In Memoriam

The section was updated June 30, 2018. 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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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 Clarence Fahnestock Michalis

A World War II veteran, who later served as the mayor of the Village of Lattingtown, N.Y., for more than 48 years, died on March 30, 2018. He was 96 and a longtime resident of Locust Valley, N.Y. Mr. Michalis was born in New York City on January 17, 1922, the son of Clarence and Helen (Campbell) Michalis. His mother died when Clarence was 11, and his father assumed most of the duties of raising the couple’s four children. Mr. Michalis attended The Buckley School, before entering St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1936. He was a stellar athlete, competing in football and hockey for Old Hundred, served as a member of the Student Council, and was a member of the Scientific Association, the Library Association, and the Dramatic Club. He rowed with Shattuck and served as chairman of the Yearbook Committee.

He went on to Harvard, earning a B.S. in economics and history. Mr. Michalis spent three years, from 1943 to 1946, in the U.S. Navy Reserves as navigator on the U.S.S. Hall in the Pacific. He was discharged as a Lieutenant. He worked at First National City Bank, was CFO of Bristol-Myers Co., and former chairman of St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital. Mr. Michalis served as chairman of the Josiah H. Macy, Jr. Foundation for 36 years and as chairman of Cooper Union from 1971 to 1986. He was mayor of the Village of Lattingtown from 1968 to 2017 (until the age of 95), making him New York State’s longest-serving mayor. Peter Quick, mayor of the Village of Mill Neck, N.Y., so respected Mr. Michalis that he once said, “If he were running against me, I’d vote for him.” Mr. Michalis also was past president of the Nassau County Museum of Art, former president of Piping Rock Club, commodore of Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, and a member of the Union Club, New York Yacht Club, and Holland Lodge. He served terms on the boards of trustees at Foxcroft School and Green Vale School. On September 11, 1953, Mr. Michalis married Cora D. Bush and the couple enjoyed 64 years of marriage until his death. Together they raised four children: Cynthia, Mary, Cora, and Helen ’79. He enjoyed sailing, skiing, and tennis. Mr. Michalis was an active and generous alumnus of St. Paul’s. He served three terms as a form agent (1940-43, 1987-90, 1999-01) and was a gregarious presence at his form’s five-year anniversaries.

In April of 2012, Newsday, a local Long Island newspaper, got in touch with Mr. Michalis about his 40-plus years as Lattingtown Village mayor, which also made him one of the longest-serving public servants in the country. It was ultimately a tenure that lasted seven presidential administrations, from Nixon to Trump. At the time, he told Alumni Horae, “Well that’s still not news, it just happens to be a statistical anomaly. But I don’t make news. The only thing I’m interested in is doing a job.”

Clarence Michalis leaves his wife, Cora; his children, Cynthia B. Michalis, Mary C. Michalis, Cora C. Thomas, and Helen M. Bonebrake ’79; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

1940 Frederic Lincoln Rockefeller

A World War II fighter pilot, accomplished businessman, and father of eight, died, surrounded by family, at home in Bay Pond, N.Y., on June 7, 2018, just five days after the death of his beloved wife, June. He was 96. Mr. Rockefeller was born in New York City on July 12, 1921, to Florence Lincoln and William A. Rockefeller. He entered St. Paul’s as a Second Former in the fall of 1935 and was active in a number of campus organizations, serving as a student councilor and dorm proctor, playing football and hockey, and rowing for Shattuck. He was also a member of the Library Association. Mr. Rockefeller attended Yale and took private flying lessons to gain the skills necessary to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps as a fighter pilot during the early years of World War II. He flew F4U Corsairs in the Pacific Theater and, when the war ended, returned to Yale to graduate in 1947.

That same year, he married Janet “June” Buffinton, the woman with whom he would raise eight children and share seven decades of marriage. The couple lived in Iowa, then moved back to New England, first to Auburndale and Westfield, Mass., and later to Barrington and Warren, R.I. They spent their final 10 years together in Bay Pond. He worked for the International Harvester Company from 1947 until 1965, when Mr. Rockefeller joined the Cranston Print Works Company, where he remained until 2000, serving in a number of roles, including vice president, president, and chairman of the board. His legacy at the company is one of warmth and concern for people, something he demonstrated in 1987 when he oversaw the acquisition of 97 percent of the company’s stock into an employee stock ownership plan. Outside of work, Mr. Rockefeller served as form agent and mentor for St. Paul’s and spent as much time as he could outdoors in the Adirondacks. An avid outdoorsman and amateur naturalist, he delighted in trail clearing, fly-fishing, bird watching, canoe paddling, ridge running, and bog trotting.

