Deaths
[A listing of deaths of which word has been receivedwithin the past month. Full notices may appear in thisissue or may appear in a later number]
Nettleton, George O. '84, September 30, 1945 Powers, Matthew '87, October 31, 1945 Hopkins, Herbert S. '91, October 7, 1945 Couch, Benjamin W. '96, November 4, 1945 Witte, William J. '98, October 18, 1945 Speare, Guy E. '99, October 23, 1945 Cofran, Frank E. '02, October 15, 1945 Goodwin, Austin M. '02, October 31, 1945 Ruggles, Arthur V. '02, October 21, 1945 Sturtevant, Mills '04, October 29, 1945 Bonter, Max K. '09, October 4, 1945 Flint, William W. '12,"November 11, 1945 English, Fred S. '19, October 8, 1944 Syrek, Mitchell R. '31, November 9, 1945 Hamel, John R. '32, October 14, 1945 *Goell, Julien D. '33, October 7, 1944 *Blees, Frederick W. V. '38, October 9, 1945 *Bayle, David F. '42, October 12, 1945 *Burns, Robert O. Jr. '42 *Bushnell, John F. '43, January 4, 1945 *Tostman, Willard E. '43, October 3, 1945 Woods, Charles E. '90m, October 12, 1945 * Died in War Service.
In Memoriam
1883
JOHN WHITE CENTER died at his home in Manchester, N. H., July 16, 1945, after a comparatively short illness.
He was born at Litchfield, N. H., September 8, 1861, the son of Isaac N. and Mary (White) Center. He fitted for college at Reed's Ferry, N. H., and matriculated with the class of 1883, graduating in course with the B.A. degree.
He was of a retiring disposition and did not actively enter into extra-curricular activities. He was a member of Kappa Kappa Kappa. In the 'B3 Aegis he appears to have been awarded the Spoon among the Junior Honors, "Haec honor verae condicioni est adapta."
After graduating from college he embraced the law as his profession in life and practiced at the bar for more than fifty years, becoming judge of the Municipal Court and superintendent of the Hillsborough County Farm.
June 16, 1891, he married Gertrude Fogg who survives him. together with a daughter, Mildred F. Center, a son, Samuel R. Center of Keene (Dartmouth 1920), and a brother, Isaac N. Center of Litchfield.
The following is a quotation taken from the funeral service, written by the Rev. Charles A. Engvall of Manchester:—
"His roots grew deep within the soil of this community. Over four score and three years in age, his life was rich in service, in thought- fulness for his family and friends. From days of youth at Dartmouth College, as a public servant and as a friend to all, he took his share in the building of this community. For many years he was associated with the forward-looking people of this city; not only a leader in the Democratic party, he was always a democrat with a little'd.'
"There was strong within him an integrity and honesty and geniality which will long be remembered and cherished. Both as custodian and exponent of the democratic way of life, the Judge remains for all of us a lasting symbol of our free way of Life."
1884
GEORGE OTIS NETTLETON was born at Ashtabula, Ohio, February 12, 1861. He died at St. Lake's Hospital, Spokane, Wash., September 30, 1945, after an illness of several weeks.
While still a youth, his family moved to St. Paul, Minn., where his father, William Nettleton, established a lucrative real estate business. Upon graduation from St. Paul High School, George matriculated in 1880 at the Chandler Scientific School.
From his very entrance at Dartmouth, he became active in practically all the sports then extant in Dartmouth athletics, and he became especially proficient in baseball, playing all four years with the writer of this obituary on the '84 class team. In his senior year, he was a member of the varsity baseball nine, a letter man and third base man.
Following his graduation, he engaged in the real estate business with his father at St. Paul, Minn., and later in several mining ventures in Montana, which, like many another such venture, did not prove quite so successful.
During the succeeding years following his leaving Hanover, and practically during his entire life, he was active in sports—baseball, football, rowing, bowling, curling, skating, and, in his maturer years, golf, in the latter of which he was still active to within a few months of his death.
Moving to Spokane, Wash., in the early 1900s, George engaged in real estate and mining activities, the latter with F. Lewis Clark, a wealthy mining man, whom he accompanied on many of his travels, including a long trip to Europe in 1907.
