JoHn c. “JoHnny” BalDWIn cdeP 1957
RoBeRt l. WIllIaMs cdeP 1990
Johnny castle Baldwin passed away on May 6, 2009, at the age of 71. he died at The Queen’s Medical Center in honolulu after a struggle with lung cancer. Johnny was born on april 13, 1938, in Paia, hawaii. he was the son of asa Baldwin cdeP 1925, manager of hawaiian commercial & Sugar co., and virginia “tootie” castle, a descendant of a founder of castle & cooke in hawaii. he attended Thacher from 1952 to 1954, was on the track team, and played defense on the undefeated fourth soccer team. in El Archivero 1953, it was noted, “Baldwin requests in formal english speech that the Smuts in english a take baths so that the room won’t smell for section B.” Johnny attended arizona State from 1959 to 1960, and was in the U.S. Marine corps from 1960 to 1966. his family had an extensive history in the islands, and Johnny represented it well. after interviewing him while writing a book about the Baldwin family, a reporter noted that Johnny was modest, kind, and unassuming, and that “he wore the mantle of being a Baldwin lightly.” Johnny was said to have a big heart, and contributed generously to a variety of causes statewide. he played the banjo for the turpentine cats, a group that met regularly to play a wide range of music, including folk, country western, light rock, and golden oldies. Johnny is survived by his wife, Debby Baldwin; his three sons, Jeremy, Kittredge, and Thomas; his brother, Michael Baldwin cdeP 1952; and seven grandchildren.
rob Williams passed away on Oct. 26, 2009, at the age of 38. Born Oct. 7, 1971, in Nashville, rob moved to california with his parents when he was 9 months old and always considered himself a native. in addition to Thacher, he attended laguna Blanca School in Santa Barbara and Wesleyan University in connecticut, where he received a Ba with honors through the college of Social Studies. Following his college years rob worked as a project director/campaign coordinator for CALPIRG (California Public Interest Research Group) and cybersite, a website design company in Portland, Ore., founded by three of his Thacher classmates. he later attended Oregon State University and obtained an MS in forestry, social science and policy with a concentration in conflict management. This led to a career working as a mediator in resolve and The Meridian institute. always a gifted athlete, as well as an excellent student, rob participated in many sports: tennis, fencing, golf, baseball, basketball, and his favorites, soccer, and lacrosse. When he was a freshman in college, the intermittent back and leg pain which he had experienced since age 10 was diagnosed as ankylosing spondylitis, arthritis of the spine. Though this condition put an end to college sports, rob learned to control it with medication and exercise – lots of exercise. he developed an interest in triathlons and became a ranked amateur, ultimately representing the United States in the long-course world championship in alemere, the Netherlands, in 2008. in 2001, rob and his friend, Sandra Uesugi, cycled across america, from Washington D.c. to Santa Barbara to raise funds for, and awareness of, ankylosing spondylitis. rob approached life with passion and inspired others to do so as well. he was known for his big grin and even bigger hugs, for planning the parties, and even cooking the food. he loved his family and friends and kept in touch with both. Only those closest to him know of the battle that went on inside and the mental and physical pain he fought for so long. he was preceded in death by sister elizabeth cdeP 1994. rob is loved, mourned and missed by his parents, Janet and David Williams cdeP 1960, and numerous loved ones. The following message was shared by andrew Shakman ’90: “About 200 people attended Rob’s Portland Memorial Service, including his parents, Jan and David Williams ’60, and his aunt and uncle, Phyllis and David, from Ventura. It was a fitting and memorable tribute to Rob: heart-wrenching, funny, touching. Memorabilia from his numerous triathlons decorated the room, a continuous slide show depicted photos of Rob throughout all stages of his life, tributes from his friends, girlfriend, and parents were given, Rob’s favorite foods and drinks were served. Nine Toads from CdeP 1990 were gathered: myself, Peter Bray, Peter Everett, Erik Bauer, Gideon Davis, Omar Barraza, Steve Yun, Brian Holl, and Jordan Gudebski. Incredibly moving to watch them together and witness the bond and love they share.”
JoHn e. leGRos, Jr. cdeP 1967 John Edward LeGros, Jr., died after a short illness on March 25, 2010, at the age of 60. While at Thacher, John was known for his interest in astronomy and, according to El Archivero, “hauling a telescope to twin Peaks to watch the comet that wasn’t there.” he played on the first interscholastic lacrosse team at Thacher as a strong offensive player with eight goals and four assists in the season. academically, he received a national Merit Scholarship certificate of merit. John graduated in 1972 with a BS in materials science from the University of California, Los Angeles. he then earned his master’s degree in engineering at Long Beach State in 1974. John received certifications from California as both civil engineer and professional engineer and was a long-time member of the american Society of civil engineers. he worked for more than 30 years as a senior engineer at hanson Pipe and Precast, gaining national recognition for his skills and achievements. John is survived by his parents John and Beth LeGros, his sister, Clare, and brothers, tom LeGros CdeP 1970 and Richard LeGros cdeP 1973.
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