Mr. Rockefeller was predeceased by his wife, June, his siblings, William Rockefeller ’36, Elsie Rockefeller McMillin, Florence Sloan DeVecchi, and Anne Sloan Morrison, and his beloved stepfather, George Sloan. Survivors include his children and their spouses, June and Bernard Maugery; Cynthia and Jeff Thompson; Elsie and John Wright; Nancy and Frederic L. Rockefeller, Jr. ’73; Elizabeth Rockefeller; Deborah and Martin Roddy; Shirley and Andrew Salach; and Lien Tieu and Ted Fleming;19 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

1942 Robert Lawrence Means

A man who was always happy to see his friends and family and had a rare ability to make others feel special, died at Brooksby Village in Peabody, Mass., on January 20, 2018. He was 94. Bob Means was born on January 29, 1923, to Alice Hubbard Means and Robert Whitman Means. He grew up in Brookline and Boxford, Mass. with three sisters, Susan, Alice, and Anne. A younger brother, David, died at the age of three. Mr. Means came to St. Paul’s School as a Second Former in the fall of 1937 from The Park School in Brookline. He quickly distinguished himself as an “engaged” and “honorable” community member with a “real talent for acting.” He sang in the Choir, was active in dramatics, and served as a member of the Rifle Club, the Cadmean Literary Society, and the Missionary Society. He rowed with Halcyon and played football, hockey, and squash for Old Hundred. Mr. Means proudly served in the Pacific during WWII as a Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. His battalion was preparing to invade Japan when the invasion was called off suddenly; the first atomic bomb had been detonated.

After the war, he returned to earn a B.A. from Harvard in 1949. He married Lucy Anne Jackson in Philadelphia and they had four children: Robert, Jonathan, Martita, and Lucinda. The couple later divorced. Mr. Means was a loving father, who supported his children in every endeavor. Mr. Means went on to an accomplished career in capital campaigns for national and regional nonprofit organizations. He was, among other positions, director of public relations for the Institute of Logopedics, assistant to the dean for development at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, and national fundraising director for the United Negro College Fund. On November 7, 1964, Mr. Means married Joan Braddon. They shared a love of dogs, gardening, and traveling, especially in Italy. The couple loved to ski, taking frequent trips to Stowe, Vt., and venturing to the Rockies, to Mount Tremblant in Canada, and to Switzerland. Mr. Means retired in 2004 from the Walker School in Massachusetts to focus on his other interests. He was past senior vice commander and a member of the VFW Post 7608 board of directors in Georgetown, Mass. He was also an award-winning rock gardener and longstanding member (and former president) of the New England Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society. Mr. Means believed in civic duty and was always looking for ways to improve the lives of those around him.

He is survived by loving wife, Joan Braddon Means; his children, Robert, Jonathan, and Martita, and their spouses; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his youngest daughter, Lucinda.

1942 Gordon Buchanan Leib

A World War II veteran, talented athlete, and devoted husband, died in New York on April 23, 2018. He was 94. Mr. Leib was born in Burlingame, Calif., on November 27, 1923, to George and Isabelle Leib. He attended The Buckley School in New York City, before entering St. Paul’s in the fall of 1936. He sang in the Choir, played hockey, football, baseball, and squash for Old Hundred, and rowed with Shattuck. He was awarded the Gordon Medal as the School’s best athlete as a Sixth Former. At Princeton, Mr. Leib studied history and played varsity hockey, but soon left to serve in the U.S. Army as a Corporal in the 22nd Artillery Corps during World War II. While in a foxhole somewhere in Europe, he was awarded membership in Princeton’s Ivy Club.

