In Memoriam
The section was updated October 1, 2017. Please note that deaths are reported as we receive notice of them. Therefore, alumni dates of death are not always reported chronologically.
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1942 Peter Serge Gagarin
A decorated fighter pilot and longtime advertising executive, died peacefully in his sleep on August 21, 2017, at 93 years old. Mr. Gagarin was born on April 29, 1924, in Paris, France, the son of Serge and Catherine Gagarin. He enrolled at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1938, where he competed with Delphian and Shattuck. He continued his education at Yale.During World War II, Mr. Gagarin served as a fighter pilot for the U.S. Air Force in the European Theater. He was a prisoner of war for six months in Germany. He continued his career as a military pilot after the war ended, serving in the Connecticut Air National Guard.
Mr. Gagarin enjoyed a long career in advertising, working as an executive for three New York-based firms: Ogilvy, Benson and Mather, Benton & Bowles, and Young & Rubicam. He left the last agency to start Marketing Support Group with a partner, Walter Silbersac. Mr. Gagarin continued to operate his own consulting and marketing research firm until his retirement in 1995.
Among Mr. Gagarin’s hobbies in retirement were flying (he remained an active pilot into his early eighties) and golf. He lived in Greenwich, Conn., where he volunteered at Greenwich Hospital and was a life member of the Round Hill Country Club. Mr. Gagarin was predeceased in 2010 by his wife of 60 years, Nancy. He is survived by his son, Anthony, and daughter-in-law, Nancy; his daughter, Nina; his daughter, Wendy Weidman, and son-in-law, Michael; four grandchildren; and his beloved dog, Archie.
1944 Cyril Francis “Frank” Damon, Jr.
Founding partner of Hawaii’s first interracial law firm, Damon Shigekane, died on May 13, 2017, of complications from pneumonia. He was 90. Born in Honolulu in 1926, he was the son of Muriel (Colgate) and Cyril Damon, and a fourth-generation descendent of Samuel and Julia Damon, who arrived in Hawaii in 1842. Mr. Damon prepared for SPS at the Punahou School, where he was twice elected class president, before taking the long journey to Millville as a Fourth Former in the fall of 1941.
A high-ranking scholar, Mr. Damon also served as president of the Missionary Society and was a member of the Student Council, Cadmean Literary Society, and the Scientific Association. He enjoyed boxing and earned his SPS varsity letters in football. Mr. Damon graduated cum laude in January of 1944, after taking an accelerated course to graduate before serving in the Navy until 1946. He went on to Yale, graduating in 1950. He earned his J.D. in 1953 from the University of Colorado. Mr. Damon returned to Hawaii, where he practiced law with Smith, Wild, Beebe & Cades. In 1959, when Hawaii officially became a state, he served as an administrative assistant to U.S. Senator Hiram Fong in Washington, D.C., until 1962. As Senator Fong’s assistant, Mr. Damon helped with the formation of the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii.
Mr. Damon was appointed by Hawaii Governor William Quinn to a cabinet post as director of labor and industrial relations. After serving for one year, he, along with Yale classmate Henry Shigekane, founded the law firm of Damon Shigekane, now known as Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert. He specialized in estate planning, wills, and trusts. Mr. Damon believed in giving back to his community. In 1966, he and his friend and teacher Siegfried Ramler founded the Foundation for Study in Hawaii and Abroad, which later merged with Wo International Center at the Punahou School. Mr. Damon served on the board of the Punahou School from 1973 to 2002, including a term as chairman of the board from 1998 to 2001. He was a trustee of KCAA preschools of Hawaii, the Mid-Pacific Institute, the Sun Yat-Sen Hawaii Foundation, and served as an adjunct professor at the University of Hawaii’s
William S. Richardson School of Law.
A lover of books, in 1954 Mr. Damon started a book club called the Discussion Group that still meets to this day – 63 years later. He was an avid tennis player, Eagle Scout, and storyteller and was known for his dry sense of humor. Mr. Damon is survived by his wife, Katharine Damon; his sons, Allen, Hugh, Thomas, and Andrew Damon; his stepchildren, Sidney Wiecking and David and James Baker; and eight grandchildren. He was predeceased by his brother, Richard Damon ’42.
1945 Mitchell Brock
A man known for his unfailing optimism, perfect manners, and keen intellect, who enjoyed a long career in international law, died peacefully in hospice care in Kingston, N.Y., on July 22, 2017. He was 89 years old. Mr. Brock was born on November 10, 1927, in Wyncote, Pa., the son of John W. Brock and Mildred A. (Mitchell) Brock. He grew up in nearby Edgemont, and attended the Episcopal Academy outside Philadelphia, where he was the recipient of the Tony Hansel Prize for “cheerfulness, amiability, and responsiveness.”
