1968 Robert Lindsay Thayer passed away in December 2008. Working from his home in Lime Rock, Conn., he enjoyed a national reputation as an antiques dealer, specializing in the Colonial and Early Federal periods. Bob lived in a state of elegant chaos, surrounded by his beloved library and an ever-changing collection of paintings, furniture, and objects both curious and magnificent. His scholarly research consumed much of his time, and his legacy in this area is impressive. He published two articles--one in American Heritage Magazine (1999, coauthored with historian John Demos), and another in Railroad History Magazine, just days before his untimely death. Bob was a great lover of his three children, his friends and family, his profession, and a kitchen table argument, punctuated by laughter and graced by his endearing and totally outrageous personality. Among his survivors are his two sisters, Lynne Thayer Stroker ’69 and Nancy Thayer Haggerty ’71. Ed Note: Mr. Thayer’s obituary was erroneously omitted from the Spring 2010 issue of “SPA Magazine”. We regret the omission.
1978 Carolyn Dee “Cari” Forman passed away on July 27, 2010, at the age of 50. Preceded in death by her mother, Roxanne. Cari graduated from St. Paul Academy and Summit School, where she was elected to the National Honor Society and was captain of the tennis team. At Williams College she received her degree Cum Laude, was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa, and did special studies in China and Italy. She earned her Juris Doctorate at Stanford University, and her Masters in Taxation at the NYU School of Law. After a successful law practice at the Rosenman Colin firm in New York City, Cari decided to involve herself in charitable and educational matters. Over the years, she was associated with The Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, the Capitol Children’s Museum, and the Options Public Charter School, all in Washington, D.C. When Cari returned to St. Paul, she worked with the Center for School Change at the Humphrey Institute. Cari was preceded in death by her mother Roxanne Paper Forman ’49, and is survived by her
father, Willis; sister, Deborah Arrigoni ’80; brother, James Forman ’77; niece, Amelia Forman; nephew, Benjamin Forman ’09; and many cousins and friends.
1994 Harold “Hal” Sievers passed away on May 10, 2010 at the age of 34. He was a psychology student at the University of Iowa, had deep interests in schizophrenia and hypnosis and was nearing graduation. Hal loved his family, friends, art, cats, gardening, cooking, baggy floral shorts, movies, hockey and the Koran. He accepted others, was open to their ways and beliefs and was well regarded in return. For years Hal battled the lethal duo schizophrenia and cocaine and fell, in the end, under their grip. Hal is survived by his partner Lori Steele, of Iowa City; his parents, Mary Sievers and Jerry Sievers; his brother, John; his grandmother, Leona Miller, and a large extended family including 15 beloved aunts and uncles, 22 cousins and the second spouses of his father and grandmother.
2010 Frances Young Welke, passed away on April 30, 2010, at the age of 18 due to multiple strokes caused by a rare condition involving the blood vessels of her brain. Her illness was sudden and unexpected. She died peacefully surrounded by her loving family at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul. Frances was born in Chicago, Ill., on March 21, 1992. The family moved to St. Paul in 2000 and she became a student at St. Paul Academy and Summit School; she would have graduated in June of 2010. A serious and dedicated student, Frances was planning to attend Carleton College in the fall of 2010 to study chemistry and German. At SPA, she was active in choir and soccer and loved reading. She was an advocate for social justice, an animal lover, and a volunteer at the St. Paul Animal Humane Society. She loved her family and her classmates and teachers at SPA. Frances is survived by her parents Barbara and William Welke, her brother Wilder Welke ’08, grandmothers Louise Young and Anne Welke, and many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her grandfathers Donald Young and Richard Welke.
Faculty, Staff, Trustees, and Friends Fred Arndt passed away on March 24, 2010. Fred was a long-time employee of St. Paul Academy and Summit School. He was the Head of Maintenance at the Lower School at the time of the 1969 merger of St. Paul Academy and the Summit School, and became the Head of Maintenance for the school in the ’90s. Survived by his wife; seven children and three stepchildren; and many grand- and great-grandchildren. Eugene Otto Heitman passed away on September 18, 2010. Eugene was born March 14, 1918 in Princeton, Minnesota and as a young man moved from the family farm to Saint Paul where he worked at Montgomery Ward and then 3M as a lab technician. He served in WWII in the Army Signal Corps repairing airplane radios and radar equipment, achieving the rank of sergeant. After returning home, he was quickly promoted to management at 3M. Later, he became chief engineer at EMC Productions where he perfected the recording industry’s first high-speed, bin-loop cassette tape duplicator. After retirement, he returned to work at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, managing the foreign language lab. George H. Tesar passed away on July 24, 2010. George was a long-time friend and passionate supporter of St. Paul Academy and Summit School. He was a former Trustee, having served on the Board from 1967-1970, and proudly sent all three of his children—George Tesar ’69, Rob Tesar ’72, and Lisa Capretta ’78—to SPA. George lived an extraordinary life. Born in Prague, he survived Nazi concentration camps, escaped to the United States in 1949, and achieved great success in the Twin Cities business world. He spent most of his career with Dayton’s, serving as the chief executive officer of Dayton Hudson Jewelers. He was also an avid athlete; he played both soccer and hockey for Czechoslovakia’s national teams and was a finalist for the Czech Olympic hockey team just before his emigration. In later life, he loved tennis and skiing, even after a hip replacement. He was also a strong patriot, always grateful to the Americans who rescued him from the Nazi camps. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Elise, their three children, and nine grandchildren. Rebecca Thompson passed away in April 2010. Rebecca was the principal of the Lower School at St. Paul Academy and Summit School from July 2006 to December 2007. Rebecca had been living in the Chicago area at the time of her death; she is survived by her son Stephen and his family. fall 2010 | SPA
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