in
memoriam
In Memoriam
GEORGE MOFFETT COCHRAN ’30
of Staunton, Va., died Jan. 22, 2011. At Episcopal, Mr. Cochran was a member of the Fairfax Literary Society, Missionary Society, and the Chronicle and “Whispers” boards. He was a member of the track team, and he received the Laird English Composition Medal. Mr. Cochran attended the University of Virginia, where he received his bachelor’s and law degrees. At Virginia, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. As an alumnus, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and the Raven Society. After serving in the U.S. Navy and obtaining the rank of lieutenant commander, Mr. Cochran practiced law with his father. In 1964, Mr. Cochran founded the law firm of Cochran, Lotz, and Black. He served as president of the Virginia Bar Association from 1965-66 and was a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the American College of Probate Law; a charter fellow of the Virginia Bar Foundation; and a member of the Judicial Council of Virginia. He served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1948-66, and, during his last term, served as chairman of the Courts of Justice. He served in the Virginia State Senate from 1966-68 and was a member of the Supreme Court of Virginia until his retirement in 1987. He is survived by his wife, Lee; two sons, including G. Moffett Cochran ’69; four grandchildren, including Harry C. S. Cochran, Jr. ’99 and Alexander Cochran ’01; and two great-grandchildren.
PHILIP P. STEPTOE, JR. ’31
of Chevy Chase, Md., died Nov. 30, 2010. As a student, Dr. Steptoe was a Monitor, a librarian, and a member of the choir. He received the Whittle Prize twice and the Meade Prize. Dr. Steptoe received his bachelor’s degree from Haverford College and his medical degree from the University of Virginia. After an obstetrics residency at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Steptoe served in the Army Medical Corps for three years, earning the rank of captain. An obstetrician and gynecologist, Dr. Steptoe had a private practice in Washington, D.C., and was an associate at Columbia Hospital for Women. He was a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and was an associate professor at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine. He is survived by a son, a daughter, and four grandchildren. EHS relatives include his brothers, Thomas W. Steptoe ’32 and Robert M. Steptoe ’38, and nephew, Thomas W. Steptoe, Jr. ’70.
DAVID MILTON FRENCH ’32
of Alexandria, Va., died Jan. 1, 2011. On the Hill, Mr. French was a librarian, a member of the varsity track team, and a recipient of the Whittle prize. Mr. French continued his education at the University of Virginia, where he received his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in chemistry. During World War II, he worked for the U.S. Rubber Company on the development of synthetic rubber. Mr. French also worked at Wyandotte Chemical Company in Detroit. In 1959, he moved his family to Alexandria, Va., and began work at the Naval Surface Weapon Center. Mr. French served as a branch head and mentor there until he retired. His papers on polymer chemistry were published in professional research journals and he patented a number of processes for the development and treatment of synthetic materials. Mr. French was an emeritus member of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Sigma Xi scientific research society, and Alpha Chi Sigma, the fraternity of chemists. Mr. French spent his later years exploring his passion for genealogy. Some of his writings can be found in the Virginia Room of the Alexandria, Va., library. He is survived by his wife, Molly, three sons, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
EHS The Magazine of Episcopal High School
77