He enrolled at St. Paul’s School in the fall of 1941, having been on the list for admission since April of 1928, when he was six months old. At SPS, Mr. Brock was a member of the Library Association and the Missionary Society, was elected vice president of the Student Council, served as vice president of the Scientific Association, and as treasurer of the Concordian Literary Society. He sang in the Glee Club, served as a supervisor, played football and hockey for Isthmian, and rowed with Shattuck and in the first varsity boat. He graduated summa cum laude, having earned First Testimonials four times. He was awarded the Vanderpoel Prize in Science, Dickey Prizes in mathematics, sacred studies, science, and French, and was named a St. Paul’s School Honor Scholar.
Mr. Brock served in the U.S. Navy for one year as a Technician’s Mate 3rd Class, before enrolling at Princeton. He was a member of the Ivy Club and captained the JV football team. He was elected Phi Beta Kappa and graduated in 1950 from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, graduating in 1953 with his LL.B. On June 21, 1952, Mr. Brock married Gioia Chadwick Connell. The couple enjoyed 64 years of marriage. Together the Brocks raised four children, Felicity, Marina, Mitchell “Hovey” ’76, and Laura. In the early 1950s, Mr. Brock embarked on what would become a 40-year career at the New York law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell. He specialized in international law and became a partner in 1960. He worked in the Paris office from 1965 to 1968, and was the partner in charge in the Tokyo office from 1987 to 1990. He returned to the New York office in 1990, where he finished his career two years later, retiring at the end of 1992.
A devoted community man, for many years Mr. Brock served on the boards of the American Foundation for the Blind and Helen Keller International, and also served on the boards of the Frost Valley YMCA and the Neversink Association. He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the New York City Bar Association. He remained devoted to St. Paul’s, serving as a form agent from 1972 to 1977 and as form director from 2005 to 2010.In retirement, the Brocks split time between homes in Boca Grande, Fla., and Claryville, N.Y., in the Catskill Mountains. An avid sportsman, Mr. Brock enjoyed playing tennis into his eighties, and was an expert fly-fisherman, who regularly fished the Neversink River. He was a member of the Anglers Club, the Ivy Club, and the Princeton Club, a parishioner of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Boca Grande, and served for a time on the vestry of the Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City.
Mr. Brock was predeceased on May 24, 2016, by his wife, Gioia; in 2012 by his daughter, Marina Brock Hyde; in 1998 by his brother, Hugh Brock ’50; and in 1995 by his brother, John Brock ’44. His sister, Mary Tyler Brock Whitney, died on August 5, 2017. He is survived by his daughters,Felicity Brock Kelcourse and her husband, Paul, and Laura L. Brock and her husband, Robert Smith; his son, Mitchell “Hovey” Brock ’76, and his wife, Margaret Seiler; and seven grandchildren.
1946 Alexander “Sam” Aldrich
Devoted husband, father, and grandfather, and an attorney dedicated to public service, died peacefully on July 19, 2017, at The Wesley Community in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He was 89.
Mr. Aldrich was born in New York City on March 14, 1928, to Winthrop R. Aldrich and Harriet Alexander Aldrich. His father served as CEO and chairman of Chase National Bank and was the American Ambassador to the Court of St. James during the Eisenhower administration. His mother ran the Civil Defense Volunteer Office in New York City during World War II. His extended family was prominent in American civic life. Paternal grandfather Senator Nelson W. Aldrich was a leader in the U.S. Senate at the beginning of the 20th century. His mother’s grandfather, Charles Crocker, was one of the “Big Four,” who completed the transcontinental railroad during California’s Gold Rush. In the fall of 1942, Mr. Aldrich entered St. Paul’s School as a Third Former. He sang in the Choir and Glee Club, was a member of the Scientific Association and the Cadmean Literary Society, competed in hockey for Delphian, and rowed with Halcyon. He was a fine student, who twice earned Second Testimonials. Like many boys of his era, Mr. Aldrich was honorably dismissed from St. Paul’s at the end of his Fifth Form year as part of an accelerated academic program during the war emergency. He attended M.I.T. for one year, before completing his undergraduate education at Harvard, where he earned his A.B. in 1950. In 1947, Mr. Aldrich was one of several young men who had left during the war who were eventually awarded an SPS diploma. He continued his higher education at Harvard, earning his LL.B. in 1953. On August 11, 1951, Mr. Aldrich married his first wife, Elizabeth B. Hollins. Together the couple had four children, Elizabeth, Winthrop, Amanda, and Alexander.
