St. Paul's School Alumni Horae

View Original

In Memoriam

The section was updated March 25, 2019. Please note that deaths are reported as we receive notice of them. Therefore, alumni dates of death are not always reported chronologically.

Send in a tribute 

Honor your friends and loved ones in Alumni Horae. You may send a copy of an obituary, your own written tribute, a note listing a few facts about the deceased. We also request that you send a photo for inclusion. E-mail the information and high resolution photos to alumni@sps.edu.

1940 Henry “Harry” Norris Platt, Jr.

Who was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for his service in World War II, died on February 6, 2019. He was 96. Just before he died, Mr. Platt asked that the “Last Night Hymn” be sung at his service. “He was humming it,” said his daughter, Martha Platt. “He was very proud of his time at St. Paul’s – even at the end of his life.” Mr. Platt was born in Chestnut Hill, Pa., on March 23, 1922, to Henry Norris Platt and Page Randolph Platt. He entered St. Paul’s as a Third Former in 1936. He competed with Halcyon and was a member of the Library Association.

He graduated from Harvard in 1944 and was soon drafted into the 1258th Combat Engineer Battalion, where he rose to the rank of Captain. Mr. Platt’s unit was responsible for entering the war zone ahead of the troops and clearing their path of obstacles. “For a couple of months, [our battalion] was the only thing along the Moselle River and the Saar River,” Mr. Platt told the Williamson Herald in Tennessee in 2014. “It was just us chickens.” In the fall of 1945, Mr. Platt’s unit was sent to Nuremberg to ready the Palace of Justice for the war crimes trials. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service for his work as a recon sergeant. After returning home in 1946, Mr. Platt earned his J.D. in 1949 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and remained with the Army for nearly 15 years, much of it with the Judge Advocates General Corp. After retiring from the military, Mr. Platt worked as a corporate lawyer and senior partner with the Philadelphia law firm of Ballard Spahr. He retired in 1986.

Mr. Platt is survived by his wife of 40 years, Adelaide Hartung; six children, Henry N. Platt III, Nell Riviere Platt, Martha Platt, Caroline Platt, Stephanie Lapointe, and Christopher Platt; 15 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.


1942 Henry Gildersleeve Jarvis, Jr.

A man remembered for his kindness, caring nature, and generosity, died on December 23, 2018, at his home in North Sandwich, N.H., after a period of failing health. He was 95 years old. Mr. Jarvis was born on November 26, 1923, in West Hartford, Conn., to Dr. Henry G. Jarvis, Sr. and Dorothy Jarvis. Prior to enrolling at St. Paul’s School in 1939, he attended Kingswood Oxford School in his hometown. While at SPS, Mr. Jarvis competed with Isthmian and Halcyon.

Mr. Jarvis first enrolled at Nichols Junior College, where he received an associate’s degree in 1950. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1953 with a degree in economics. After college, Mr. Jarvis moved back to Hartford, where he spent his career working in the insurance industry. He earned an executive position for Aetna Life and Casualty Insurance Company in Hartford, which he held for many years. Throughout his life, Mr. Jarvis spent summers in the New Hampshire Lakes Region, living in North Sandwich for more than 30 years. He was an avid golfer, a hobby he kept until the age of 89, and a member of the White Mountain Country Club in Ashland. He also kept active at the Winnipesaukee Wellness Center in Moultonborough, where he exercised several days a week. Those who knew him best remember Mr. Jarvis as a kind soul, always willing to help others, from educational expenses to buying a home to getting a new car.

Though Mr. Jarvis was the last surviving member of his immediate family, he found close, supportive friends in Tina Pike and her entire family, Dolores Humiston, and Cindy Plummer. The group assisted him at his home and helped him get out in the local community. Mr. Jarvis was predeceased in 1982 by his wife, Elizabeth Z. Jarvis, and in 2006 by his companion of 23 years, Eleanor F. Peterson. He is survived by his cousin, Marshall Jarvis, and his wife, Joan.


