From classmate John Seabrook ’76: The Class of 1976 lost a much-loved classmate when Linn “Jiggs” Tompkins III passed away suddenly, on June 7, while playing a Sunday morning game of basketball with friends in Columbia, S.C., where he and his family made their home. He was 50 years old. Jiggs arrived at St. Andrew’s School as a IV Former. One’s first impression of him was a high standing mass of curly orange hair (which earned him his nickname, from the comic strip “Jiggs”) and a big, goofy grin (the hair would eventually fall out, but the smile never left him). He was a talented athlete, and during his three years at St. Andrew’s School he was a fixture on the varsity football, basketball and baseball teams. He was also a skilled golfer and sailor and a passionate fisherman. But he never looked down on schoolmates who were less athletically gifted than he was, and he never had an unkind word for anyone; you always left his presence feeling a little better than you felt before he arrived. His classmates remember his kindness, his compassion, his generosity, his courtly manners, his talent for listening, the denim overalls he liked to wear, his love of beer (of course, that came later), his irrepressible sense of fun, and the depth of his character, which he concealed behind a happy go lucky exterior. His motto, which he took from a poster that hung in his room, was “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” After graduating from Clemson, Jiggs worked for a number of years as a CPA, before changing courses and becoming the chief financial officer for several Columbia-based companies. Among his best moves, in a life full of good ones, was to marry the former Myda Rogers, whose beauty and intelligence lit up the class reunions she regularly attended with her husband. Jiggs’ last visit to St. Andrew’s School was for our 30th reunion, which he attended with Myda, but many of us were fortunate to see him one more time, at the “Geezerfest” Tyler Johnson hosted at his farm in Chestertown, Md., in June 2008, as a collective 50th birthday party for the class. Jiggs
K. Brett Trader ’76 Kenneth Brett Trader was born to parents Bill and Sandra (Jackson) Trader. He was raised in Houston among other areas. He graduated from St. Andrew’s School in Delaware. Kenneth was joined in marriage to Ms. Sharon Boyd in 1996 with a ceremony held in Sealy. Kenneth enjoyed playing golf, he enjoyed the arts, and he liked parties with dancing and music. Kenneth was the support for his wife as she was battling breast cancer. She was everything to him. He was also raising his three grandchildren with Sharon; Kenneth Brett Trader passed away Tuesday, September 29, 2009 in Sealy, Texas.
s William H. Brumbach ’54
was, as always, among the last to leave the party; he was last seen trying to hitch a ride back to the hotel, having somehow managed to lose his shoes. At his funeral, the condolence book was overflowing with kind words about Jiggs. An especially eloquent entry was left by his classmate Ralph Hickman. “He was always there in the clutch. When others were feeling down, he picked them up; when the game was close, he hit the game winner; when you needed to talk, he always listened. Never judgemental, quick with a joke and always a friend—a true hero in the game of life. We’ll miss you, Jiggs.” His untimely passing is a lemon indeed, and it’s hard to see how to make lemonade out of this one. If only Jiggs had left us his recipe.
s Brett Trader ’76 (and Dwight Sipprelle ’76)
Reid Gignilliat, Gill Gignilliat, McIver Williamson and Leigh Pound; and 13 nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Linn S. Tompkins, Sr. and Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Rowland Boyle, Sr. and by his uncle, Charlie Rowland Boyle, Jr. Jiggs’ kind and generous spirit had earned him the admiration and loyalty of the many friends and business associates who were privileged to know or work with him, all of whom will greatly miss him.
From classmate Trish McGee ’76 The Class of ’76 was intact as its members collectively hit the Big Five-Oh in 2008, but lost a second cherished classmate before the book was closed on 2009. Kenneth Brett Trader, of Sealy, Texas, died suddenly after suffering a heart attack on September 29, 2009. He was 51. Brett entered St. Andrew’s School as a V Former. He was the goalie on the 1975 St. Andrew’s School soccer team that advanced to the state tournament, which was quite a feat in those days. He was such a natural athlete that he took gymnastics during one winter period and competed in the state tournament, according to Dwight Sipprelle ’76. As VI Formers, Dwight and Brett managed the IV Formers on “C” Corridor for Marc Cheban. “What I remember most about him was his lively and outgoing nature and tremendous physicality. Brett took money from Dennis Madigan one afternoon on a bet that he couldn’t touch the ceiling on “B” Corridor from a standing start. It’s at least 10 feet and probably higher, but Brett did it
Fall 2009/Winter 2010
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