54 54 IN MEMORIAM
’51 C J. Ronald Leslie, 82, a retired management consultant, died April 23, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Born in Middletown, Conn., Ron came to Choate in 1947. He was active at School, being Literary Editor of the Literary Magazine, Production Manager of the Dramatic Club, Secretary-Treasurer of the French Club, and in the Automobile Club, the Chess Club, the Rifle Club, the Radio Club, the Glee Club and the Maiyeros. He won a School prize for poetry and was in the Cum Laude Society. After graduating from Yale, he was in the Navy until 1958. He then became a management consultant with several firms, including J. R. Leslie & Co. in New York, Texas, and Washington, and the Washington Specialists Bureau in Washington, D.C. He devoted the latter part of his life to Christian missions and projects. He leaves his wife, Jarrett Leslie, 7417 Edenwood Ln. #4, Raleigh, NC 27615; two daughters; and three grandchildren. ’54 C
Isaac “Mel” Meekins III, 79, an actor known professionally as Charles Scotland, died June 14, 2016 in Cleveland, N.C. Born in Asheville, N.C., Mel came to Choate in 1950. He was art editor of the News, business manager of the Literary Magazine, and in the Dramatic Club, the Choral Club, and the Southern Club; he acted in several plays and won School prizes in speaking and dramatics. After earning degrees from Washington and Lee University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he taught in several schools, including the Dalton School in New York City, the Christchurch School for Boys in Christchurch, Va., and Charlotte College in Charlotte, N.C. He performed in several films and was house manager for “Driving Miss Daisy” when it was on Broadway. Mel also toured the United States performing as Ben Franklin in a federal Bicentennial project. He leaves two brothers, including Frederick C. Meekins ’46, 19 Bowen Dr., Belmont, NC 28012. He was a member of the Choate Society, those alumni and alumnae who have left a bequest to the School.
’58 C Peter A. Haspel, 76, a retired executive of a garment manufacturing company, died June 25, 2016 from complications of cancer. Born in New Orleans, Peter came to Choate in 1955. He lettered in basketball, was on the Board of the Brief, and was in the Glee Club, the Southern Club, the Camera Club and the Gold Key Society. After graduating from Penn, he served in the Navy for four years. He then joined the family clothing business, Haspel Brothers, which popularized seersucker in the United States. When the firm was sold in 1977, Peter pursued other fashion ventures in New York, Miami, and New Orleans, retiring in the late 1990s. Active in the community, he was a former President of Planned Parenthood of Louisiana. He enjoyed world travel; collecting fine art, especially Asian art; fishing; and fine cooking. He leaves his wife, Lynn Y. Haspel, 32 Francis Burge Rd., Carriere, MS 39426; four children; seven grandchildren; and a sister. ’61 C
Robert M. Leonhardt, 72, a retired educator, died April 6, 2016. Born in New York City, Bob came to Choate in 1957. He excelled in scholastics, winning School prizes in Spanish, writing, public affairs, French, and Latin; he was also President of the News, Managing Editor of the Literary Magazine, and in the Cum Laude Society. His classmates voted him “Most Likely to Succeed.” After Choate, he earned degrees from Harvard, Columbia, and L’Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris; he spoke French like a native. Bob taught at Horace Mann, Fieldston, and Rodeph Sholom schools as well as public schools in New York and Massachusetts. For 10 years he was head of the FrenchAmerican School of New York in Westchester. He enjoyed jazz and cooking, sometimes at the same time. His classmate Michael Palmer said that Bob “was a brilliant young man, with a fiercely critical and observant intellect. Like me, he found it a challenge to fit in with the prep school mores. It was wonderful to watch him gradually emerge as a rounded personality during the following years. At Harvard, we experienced the turbulence of America’s involvement in Vietnam, each of us resisting in our own fashion. Though we
lost contact, I can say that he has never been far from my thoughts.” He leaves his wife, Joan Leonhardt, 7131 Arlington Rd. Apt. 346, Bethesda, MD 20814; two children; and five grandchildren.
’63 C Rigdon L. Reese, 71, a lawyer and, later, a yacht broker, died March 29, 2016 in Portsmouth, R.I. Born in New York City, Rig came to Choate in 1959. He was President of the Ski Club; on the board of the News; in the Glee Club, the Rifle Club, the Rod and Gun Club; and on the Dance Committee. He then earned a bachelor’s degree from Penn and a law degree from Cornell and began his law practice. He was a longtime partner with his brother Gerry in the Cement Creek Ranch in Crested Butte, Colo. Rig later began a career in yacht sales, first with Hinckley Yachts in Maine and then with Oyster Yachts in Newport, R.I. Besides sailing, he enjoyed golf, the visual arts, and music. He leaves his wife, Genevieve Bessinger, 219 Windward Dr., Portsmouth, RI 02871; two daughters; five grandchildren; and two brothers, including Algernon B. “Gerry” Reese ’62. ’66 RH Kate Righter Gardner, 68, a former United Nations protocol executive, died May 30, 2016 in New York City of breast cancer. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Katie came to Rosemary Hall in 1962; she was in the Riding Club, the Current Events Club, the Spanish Club, and Gold Key. She then studied at the Sorbonne and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris before moving to Manhattan. At the UN, she was in the Office of Protocol and Liaison Service, coordinating the visits of dignitaries from around the world. For many years, Katie worked as an advocate for veterans of the Vietnam War. “She had a searing memory of how combat veterans were treated when they returned from Vietnam,” a brother said. She also was on the boards of the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club in New York; the Edward H. Butler Foundation; and the Buffalo Zoo. She leaves three children, a grandchild, and her mother. ’67 C
David J. Angel, 66, a software engineer, died May 25, 2015. David came to Choate in 1965; he won a School math prize and was on the
Sixth Form Tutoring Committee. After graduating from Lehigh, he was a software engineer in New Hampshire and Massachusetts; he held several patents. In recent years, he owned a photography studio in Virginia. David enjoyed riding his BMW motorcycle, reading, and spending time with his family. He leaves his wife, Sharon Angel, 8265 Elizabeth Ann Dr., Mechanicsville, VA 23111; two daughters; seven grandchildren; and two sisters. His late father, Henry Angel ’36, also attended Choate.
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Alexander C. Aubry, 66, died September 18, 2015 in Boulder, Colo. Born in New York City, Alex came to Choate in 1964. He was in the Ski Club, the French Club, the Art Club and the Automobile Club, and he volunteered at Meriden Hospital. After Choate, he attended Trinity College. He lived in Mexico for several years when he was in his twenties, and afterward split his time between Boulder and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Alex, who suffered from epilepsy for most of his adult life, enjoyed reading, libraries, and taking long walks. He leaves a sister, Rosalind Aubry, 4805 Brandon Creek Dr., Boulder CO 80301.
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William Frederick Lyte, 62, a management consultant and entrepreneur, died August 9, 2015. Born in Pasadena, Calif., Bill came to Choate in 1969; he was in the Ham Radio Club and tutored Wallingford children. After graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara, he traveled the world for two years, working at such jobs as sheep shearing, baling hay, and playing music. He then became involved in high-tech startups, especially companies involved with the world’s ports and the petroleum industry. In 1991, Bill began, and later managed, the Pasadena Technoplex program, which unified the institutional resources of Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the City of Pasadena, and engineering firms. He was the initial chair of the County of Los Angeles Business Technology Center. He leaves his wife, Susan Lyte, 27607 Muir Grove Way, Castaic, CA 91384; three children; his father; and two sisters.