In 1917, he became connected with the Equitable Life Assurance Agency at Spokane, and was given the responsibility of developing the company's group business in what has been known as the Inland Empire, became one of its successful producers, and a charter member of the Equitable's Millionaires' Club.
On February 12, 1936, the business and professional men of Spokane celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday with a grand banquet, at which he was acclaimed for his many sporting activities through all the years, his courteous and generous qualities of mind and heart, and his rectitude in all his business activities.
The few remaining of his classmates now living will recall with tender memories the glowing freshness of his fine friendship, manly qualities, and loyal devotion to high ideals, that he displayed during his four years at Dartmouth.
Especially may I say with deep conviction after my personal intimate relationship with him during those four years that I esteemed him my dearest friend among my fellows.
WILLIAM J. STARR.
1891
HERBERT SALISBURY HOPKINS passed away in the hospital at Brunswick, Georgia, on October 2. Services were held at Frederica Episcopal church on St. Simons Island, Georgia, and burial was in the Frederica Cemetery.
Herbert Hopkins was born in Millbury, Mass., February 5, 1868, the son of John and Mary (Salisbury) Hopkins. His father was a graduate of Dartmouth in 1862 and a judge of Massachusetts Superior Court from 1891 to 1902; also a visitor, Chandler School, 1892-1902.
Hopkins prepared for college through Millbury High School and Worcester Academy. He was a member of Theta Delta Chi.
Following his graduation he studied law, spending the middle year, 1891-1892, at Boston University Law School, and was admitted to practice in Worcester, Mass., November 16, 1893, where he followed that profession for several years. Later he went to Offerman, Georgia, followed by connection with the shops of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in Waycross, Georgia. He passed the bar examinations and was admitted to practice law in Georgia, and did so for a time.
Hopkins was active in Masonic circles, being High Priest in the Chapter and Eminent Commander in Knights Templar.
On September 30, 1895, Hopkins married Mary Furber Ambler of Natick, Mass., who passed away in Waycross, Georgia, July 3, 1911. There were three sons born of this marriage, all born in Millbury and now residents of Massachusetts.
On July 18th, 1918, Hopkins was married to Willie Mae Fields of Decatur, Ala.; there were four children by this marriage, three of whom are living, one son dying in the service in the Second World War.
1896
BENJAMIN WARREN COUCH died at the Margaret Pillsbury General Hospital in Concord, N. H.,on November 4.
Mr. Couch was born in Concord, N. H., August 19, 1873, son of Benjamin Warren and Susan Cornell (Woodward) Couch. He was a graduate of Concord High School, of Dartmouth College in the class of 1896, and of Harvard Law School. On November 8, 1900, he married Gertrude A. Underhill, whose death he survived by three months. He was admitted to the New Hampshire bar in 1899, and began the practice of law in Concord, N. H.
At the time of his death, in addition to carrying on the work of his own office, Mr. Couch was actively identified with several business enterprises. He was president and director of the Northern Railroad, vice president and director of the United Life and Accident Insurance Company, treasurer and director of the Concord Gas Company, trust officer and director of the Mechanics National Bank, director of New England Mutual Fire Insurance Company, New Hampshire Fire Insurance Company, Merchants Mutual Casualty Company, New England Briar Pipe Company, Davis Transformer Company, Eagle and Phenix Hotel Company, and trustee of the Merrimack County Savings Bank. He was a member of the board of directors of the Blue Cross Hospitalization Service.
Many public and charitable enterprises claimed part of the time and effort of Mr. Couch. When he died, he was chairman of the Unitarian church trust fund committee, president and director of the Rolfe and Rumford Home, treasurer and trustee of the New Hampshire Historical Society, trustee of the Pearson Trust, and president of the Snowshoe Club.
He had recently retired as president and trustee of Margaret Pillsbury General Hospital, and on April 29, 1944, he resigned as the first chairman of the state board of appeal of the selective service commission after discharging the duties of that office for three years.
In recognition of his exemplification of the kind of citizenship which makes this country strong, Mr. Couch received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from Dartmouth College in 1941.