Initially a corporate attorney for Milbank, Tweed in New York City, Mr. Aldrich was soon called to public service. He left the corporate world and, in 1955, became secretary to the New York City Police Department. He earned an M.P.A. from New York University in 1960. First as a public defender and later as deputy police commissioner for New York City, Mr. Aldrich worked with youth programs and lobbied successfully for young performers from Harlem and Bedford Stuyvesant to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the late 1950s.
In 1958, while teaching a class on criminal justice at City University of New York, student Felicia Spritzer, an officer for the Juvenile Aid Bureau, asked how she could overcome the NYPD’s exclusion of women from the test to advance to the rank of sergeant. Mr. Aldrich advised her to “get pro bono counsel from the ACLU and sue the city, the mayor, and the police commissioner for a court order compelling them to allow you and any other qualified woman to take the sergeant’s test.” Felicia took his advice and, in 1964, became the first female sergeant in the NYPD. In 1960, Mr. Aldrich joined New York State Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s administration as the first director of the New York State Division for Youth. He later became chairman of the Governor’s State Cabinet Committee for Civil Rights, as well as the Governor’s executive assistant. In that role, he marched 54 miles with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., in support of the Voting Rights Act.
As the first director of New York State’s Hudson River Valley Commission from 1966 to 1968, Mr. Aldrich fought successfully to protect 1,000 acres of farmland on the banks of the Hudson River from the development of a nuclear power plant. He continued as an advocate for New York’s open spaces as its commissioner of state parks, recreation, and historic preservation (1971-75). He traveled the inland waterways from Long Island to Niagara Falls on his 36-foot Maine lobster boat, Strider, engaging local officials and journalists to support the parks along the route. In 1968, he was named president of the Brooklyn Center of Long Island University by Governor Rockefeller. In the ensuing years, Mr. Aldrich served as the attorney for the City of Saratoga Springs, for Yaddo, and for the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. In the 1980s, he chaired the President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and in the 1990s he chaired Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Urban and Environmental Studies program and helped pioneer Empire State College’s distance learning initiatives.
Mr. Aldrich always prioritized family time, teaching his children how to tie their hockey skates, pitch a tent, navigate through fog, and play Parcheesi. He was proud of his wife, Phyllis Williamson Aldrich, whom he married on July 29, 1971, and her tireless advocacy for gifted education in New York. Among many other commitments, Mr. Aldrich was active with St. George’s Episcopal Church in Clifton Park, N.Y., serving as a Stephen Minister, as senior warden, and singing bass in the choir. In the summers, he was active in the communities of Islesboro, Maine, and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. Mr. Aldrich captured the tales of his many professional and personal adventures in the 2011 memoir Dancing with the Queen, Marching with King, including a spin on the dance floor with Queen Elizabeth II at her 1953 coronation, while his father was ambassador to the Court of St. James, and marching with Dr. King in Alabama.
Mr. Aldrich is survived by his wife, Phyllis, and their children, William Aldrich ’92 and Sarah Aldrich; his children with his first wife, Elizabeth Hollins Elliott, Winthrop Aldrich, Elizabeth Atcheson, Amanda O’Bannon, and Alexander Aldrich; his stepchildren, Cynthia Watts Murphy, Jeffrey Watts, and Taylor Watts; his children’s spouses; 23 grandchildren; and two of his four sisters, Lucy Burr and Liberty Redmond.
1946 Eric Harrah
A man known for his spirit, sharp wit, and private nature, died on July 5, 2017, after a long illness. He was 88 years old.
Born in Narragansett, R.I., on August 3, 1928, Mr. Harrah was the son of Ernest and Maude Harrah. He entered St. Paul’s School as a Second Former in the fall of 1941. He was a member of the Library Association and Le Cercle Français and sang in Choir. He competed with Delphian and Halcyon. Mr. Harrah earned his degree from Harvard in 1950. After graduation, he moved back to Rhode Island, where he remained for the duration of his life. He made his career in house building and renovation in Narragansett and Wakefield. Cars were a lifelong fascination for Mr. Harrah, who was always well versed on the newest models. He took pride in maintaining his vehicles for himself and for those to whom he eventually sold them. Mr. Harrah also was a dedicated gardener, who boasted an expansive collection of houseplants and exotic bulbs.
Over the years, Mr. Harrah supported numerous Rhode Island organizations, including South County Hospital in Wakefield; the Galilee Mission Narragansett; St. Peter’s by the Sea in Narragansett; and the Animal Rescue League, from which he rescued several cats. Mr. Harrah is survived by his sister, Lorna Harrah Bruen; his nephew, Alexander Bruen; his niece, Moira Hearne Hines; and two great-grandnephews.
