Fall 2009
1940
Secretaries: Jack Ferguson, 9743 Malvern Hill Ln., Richmond, VA 23231; 804-795-2520; jmsrvrlmbr@aol.com
Samuel R. Spencer, Jr., P.O. Box 1117, Davidson, NC 28036; 704-896-1403; samrs2@aol.com
We are saddened that two more of our classmates have passed-Ken McIntyre and Bill Borthwick; our sympathies go out to their families.
On a cheerful note, Gales McClintock reports that he scored a 79 on a recent golf game. In addition to that, Gales still keeps tabs on "shooting his age," having reached a standard of 500 some time ago. The count has now reached 621. Congrat-ulations Gales, we should all be proud of your skill; you prove that our physical skills are not all gone.
We have a follow-up on our story about Buck Powell's boxing feat: his son, Corburn, reports that his dad often told the story of his boxing match and usually added that the announcer added that Buck was "the one with the beautiful build but not much boxing skill." Buck's wit and good humor was lifelong. Recently had a chance meeting with Phil Edwards' daughter, Amine, who said that her father's bass song voice was strong and in demand throughout his life.
B.B. and Flora Plyler report that they are well settled in their new home in Raleigh, where children and grandchildren keep them busy as boosters. Their grandson, Will McNeil, is in demand for tennis exhibition matches. B.B. says the downsizing of housing has been the most frustrating. He says he can almost brush his teeth in the bathroom and toast bread in the kitchen, all without leaving his comfortable living room chair.
1941
Secretary: Malcolm Parker, 1424 Montclair Rd., Apt. 157-E, Birmingham, AL 35210-2208; 205-957-5459; (c) 205-413-7881
Seldom do we have a Davidson alumnus from our Class of 1941 who shares his WWII exploits as breathlessly as does Brigadier General USAF Enoch Stephenson of Nashville, Tenn. In the war he was operations officer for the 503rd Squadron, 339th Fighter Group, made up of P-51 fighter planes. The "most memorable of my missions during my tour of duty" while stationed at Fowlmere, Britain, is quoted in the next paragraph [except statement in brackets]:
"At about 12:30 a.m.... we were greeted with the news that today, June 6, 1944, was D-Day... with takeoff at 2:30 a.m.... Takeoff was rather hairy... runway lights were six smudge pots, two placed at the beginning of the runway, two half way, and two at the end... ceiling about 500 feet and everything... blacked out.... Our assigned mission... to patrol from southwest tip of Britain to northwest tip of France until relieved... boring because we saw no enemy aircraft... [after being relieved from that three hour assignment we proceeded to the invasion area at the south]... to look for targets of opportunity.... We spotted a German convoy of six vehicles carrying six soldiers each going toward the beachhead and attacked them, destroying all their vehicles and killing an uncounted number of German soldiers.... I believe June 6 will live as the most memorable of my missions during my tour of duty!"
During the summer and fall of 1944, Enoch flew 66 combat missions, destroyed two German aircraft, and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, the Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters, the European Theater ribbon with six battle stars, and the Legion of Merit. Recalled to duty in 1951, Enoch served in Holland as the leader of a detachment training the Dutch (with his wife, Louise, joining him).
As a civilian, Enoch has been a stockbroker and a bank trust officer, and, as a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Nashville, he has had the honor of serving as an elder and as clerk of session. And now Louise and Enoch are in their retirement home, the Park Manor, having celebrated 60 wonderful years of marriage in May of this year-and he reports, "...enjoying no grass to cut, no leaves to rake, no meals to cook, transportation furnished-it is a good life indeed!"
And indeed it is!
1942
No class secretary
If you are interested in this volunteer position, please contact Jennifer Mattocks (jemattocks@davidson.edu or 704-894-2110).
We would like to thank retiring class secretary David Huffines for graciously serving his class for 15 years in this volunteer position. His dedication and diligence will be missed! Here are David's final class notes:
After 15 years as class secretary and three years as Annual Fund class chairman, David Huffines finds it prudent to resign as secretary of our class with this issue. Anyone willing to volunteer? It has been a joy to serve you but declining health and the probability of changing service from the computer company make it wise to stop now. It has been a joy to serve our class, and this in no way indicates a declining love of and loyalty to Davidson. While serving the Annual Fund, we set a record that will never be broken-two years at 100 percent. As secretary it has been a joy to try to keep up with you. Thanks to all who have kept in touch.
According to my records we still have 44 classmates (out of 139) with known addresses. I have learned of no deaths during this last quarter.