Mr. Couch was able to relax in the society of other men and was a favorite as a raconteur. Many of his oft-repeated, but always welcome stories he had devised about himself, out of his own experiences, and as he retold them through the years they came to be polished gems which should have been preserved, but probably will not be. They were bits of Americana which picture the deeper natural currents of life in this part of the world.
Mr. Couch leaves a lot of tasks which others must now pick up.
1898
WILLIAM JAMES WITTE died suddenly from an attack of coronary thrombosis at Lake Placid, N. Y. on October 18, 1945. He had had the first attack there in September while on the golf links. Bill, as he was always known to his classmates, and Mrs. Witte had been spend ing the summer at White Face Inn on Lake Placid and had planned to return to their home in Yonkers, N. Y„ on the followino Tuesday.
Though Bill was with us in college during the years 1895-6 and 7, he.having to withdraw because of the death of his father, he was always an active and loyal member of the class and a regular attendant at the reunions.
Born in Ronkonkoma, Long Island, N. y October 24, 1876, he was graduated from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1893 and came to Dartmouth in 1895. While in college he was a member of Phi Delta Theta and was a member of the Glee Club each year.
On September 5, 1905, he was married to Evelyn Valentine, who survives him. There were no children. They were married by the same minister who officiated at the funeral service forty years later.
After leaving college Bill was a manufacturer of metal specialties for ten years, and then became associated with Sinclair and Valentine Company, where he remained for thirty years until his retirement, at which time he was first vice president and secretary of the company and treasurer of its Canadian subsidiary.
Bill was always active in the Episcopal church, and at our 35-year reunion he told us he had once headed for the clergy but had changed his mind. While in college he was a member of the St. Thomas Episcopal church choir and at the time of his death was a member of the vestry in St. John's church, Yonkers, and was a former warden and a choir assistant. He had formerly been a vestryman at St. Andrew's Episcopal church.
Bill, tall, dignified, and stately, always stood out in our gatherings, and his loyalty to the College and to the Class will long remain in memory. His pleasant cheery person will be greatly missed at our future reunions.
1899
GUY EDWIN SPEARE died October 23, at his home in Plymouth, N. H., following a long illness.
He had been a member of the Plymouth Teachers College faculty for 24 years. He was born in Randolph, Vt., August 15, 1875, son of Charles and Mary (Chadwick) Speare. His ancestors settled in that section, particularly in the nearby town of Braintree. He was a graduate of Randolph High School, and entered Dartmouth College with the class of 1899, but was compelled to leave college after three years, because of illness in his family, and he graduated in 1903. Nevertheless, he was always claimed by the class of 1899. He was a member of Chi Phi. He married Miss Eva A. Clough of Groton, Vt., December 22, 1903, who survives him.
He taught in the public schools of Vermont and New Hampshire from 1895 to 1902 and served as principal of the high and grade schools in West Lebanon from 1903 to 1905. He was principal of Bradford Academy and graded schools in Vermont from 1905 to 1910, headmaster of Littleton High School from 1910 to 1916, and served as superintendent of schools of Littleton and Bethlehem. During the summer of 1931 he was instructor at Keene Teachers College, and began a long career as educator in Plymouth in the fall of that tar serving as a member of Plymouth Teachers College faculty as director of teacher training He "was superintendent of schools from 1921 to 1937 that section. In 1926 he received the degree of Ed.M. at Harvard.
For 10 years he was president of the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, and was a charter member and past president of Plymouth Rotary Club. He was a member of the National and the State Teachers' Associations, and a department editor of the State Teachers' magazine for many years. Fraternally, he was a member of Olive Branch Lodge of Masons of Plymouth. He was a deeply religious man, and was affiliated with the Congregational church.
Impressive funeral services were held at the Plymouth Congregational church, October 26. All public schools in town were closed that day, and business houses closed their doors during the services. Faculty members and students of Plymouth Teachers College attended in a body. Six members of the class of 1899 also attended. In addition to Ernest Silver and George Clark of Plymouth, they included Kenneth Beal of Bradford, for 34 years teacher at the Mechanic Arts High School, Boston, now retired, James B. C. Walker of Newmarket, Arthur J. Abbott of Manchester and Ed Allen, retired, of Andover. Among prominent school officials attending were Dr. James N. Pringle of Concord, commissioner of education, and Mrs. Pringle; Deputy Commissioner Walter M. May of Concord; Miss Augusta Nichols, assistant superintendent of schools, Manchester; Supt. Almon Bushnell, Meredith; Supt. Arthur S. Rollins, Plymouth; Supt. and Mrs. Donald Matoon, Tilton; and delegations of teachers from Plymouth and other sections.
