56 IN MEMORIAM
the Choir and Philomel. She then went to Wheaton College, where she was active in sports. From an early age, she rode and sailed competitively; in the 1960s and 1970s she won several sailing regattas, and in 1967 was named the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. She was the former chair of the Greenwich chapter of Pegasus Therapeutic Riding, a horseback riding program for disabled people, and in 2012 was honored by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. The same year, Betty was inducted into the Choate Rosemary Hall Athletics Hall of Fame for riding, sailing, and field hockey. She leaves her husband, Bill Foulk, 2 Hekma Rd., Greenwich, CT 06831; two sons; and two brothers, including Joseph Weed ’54.
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Jack B. Austin, 76, a retired Navy Captain, died December 26, 2013, in Orange Park, Fla. Born in Hinton, W.Va., Jack came to Choate in 1952. He lettered in football, wrestling, and lacrosse and was in the Press Club, the French Club and the Southern Club. He then graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy and earned a master’s degree in management at the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, Calif. Jack was commanding officer of a carrierbased anti-submarine squadron and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations Air Warfare. He was awarded the Air Medal, the Legion of Merit, and three Meritorious Service medals. After he retired, he worked as a strategy and recruitment manager for Texas Instruments. He was an avid golfer. He leaves his wife, Sandy Austin, 2577 Paces Ferry Road N, Orange Park, FL 32073-6522; two sons; five granddaughters; and a great-grandson. John B. Rison, 76, a telecommunications executive, died December 26, 2014, in Olney, Md. Born in Providence, R.I., John came to Choate in 1951; he was in the Rod and Gun Club and was co-manager of the Projectionists Association. After graduating from Cornell, he worked for Western Electric, AT&T, New York Telephone, Dictaphone and Executone in the New York City area. He then founded a telecommunications consulting firm in Gaithersburg, Md., from which he retired in 1989. Active in the Boy Scouts, he was awarded the Scouts’ highest adult award, the Silver Beaver. He leaves two children.
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Leopold F. “Rick” Schmidt, 74, the retired president of Olympia Beer, died November 22, 2014, of cancer. Rick came to Choate in 1956; he lettered in golf, was on the business board of the Literary Magazine, was co-business-manager of the News; and was in the Western Club. After earning degrees from Claremont College in California and the University of Washington, he joined the family business, the Olympia Brewing Co. in Washington, which had been founded by his grandfather. He later was President of the company, greatly expanding its market and overseeing the purchase of two other companies, Hamm’s and Lone Star; Olympia was sold to Pabst in the 1980s. Rick leaves a sister and several nieces and nephews.
’63 C Charles A. Sumner II, 69, a retired real estate executive, died January 3, 2015, in Gold River, Calif., of a pulmonary embolism. Born in New Haven, Charlie came to Choate in 1961. He was in the Geology Club, the Press Club, the Glee Club and the Cum Laude Society, but he was known for rowing varsity crew. In 1962, he and Peter Johnson ’64 won the National Schoolboy Championship (17 and under), and the next year took the Canadian and U.S. High School Doubles. After Choate, he graduated from Yale, where he also was on varsity crew. He served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, receiving the Purple Heart and the Gallantry Cross. When he returned, Charlie earned a master’s degree in real estate finance from Penn, then worked in San Francisco for MetLife’s Real Estate Finance Division. He later began his own firm, KCS Development, in Sacramento, sold it after 15 years, and was an executive with Mourier Land Co., retiring in 2007. Active in the community, he was involved with Sierra Adoption Services, the Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home, the Sacramento Tree Foundation and the Rotary Club. He enjoyed fly-fishing and fowlhunting. He leaves his wife, Valerie Harper, 11552 Forty Niner Circle, Gold River, CA 95670-7858; two daughters; four grandchildren; and a brother.