1943
Secretary: Jack Behrman, 750 Weaver Dairy Rd., Apt. 223, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-1467; 919-918-3602; swingsync@earthlink.net
William "Bill" Royce Allen, age 86, died March 7 in Maryville, Tenn. He was an active member of Broadway United Methodist Church for 58 years. Bill was a WWII veteran and retired from ALCOA as a mechanical engineer after 33 years. He is preceded in death by a grandson, Allen Culberson. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Willie Rose; their twin daughters, Mary and Edie and their husbands; four grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
Dr. James Ralph Dunn, Jr., of Cary, N.C., died July 9. After medical school, he began his residency at Johns Hopkins, and finished his residency and fellowship in general and thoracic surgery at Baylor with Drs. Denton Cooley and Michael DeBakey. In World War II he helped liberate Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. Later, he achieved the rank of colonel, serving in the Army, the Army National Guard, and the Air Force. He was a general and thoracic surgeon in private practice in Tarboro, N.C. (1958-68) and Laurinburg, N.C. (1968-81). In 1981, he rejoined the military to serve as a surgeon in the Air Force. He finished his surgical career as attending surgeon at the Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh, N.C. (1988-93). He is survived by his wife, Gail Bailey Dunn.
John McGee and his wife, Ruth, have announced a $1 million donation to the future museum at West Virginia University's College of Creative Arts. This, plus an additional gift of a Zimbabwean sculpture collection appraised at $1 million, will support the $10 million, 16,000 square-foot project. One of the galleries is to be named for the McGees. John was born in Charleston, S.C., and later lectured in Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. He served as a captain in the U.S. Army during World War II and is decorated with two Purple Hearts and three Bronze Stars, among other recognitions. He is the former publisher of the Charleston Daily Mail.
1944-1945
Secretary: H. Newton Spencer, 250 Golf View Rd., Ardmore, PA 19003; 610-356-3700 (b); 610-649-5628 (h); hnspencermd@comcast.net
Class of 1951 Class Secretary John Hobart '51 sent in this tribute to a member of the Class of 1944. Thank you, John.
Remember a Patriot:
Among the 155 Davidson alumni killed in WWII, the life of Gero K. Piper '44 stands as poignant testimony to man's inhumanity to man.
Born in Gottingen, Germany, in 1922, Gero left his homeland in 1933 with his father, who had been dismissed by the new Nazi regime from his chair as professor of systematic theology at the University of Munster in Westphalia. This occurred when the new regime was beginning its attacks on the Protestant church. Dr. Otto A. Piper openly opposed the Nazi regime and had delivered a series of lectures on state and church that led to his dismissal. He was no longer allowed to hold a post in Germany. In effect exiled, he, with his son Gero, moved to England, where he held various theology teaching positions for four years. Here Gero became a Boy Scout.
In 1937 Dr. Piper was invited to become guest professor of systematic theology at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey. With Gero, he immigrated to the United States. In Princeton, Gero became a member of the Boy Scouts of America and later became an Eagle Scout. He entered Maryville College in Tennessee in 1940, after which he transferred to Davidson for his sophomore and junior years. During these two years this college student served as assistant scoutmaster of the local Boy Scout troop, where young boys struggling to grow up during the dark days of WWII came to know him as a dedicated leader and supportive friend. His life career goal was to become a professional Boy Scout executive.
In the summer of 1943, Gero was drafted into the U.S. Army, trained as an infantryman in Texas, and shipped to Europe where he lost his life on Dec. 24, 1944, in Luxemburg in the Battle of the Bulge.
1946
Secretary: Andy Owens, 127 Glen Cove Pl., Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082-3638; 904-285-9676; fax, 904-248-3124; ajobwo@bellsouth.net
No notes this issue.
1947
Secretary: George Gunn, P.O. Box 1996, Banner Elk, NC 28604; 828-898-6732; greatgunns@skybest.com
Your class secretary, George Gunn, invites you to send news or to register with Alenda Links, Davidson's new online community, and post your news. In the meantime, send me a memory or two for these columns.
1948
Secretaries: Bill Vinson, P.O. Box 610, Davidson, NC 28036-0610; 704-892-8123; wdv1tennis@bellsouth.net
Fritz Vinson, 1026 Doral Dr., Pawley's Island, SC 29585; 843-235-2611; fritzvinson1@verizon.net
Bob Phillips, a doctor living in Asheville, N.C., attended the cluster reunion this spring for a brief campus visit. His son, Bo '74, was there for his 35th class reunion, flying in from California. They had their picture taken in front of Watts Dormitory, where each had spent their freshmen years on the third floor-28 years apart (1942 and 1970, respectively).
While Bob was here he delivered letters that he had received from Bill Styron '46, from their freshmen years until Bill's death, to the Davidson Library archives. In addition he is sending the archivist, Jan Blodgett, some of his reminiscences of Bill at Davidson and beyond that will be placed in his file.