Dr. Ernest L. Silver, president of Plymouth Teachers College, delivered an eloquent eulogy of his classmate and associate of many years.
Burial was at East Braintree, Vermont.
Survivors besides his wife, Mrs. Eva A. Speare, past president of the State Federation of Women's Clubs, author, lecturer, and president of the Franklin Branch National League of American Pen Women, include a brother, Will S. Speare of Salem, Ore., and several cousins, including Mrs. Lewis E. Davison of Woodsville, Mrs. Van Clark of East Braintree, Vt., Mrs. Roy Poor of Southwick, Mass., Lee S. Chadwick of Cleveland, Ohio, Mrs. Harriet Perkins of Nashua, and John Chadwick of Concord.
1903
GEORGE WASHINGTON HARLEY of Webster Groves, Mo., died suddenly July 21, 1945.
He was born at Elwood,Ill., September 22,1879, the son of Jacob L. and Ellen (Turpie) Harley, and entered the class at the beginning of junior year from Illinois Western College.
After graduation he taught for a time in Aurora, Ill. In 1913 he became Coast manager for the publishing firm of G. and C. Merriam Company, and in subsequent years was located at Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Wash., and San Francisco. About 1920 he gave up this connection and entered the real estate business in Los Angeles. In 1928 he entered the real estate, investment, and insurance business in the St. Louis area.
August 24, 1907, he was married to Jose- phine Sheuver, who survives him with three daughters, Mrs. K. B. Pellett of Granite City, Ill., Mrs. Richard Starr of Albuquerque, N. M., and Patricia George Harley. Joel A. Harley '95 and the late Theodore L. Harley '93 were his brothers.
1908
CLINTON ISRAEL DOW, a member of this class through freshman year, died in June 1945 in Manchester, N. H.
He was born in Manchester, April 12, 1886, the son of Perry H. and Susan (Cook) Dow. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi.
Among business positions which he had held, he had been superintendent of construction for the Amoskeag Manufacturing Co., administrative assistant in charge of purchasing for the White Mountain National Forest, and a general insurance agency.
April 22, 1909, he was married to Sophie Russell, who survives him, with a daughter, Priscilla.
1909
FREDERICK ALOYSIUS (FREDDIE) CARROLL died in Chantilly, France, on October 16, 1945. Freddie was driving by automobile from Paris to Luxembourg, where, as American Red Cross Commissioner for Great Britain and Western Europe, he was to make a presentation of Red Cross units to the Luxembourg government.
He was born in Worcester, Mass., May 13, 1887, the son of Peter F. and Catherine (Mackin) Carroll. He attended Worcester High School and Clark University and was graduated from Dartmouth in 1909 and received an LL.B. Degree at Harvard Law School in 1912. At college he was on the staff of the Dramatic Club and a member of the Kappa Kappa Kappa and Dragon societies. He was active in all college activities and was elected president of his class a few years after graduation.
After leaving college he took up the practice of law in Worcester for several years, and then moved to Boston as general attorney for the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. In 1924 he became vice-president and trust officer in charge of the Trust, Transfer, and Real Estate Departments of the National Shawmut Bank, and for the last ten years he had been counsel for the bank as well. He was also president of the Trust Division and member of the executive council and administrative committees of the American Bankers' Association. He was also a director of the United Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Devonshire Financial Service Corporation, and the Boston Better Business Bureau, as well as a trustee of the Home Savings Bank and director of the Pilot Publishing Company.
He was likewise prominent in civic and charitable organizations, including the Greater Boston United War Fund, of which he had been appointed chairman of the public service division for the 1946 campaign.
He was the author of many treatises on banking and legal topics, lectured on banking for the Amos Tuck School of Finance at Dartmouth, and was a member of the advisory committee of the Boston College School of Business Administration.
He was appointed Red Cross Commissioner for Great Britain and Western Europe in April of this year and was expecting to finish his work within a few weeks when he was so untimely taken.
