springs Rd., Montecito, CA 93108.
’40 RH Alice C. Brewer Steele, 91, a retired journalist, died May 9, 2014, in Scarborough, Maine. Born in Omaha, Alice came to Rosemary Hall in 1938; she was in the Choir, the Glee Club, and the French Club, and was School Recorder. After Rosemary Hall, she earned degrees from Smith and the Columbia School of Journalism, then was a reporter at the New Bedford (Mass.) Standard Times, which was owned by her parents. Alice enjoyed Japanese art, reading, and conservation. She leaves six children and six grandchildren. Mabel “Bebe” Breese Wellinghoff, 92, a longtime Rosemary Hall Class Agent, died April 12, 2014, in Winter Haven, Fla. Born in Elmira, N.Y., Bebe came to Rosemary Hall in 1936. She earned 10 bars on the Committee, was head of the Kindly Club, and was
on the Chapel Committee and in the Glee Club. She then attended Sweet Briar College. Bebe loved music, especially opera, and literature, especially Shakespeare. She leaves three daughters, including Sally B. Crawford ’71, 140 High St., Exeter, NH 03833; eight grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
’43 C Joseph N. Hoyt, 88, a retired farmer, died March 20, 2014, in Chillicothe, Ohio. Born in Chillicothe, Joe came to Choate in 1939; he sang in the choir and worked on the School farm. During World War II he served in the Navy as a Seabee in the Philippines and China. He then earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State’s College of Agriculture. Joe raised cattle and Morgan horses on his farm in Chillicothe, and was active in the community, serving as president of the Chillicothe Country Club and on the board of Grandview Cemetery. For many years he summered in Jaffrey, N.H. He leaves his wife, Ann Hoyt, P.O. Box 1832, Chillicothe, OH 45601; five children; and nine grandchildren. A brother, the late Charles N. Hoyt ’35, also attended Choate, as did cousins of Joe’s generation, including the late Joseph N. White III ’32, Frederick Wilder White ’34, Kenneth White ’44, and Zadoc “Zed” Brown ’36; as well as cousins in the next generation, including Joseph N. “Jody” White IV ’57, Eric Shaw White ’59, Zadoc White Brown ’61, Alan Brown ’64, and the late Lawrence Brown’70, among others. Seth Hoyt ’61 is a nephew. David Tod, 88, an investment executive, died April 23, 2014, in Youngstown, Ohio. Born in Youngstown, David came to Choate in 1939; he was on the Library Committee, was a Campus Cop, lettered in squash, and was captain of varsity golf. After WWII service in the Army Air Forces, he graduated from MIT, then worked briefly for Youngstown Sheet and Tube. He joined the investment firm of Prescott, Ball & Turben in Youngstown, and later co-founded a venture capital company, Torent, Inc. That firm provided capital for McDonald Steel, for which David served as President and Chairman. Active in Youngstown community life, he was President of the Youngstown Club and the local YMCA, and served on the Youngstown State Educational Foundation. He enjoyed golf, handball, skeet, tennis, and squash. He leaves
three children, including David Tod II ’75, 1245 Haymarket Way, Hudson, OH 44236 and Elizabeth McMillan ’77; and six grandchildren including Maggie McMillan ’07. A brother, the late Fred Tod ’38, also attended Choate. David was a member of The Choate Society, those alumni and alumnae who have left a bequest to the School. Alan W. Zeller, 88, a retired physician, died May 4, 2014, in New Harbor, Maine. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Alan came to Choate in 1941, where he lettered in wrestling, rowed crew, and was in the orchestra. He attended Dartmouth briefly before joining the Merchant Marines. During World War II, he sailed in North Atlantic convoys and participated in the 1944 Normandy invasion. After the war, he returned to Dartmouth, earned a degree in business administration, then sailed around the world and worked for a New York steamship company. He then earned his M.D. from McGill University, completed an internship at Maine Medical Center in Portland, and served a five-year surgical residency at Dartmouth. He practiced surgery in Damariscotta, Maine, and was later medical director of the Bath Iron Works. Alan practiced and taught surgery overseas at various points: in Afghanistan and Ghana in the 1970s, and with the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and the Balkans in the 1980s. He retired in 1993 and enjoyed sailing with his family. He was widowed twice. He leaves five children, including Robert Zeller ’76, 32 Bradford St., Boston, MA 02118, and George Zeller ’79; three stepsons; and a sister.
’44 C Kennon Jayne, 88, a former executive of IBM, died June 30, 2014, in Norwalk, Conn. Born in New York City, Ken came to Choate in 1941; he lettered in wrestling and was a Campus Cop. After graduating from Williams, he was a lieutenant in the Navy during the Korean War. He then started his career at IBM as a marketing manager. Ken was active in New Canaan, Conn., volunteering for the YMCA, the United Way, and other organizations, including his church, St. Mark’s. He leaves his wife, Sabra Jayne, 181 South Ave., New Canaan, CT 06840; four sons; six grandchildren; and a sister.