1942 Alexander “Perry” Morgan, Jr.

A successful architect, known for his integrity and warm sense of humor, died at his Princeton, N.J., home on January 4, 2019. He was 94. Mr. Morgan was born in Paris on May 8, 1924, to Janet C. Morgan and Alexander P. Morgan, Sr. of the Form of 1918. While growing up abroad, he recalled seeing Charles Lindbergh parade through the streets of Paris after successfully completing his first trans-atlantic solo flight. In 1927, the Morgan family moved to New York City, where Mr. Morgan attended The Buckley School before enrolling at SPS a decade later.

At SPS, Mr. Morgan sang in the Choir. He was a member of the Library Association, the Phi Beta Kappa society, the Acolyte’s Guild, the Cadmean/Concordian Literary Society, and the Scientific Association. He competed for Old Hundred in squash and hockey and rowed with Shattuck. It was at St. Paul’s that he discovered interests in both chemistry and rowing, which continued at Princeton. Mr. Morgan’s college education was interrupted by World War II. He served three years in the U.S. Army, earning the rank of Staff Sergeant for the 283rd Engineering Combat Battalion. He was primarily stationed in Europe. After returning from the war, Mr. Morgan returned to Princeton, where he graduated as valedictorian and earned a degree in architecture in 1949. He continued his studies at Princeton and earned a master’s in architecture in 1952. He was honored with a Fulbright Scholarship, through which he continued to study architecture in Italy.

Mr. Morgan returned to the U.S. a few years later, living in his family’s longtime home, Constitution Hill, in Princeton, N.J., and working as an architect in New York City. In 1965, he and a former classmate, Phil Holt, formed the nationally recognized architecture firm Holt Morgan Russell. Mr. Morgan worked there until he retired in 1999. Mr. Morgan is remembered as a loving father and devoted husband, who always sought to help others. He loved reading to his children, grandchildren, and great-grand-children and enjoyed sailing, tennis, golf, painting, and listening to classical music. Mr. Morgan also had a great love and appreciation for the outdoors. He spent many summers with his family in North Haven, Maine. Throughout his life, Mr. Morgan volunteered for various boards and organizations in the Princeton community and beyond, including the Princeton Zoning Board, the architect’s advisory board for the design of the North Haven Public School, and the North Haven Golf Club’s board of directors. He also worked with Dorothea’s house, a local Italian-American organization.

Mr. Morgan is survived by his wife of 63 years, Elisabeth; his sister, Margaret; his son, James, and his wife Beth; his daughter, Lisa Priestley, and her husband, John; his son, Peter, and his wife, Susanne; his son, Matthew, and his wife, Kate; 13 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister, Caroline Morgan.


1948 Ledlie I. Laughlin, Jr.

An Episcopal priest, who put social justice into action during critical periods in the nation’s history, died on January 21, 2019, at his home in Cornwall, Conn. He was 88. Born on May 18, 1930, Mr. Laughlin grew up in Princeton, N.J., before coming to St. Paul’s School in 1944. At SPS, he was a member of the Debate Team and the Missionary Society and wrote for Horae Scholasticae. Mr. Laughlin played football, hockey, and tennis and served as a coxswain in the crew program. According to his School files, he was known to be “an intelligent, high-minded boy.”

In correspondence with St. Paul’s after his retirement, Mr. Laughlin indicated that he’d received “a fine education,” made good friends, and that his time at SPS had instilled in him the sense of service to God and country that led him into the priesthood. Many of Mr. Laughlin’s family members also attended SPS, including his father, uncle, two cousins, a son, and two grandchildren. Mr. Laughlin earned his bachelor’s degree from Princeton in 1952 and his M.Div. from the General Theological Seminary in 1955. His first ministry came as a member of a mission team at Grace Church in Jersey City, N.J., where he served a low-income, racially diverse community. In 1958, Mr. Laughlin married Roxana Foote Dodd. Five years later, in 1963, he was called to be the dean of Trinity Cathedral in Newark, N.J. His appointment coincided with a period of racial unrest in cities across the United States. At the Cathedral, he merged a small white congregation with a large black congregation, whose church building had burned down. In July 1967, Trinity Cathedral hosted the first national Black Power Conference.