’64 C Peter E. Senné, 69, a retired entrepreneur, died December 25, 2014. Born in Mineola, N.Y., Peter came to Choate in 1959; he was President of the Geology Club, Business Manager of the Brief; and won a school prize in manual arts. After earning degrees from Boston University and Harvard, he began a 44-year career in a number of Bostonbased industries. He was a co-founder of VR Business Brokers in 1978; President of the healthcare firm ISO Inc.; Executive Vice President of Viking Products; and President and Chairman of Total Compliance Solutions of Wellesley, Mass. He was also editor of the Journal of Healthcare Safety Compliance in the 1990s. He enjoyed sailing, swimming, and enjoying family. Peter also edited the yearbook for his 50th Choate Reunion in 2014. He leaves his wife, Kathryn Senné, 18 Coltsway, Wayland, MA 01778-3905; four children; a stepdaughter; and a sister. ’65 C
James L. “Jay” Abbott, 67, an airline pilot and, later, aviation executive, died January 29, 2015, in Bainbridge Island, Wash., of injuries sustained in a mountain-cycling accident. Born in New York City, Jay came to Choate in 1961; he was in the Glee Club, the Maiyeros, the Automobile Club and the Ski Club. After Choate, he graduated from the University of Denver. Shortly thereafter, he learned to fly, which led to a 12-year position with Frontier Airlines as a commercial pilot. In 1984, he was diagnosed with diabetes, which ended his career as a pilot – something Jay later said was “one of the best turn of events in my life.” He joined Boeing Co., designing cockpits, instructing airline pilots, helping to develop new aircraft, and traveling worldwide to work with airlines. He enjoyed skiing, tennis, sailing, hockey, swimming, and mountain cycling. At the time of his death he was a coach with the Gear Grinders, a middle-school cycling team. He leaves his wife, Darlene Abbott, 15088 Sivertson Rd. NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 981103054; a sister; and three brothers.
’67 RH Anne S. “Missy” Davidson, 65, a retired attorney, died June 18, 2014, in Morristown, N.J. Born in Port Chester, N.Y., Missy came to Rosemary Hall in 1965. She was on the Fire Squad, the Entertainment Committee, and the Board of the Answer Book; was Class Secretary of her sixth form; was in the Outing Club and Gold Key; and was a Marshal. After graduating magna cum laude from Smith, she earned a law degree from George Washington University, then stayed in Washington with the Food and Drug Administration until 1978. She was later Vice President and Associate General Counsel of the Sandoz Corp., retiring in 1999 as Senior Counsel. She enjoyed classical music, Himalayan cats, and was described as “liberal, fearless, socially conscious and determined to make her mark in the world.” She leaves several cousins. ’69 C
John S. Weatherley, Jr., 62, the former owner of a building company, died of cancer March 5, 2014, in New Canaan, Conn. Born in Greenwich, Conn., John came to Choate in 1965. He was co-winner of the School Seal Prize. He was also editor-in-chief of the Brief and in St. Andrew’s Cabinet, the Altar Guild, the Aeronautics Club, the Camera Club, the French Club and the Cum Laude Society. He graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth, then continued his education at Princeton, the Sorbonne and the Ecole des Hautes Etudes in Paris; he was also a Fulbright Scholar. From 1978 to 1989, he owned the Weatherley Building Co. in Princeton, N.J., and until 2006 was managing owner of the Berwick Land Corp. of New York. John was a member of the Gurdjieff Foundation of New York for 40 years. He enjoyed travel. He leaves his wife, Susan Weatherley, 98 Woodland Rd., New Canaan, CT 06840; four children; five grandchildren; and three sisters.
’71 C Per T. I. Larsen, 60, a contractor, died Nov. 22, 2014, in Morrisville, Vt., of cancer. Born in White Plains, N.Y., Per came to Choate in 1967; he lettered in skiing, was a senior editor of the Brief, was in the Gold Key Society and was a manager of the School’s FM radio station. He later attended Hampshire College and started Telemark Spruce Contracting in Vermont. Always a lover of skiing, Per lived for many years in