1950 Robert Gillespie Merin
A retired anesthesiologist, died in August at 84 years old.
Dr. Merin was born in Lake George, N.Y., to Joseph and Jesse Merin. Both of his parents were doctors, and the Merin family lived in Bolton Landing, N.Y., in the Adirondacks. Dr. Merin arrived at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1946, where he sang in the Glee Club and the Choir and was a member of the Scientific Association. He also played baseball and football. While at the School, Dr. Merin met with a dietician to learn how to lose weight, said his son, Michael Merin. He carried those lessons with him throughout his life, his son recalled, always maintaining a nominal weight and exercising regularly. Dr. Merin continued his education at Swarthmore College and Cornell, where he earned his M.D. He also served two years, from 1961 to 1963, in the U.S. Army.
After leaving the Army, Dr. Merin entered the world of academics, teaching first at Albany Medical College and then at Rochester Medical School. At Rochester, Dr. Merin was awarded the RO1 grant from the National Institutes of Health to help fund a medical research project. He also received the NIH Research Center Development Award. Dr. Merin went to Erasmus University in Rotterdam in The Netherlands in 1974. He spent a year there as a senior research scientist. He also traveled and lectured all around Europe.mAfter returning to America, Dr. Merin became an editor of Anesthesiology, a medical journal published by the American Society of Anesthesiologists. He was inducted into the Association of University Anesthesiologists, serving as president from 1987 to 1988. He also was, at various times, a visiting professor in Europe, Japan, Australia, and South Africa. His career also took him to the University of Texas Medical Center in Houston and the Medical College in Georgia.
Dr. Merin retired to South Carolina and, later, to Pennsylvania. He spent his free time pursuing favorite pastimes, including scuba diving, tennis, golf, and boating. He remained active in his local churches, joining an ophthalmology mission group and administering anesthesia during trips to Ghana, Vietnam, Haiti, and Nigeria. Dr. Merin was predeceased in 2016 by his wife of more than 50 years, Barbara. He is survived by his son, Michael, and his wife, Betsy; his daughters, Jan and Sarah; and his granddaughter, Katherine.
1951 Peter Bogert Elliman
Former executive director of the SPS Alumni Association, died on August 3, 2017, in Austin, Texas, surrounded by his family, after complications from a fall and broken hip. He was 84 years old.
Mr. Elliman was born in New York City on April 26, 1933, to George Trowbridge Elliman of the Form of 1924 and Natica de Acosta Elliman. He spent most of his childhood in Warrenton, Va., where he attended the Stuyvesant School, until enrolling at St. Paul’s School. At St. Paul’s, Mr. Elliman was a member of the Cadmean/Concordian Literary Society and the Missionary Society, wrote for The Pelican, and served on the Yearbook. He competed in baseball, crew, cross country, football, and hockey. Mr. Elliman went on to Princeton, where he earned a B.A. in political science, before continuing his education at the University of Virginia, where he received his M.B.A. While getting his master’s degree, Mr. Elliman enrolled in ROTC. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Artillery at Fort Sill, Okla.
In his career, Mr. Elliman took on various financial jobs, including one at Texas Instruments. He also worked at various times as a corporate executive, president, CEO, and financial consultant. In three decades of work, Mr. Elliman said that one of his proudest accomplishments was the work he did with Gulf Resources and Chemical Corp. “The most interesting chapter of this period was the three years spent in Hong Kong, starting up and heading the Asian subsidiary of a Houston-based company,” Mr. Elliman wrote in a 50th anniversary profile for SPS. He also served on various boards of directors and as a trustee for Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Mass., where he helped expand diversity by recruiting girls from Hong Kong to attend the school. Mr. Elliman also returned to St. Paul’s in 1995, where he worked as the executive director of the Alumni Association. “Moving back to our school was one of the best chapters of my lifetime,” he wrote to St. Paul’s. “I didn’t intend to stay more than a year, but stayed for almost four.”
Mr. Elliman retired for good in 1999, moving to Virginia and, later, Texas. He shared that his family and friends were always the most significant part of his life. Peter Elliman is survived his three children, George Trowbridge Elliman II, Julia Smither Elliman, and Peter Bogert Elliman Jr. ’87; his daughter-in-law, Cheryl Baier Elliman; his granddaughters, Daphne Cooke Elliman and Julia May Elliman; and his former wife, Julia Cunningham Bagalay. Several others members of Mr. Elliman’s family attended St. Paul’s, including three uncles and five cousins, among them D.T. Elliman ’46 and Thomas T. Elliman ’60.