Mr. Laughlin spent 20 years, first as Vicar, then as Rector, of St. Luke-in-the-Fields in New York’s Greenwich Village. Under his leadership, the church became known for its hospitality to the gay community and its ministry to people suffering from AIDS. Fifty years of parish ministry culminated at St. James Church in Florence, Italy, before the Laughlins retired to South Woodstock, Vt., and then to Cornwall, Conn. Along with his commitment to justice and inclusiveness, Mr. Laughlin was known in his wide circle of friends for his sense of humor and his ability to connect with and uplift people.

He is survived by his wife, Roxanna; three children, Ledlie Laughlin III ’77, Rebecca Hurlburt, and Joshua Laughlin; and seven grandchildren, India Laughlin ’07, Nicholas Laughlin ’09, Sam, Jacob, Roxy, Ledlie, and Leighton.


1948 Carl William “Bill” Timpson, Jr.

A stockbroker, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, died of pancreatic cancer on October 13, 2018. He was 87. Mr. Timpson was born on October 22, 1930, to Marcelle Vallon and Carl Timpson of the Form of 1914. He attended the Lawrence School in Hewlett, N.Y., before entering St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1944. His brother, James Timpson ’44, was a recent graduate. Mr. Timpson played football, hockey, squash, and baseball for Delphian, captaining the club’s first football team as a Sixth Former and serving as Delphian’s secretary-treasurer. He also sang in the Glee Club and was a member of the Debate Team and Le Cercle Français. Mr. Timpson went on to Harvard, where he earned his A.B. in economics in 1952, played varsity hockey for three years, and varsity golf for two seasons. He served for two years in the U.S. Naval Reserve, based in San Diego, but including a nine-month tour in Korea. He was honorably discharged in 1954.

On December 3, 1955, Mr. Timpson married Patricia “Patsy” White, and together the couple raised four children. A stockbroker, Mr. Timpson served as assistant treasurer of J.P. Morgan & Co. from 1955 to 1962, and president and CEO of Pershing & Company from 1962 to 1980. At Pershing, a significant support service company for small and mid-sized investment brokerage firms, Mr. Timpson was known for his epic business trips, into which he frequently incorporated golf, skiing, and gourmet dining. He became a registered investment advisor with Witney, Goaby, Stillman & Maynard and at Advest, Inc., before opening Timpson & Co. in the mid-1990s. After many years of living in New York, the Timpsons eventually began splitting their time between Delray Beach, Fla., and Prouts Neck, Maine. Mr. Timpson was active in community affairs as a member of the Board of Overseers of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for more than 30 years, as a trustee of St. Timothy’s School in Maryland (1973-76), and of Northwell Glen Cove Hospital, near his home in Locust Valley, N.Y. He served on the SPS Parents Committee from 1976 to 1978 and chaired the 1978 capital campaign for Millbrook School in New York. In addition to spending time with family and friends, Mr. Timpson enjoyed skiing, golf, sailing, and tennis. He was a member of the Piping Rock Club, The Brook, Racquet & Tennis Club, The Links, the National Golf Links, Gulf Stream Bath and Tennis Club, Gulfstream Golf Club, The Little Club, Prouts Neck Country Club, Prouts Neck Yacht Club, Cypress Point Club, and The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. He also was a member of the International Skiing History Association, the Father and Son Golf Association, and the U.S. Seniors Golf Association.

Bill Timpson is survived by his wife of 63 years, Patsy; four children, Nina Hilbert, Carl W. “Billy” Timpson III, Alexander “Alec” Timpson ’79, and Ogden W. Timpson; and 11 grandchildren. Several relatives also attended SPS, including Mr. Timpson’s brothers-in-law, Ogden White ’55 and Robert Strawbridge ’58.


1953 Michael Gay Hooker

A man who will be remembered for living life to the fullest, died, along with his beloved wife, Constance L. Hooker, following a Christmas Eve fire at their Presidio Heights, Calif., home. He was 83. Mr. Hooker was born in San Francisco on September 17, 1935, to Rodman L. Hooker and Nancy Borland. He spent many happy summers on the Monterey Peninsula with his family, including brother Rod. Mr. Hooker came to St. Paul’s in 1947 as a First Former from Newark Academy in New Jersey. While at St. Paul’s, Mr. Hooker played football and hockey. He was a member of the Yearbook Committee and the Missionary Society and served on the boards of The Pelican and Horae Scholasticae. His daughter, Katherine “Shrevie” Shepherd, described Mr. Hooker as a lifelong jokester and said his self-reflection in his SPS file summed him up perfectly. When asked if he’d won any awards while at St. Paul’s, Mr. Hooker wrote, “The Dingleberry Prize for Excellence in Goofing Off.”