Mr. Leib spent the majority of his career as a partner at Benton, Corcoran, Leib & Co. on the New York Stock Exchange. Outside of work, he maintained a robust and eclectic mix of hobbies. He was a whiz at games, especially bridge, gin rummy, and backgammon, and, in the early 1970s, won the European Backgammon Championships in Biarritz, France. He was a longtime member of Long Island’s Piping Rock Club and the Regency Whist Club and Racquet and Tennis Club in New York City. He enjoyed sports betting with his friends from the stock exchange, rooted faithfully for the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Giants, and enjoyed a little John Dewars scotch.

Survivors include Mr. Leib’s wife of 34 years, Ann Garcea Leib; his daughter and son-in-law, Pamela and Decatur Higgins; his son and daughter-in-law, Barclay and Nancy Leib; five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and many other family and friends. Mr. Leib was predeceased by his first wife, Joan Coffin Whiteman; his son, Gordon C. Leib; and a step-nephew, Michael Blatz.

1945 Nathaniel Harrison “Nat” Hartshorne

Journalist and playwright, died on March 28, 2018, of lymphoma at home in Blawenberg, N.J. He was 91. Mr. Hartshorne was born on September 18, 1926, in New York City to Robert (Form of 1916) and Esther Hartshorne. He prepared for St. Paul’s at the Somerset Hills School in Far Hills, N.J., and entered as a Second Former in the fall of 1940, following his father and brothers, Reuel ’38 and Bob ’42. He left St. Paul’s in 1944, joining the U.S. Navy when he turned 18. Mr. Hartshorne spent two years in the Navy, serving as the quartermaster on a ship in the Philippines. When he returned, he attended Hamilton College, graduating in 1952. On March 7, 1953, Mr. Hartshorne married Valerie Thomas of Locust, N.J. The couple moved from Brooklyn, N.Y., to an old tavern building in the heart of Blawenburg. There they raised four children, hosted weddings, and entertained a constant flow of friends and family.

Mr. Hartshorne spent most of his career as an editor and freelance magazine and newspaper writer. His articles and stories appeared in Harpers, The New York Times, Family Circle, The Ladies’ Home Journal, and American Heritage. He also worked for 25 years as a senior editor at Educational Testing Service and as managing editor at the Princeton Theological Seminary. A National Treasure, a play Mr. Hartshorne wrote with Charles Leeder, was produced at the Mill Hill Playhouse in Trenton in 1988. He also produced Keeping in Touch, a collection of personal letters to his friends and family. Mr. Hartshorne also was a stage actor, performing in countless summer stock and regional productions.  

Mr. Hartshorne is survived by his wife of 65 years, Valerie; his daughters, Anne Allen, Jennifer Hartshorne, and Caroline Hartshorne; his son, Max Hartshorne; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

1949 John Scott “Scotty” Cramer

A banker and devoted servant to civic causes of North Carolina, died on January 1, 2018, in Winston-Salem, N.C. He was 88. Mr. Cramer was born in Charlotte, N.C., on December 10, 1930, to Stuart Warren Cramer, Jr. and Julia Scott Cramer. He entered St. Paul’s as a First Former in 1943, having prepared at Charlotte Country Day School. After four years, during which time he served as Halcyon captain for the Lower School and two terms as dormitory monitor, Mr. Cramer transferred to Culver Military Academy in Indiana, from which he graduated in 1949. He went on to study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 1953. He remained invested in the success of St. Paul’s and, for many years, interviewed candidates from the School who were in competition for the Morehead Scholarship at UNC Chapel Hill. Mr. Cramer served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Morocco from 1953 to 1955. Following his military service, he joined Wachovia Bank and Trust Company in Winston-Salem. In 1957, he and his family moved to Charlotte, where in 1964 he became senior vice president at Wachovia. In 1970, the family returned to Winston-Salem, where Mr. Cramer served the bank in various capacities until his retirement in 1988.

Citing the examples of his parents, Mr. Cramer devoted his life to stewardship of the communities he loved. His primary interests included education and the environment. He was a trustee of the North Carolina Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and was an original board member of Save our State. He also served on the boards of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Foundation, Charlotte Country Day School, Campbell University Trust Education Foundation, Morehead (now Morehead-Cain) Foundation Central Selection Committee at UNC-CH, Arts and Science Foundation-UNC-CH, and the UNC Board of Visitors, among others. His service on various corporate boards through the years included Scott Drug Co., Home Finance Co., American Credit Corp., and the Executive Committee of the American Bankers Association Trust Division.