1951 Mihailo “Micky” Voukitchevitch
A humble man who will be remembered for his giving nature and his compassion, died on August 12, 2017, in Los Angeles, Calif., of congestive heart failure. He was 84 years old.
Mr. Voukitchevitch was born on March 28, 1933, in Geneva, Switzerland, the son of Vladia and Nadia Voukitchevitch. His family history was a rich one, and Mr. Voukitchevitch was a Serbian prince. At the age of seven, Mr. Voukitchevitch moved to Arizona with his family, where he attended to Arizona Desert School in San Luis. He enrolled at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1947. At SPS, Mr. Voukitchevitch was a member of the Library Association, the Cadmean/Concordian Literary Society, and the Dramatics Club. He sang with the Glee Club and wrote for The Pelican. He competed in alpine skiing, hockey, and tennis.
Mr. Voukitchevitch attended Princeton, before embarking on a career in publishing and advertising, including posts at Prentice Hall and McGraw Hill. He also was a lecturer at Marymount Manhattan College and Sarah Lawrence University. Mr. Voukitchevitch lived abroad at various times, including residencies in the Caribbean and Spain. He also launched a medical trade magazine distributed in 11 southeast Asian countries and headquartered in Manila, The Philippines. He married his wife, Cynthia, in 1971. As his children approached college age, Mr. Voukitchevitch returned to the U.S. and worked as the Southeast regional head of MD Publications, Inc. based out of Missouri. He was a lifelong writer, writing several novels and poetry anthologies. His daughter, Tatiana, said the beauty of her father’s
poetry could bring her to tears.
Among other interests, Mr. Voukitchevitch loved theater and performing arts and was at one point an amateur Shakespearean actor. He also enjoyed polo, tennis, skiing, swimming, and sailing. He requested that he be buried at sea. Mr. Voukitchevitch is survived by his wife, Cynthia; his daughters, Tatiana, Nadezhda, and Alexandra; his sons, Franz and Georgi; his grandchildren; and many other family members and friends.
1955 Thomas Davies Haines
A consummate gentleman, known for his kindness, patience, and eagerness to help others in need, died, surrounded by his wife and two sons, on June 17, 2017, in New York City, of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 79.
Mr. Haines was born in New York City on October 18, 1937, the middle child and oldest son of Thomas F. Haines of the Form of 1920 and Marian Forsyth Wickes Haines. His uncle, Henry A. Haines of the Form of 1922, was also an SPS alumnus. While his father put him on the admissions list at St. Paul’s when Mr. Haines was six months old, young Tom prepared for St. Paul’s at
St. Bernard’s School, enrolling at SPS as a Second Former in the fall of 1950. Mr. Haines was the advertising manager and a photographer for The Pelican, took photographs for the Yearbook, was a member of the Pictorial Board, competed with Old Hundred in soccer, and represented SPS in squash and golf. He was a member of La Junta, the Acolyte’s Guild, the Rifle Club, and the Chapel Attendance Committee
While earning his B.A. in history from Yale (1959), Mr. Haines competed in club golf and squash. He was a member of Chi Psi and an early member of the Mace & Chain senior society, which he helped revitalize in the 1990s. From 1960 to 1963, Mr. Haines served in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps. He continued his education at NYU’s Graduate School of Business.On September 22, 1962, Mr. Haines married Stephany Warick, whom he met while she was attending Vassar. Together the couple raised sons Samuel (born in 1973) and Thomas, Jr. (born in 1975) and enjoyed 55 years of marriage, until the death of Mr. Haines.
The family resided in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y., where Mr. Haines served on the vestry of Grace Church. He worked most of his career as a personal investment counselor in New York City. His work took him to Spenser Trask, Manufacturers Hanover, and Scudder, Stevens & Clark. Mr. Haines took pride in forming relationships with his clients and serving their estate and trust needs. The family enjoyed spending weekends and summers in Norfolk, Conn., where Mr. Haines was an avid golfer and delighted in spending summer evenings fishing for trout and bass. In retirement, Mr. and Mrs. Haines moved to Salisbury, Conn., where they became active members of the St. John’s Episcopal Church community and enjoyed spending time with friends, reading history books, and traveling. Throughout his life, animals brought Mr. Haines considerable joy. He and his wife raised a series of beloved Jack Russell Terriers after their sons left the nest. Mr. Haines remained a long-suffering fan of the Yale football team, and was eager to entertain $1 wagers with alumni of any team on Yale’s schedule. In 2010, Mr. Haines became a member of the John Hargate Society, having remembered St. Paul’s in his estate plans. His laughter, generosity, and whimsical sartorial sense will be remembered by all who were touched by his endearing personality and spirit.