“He’d love to have that in [Alumni Horae],” his daughter said. Mr. Hooker studied accounting for one year at the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania, before leaving to join the U.S. Marines as a pilot. He especially enjoyed flying jets off carriers across the Pacific. Friend Sam Wolcott ’53 said Mr. Hooker once flew a jet under the Golden Gate bridge (his military superiors, according to Mr. Wolcott, were not pleased). Mr. Hooker spent his career working as an institutional stockbroker, forging countless connections with those he encountered through his work. In addition to flying, his passions included fly-fishing and playing golf. Mr. Hooker’s grandfather, Samuel F. Morse, created the Pebble Beach golf resort in California. Mr. Hooker was proud to have made four holes-in-one in his lifetime, including one on the 15th hole at Cypress Point. He was a member of the Burlingame Country Club and Pacific Union Club. After being introduced by mutual friends and immediately hitting it off, Mr. Hooker and Constance Lee Colladay were married on September 30, 1995. Their 22-year marriage was full of mutual respect, travel, parties, and laughs. Together, they lived life to the fullest, enjoyed connecting with friends and family, and traveled to many parts of the world, including frequent trips with close friends to Europe, Sun Valley, and New York.

Mr. Hooker is survived by his children, Anne Austen Hooker, Samuel Talcott Hooker, and Katherine “Shrevie” Shepherd; his son-in-law, Dr. James Shepherd; and his grandsons, James Shepherd ’15, George Shepherd, and Charles Shepherd.

1954 Mr. William F. “Ford” Moreland

A beloved husband and father, died on April 10, 2018. He was 82 years old. Mr. Moreland was born on November 26, 1935, to Mary L. Johnson and Raymond F. Moreland. Prior to enrolling in St. Paul’s School in 1949, he attended Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh, Pa. While at SPS, Mr. Moreland was a member of the Missionary Society and served as a Prefect. He competed with Isthmian and Halcyon. He attended Yale, graduating in 1958 with a B.A. in American studies. Mr. Moreland went on to work as a stockbroker until his retirement in 2000. At one point, he started his own firm, the Moreland Company. He was a generous supporter of Beginning with Books, a program in Pittsburgh that promotes literacy in early childhood.

Mr. Moreland is survived by his wife, Ellen Zook Moreland; his son, Raymond Moreland II, and his wife, Suzanne; his son, Ted Moreland, and his wife, Lisa; five grandchildren; his brother, Rob Johnson; and his sister, Jeannie Thompson. He was predeceased by his daughter Elaine Moreland, his brother, Terrell Griggs, and his sister, Judy Johnson.


1958 Harold Elstner Talbott III

A follower of Tibetan Buddhism, who valued greatly the spiritual dimension of human existence and was known for his humor, intelligence, generosity, and friendship, died peacefully from complications of Parkinson’s disease at his home in Marion, Mass., on February 7, 2019. He was just shy of his 80th birthday. Mr. Talbott and his twin brother, John, were born in New York City on February 21, 1939, to Harold E. Talbott, Jr. and Margaret “Peggy” Thayer. Their parents lived at the apex of high society in New York, and briefly in Washington, D.C., during the mid-1950s, when the elder Mr. Talbott served as secretary of the Air Force under the Eisenhower administration. Harold Talbott III attended The Buckley School in New York City, before enrolling at St. Paul’s as a Second Former in the fall of 1953. He left the School for the 1956-57 academic year, during which time his father died suddenly, but returned as a Sixth Former.