In 1915 he was married to Mary E. Sheehan, who survives him with the following children; Lt. Comdr. Robert M., who just recently returned from submarine duty; and five daughters, the Misses Ruth A., Nancy J., Kathleen, Mary L., and Mrs. Florin Hailer.
1911
BENJAMIN KIMBALL AYERS died October 12, at his home, 35 Auburn St., Concord, N. H., following a long illness of multiple sclerosis.
Born in Concord, March 28, 1888, he was the son of Augustine and Clare (Kimball) Ayers, and came to Dartmouth in the fall of 1907 from Concord High School.
Following his graduation from Dartmouth he attended Yale Forestry School, where he was granted the degree of M.F. in 1913. After graduating from Yale he spent 15 months in Canada working for the Laurentide Company, Ltd., of Crandmere, P. Q. There he was in the woods surveying timberlands and estimating timber and planting trees, laying out roads and other work incidental to forestry operation.
From October 1914 to March 1916, he was with the Ansonia Forest Products Company in Ansonia, Conn., operating wood lots and selling lumber. In October 1916 he and Irene (Warner), to whom he was married on May 24, 1915, moved to Concord, which has been their home ever since. There he was a lumberer and forester, and later operated a steamship agency and engaged in real estate sales under the name of B. K. Ayers, Inc.
Ben was a very public-spirited citizen, participating in church and civic affairs. He was a secretary of the State Forestry and Recreation Commission, a member of the City Board of Education in Concord, and a trustee of the South Congregational church.
The funeral services were private, being held the day following his death. Besides his wife, a brother, and two sisters, he leaves a son, Lt. Benjamin K. Ayers Jr., USN (Dartmouth '39) and two daughters, Mrs. Prudence Rundlett and Mrs. Virginia Mattlage.
1923
Lt. Col. WALTER HAZELTON KURTZ died in Munich, Germany, September 27. He died of a fractured skull after being struck on the head by a piece of mortar dislodged from the roof of Munich City Hall, which was being repaired.
He was born in Leetonia, Ohio, December 19, 1900, and prepared for college at University School, Cleveland. He was with his Dartmouth class for two years, transferring to Western Reserve University, where he graduated in 1923. He then studied law at Harvard and at Western Reserve, graduating as LL.B. at the latter in 1926.
He was for some years assistant treasurer of Cleveland Trust Company, and became captain of Troop A, 107th Cavalry. In March 1941 he left Cleveland for active service, and later was transferred to the military government branch, going overseas in May 1944. Last July he was appointed military governor of Munich.
His widow is living at Carmel, Calif., with their two daughters.
1938
Lt. FREDERICK WILLIAM VICTOR BLEES DIED in a typhoon which struck Okinawa on October 9.
He was born in Kansas City, Mo., December 29, 1915, the son of William Albert and Frances (Dodge) Blees, and came to Dartmouth from Stanford University at the beginning 0f sophomore year.
He became an actor, and appeared on the New York stage in "Kiss and Tell," "Ramshackle House," "Too Many Girls," "Rino Two," and "Room Service." He was the juvenile lead in the road show of "What a Life" and toured the country with Zasu Pitts ;n "Ramshackle House."
He entered the Navy as Ensign March 28 1944, and was promoted to Lieutenant (j.g.)
June 24, 1939, he was married to Harriet Davis Hathaway of Greenwich, Conn., who survives him with two children, William and Betty. His parents also survive him, and a brother, Robert S. '38.
1939
CAPTAIN JOHN NEWMAN was killed in action over Luzon June 26, 1945. John had been flying Troop Carrier C-47S overseas for the past seventeen months, and had acquired over two thousand flying hours, completing 137 combat missions. For his services he wore the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters.
The son of Chester Newman, John was born in Kansas City, Mo., April 20, 1917. He was a graduate of Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, N. Y. While at Dartmouth John was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He entered the Army in April 1941, having been before in an insurance office in New York.
Lt. SANDERSON SLOANE was killed in action February 22, 1944, over Coblenz, Germany.
The son of Douglas and Sibyl (Sanderson) Sloane, he was born in Newton, Mass., October 1, 1916, and prepared for college at Newton High School. He was a member of Sigma Chi.
