TAPS Conway, South Carolina; sister, Suzanne Hill Cox of Norfolk; and nieces, Tracy Cox Jones of Seymour, Indiana, and Virginia Cox Paluck of New York City, New York. He was preceded in death by his cousin, Joseph Sakakini Jr. ’55, M.D., who died on July 20, 1999.
George W. Farr ’69 George Walter Farr ’69 of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, died on Nov. 13, 2010. He was 63. Farr matriculated from Greenville, Mississippi, and attended VMI for one year. He earned a bachelor of science degree from Mississippi State University. He is survived by a son, Tripp Farr, and a sister. Editor’s Note: No formal obituary was provided for Mr. Farr.
earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from VMI. He is survived by his daughters, Meredith B. Bearov of Washington, Virginia, and Katherine B. Gholson of Richmond, Virginia; son, Stuart A. Bearov of Winchester; grandson, Barry Gholson of Richmond; and sister, Elizabeth B. Wood of Georgia.
William D. Slay ’72
Alexander A. Bearov IV ’71
William Drakeford Slay ’72 of Alexandria, Virginia, died on Dec. 31, 2011. He was 61. Slay matriculated from Petersburg, Virginia, and attended VMI for one year. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of the South. He is survived by two daughters, Francesca Slay Molnar and Lily McLeod Slay; his mother, Jane Slay; brothers, Robert and John Slay; and companion, Jean Ann Clark.
Alexander Andre Bearov IV ’71 of Circleville, Ohio, formerly of Winchester, Virginia, died on Nov. 21, 2011. He was 62. Bearov matriculated from Winchester and
Marty LeVon Chadwick ’92 of Newport News, Virginia, died on Jan. 8, 2012. He was 42.
Marty L. Chadwick ’92
Chadwick matriculated from Newport News and attended VMI for three years. He is survived by his mother, Joann Wright; daughter, Martina Crosby; son, Isaiah Nazareth; twin brother, Marvin Chadwick; and four nephews.
Howard J. Cook III ’01
Correction: The obituary of CWO 2 Howard June Cook III ’01, TNG, which appeared in the Taps section of the 2011-Issue 4 Alumni Review (page 144) did not include the name of Cook’s sister, Emily Ross Cook of Yorktown, Virginia, who survives her brother. Also, the obituary stated that Cook served in Operation Iraqi Freedom during his cadetship, when in fact he served in 2005. The Alumni Review staff apologizes to Howard Cook’s family and friends for these errors. Please see the Alumni News section of this Review for an announcement about Cook’s posthumous Texas Medal of Valor award.
Deaths in the VMI Family Capt. Ronald A. Erchul Former Professor of Civil Engineering Capt. Ronald Anton Erchul of Rockbridge County, Virginia, died on Oct. 8, 2011. He was 73. Erchul was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He earned a master’s degree from the Naval Post-Graduate School and doctorate degree from the University of Rhode Island. He taught geology and civil engineering at VMI for 27 years before retiring in 2008. Erchul was the recipient of VMI’s Matthew Fontaine Maury Research Award in 1990 and again in 2006. He is survived by his wife, Beverly A. Erchul, and daughter, Maria B. Erchul, of Fairfax County, Virginia. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Deborah.
Robert J. Thalman Former Head Football Coach Robert J. Thalman of Atlanta, Georgia,
2012-Issue 2
died on Jan. 31, 2012. He was 89 years old. He is survived by his wife, Mary Thalman; brother, William Thalman; sister, Mary Jane Schuetz; children, Linda Norwood, Robert Thalman, Carolyn Laraway, and Tommy Thalman; and 10 grandchildren. Thalman served as head football coach from 1971-84 – longer than any other in his position. While he was at the helm, the Keydets won the Southern Conference Championship in 1974 and 1977 and were runners-up in both 1979 and 1981. He received numerous awards throughout his coaching career, including his induction into the VMI Sports Hall of Fame. Editor’s Note: See the Keydet Club section of this issue for more about Thalman’s career and accomplishments.
Col. Tyson Wilson Former Professor of History Col. Tyson Wilson, USMC (Ret), of Lexington, Virginia, died on Dec. 21, 2011. He was 93.
Wilson earned a bachelor’s degree from New York University, a master’s degree from Yale and pursued doctoral studies at Columbia University. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942 and was involved in battles at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa. He was awarded the Bronze Star and remained on active and reserve duty for 37 years. Wilson joined the VMI faculty in 1952, teaching history and serving as law school and graduate business school adviser, class adviser and faculty adviser to numerous cadet organizations. A 1983 recipient of VMI’s Distinguished Teaching Award, he retired in 1984. Wilson is survived by two daughters, Charlotte Getgood of Asheville, North Carolina, and Natalie Susan Rathvon of Bethesda, Maryland; two grandchildren and five great-grandWilson children. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lois.
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