At SPS, Mr. Talbott was a member of the Student Council, the Dramatic Club, Le Cercle Français, the Library Association, and the Cum Laude Society. He served as president of the Propylean and Concordian Literary Societies, on the boards of The Pelican and Horae Scholasticae, and sang in the Choir. It was at St. Paul’s that he developed a passion for French literature. An exceptional scholar, Mr. Talbott was awarded Dickey Prizes in French and English, the Williamson Medal, the Malbone French Prize, the French Consulate Prize, the Margaret Wood Schlich Prize, and the 1887 Fifth Form Speaking Prize. He graduated magna cum laude. Mr. Talbott was described in his college recommendation as “intellectually curious – almost insatiably, combining great tenacity of purpose with considerable penetration and with a certain integrity.” The letter also said Mr. Talbott was fascinated by “the arts and religions of India,” offering a glimpse into his future. At a time when homosexuality was not easily tolerated, Mr. Talbott readily shared in high school that he was gay. He was accepted by his peers for his intelligence, humor, and charm. Mr. Talbott had a similar experience at Harvard, where he made many friends and graduated with the Class of 1962. After his mother committed suicide that same year, Mr. Talbott lived a reclusive life in New York, rarely socializing until 1964, when he befriended the famous piano duo Bobby Fizdale and Arthur Gold. Soon his circle of friends included George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, among others.

A budding interest in Buddhism led to Mr. Talbott’s friend, Alan Watts, introducing him to Benedictine monk Dom Aelred Graham, an authority on Thomist philosophy and Zen Buddhism, who became his close friend and mentor. During this time, Mr. Talbott twice traveled to the Abbey of Gesthemene in Kentucky to meet Thomas Merton, through whose writings he “fell in love with the monastic life.” Another significant turning point came when Graham invited Mr. Talbott to be his assistant on a yearlong trip to Asia to meet leading figures of the world’s non-Christian religions. Mr. Talbott spent the winter of 1968 at Dharamsala as a private student of the Dalai Lama, who told Harold he would become his “monk in America,” though he eventually became a follower of the old school tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, to which he committed himself for the rest of his life. Later that year, Mr. Talbott served as Merton’s guide to Tibetan lamas in India’s Himalayan region.

After Merton’s death, Mr. Talbott met Tibetan yogi Lama Gyurdala. When Lama Gyurdala died in early 1975, Mr. Talbott’s close friend, Michael Baldwin ’58, persuaded him to return to America and settle in Marion, Mass. Soon after, Mr. Talbott co-founded the Buddhayana Foundation with Mr. Baldwin to publish important works about Tibetan Buddhism. Mr. Talbott eventually worked with Tulku Thondup as editor of many books, introducing Tibetan Buddhism to scores of Americans in the process. Shortly before his death, Mr. Talbott published a memoir, Tendrel, which refers to the connections that marked and shaped his life as a private monk in a secular age.

Harold Talbott is survived by his twin brother, John T. Talbott; two sisters, Peggy and Polly; 11 nieces and nephews; and an army of cousins. He was predeceased by a sister, Pauline Tolland.


1965 Robert Morris Silliman

A land preservation advocate known for his quick wit and kind spirit, died peacefully, of cancer, on February 4, 2019. He was 71 years old and a resident of Kennett Square, Pa. Mr. Silliman was born in Wilmington, Del., on March 21, 1947, the son of Mariana du Pont Silliman and Henry Harper Silliman of the Form of 1925. He attended Tower Hill School in Wilmington before enrolling at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1961. Mr. Silliman followed his brother, Henry Harper Silliman, Jr. ’52, to the School. At SPS, he captained the baseball and basketball teams and played football with Isthmian. Mr. Silliman was a member of Le Cercle Français, the Athletic Association, and Maroon Key. Mr. Silliman earned his B.A. from Vanderbilt University in 1969, an M.A. in history from Carnegie-Mellon in 1971, and his M.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1974. Between 1971 and 1974, he taught history and coached basketball at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va. After earning his M.Ed., Mr. Silliman worked in administration at Wilmington College. He switched careers in his thirties and became a stockbroker with Dean Witter Reynolds, continuing with Morgan Stanley as vice president of investments in Wilmington.