Mr. Haines is survived by his wife, Stephany; his son, Samuel, and his wife, Monamie; his son, Thomas, and his wife, Callie; four grandchildren; his younger brother, Alex; and his niece, Valerie Minton Webster ’76. He was predeceased in 2011 by his older sister, Marian “Minxie” Haines.
1957 Jonathan Thorne McLane
An innovative and openhearted man, who loved nothing more than “simply messing about in boats,” died on August 28, 2017, in St. Augustine, Fla. He was 77.
Mr. McLane was born on May 30, 1940, in New York City, to Thérése Thorne and Huntington McLane of the Form of 1923. He spent his childhood in Millbrook, N.Y., with his brother, Jedediah McLane ’54, and his sister, Julia Therese Hall. He came to St. Paul’s from The Malcolm Gordon School, where he was awarded the Junior Scholarship Prize in 1949 and given the nickname “Jonty.” At SPS, Mr. McLane was most often found tinkering in the workshop with the Radio Club – taking things apart and putting them back together became a lifelong hobby. Mr. McLane was also a member of the Scientific Association and the Rifle/Trap/Skeet Club. He golfed, boxed, and played soccer, hockey, and baseball for Isthmian. His close friends included George Baker ’57 and William Hitchcock ’57.
Mr. McLane went on to earn his undergraduate degree in three years from Harvard, graduating in 1960. He received his M.B.A. in 1968 from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. McLane completed advanced military training and graduated basic military law school at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in June of 1961. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1960 to 1963. An entrepreneur at heart, Mr. McLane combined his personal interest in aviation with an excellent sense of business to own and operate several small commuter airlines. He sat on the Alumni Investment Committee at Harvard, was treasurer of the Washington Investors Group for 10 years, and was entrusted with investing the family money. A love of the sea brought Mr. McLane to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where he lived for almost 30 years. The interest he had developed with tinkering continued throughout his life; he loved to restore antique cars, boats, and P-51 Mustangs. Mr. McLane was also an adventurer, sailing around the world twice on his schooner and learning how to navigate by the stars. The McLane family has always been very generous to the School. When Mr. McLane’s brother, Jedediah, died in 1956, the family donated the Skatehouse in his honor. In 2012, Jonathan McLane became a member of the John Hargate Society, having remembered SPS in his estate plans.
Mr. McLane is survived by two nieces and a nephew. He was predeceased by his brother, Jedediah McLane ’54; his sister, Julia Therese Hall; his father, Huntington McLane of the Form of 1923; his mother, Thérése Thorne McLane; and his uncle, Henry Richards McLane of the Form of 1924.
1960 Frederick “Rick” Billings Lee, Jr.
A kind man with an open heart, who touched the lives of many, died on August 18, 2017. He was 76 years old and a resident of Elko, Nev.
Mr. Lee was born in New York City on May 9, 1941, the only son and middle child of Frederick B. Lee and Jane Pillow Rightor Lee. He grew up in Washington, D.C., where he attended St. Alban’s School, before entering St. Paul’s School as a Fourth Former in the fall of 1957. At SPS, he was a member of the Acolyte’s Guild, the Scientific Association, and The Pelican Board. Mr. Lee served as treasurer of the Rocket Society, competed in soccer and wrestling with Delphian, and rowed with Shattuck. He expressed an early interest in photography and writing and was known at the School as an engaging, charming boy.,From St. Paul’s, Mr. Lee enrolled at the University of Virginia, graduating in 1965. He served briefly in the U.S. Army, and was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant. Upon completion of his military service, he pursued further education at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, Calif., where he earned his LL.B. in 1973.
Mr. Lee was married to Karen Albrethsen. He loved her three children, Greg, Jennique, and Cheryl, as his own. In 1991, the couple welcomed a daughter, Laura Emma Lee. In his career as an attorney, Mr. Lee worked for Nevada Indian Legal Services for many years. He spent an additional 24 years serving as Elko County public defender, before his retirement in 2015.A devout Episcopalian, Mr. Lee was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where he served at various times as a vestry member, senior warden, and usher. He also held licenses as a lector, worship leader, Eucharistic visitor, and preacher.