Mr. Cramer was married to Nancy Arnott from Sydney, Australia, from 1952 until her death in 2011. He is survived by his wife, Selma Cater Scott; two daughters, Julia Cramer Smith and Alice Cramer Tolson, and their spouses; four grandchildren; and a brother, Stuart W. Cramer III ’47.

1950 George Walcott

Who spent his career in medicine, serving his patients and educating others, died on March 24, 2018, in Mequon, Wis. He was 85. Dr. Walcott was born in New York on July 15, 1932, to Roger C. and Maude L. Walcott. The family moved to Washington, D.C., during his childhood. There, he was choirboy at St. Alban’s School before enrolling at St. Paul’s as a Third Former in the fall of 1946. At SPS, Mr. Walcott was a member of the Library Association and sang in the Glee Club. He attended Harvard, Boston University School of Medicine, and the University of Minnesota on his way to becoming a doctor. He also served in the U.S. Air Force on an ROTC Commission, working in Japan after the Korean Armistice Agreement.

For four decades, Dr. Walcott practiced with the Cathedral Square Medical Group in Milwaukee, Wis., later part of Good Hope Clinic/Aurora Health Care. He also worked at three Milwaukee-based hospitals, including Columbia, St. Mary’s, and Froedtert. Dr. Walcott kept up his certifications until his death, working as a consultant at the Wisconsin DHS Disability Determination Bureau. He served as head of a variety of boards, including a term as chairman of the Section of Cardiovascular Diseases at St. Mary’s and president of the American Heart Association’s Wisconsin Affiliate. Dr. Walcott also was an assistant clinical professor of Medicine at Medical College of Wisconsin, a fellow at the American College of Cardiology, and a trustee of the Milwaukee Academy of Medicine. A strong believer in hands-on learning, Dr. Walcott volunteered as a consultant at free clinics to help medical students entering the field. In his personal life, he enjoyed the outdoors, tennis, music, reading, dancing, and time with his friends and family.

Dr. Walcott is survived by his wife of 55 years, Elizabeth “Wendy” Walcott; their children, Wister Walcott, Isabel Walcott Draves, and Roger Walcott ’92; his sister, Sophie “Fifi” Lawrence MacMahon; and nine grandchildren.

1952 Timothy Cooley

A Navy veteran, devoted husband, and enthusiastic volunteer for a variety of community organizations, died on March 18, 2018, in Bloomfield, Conn. He was 83. Mr. Cooley was born in Hartford, Conn., on Oct. 7, 1934, to Adelaide Eberts and Charles Parsons Cooley, Jr. and attended the Kingswood School in West Hartford before entering St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1948. While at SPS, he developed a passion for community service as a member of the Missionary Society. He also was a member of the Scientific Association and the Cadmean and Propylean Literary Societies. He served as a Chapel warden and dorm proctor, rowed with Halcyon, and played football and hockey for Isthmian. After graduating from Yale in 1956, Mr. Cooley was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy and served as a Bombardier Navigator aboard Douglas A-3 Skywarrior aircraft based in Jacksonville, Fla. He went on to attend the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and worked for many years as a financial consultant for Williams Inference Service.

Mr. Cooley’s love of service continued throughout his life. He served as president of the Windsor Recovery Club, volunteered at the School for Young Children at St. Joseph University, and was a board member of the Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center, a Hartford-based organization now known as Intercommunity, Inc. He was also a member of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford and St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Simsbury and enjoyed spending time with his friends from the East Haddam Fishing and Game Club. 

In addition to his beloved wife, Kathryn Cooley, Mr. Cooley’s survivors include his children, Edmond Cooley, Richard Cooley, Timothy C. Cooley ’83, and Elizabeth Rademacher, and their spouses; three grandchildren; and three brothers, Samuel P. Cooley ’49, David Cooley, and Robert Cooley.