The Walker Taylor Insurance Agency in Wilmington, N.C., of which Walker Taylor III is president, was recently acquired by a Chicago insurance brokerage firm, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. The Walker Taylor Agency will retain its name, management, employees, and remain at its present location in Wilmington. According to Walker's son, Walker Taylor IV, the chairman of the board, this will allow an expansion of the agency and more employees. (Will you take an old has-been who lives in Davidson?) One of Walker III's grandsons, a current student at Davidson, Walker J. Taylor '12, is a summer intern. "We're in the hiring business, not the firing business." Walker III, it's time to retire. Kick off your shoes and go barefoot on the beach and let the sand trickle between your toes. By the way, Walker, I hope I got the III and the IV correctly placed. If not, please excuse.
Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to Frank Rawley on the death of his wife of 61 years, Dorothy Hamrick Rawley, and to George Barksdale on the death of his brother, James Lewis Barksdale '57. Dot Rawley was an accomplished musician, mother of three, grandmother of six, and great grandmother of five. She will be remembered by many of us as the daughter of Ivy M. Hamrick, manager of the Davidson College laundry, and one of the prettiest girls in the Davidson community. When I spoke with Frank several weeks after Dot's death, he was naturally still grieving, but nevertheless looking forward to upcoming weddings of two grandchildren, of whom he was obviously very proud.
I recently had a very pleasant telephone conversation with Dudley Camper. Dudley has been widowed for about 15 years and lives alone in Swannanoa, N.C. He has one son who lives in Burnsville, N.C., and a daughter who lives with her husband in the Virgin Islands. Dudley has had a varied career, primarily in the field of social work, that has taken him to many places in the United States, ranging from far northern climes to our own southland. It was a pleasure renewing an old friendship.
From the Alumni Office:
Our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of R. Henry Engle, who passed away May 2.
We also extend our condolences to Shepard Dunn, who lost his brother, J. Ralph Dunn, Jr. '43, on July 9.
1949
Secretaries: William H. Keith, 1966 Cottage Ct., Gastonia, NC 28054; (h) 704-864-5588; fax, 704-810-9094; bkeith1@bellsouth.net
Ralph H. Alexander, Southminster, 8919 Park Rd. #6000, Charlotte, NC 28210; 704-930-7210; ralexan838@aol.com
Thanks to his brother, Rees, I learned of a recent honor bestowed on Art Jenkins of Beaufort (like "beautiful"), S.C. "At a special dedication on April 30, Lowcountry Medical Group formally named its facility at 300 Midtown Drive the Arthur S. Jenkins Medical Plaza to honor his almost half-century of healthcare service." In a telephone conversation in May, he told me he had retired in January, at the age of 80, and has had to change his lifestyle because of Parkinson's disease. Art helped organize and start Lowcountry Medical Group in 1996, but began practicing in Beaufort in 1960.
A couple of years ago, some "research" revealed that our oldest class member was born in 1922 and our youngest in 1931. That equates to an age range from 87 to 78. Without regard to who they are (were) and certainly not to be morbid, but it should come as no surprise that the In Memoriam section will doubtlessly contain more of our names now and in the future. So with sadness, we note the passing of Dave Shepperson (former senior class president) of Murray, Ky., "Bub" Wilcox of Rome, Ga., Harvey McConnell, Jr., of Brighton, England, and William Korbel of Milwaukee, Wisc.
Did you know? When you received your e-mail/letter from Bob Maner in early June saying that he and Henry and Charles Neisler were lobbying for Jack Gray to be inducted into Davidson's Athletics Hall of Fame, posthumously, of course, their correspondence went to every living member of the Classes of '48, '49, '50, and '51. That was a significant task and the response has been terrific. If, heaven forbid, we get a negative reaction from the committee, I suggest we organize a march on the college, hobbling, or on crutches, in wheelchairs and maybe with an occasional drum and fife. Those three Kings Mountain(eers) deserve a lot of credit, and I hope you will acknowledge their effort, if you haven't already expressed your appreciation.
By the time you read this, our Homecoming 60th Class Reunion will be history. You should have received a letter from Student Body President Carl Pahl during the summer, and at least one call from a classmate urging your attendance. We'll summarize in the next issue.
If you love Davidson basketball, you should get a copy of Taking the Shot by Michael Kruse '99, which not only talks about the Elite Eight experience, but also about the past 40-plus year history of the school's basketball program, from "Lefty" to McKillop. Really interesting!
From the Alumni Office comes a copy of an e-mail from Bill Iverson to members of his family and to Tom Ross '72, concerning some of his Memorial Day thoughts. Basically, it was about his brother, Dan '38, a Davidson alumnus who lost his life on Jan. 22, 1944, when as a Marine pilot, his plane was "blown to bits over the Atlantic" on that fateful day. Very poignant. Sorry space limitations will not allow me to reproduce it here, but let me know if you'd like a copy.
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