Mr. Lee spent childhood summers in his father’s hometown of Woodstock, Vt., and visited there as often as he could throughout his life. The Vermont town will be his final resting place. But he also was drawn to the West through his Billings family history and his lifelong friendship with the Gavin Farr family. He settled in Elko, Nev., and fell in love with it. Admired by many for his kindness and open heart, Mr. Lee possessed a probing intellect, a prodigious memory, and a dry sense of humor. He was a loyal companion and a loving son, brother, uncle, father, and husband. Mr. Lee is survived by his wife, Karen Albrethsen; his daughter, Laura Emma Lee; his son, Frederick Billings Lee III; the stepchildren he loved as his own, Greg Blackwell, Jennique Lee, and Cheryl Wright; his sisters, Jane Wolfe and Laura Kent; a niece; and several nephews.
1960 William Henry Joyce “Peter” Yerkes
A journalist who served for many years as deputy director of media relations for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, died peacefully on June 25, 2017, at his home in Summit, N.J., after a long fight with cancer. He was 74.
Born on February 9, 1943, in Wilmington, Del., he was the only child of Helen and William Yerkes of the Form of 1932. Mr. Yerkes followed several family members to SPS, including his grandfather, Leonard Yerkes of the Form of 1898, and uncles Lawrence Augustus Yerkes and Ludlow Elliman, both of the Form of 1927. Mr. Yerkes enrolled at the School as a Third Former in the fall of 1956. He regularly took on more subjects than required, and one faculty member characterized him as “a boy of considerable talent who means to learn as much as he can.” Mr. Yerkes also served as president of the Radio Club, secretary of the Cadmean Literary Society, and was a member of the Horae Scholasticae board. He also was a member of Le Cercle Français, the Library Association, and the Palamedean Society. Mr. Yerkes also enjoyed competing in cross country, squash, and crew. He graduated cum laude.
He completed his undergraduate studies at Yale, where he continued to be a devoted scholar, reader, and writer. Mr. Yerkes served as editor-in-chief for The Yale Literary Magazine. A love of politics and government led him initially to a career as a newspaper reporter at The News Tribune in Woodbridge, N.J. He later worked as the New Jersey State House correspondent for The New York Daily News in Trenton and as New Jersey State House Bureau Chief, columnist, and editorial writer for The Bergen Record in Hackensack. During an eventful 10 final years of his career, he transferred his skills to serve as deputy director of media relations for the highly visible Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. There he displayed a talent for internal communication, speechwriting, op-ed writing, and public relations counseling for the chairman, executive director, and other executives of the Port Authority. His biggest challenges included the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the crashes of TWA Fight 800, Swissair Flight 111, Egypt Air Flight 990, and the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center terrorist attack.
Mr. Yerkes was awarded the Port Authority Unit Citation for his work after the September 11 terrorist attacks. He also was presented with the Big Apple Award to the Office of Media Relations for response to the World Trade Center bombing, and the “Best of the Best” award to the Office of Media Relations. He was grateful for a fascinating career that fully engaged him for many years. Through it all, Mr. Yerkes remained a charming, kind, elegant, and literate man, who was also wise, honorable, and inspirational. He possessed a sense of humor that was both comical and ironic. Mr. Yerkes is survived by his beloved wife, Liberty Yerkes; his daughter, Isabel Domiano; his son, Harry Yerkes; a grandson, Milo Domiano; and his cousin, Thomas Elliman ’60.
1961 Stephen B. Morris
a man who balanced his love of work and family, died on July 19, 2017, after a two-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 73 years old.
Mr. Morris was born on August 13, 1943, in Morristown, N.J., to Cornelia and Grinnell Morris '28. He attended East Woods School in Long Island, before enrolling at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1957. At SPS, Mr. Morris rowed with Shattuck and played squash. He went on to Yale, earning his B.A. in 1965, before continuing on to Harvard Business School, from which he received his M.B.A. in 1969. An ambitious 40-year career in media and marketing followed. Mr. Morris was employed in the 1970s and 1980s by General Foods in White Plains, N.Y., before moving on to a pair of startups. He spent the final 18 years of his career as CEO of Arbitron, a radio ratings company acquired by Nielsen Audio in 2013. Mr. Morris helped the company to prosper. In his tenure, Arbitron was named one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For and the third-best company for women.
After his retirement in 2009, Mr. Morris turned to some of his other interests. He was a board member for Welch’s, a company owned by the National Grape Cooperative Association. He joked that he’d like to come back as a grape farmer in a second life. He also served on the boards of Stetson, New York Theater Workshop, Neighbors Link of Mt. Kisco, and Parsons Dance, where he was chairman for nearly 10 years. Chairing New York Public Radio’s Digital Innovation Fund was another project dear to his heart. Mr. Morris also enjoyed cooking, and used the freshest ingredients to make his famous raspberry jam. He was fond of his John Deere tractor and his vast vegetable garden.