1954 Duncan Whelen Van Dusen

A man remembered for his kindness, service to his community, devotion to his family, and his Christian faith, died on April 21, 2018, at the age of 81. Mr. Van Dusen was born in Philadelphia, Pa., on November 11, 1936, to Lewis H. Van Dusen, Jr. of the Form of 1928 and Maria Pepper Whelen Van Dusen. Prior to entering SPS as a Third Former, he attended Episcopal Academy in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. At SPS, Mr. Van Dusen was the head acolyte, a member of the French Club and the Missionary Society, served on the board of The Pelican, and was an officer in the Dramatics Club. He graduated cum laude. Mr. Van Dusen earned an A.B. from Princeton in 1958, graduating cum laude. His senior thesis was published as two lengthy articles in the Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He received his M.P.H. in healthcare administration in 1961 from Columbia University. Mr. Van Dusen completed R.O.T.C. training at Princeton. From 1962 to 1966, he served in the U.S. Army. He was the recipient of the Army Commendation Medal and Department of Army Certificate of Achievement.  

On July 15, 1967, Mr. Van Dusen married Elizabeth Elliotte Rhea. Together the couple raised three children. He served as an assistant administrator at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia from 1968 to 1969. From 1972 to 1977, Mr. Van Dusen was the assistant dean for the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the coordinator of UPenn Services at Philadelphia General Hospital. Overall, Mr. Van Dusen spent nearly 40 years at the University of Pennsylvania, until his 2009 retirement. Since 1989, he had held the position of associate secretary of the University. He acted as director, recording secretary and president of the Bryn Mawr Civic Association and was active in numerous other community organizations. He also was heavily involved in church activities. Mr. Van Dusen was a member of the American College of Hospital Administrators, the American College of Nursing Home Administrators, the American Hospital Association, and Hospital Association of Pennsylvania, among other professional societies. He was the secretary for the Class of 1958 at Princeton, also serving as class historian.

Mr. Van Dusen was known for being “the first to offer kindness” and as “a mentor and a valued source of information.” Above all, he was a beloved husband of Elizabeth, father of Edwin, Duncan ’88, and Nicholas ’90, and grandfather of six. He is also survived by his brother, Michael Van Dusen ’61, and his cousins, Frank Van Dusen, Jr. ’67 and Clinton Van Dusen ’72. He was predeceased in 1993 by his brother, Lewis Van Dusen III ’58.

1956 Robert Carter “Robin” Nicholas III

A career civil servant, who served in the highest levels of federal government, died peacefully at home in Washington, D.C., on March 17, 2018. He was 80. Born in Providence, R.I., on August 23, 1937, Mr. Nicholas was the son of Jane Chace Nicholas and R. Carter Nicholas (Form of 1926). Mr. Nicholas followed his father and several uncles and cousins to St. Paul’s, entering as a Second Former in 1951. He was a member of the Concordian Literary Society, Le Cercle Français, the Missionary Society, and the Ski Club and served as chairman of the Green Room Committee, which oversaw the room where classical records were stored and played. He rowed for Halcyon and competed in soccer for Isthmian. Early on, Mr. Nicholas told faculty at St. Paul’s that he hoped for a career in government.

After graduating high school, Mr. Nicholas served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and graduated from Yale in 1962. In a long career in Washington, he worked at the Department of Defense, on the House Appropriations Committee staff, and NATO in Brussels, Belgium.

Mr. Nicholas was predeceased by his eldest son, William, an aircraft flight instructor, who died in an airplane crash in 1996. He is survived by his wife, Lynn Holman Nicholas; his sons, R. Carter Nicholas IV and Philip H. Nicholas; his sisters, Clover and Jenifer; and six grandchildren.

1957 William Throckmorton Warren

A lover of history and gardening, died peacefully on August 11, 2017. He was 79. Mr. Warren was born in Macon, Ga., on March 11, 1938, to Rebecca Warren and Matthew M. Warren. Mr. Warren’s father served as Rector of St. Paul’s School from 1954 to 1970. Mr. Warren attended Woodberry Forest School, before entering SPS as a Second Former in the fall of1952. He missed his life, friends, and extended family in Georgia. In correspondence to a School administrator in 2016, he stated that as a student he wanted to go back to his home state “and go to a slower-paced high school.” Still, he thrived at the School and wrote recently that he enjoyed reading about what was happening at SPS in the present day.

In his early twenties, Mr. Warren served in the U.S. Navy. He graduated from Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, in 1982 with a B.A. in urban studies. Mr. Warren was married to Constance “Connie” Sweetser in 1985. The two lived in Portsmouth, N.H., for more than 30 years. Mr. Warren had an affinity for collecting old postcards. Together with his wife, he created a book to highlight his collection, Portsmouth Then & Now. He also was a freelance writer in comparative urban studies, New Hampshire and Maine Seacoast history, and arboriculture. Additionally, Mr. Warren volunteered at the Portsmouth Urban Forest Center.

