Losses Faculty, staff, and friends
John Edward Bucher dedicated more than
30 years to a career in higher education, including 15 years as Oberlin’s chief technology officer from 1996 until his retirement. He graduated from Wright State University and earned a PhD in evolutionary biology and ecology from the University of Kansas. His interests included baseball, photography, music, and nature. Dr. Bucher died April 27, 2022, leaving his wife of 50 years, Julie; a son and daughter; and eight grandchildren.
1941
The daughter of Oberlin alumni and American Board missionaries, Emma Rose Hubbard Martin was born in China and relocated during her teen years to Oberlin, where she followed her parents’ path to Oberlin College. A specialist in early childhood education, she earned a master’s degree at Pacific Oaks College and worked in numerous capacities, including in parent education and support in Hiram, Ohio, in the 1970s, and later as director of Rosemount Center in Washington, D.C., and director of the Meetinghouse Preschool in Alexandria, Va. She married Edwin Webb Martin ’39, a U.S. Foreign Service officer with whom she traveled for many years to locales throughout the world. Ms. Martin died December 15, 2021. She is survived by three children, including Marguerite Martin Cairns ’65 and Sylvia Martin Lindsay ’68; seven grandchildren, including Nicholas Cairns ’98,
Carl Walker Bewig ’62 began his career as a high school history teacher before returning to Oberlin to serve
OBERLIN ALUMNI MAGAZINE 2022 SUMMER
Elizabeth Martin-Shukrun ’01, and Peter Cairns ’02; and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband and a son, David Martin ’71.
1946
Anne Nancy Wilson Baxter was a professor
of piano and music literature at Miami University of Ohio from 1965 to 1992, in addition to earlier stints teaching at Heidelberg College and Earlham College. She earned a graduate degree in music from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Ms. Baxter died January 14, 2022, leaving three daughters, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. n Anne Latourette Foster, a teacher at McCulloch School in Jackson, Mich., died May 16, 2021. She was predeceased by her husband, William H. Foster, and is survived by their four children, four grandchildren, and one great grandchild.
1947
Don VanDyke was an ophthalmologist and decorated veteran who made his life and career in Northeast Ohio. His Oberlin studies were interrupted by his service with the U.S. Army’s 8th Armored Division in Europe during WWII, through which he earned three Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart. He returned to complete his degree before attending Western Reserve Medical School, eventually operating an ophthalmology practice in Kent, Ohio, for 19 years. He
as director of admissions, first for the conservatory, and later for the college as a whole, for nearly 20 years. During that time, he led a team of admissions professionals with whom he pioneered the system of regional recruiting, facilitating closer relationships with counselors at high schools nationally and internationally. He was known for his gregarious personality, his retentive memory for faces, and his dedication to helping young people find
relocated to Oberlin with his wife, Mary Louise VanDyke ’47, and continued his career at the Oberlin Clinic. He was active throughout his life with numerous church groups and volunteer organizations, including Rotary International. Dr. VanDyke and Ms. VanDyke were founding residents of Kendal at Oberlin. He died June 22, 2021, and was survived by his wife. n Mary Louise VanDyke lived in Oberlin with her husband, Don VanDyke ’47, for more than 50 years, both of them longtime fixtures at campus events and active volunteers throughout the community. Their support of Oberlin College and Conservatory was wide-ranging, from the Artist Recital Series to athletics teams to international students, whom they “adopted” through their role with American Field Service. Ms. VanDyke was an accomplished musician, educator, weaver, and director of children’s choirs. She died December 12, 2021, six months after the death of her husband. They leave a community deeply affected by their lifetime of commitment.
1949
Paul F. Chalfant Jr. was a lifelong musician and former owner and publisher of the Record Herald, the newspaper in his hometown of Waynesboro, Pa. After service in the U.S. Navy during WWII, he returned to his studies and completed a master’s degree from the University of Tulsa. He earned a Fulbright Scholarship, through which he formed the Iran-American string
their path in life. Many Oberlin alumni recall being surprised when he would greet them by name years after their admissions interview, asking after their parents, their pets, or their love of Dostoevsky. Mr. Bewig was a deeply loyal Oberlin alum, and the college and town were always dear to his heart. He also embodied the community's love of music—both as a patron and as a baritone. While a student at Oberlin, he met and married Mary Reiss ’62, his
lifelong friend and wife of 30 years, with whom he raised two daughters. He earned a master’s degree in education at Washington University in his native St. Louis, Mo. After Oberlin, he became director of college counseling at Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts. In 2001, Mr. Bewig met his eventual husband, William Magoon. He died April 24, 2022, leaving his husband, daughters Wendy and Laura, and four grandchildren.
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