frederIc cunnInghaM, Jr. cdeP 1939 Frederic Cunningham, Jr., passed away on September 28, 2011, just a few weeks after celebrating his 90th birthday. Frederic, with his sparkling wit, was the life of every gathering at Thacher. He received the nickname “Bag” because of his tendency to stroll about campus in dilapidated jeans and shirt and a pair of sneakers that had seen better days. After Thacher, Frederic went on to Harvard University, where he earned his BA in 1945, his master’s in 1947, and his PhD in 1953. Soon after, he became Professor of Mathematics at Bryn Mawr College, and taught there until his retirement in 1996. In addition to his passion for mathematics, Frederic had a deep love of music and played the tenor viol in consort ensembles. Frederic was preceeded in death by his brother Lawrence CdeP 1942 and is survived by his wife, three daughters, and two grandchildren.
rIchard MyrIcK cdeP 1939 Richard Myrick died peacefully in his sleep on February 2, 2012. He was 91. Dick, called “Mort” at Thacher, was known for his lively sense of humor, especially when sharing the “Mort Myrick Theories” that kept everyone chuckling. He played soccer, participated in Glee Club and Dramatics, and was the leader of Mort Myrick’s Melodius Melodiers swing band. Dick went on from Thacher to graduate from Princeton in 1943 and, during WWII, he served in the Army Corps of Engineers. After the war, he earned a PhD in social psychology at Claremont before moving to Washington, D.C., to work with the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Upon retirement, Dick spent many happy years at his house in Deer Isle, Maine, painting landscapes and recreating his garden. He had a wonderful way with art, literature, and gardening, and was forever interested in helping others. He was married for a time to Susan Mordecai of Madera, Calif. Having just experienced his brother’s passing six months prior, he is survived by his sister and three nephews.
rIchard Bard, Jr. cdeP 1940 Richard “Dick” Bard, Jr., passed away on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the age of 88 in Spokane, Wash., due to complications from heart surgery. Dick had many nicknames while at Thacher: Bard, Red Bird, and Baad, to name a few. It was written in El Archivero that “His winning personality was evidenced in the minds of his friends by the remarkable influx of letters addressed in feminine scrawls, proof of the compatibility which exists between Baad and the world in general.” He was born in Oxnard, attended Hueneme Grammar School, The Thacher School (along with his brother, Archibald CdeP 1941), and Cornell University, graduating with a civil engineering degree. He served as a survey and instrument man with the 427th Armored Field Artillery Battalion in the Asiatic Pacific (Philippines) from 19431946. In 1944, he married Barbara Ann Hitchcock of Santa Barbara. After the war, Dick and Barbara settled in Ventura County, where he worked in the family business, Berylwood Investment Company, as vice president and manager of
the Simi Ranch until 1960. The company incorporated in 1911 but actually dates back to 1865 when Thomas R. Bard came to California as an agent for Thomas Scott (Undersecretary of War to President Lincoln and President of the Pennsylvania Railroad) in early oil exploration. Thomas R. Bard pioneered much of the development of Ventura County. In 1960, Dick moved his family to Darby, Mont., where he surveyed in the Bitterroot Valley. In the early 1970s, Dick and Barbara moved to Colville, Wash., where he worked until retiring in the late 1990s. Coming from a pioneer California family, he was passionate about his work, his family, and his country, and was a man of integrity and honesty, much like his father and grandfather before him. Dick is preceded by his uncle Philip CdeP 1917 and is survived by two sisters; two daughters; nephews Gregory CdeP 1968, Thomas CdeP 1972, and Henry Newton CdeP 1968; eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
herB g. lyttle, Jr. cdeP 1940 Herb George Lyttle, Jr., passed away on July 11, 2012, at home in Fresno, Calif., at the age of 90. Born in Menlo Park in 1921, Herb was a fourth-generation Californian. After spending his early years in Hueneme, Herb moved with the family to Ojai. He and his two younger brothers, John CdeP 1942 and Richard CdeP 1945, attended the Ojai Valley School before Thacher, where Herb proved to be an expert horseman. He and his white horse, Electron, won many awards in Gymkhana and the two were featured in an action picture that served as the School icon for many years. His sportsmanship and fair play were so exceptional that they won him lasting friendships at opposing schools, as well as with his classmates. “Herbie” played on the first Soccer Team, the first Gymkhana Team, the first Baseball Team, and the Track Team; he was also an “A” Camper and served on many committees. In 1940, Herb began studying animal husbandry at Cornell University, though World War II interrupted his academic career. The U.S. Marines soon recognized his math skills and put him to work teaching future radar operators in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was there, on October 9, 1943, that he married Sally Miller of Tarzana, Calif., with whom he would have four children. Several months later he was sent to officers’ training school in Quantico where he fell ill with polio. He survived the disease but left the Marines with atrophied chest muscles, a handicap he stoutly ignored most of his life. In 1956, Herb became manager of a feedlot in Kerman, near Fresno, where he turned a profit after recognizing that the mill was grinding the feed too coarsely. In 1961, the family purchased a home on a small vineyard near the San Joaquin River, where they kept horses and a few dogs, with German shepherds being the favorite. After Sally died in 1992, Herb remained on the ranch a few more years until he met and married Patricia Hopper, a widely acclaimed ceramic artist. Herb had a great capacity for friendship and his warmth and humor were legendary. He is survived by his wife, brother Richard CdeP 1945, children, grandchildren, including grandnephew Trevor McProud CdeP 2000, and eight great-grandchildren.
WInston B. neWell, Jr. cdeP 1942 Winston Blodgett “Bud” Newell died peacefully in New Orleans on July 24, 2012, at the age of 88, from complications following a stroke. Bud was born to Winston Newell CdeP 1917 in Minneapolis on March 25, 1924. In 1930, the family moved to California, where Bud grew up in West Los Angeles. He attended Santa Monica schools, Thacher, and Caltech, and was an Eagle Scout, avid surfer, and championship tennis player. “Zoot” was known at Thacher for his humorous and intelligent chatter. It was written in the El Archivero, “His The ThAcher SchooL 41