On August 8, 1970, Mr. Silliman married Ann Berwick O’Hear in Charleston, S.C. Together the couple raised three children. Mr. Silliman’s love and knowledge of early American History was exemplified by his impressive collection of rare books on the subject and resulted in their decision to restore his wife’s family home in the Charleston Historic District. The project received a Carolopolis Award from the Preservation Society of Charleston. At an early age, Mr. Silliman’s father and grandfather instilled in him a love for the Adirondack Mountains. This translated into his lifelong advocacy of land preservation. He spent many summers in Long Lake, N.Y., hiking, canoeing and spending time with family. He passed that tradition on to his children and grandchildren. For many years, he served as a member of the board of the Elwyn Institute of Media, Pa. Mr. Silliman will be most remembered for his infectious smile, quick wit, sense of humor, and kind spirit. He was a loving father, an adoring husband, and a loyal friend.

Bob Silliman is survived by his wife of 48 years, Ann; their three children, Caroline Legaré, Robert Morris, Jr., and Joshua Elliott; their spouses; two grandchildren; his brothers, Henry Harper Silliman, Jr. ’52 and John Emory Silliman ’71; and three sisters, Doris S. Stockly, Eleanor S. Maroney, and Mariana S. Richards.


1969 Stephen Lievens

Whose life’s work was running his family’s apple orchard, but whose life’s passion was performing with his band, died in Londonderry, N.H., on December 20, 2018, of complications from emphysema. He was 68. Mr. Lievens was born to William E. and Catherine M. Lievens in East Derry, N.H., on June 10, 1950. He grew up in Londonderry on Woodmont Orchards, a commercial apple business his father bought in 1938. He entered St. Paul’s as a Second Former in 1964. On his application for admission, Mr. Lievens said one of his life’s most informative experiences was being elected president of his seventh grade class. “I found how hard it is to please everyone,” he wrote. At SPS, Mr. Lievens played football, soccer, and basketball for Isthmian and co-captained the Shattuck crew as a Sixth Former. He was a member of the Missionary Society, the Athletic Association, La Junta, and the SPS Band.

Mr. Lievens attended Berkeley College, but left after a year and returned to Woodmont Orchards. After the death of their father in 1999, Mr. Lievens and his brother, Robert, operated the business until they sold it in 2010. When he wasn’t working, Mr. Lievens was playing bass and singing with his band, Jack. Tom Iglehart ’69 moved to the farm in 1973 to manage the band, which played boogie and blues in Boston clubs. In 1973, the band toured Massachusetts and New Hampshire with Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley. “He only cared about playing,” Mr. Iglehart said. “He didn’t care about recording or getting a big record hit. Touring around in a blue school bus they had on the apple orchard – that’s exactly what he wanted to do.”

Bill Lane ’69 credits Mr. Lievens with one of his life’s most important experiences – going to Woodstock. Mr. Lane had just taken a job at a Coca Cola plant and knew that making the trip shortly after starting would cost him his job. He wasn’t sure he wanted to spend $25 for a standby ticket either. “[Lievens’s] response was, ‘Peanuts.’” Mr. Lane came to New Hampshire the next day, and he and Mr. Lievens made the trip to Woodstock on Mr. Lievens’s motorcycle. Bob Rettew ’69 and Mr. Lievens roomed together in their final year at St. Paul’s. He said Mr. Lievens was gifted academically as well as musically and earned high marks without studying. A few years after graduating, Mr. Lievens invited Mr. Rettew to the orchard to pick apples to help pay for his rent in Cambridge, Mass., where he was writing poetry and fiction. Mr. Rettew stayed for a few years.

“The happiest he ever was,” Mr. Rettew said, “was when he was playing music.” Near the end of his life, Mr. Lievens continued singing with the band, even though his emphysema made it difficult. Mr. Lievens could sing just one song before resting his voice, while the rest of the band took turns at the microphone.

Mr. Lievens was predeceased by his parents, William E. Lievens and Catherine M. Lievens, and his brother, William Lievens ’62. He is survived by his longtime partner, Bonnie Hunter; his children, Edward and Chelsea; his brother, Robert Lievens ’65, and his wife, Deborah; two sisters, Susan Lievens and Catherine Lievens Gallagher ’77; and several nieces and nephews.