ye c. htoon cdeP 1955 Ye Htoon, also known as Roland Chan Htoon, passed away on May 7, 2010, at the age of 73. Ye Htoon was the eldest son of Khin Khin Thein and Chan Htoon, former Attorney General and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and the architect of the first constitution of Burma in 1947. Ye’s wife, Onma Maw, is the daughter of statesman Dr. Ba Maw, the first Prime Minister and the Head of State of Burma. During his two years at Thacher, “Rolo” or “Htoon-babe” captivated his classmates with amazing tales of his weekend exploits, capers in Burma, and travel adventures. He also acquired skills in basketball and soccer, though many of his opponents were utterly dismayed by his interpretation of the rules of both games. Another skill noted in El Archivero was his agility with a horseshoe, “with or without the horse attached.” After Thacher and Ananda College in Sri Lanka, Htoon graduated in 1961 from Bucknell University and received a postgraduate Bachelor of Law degree from the Rangoon University in 1965, becoming a prominent Burmese lawyer, a successful entrepreneur, and one of the notables of the now-extinct Scouting movement in Burma. Htoon was a pioneer in bringing digital switching telephone exchanges to Burma, amassing a vast experience with the country’s economic system. Imprisoned for many years between 1962 and 1993 as a government dissident, Ye Htoon was arrested the first time in 1962 and detained for a year for alleged participation in the July 7 upheaval. He was jailed again for nine months in 1971-72 for his connection with Burmese expatriates and foreign firms. Action was taken against him a third time in 1975 for participation in what has come to be known as the U Thant crisis, student-led protests over the shabby treatment by the Ne Win government. Htoon was freed in July 1980 under the Government’s Amnesty Order No. 2180. Almost a decade later, Htoon was sentenced to “19 years hard-labor rigorous imprisonment,” for participating in the 1988 democratic uprising, though he was imprisoned for only four years, from 1989 to 1993. Ye Htoon, as the leader of the Myanmar Mingala Foundation, appeared to be making preparations for the 2010 Burmese elections before his death. Classmate David Laylin wrote of Htoon, “Basically, it seems that he died as the result of brutal punishment by the former Regime, due to his lifelong commitment to the ideals learned at Thacher.”
rIchard e. h. JulIen, Jr. cdeP 1956 Richard Edward Hale Julien, Jr., passed away on May 16, 2012, at the age of 72. Born on July 24, 1939, in San Francisco, Dick was a lifelong resident of the Bay Area, leaving only to attend university at the Michigan Institute of Technology and high school at Thacher, where he enjoyed the Glee Club, Los Troubadores, and Masquers, and played on the first Soccer Team, the “A” Basketball Team, and ran for the Track Team. Returning to study law at University of California, Berkeley, he met and married Diane, and became “Dad,” “Opa Richard,” and “Dickie” to several children and grandchildren—names he took more pride in than anything else. Dick is survived by his wife, his son and daughter, Sophie CdeP 1982, and his grandchildren. Later in his life he came to incorporate many Burgess children and grandchildren into his life, whom he loved as if his own and without whom his life would not have been as complete.
thoMas M. doyle cdeP 1958 Thomas Morris Doyle passed away on April 10, 2012, at the age of 71, in Houston, Texas, from complications following heart surgery. A fourth-
generation Californian, he was born in Berkeley, Calif., on May 15, 1940, and attended Berkeley-based schools and Thacher through his LowerUpper year. While at Thacher, Tom shared his athletic skills with the first Soccer Team and the first Basketball Team. After graduating from Stanford University, Tom’s international career took him to many parts of the world including Turkey, London, and Asia; though as a talented, intuitive fisherman and golfer, he also appreciated the streams and mountains (and golf courses!) of California and the West. Tom is survived by his son, sister, niece, nephew, great-nieces and great-nephew. His elegance and wit, not to mention crossword acumen, will be missed by all.
Jeffrey a. Mason cdeP 1963 Jeffrey Andres Mason passed away peacefully at his home in Surf City - Huntington Beach, Calif., on August 21, 2012, at the age of 67. According to the El Archivero, “Jeff Mason is a peculiar, fascinating, and awesome individual.” At Thacher, Jeff was an avid bridge player, a renowned chess expert, a fascinating conversationalist, and a versatile and effective actor. From Casa de Piedra, he went on to graduate from University of California, Santa Barbara in 1967, and Birkbeck College of London with a master’s in 1969 and a PhD in 1975. The library he left behind gives some indication of his lifelong fascination with ideas, from Lao Tzu to Wittgenstein via Plato and Aristotle—who inspired his persistent return to ‘Philosophy and the Good Life’ as a core theme, one which he gracefully embodied throughout his life, including his battle with cancer. Mason embarked on an academic career spanning over 20 years in England. Incurably adventurous, Mason taught his two children to enjoy the great museums of London by first hiding candy among the exhibits and then doling out fascinating tales of battles and myths, gods and monsters. As a professor and teacher, Mason could extemporize on a large number of subjects, quickly tailoring his speech to whoever would listen, from his students at London’s Middlesex Polytechnic, to high schools, to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He occasionally—also literally—wore the hats of philosophers-through-the-ages, inviting questions from a modern audience which he would answer in the voices of Locke, Kierkegaard or Schopenhauer, indulging a predilection for hamminess first realized during school days. Jeff recalled his experiences at Thacher with a nostalgic delight that left none in doubt that the environment set him on the path of curiosity concerning the life of ideas and wonder at the beauty of nature. Mason’s Meditations, originally written for The Philosophers’ Magazine, is available at philosophyandliving.blogspot.com. Jeff—bodysurfer, African drummer, professor of philosophy—is survived by his two children, Ben and Jennifer, and his wife, Jane, with whom he enjoyed over 40 trips and vacations during their five years together.
roBert a. Isaacson cdeP 1966 Robert Anton Isaacson died peacefully on September 25, 2012, at the age of 64, after struggling valiantly with prostate cancer for over seven years. Bob was born in Santa Barbara on June 29, 1948, to Baine CdeP 1929, son of Deming CdeP 1903. He lived most of his life on his beloved El Chorro Ranch near Lompoc. While at Thacher, he was a member of the