Mr. Morris loved his family and was especially enthusiastic about traveling with them. He will be remembered for his compassion and intellectual curiosity, as well as his tennis serve, composting skills, and love of wine. He was a devoted husband, loving father, and loyal friend. Steve Morris is survived by his wife, Victoria “Vickie” Morris, to whom he was married for more than 50 years; his children, Robin and Christopher Morris; his grandchildren; his brothers, Grinnell Morris '59 and Frederic Morris '64; and many other family and friends.
1963 George Stanley Hatch, Jr.
Beloved husband, father, and grandfather, died peacefully, surrounded by family, at his home in Dana Point, Calif., on June 17, 2017, after a battle with cancer. He was 72.
Born in Los Angeles on September 7, 1944, he was the son of Jane and George Stanley Hatch, Sr. Mr. Hatch arrived at SPS as a Fourth Former in the fall of 1960. Known to faculty as a “good solid citizen” with a “very engaging, pleasant personality,” Mr. Hatch acclimated to his new school with ease. He was a member of the Missionary Society and La Junta, and took on a leadership role with the Attendance Committee. He also competed in track, JV soccer, and hockey. On the occasion of his 50th SPS anniversary, when asked about his overall feelings for the School, Mr. Hatch wrote, “How lucky I was to go there.” He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1967 and earned his M.B.A. from California State University, Long Beach in 1972. Shortly after his graduation from Cal State, Mr. Hatch married Marlene Beluch, with whom he raised his two children, Joe and Beth. He spent his career as a tax investigator for the state of California. Mr. Hatch enjoyed skiing, camping, and traveling with his family. Most recently, he especially loved spending time with his three grandchildren, Eliot, Bradlee, and Dee. They survive him, as do his wife and children.
1973 Amanda Church Hayne “Mandy” Kirkwood
A woman of insatiable curiosity, tremendous wit, and a zest for adventure, died peacefully on November 14, 2016, surrounded by family and friends. She was 61 years old.
Ms. Kirkwood was born on October 21, 1955, in Kingston, Jamaica, the middle child and only daughter of diplomat William Alston Hayne and Elisabeth Church Hayne. She spent much of her young life living abroad in Peru, France, and Mexico, fostering a worldliness and global citizenship that endured into her adult life. Prior to enrolling at St. Paul’s as a Fifth Former in the fall of 1971, Ms. Kirkwood attended the American School in Paris from 1965 to 1966 and then École Active Bilingue in Paris from 1966 to 1970, where she was president of her class as a freshman. She continued her education at Concord Academy in Concord, Mass., enrolling as a sophomore. In her application to St. Paul’s, she spoke of the transition to life back in America after five years in France, which had grown to be her home. She listed many interests, among them handcrafts, origami, playing the guitar, singing, and camping. She also expressed an interest in working with children with special needs, inspired by her younger brother, Nicholas. Her teachers noted early that Ms. Kirkwood wrote with “extraordinary perception.”
At SPS, Ms. Kirkwood was elected to the Student Council as a Sixth Former. She sang in the Choir, played soccer and field hockey, skied recreationally, served as a French tutor, and was the School’s first female president of Le Cercle Français. Ms. Kirkwood made handcrafts, at times producing marionettes and puppets, which she often sold, donating the proceeds to charitable causes. As was her wont, Ms. Kirkwood chose a different path from that of her SPS peers, and immediately entered the working world instead of attending college. She moved with her family to Mexico City, where she worked in the American embassy for two years. She then moved to San Francisco, where Ms. Kirkwood initially worked as membership and corporate development coordinator for the World Affairs Council. In 1983, she married John Kirkwood, and spent the rest of her career with his private railroad business, Rail Ventures, Inc. Together the couple raised three children – son Spencer and twin daughters Elisabeth and Alexandra.
Ms. Kirkwood’s passion for travel never wavered, and she continued to explore new places, forging connections through the multiple languages she spoke fluently, and dazzling friends and family with her stories. She was a talented singer and writer, a voracious reader, and a friend to all. Her legacy will live on in the various charities to which she was passionately dedicated,
including the Georgiana G. Stevens Foundation, and in her friends and family. Mandy Kirkwood is survived by her husband, John Kirkwood; her son, Spencer Kirkwood; her daughters, Elisabeth and Alexandra Kirkwood; her brothers, William Alston “Auty” Hayne ’71 and Nicholas Hayne; and numerous cousins, siblings-in-law, nieces, and nephews.