He entered the army in October 1939 and was transferred to the Air Corps. He went overseas in November 1944, and had received the Air Medal with three clusters and the Purple Heart. At the time of his death he was pilot of a B-17.
November 14, 1942, he was married to Margaret Allen of Newton Center, Mass., who survives him, with a son, Sanderson Jr.
Lt. HERBERT VANDER VATE JR. was killed in action August 28, 1944.
He was born in Buffalo, N. Y., September 27, 1917, the son of Herbert and Ann (Stoll) Vander Vate. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta.
He was in the employ of the Niagara National Bank of Buffalo when he entered the Coast Artillery early in 1941. He was later transferred to the Air Corps.
1942
Lt. RUSSELL HALE BRITTON JR. was killed IN action in Germany on February 9, 1945.
He was born in Houlton, Me., April 29. 1920, the son of Russell Hale and Helen (Chadwick) Britton. He was a member of Sigma Chi.
He enlisted Oct. 22, 1942; was commissioned 2d Lieutenant in CAC; served for a year in the Canal Zone and the Virgin Islands; was trans- ferred to the 6th Armored Infantry Division, and was a platoon leader in Company B, 44th Armored Infantry Battalion, serving in France, Belgium, and Germany.
Lt. CADY LEE DANIELS JR. was killed in an airplane accident in April 1945.
He was born in Kansas City, Mo., March 25, 1919, the son of Cady Lee and Jeannette (Peet) Daniels, and prepared for college at Manlius School.
He was in the Air Corps, but the details of his service are not at hand.
In September 1940, he was married to Agnes Brown in Los Angeles, Cal. She survives him, with a son, Cady.
Lt. (jg) WALTER ALBERT JACOBS was killed in action in the South Pacific on February 21, 1945.
He was born in Chicago, Ill., June 16, 1920, the son of Walter L. and Jeanette (Roths- child) Jacobs.
He entered the Navy Air Corps March 14,1942; was commissioned Ensign at Corpus Christi in June 1943, and later promoted to Lieutenant (j.g).
He married Roxie Schwarz of Chicago, who survives him, with a son.
Capt. AARON GOVE WILKINS was killed on Iwo jima March 1, 1945.
The son of James Herbert and Margaret (Gove) Wilkins, he was born in Denver, Colo., April 25, 1920. He was a member of Sigma Nu.
He entered the Marine Corps April 6, 1942, and after various promotions finally became Captain.
1943
Lt. FRED MOODY CAREY was killed June 20, 1945, while serving on a China-based Mitchell bomber over Indo China. His brother, Lt. James C. Carey, was killed at the same time.
The son of Fred J. and Elizabeth (Moody) Carey, he was born in Hartford, Conn., August 7, 1920, and prepared for college with his brother at Loomis Institute, Windsor, Conn. The brother entered Amherst when Fred entered Dartmouth, and Fred later transferred to Amherst.
They entered the . Air Force together, and were both commissioned at Stuttgart, Ark., February 8, 1943, going overseas in September, 1944.
Fred was married to Jeanne Marjorie Davis of Mount Kisko, N. Y., who survives him, as do his parents.
1945
THOMAS ALBERT WARD was killed on May 18, 1943, in the crash of a training flight plane near Dale Mabry Field, Florida. He left Dartmouth to enlist in the Army Air Force on April 2, 1942. At the time of his death he was a second lieutenant and had just been chosen one of sixteen from a class of 219 to fly the new P-47 Thunderbolt.
He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory T. Ward, 770 Park Ave., New York, N. Y., and was born on December 13, 1923, at Scarsdale, N. Y. Following his college preparation at St. John's Military Academy, the Ridgefield (Conn.) High School, and the Cheshire Academy, he entered Dartmouth in 1941.
Tom's parents received the following letter from General Gile shortly after their son's death. "Lieutenant Ward made a praiseworthy military record—aided by his enthusiasm for aviation and an intense desire to uphold the best traditions of the Service. His courage and high ideals won the admiration and respect of his comrades."
CAPTAIN JOHN NEWMAN '39, pilot in the Army Air Force, was killed over Luzon last June. He had been overseas since November 1943 in the Pacific.