Mr. Warren is survived by his wife of 32 years, Connie; his daughter, Anne Powell; a grandson; two stepdaughters; his brother, Alexander, and his wife, Sarah; and his niece and nephew.

1958 David Tristram Dodge

A wise, adoring, and incredibly creative father and husband, died from complications of Alzheimer’s on January 4, 2018, in Providence, R.I., at the age of 78. Mr. Dodge was born in Hanover, N.H., on July 29, 1940, to John E. Dodge ’34 and Carlota S. Dodge. Prior to entering SPS as a First Former in 1952, Mr. Dodge attended Pine Point School in Stonington, Conn., where he grew up. At SPS, Mr. Dodge was a member of the Scientific Association and the Rifle Club. He played Isthmian football and hockey and rowed for Shattuck. He had a reputation for being accomplished in mathematics and the sciences, taking both Advanced Placement Calculus and Chemistry simultaneously. Mr. Dodge also was known for being “extremely pleasant and cooperative in the house.” He graduated cum laude from SPS.

Mr. Dodge ultimately earned his undergraduate degree from Columbia University, receiving a B.S. in engineering after briefly attending the University of Chicago. He and his wife, Ellen, were married in June of 1968, and together they moved to North Stonington, Conn., in 1969. Their beloved home, located in the corner of a 10-acre field at the end of a half-mile dirt road, was a hub for their community of friends, children, and dogs. Mr. Dodge referred fondly to the home as “Dogfight.” Throughout the 1970s, Mr. Dodge worked at the Mystic Seaport and in the 1980s for the Connecticut Commission on the Arts. Mr. Dodge was a man of many talents; photographer, steamboat engineer, motorcycle wrangler, and both a model airplane builder and flyer. He will be remembered as “sweet, funny, a collector of all things funky, and a true-blue husband.”

David Dodge is survived by his wife, Ellen; his brother, Nathaniel Dodge ’60; his sisters, Elisabeth (Poo) White and Annie White, and their families; and his daughter-in-law, Molly Gray. He was predeceased by his son, Matthew Dodge.

1959 James Hamilton McMillan “Jimmy” Gibson

A man of many interests, who loved cars, boats, photography, and his family and was known as a captivating storyteller, died on May 3, 2018, after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 78 years old. Mr. Gibson, called Jimmy by all who knew him, was born on March 20, 1940, the son of James and Patience (Agnew) Gibson. He grew up in Washington, D.C., where he was educated at St. Albans School, and graduated Fay School in Southborough, Mass., before entering SPS as a Second Former in the fall of 1954. He was a member of the Art Association and the Pelican Board, sang in the Glee Club, was an acolyte, competed in soccer, hockey, and lacrosse for Old Hundred, and was a member of the sailing team. From SPS, Mr. Gibson continued his studies at Parsons School of Design, graduating in 1962. He got his master’s at Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania in 1970. He served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves from 1962 to 1968.

Early on, Mr. Gibson developed passions for cars and photography. As a teenager, he realized he could merge the two. On Labor Day Weekend 1958, Mr. Gibson met Formula 1 driver Lucky Casner at Connecticut’s Thompson Raceway. The meeting was one of fortune for Mr. Gibson. Earlier in the year, he had created the SPS Auto Racing Team, consisting of two drivers (himself and Peter de Bretteville ’59), a chief mechanic (Ted Johnson ’59), and a manager (Alston Boyd ’59). The boys sent a letter, adorned with an oval logo of a Ferrari grille overlaid with crossed hockey sticks (in homage to the black ice of Millville), out to Formula 1 teams, hoping to crack the pit crew lineup at a race the following season. As SPS spring break dawned in March 1959, Mr. Gibson, along with Johnson and Marty McClintock ’59, negotiated the loan of a Ford station wagon from Johnson’s mother. The boys drove 1,400 miles to Sebring, Fla., for the eighth annual Sebring 12 Hour Race. They arrived to discover that Casner had left credentials for unlimited access to the track and the drivers. They soon were crossing paths with auto racing pioneers, including Dan Gurney, Stirling Moss, and Phil Hill. Mr. Gibson was so close to the action that he soon was able to identify each car’s distinctive exhaust tone with his eyes closed. “You can’t get much closer to racing,” he told Alumni Horae in 2012. “Sometimes I was close to the cars brushing my pant leg.” At some point in his Sixth Form year, Mr. Gibson acquired a record album containing the “sounds of Sebring.” Sitting in his room in the Upper, he would listen to the machines race by, recalling that most of his friends failed to understand his obsession with race cars, though beloved former faculty member Bishop John Walker indulged Mr. Gibson’s interest.

The pull of the racetrack was strong for Mr. Gibson, who spent the next decade laboring in the pits when time permitted, and documenting in Kodachrome the color, speed, and progress of Formula 1. Most of his photographs were stowed away in a box until 2007, when Mr. Gibson and his wife organized the Vanderbilt Concours d’Elegance, an auto show at the Mansions of Newport, R.I., that included the presentation of the inaugural William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. Awards for Lifetime Achievement to racing legends Gurney and Moss. After graduating from Parsons, Mr. Gibson worked in marketing for Raymond Loewy in New York City. He was later a stockbroker for Smith Barney-American Express in Portland, Maine, vice president of sales and marketing for Bruno Stillman Boats in Portsmouth, N.H., and was involved in raising capital for startups. In more recent years, Mr. Gibson served as vice chairman of the board of World Energy Solutions. In addition, he held a leadership position at Security Traders Association. On September 5, 1982, Mr. Gibson married Cynthia Clement-Mates. The couple enjoyed more than 35 happy years of marriage, until his death. Jimmy Gibson loved a good brandy, traveling extensively with his wife, and telling a good story. He maintained many lifelong friendships, including ones with friends from St. Paul’s. Mr. Gibson served SPS as a form director from 1999 to 2004 and as a form agent from 2004 to 2006. He was an eloquent, elegant man and a loving husband. 

At heart, Mr. Gibson was a sailor. He loved sailing his 18-foot Hobie Cat and endeavored to make it a Nationals champion. He owned scalloping boats and was for many years a correspondent for National Fisherman, writing about commercial fishing. He was deeply interested in the economics and politics of the industry. He also was the former director of the National Federation of Commercial Fishermen. In 1976, he co-authored Tell it Good-Bye, Kiddo, a book about the decline of the New England offshore fishing industry. He and Cynthia lived alternately in New York City and York Harbor, Maine, where Mr. Gibson was a member of the Veteran Volunteer Firemen’s Association, of which he served as foreman for 14 years. He was a member of the York Harbor Reading Room, the York Golf Club, Spouting Rock Beach Association, and the New York Yacht Club. In 2002, the Gibsons moved to Newport, R.I., where Jimmy served on the board of the Seamen’s Church Institute for 10 years. 

Mr. Gibson leaves his wife, Cynthia; his sister, Virlinda (Gibson) Walsh; his brother, Randall Gibson; his stepbrother, Michael Price; his aunt, Anstiss Smithers; his nephew, Nathaniel Walsh; and his nieces, Henrietta (Walsh) Luneau and Natasha (Gibson) Livits.

1976 Nicholas “Nick” W. Deans

A decorated U.S. Army veteran, died unexpectedly on March 16, 2018, in Fuji, Japan. He was 60. Mr. Deans was born on Oct. 9, 1957, in New York, N.Y., to Robert B. Deans, Jr. ’43 and Elisabeth Prickett. He attended East Woods School in Oyster Bay, N.Y., before arriving at St. Paul’s School as a Third Former in the fall of 1972. He competed with Delphian and Halcyon. Mr. Deans attended the University of Vermont, where he earned his B.A. in history in 1980. He enlisted in the Army in 1981, serving 23 years in military intelligence. During that time, he was stationed in Germany for 14 years, North Carolina for five years, and Alaska for four years. He served in the Desert Shield/Desert Storm operations and attended the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, Calif., and learned to speak Polish and Russian. Mr. Deans earned many awards for his service to his country, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two National Defense Service Medals, the NATO Medal, a Southwest Asia Service Medal with three Bronze Stars, the Valorous Unit Award, four Army Commendation Medals, and two Army Achievement Medals.

When Mr. Deans retired from the military in 2004 as a Senior Voice Intercept Supervisor, he had earned the rank of Sergeant First Class. At the time of his death, he was working for General Dynamics Information Technology in Sagami Depot, Japan. Mr. Deans survived by his wife of 26 years, Barbara Lawton-Deans; his stepson, Jeremy Frazier; his daughter-in-law, Yuyu Gao; his granddaughter, Vanessa; his sister, Mary Flood, and her partner, Nick Glagola; his brother and sister-in-law, Robert B. Deans III ’73 and Janet Deans; his brother and sister-in-law, William Deans ’75 and Wendy Deans; his sister, Elisabeth Deans Mooney ’78; and many nieces and nephews.

1977 Sanford Bull “Sandy” Kaynor, Jr.

A brilliant lawyer, who loved music, athletics, and his family, died on April 19, 2018, at home in New Orleans, La., as a result of gunshot wounds sustained on October 2, 2012. He was 58. Known as Sandy, Mr. Kaynor was born in Manhattan on May 19, 1959, to Sanford Bull Kaynor, Sr. and Laura (Sanford) Kaynor and raised in Darien, Conn., where he attended the King School. Mr. Kaynor’s family tree includes some of the earliest European settlers of what is now the United States, including Elihu Yale, Thomas Hooker, the founder of Hartford, Conn., and soldiers who fought at the Battle of Brandywine in the Revolutionary War and the Battle of Plattsburgh in the War of 1812.

Music and sports were important to Mr. Kaynor throughout his life, and that was apparent during his time at St. Paul’s (1974-77). He played guitar in several student bands, gave a recital in the Chapel, and sang in the Choir. He won a starting position on the varsity football team, served as co-captain of the tennis team, and made significant contributions to the wrestling team’s success. He also was a member of the Missionary Society and the Spirit Committee. As a Fourth Former, he won the Frazier Prize which honors excellence in academics and athletics. Mr. Kaynor accelerated his studies to graduate with the Form of 1977, although he was equally close with members of the Form of 1978. He went on to earn a B.A. in economics and political science at Yale, where he received the Rushmore Prize for high distinction in scholarship and athletics. In addition to rowing with the lightweight crew, he sang with the Alley Cats and the Whiffenpoofs and was a member of Scroll and Key. He later earned a J.D. from the Pritzker School of Law at Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane.

In 1993, Mr. Kaynor married Grace Williams, a former attorney and interior designer with family roots in New Orleans. The couple raised two children, James Granville Kaynor and Phoebe Anne Cox Kaynor. His law career was long and prestigious and Mr.Kaynor specialized in private equity and mergers and acquisitions as a partner at two international firms: Jones Day and Ropes & Gray. After Hurricane Katrina decimated much of the Gulf Coast in 2005, Mr. Kaynor and his family moved to New Orleans to help the city recover. He took a job with a local law firm, and Mrs. Kaynor opened an ecofriendly home goods store on the city’s famous Magazine Street. Mr. Kaynor maintained a number of social commitments throughout his life, including memberships in the Pickwick Club, the New Orleans Country Club, the Union Club of New York, the Blue Hill Troupe of New York City, and Wee Burn Country Club of Darien, Conn. In honor of his father-in-law, James Thomas Williams, Mr. Kaynor also was named a member of the Order of Saint Lazarus.

In October 2012, Mr. Kaynor was gravely injured when he was shot outside his New Orleans home by several gang members who robbed his house and stole one of the family’s cars. According to media reports from the time, Mr. Kaynor’s spine was severed by bullets, and he suffered a brain hemorrhage during emergency surgery. He survived but was unable to speak or walk for the rest of his life. His injuries ended his law career and prevented him from participating in the activities he loved. His many friends, including some from St. Paul’s, rallied to support him, creating a Facebook group to stay in touch about his condition, his family’s financial needs, and the criminal proceedings against his attackers – all of whom are now serving lengthy prison sentences.

In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Kaynor’s survivors include his sister, Laura (Kaynor) Powers; his brother, Frederick Kaynor; and several nieces and nephews. The family wishes to express sincere thanks to the doctors and caregivers who aided Mr. Kaynor during the last years of his life.