1950s
Charles Coville Bailey ’50
Charles Coville Bailey ’50, an investment banker and theatrical producer of Fort Myers, Fla., was born on April 18, 1928, in Oneida, N.Y., a son of the former Marion Coville and Alfred Bailey, an insurance salesman. Bailey later resided in Rochester, N.Y., and graduated from the Loomis School in Windsor, Conn.
At Hamilton, “Obie” Bailey was known for his athletic prowess, participating in golf, skiing, hockey, squash, and the Outing Club. The 1950 Hamiltonian noted, “Between trips to Boston and occasional academic endeavors, he has played the role of Atlas in supporting the Outing Club on his shoulders, managed the ski team, and supported a telephone and the first student-owned TV on the Hill.”
Bailey, who majored in economics and was a member of Theta Delta Chi, went on to serve in the U.S. Army and at one point as marketing director for the North Atlantic Kenaf Co. in Cuba. In 1959, he settled in New York City and spent the next 30 years as an investment banker in the public finance arena with such firms as Prudential Bache Securities and Thompson -McKinnon Securities, where he served as senior vice president.
A different passion lured him to the bright lights of Broadway in the early 1980s. As executive producer of King Street Productions, he produced the award-winning show My One and Only (starring Tommy Tune and Twiggy), followed by Stardust, Lucky Guy, and Dream.
Bailey, whose lifelong interests included golf, theatre, gardening, and sailing, had developed property on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, where he had a home, as well as one in Southampton, N.Y. For his 50th reunion yearbook, he numbered his fondest memories on the Hill as “Raising funds to build the ski team’s tow which we set up near Colgate. Houseparties. Best of all developing the long-term friendships that I have carried through life.”
Charles C. Bailey died on Jan. 20, 2018. He was 89 years old. He is survived by his brother, Thomas Bailey ’58.
Arthur Heller ’50
Arthur Heller ’50, a longtime physician in Philadelphia, was born on April 23, 1928, in Newark, N.J., a son of the former Anna Genet and Louis Heller, a contractor. He was orphaned at age 16 and graduated from Weequahic High School in Newark.
A stellar student, Heller graduated in 1949 with Phi Beta Kappa honors and as class salutatorian. He majored in foreign languages and was a member of the Squires Club.
Heller earned his medical degree in 1953 from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical society. After serving as a captain and physician in the U.S. Air Force from 1954 to 1956, he spent his medical career in Philadelphia, serving members of the police and fire departments, according to a published obituary. The obituary also noted that Heller was a brilliant and caring physician who often remarked that “when you have your health, you have everything.”
Arthur Heller died on March 9, 2018. He was 89 years old and is survived by a son and two grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, the former Florence Wolfeld, in 2010.
Henry Louis George III ’52
Henry Louis George III ’52, a pediatrician of Watertown, N.Y., was born in Boston on April 25, 1931, the son of the former Eunice Ethelwyn Gabb and H. Louis George, Jr. ’23, a physician. The family moved to Watertown in 1936 when his father joined the family medical practice.
At Hamilton, George continued his family tradition by focusing his studies in premed. He also was a member of the Biology Club, Charlatans, and Psi Upsilon. In addition to his father, George’s Hamilton legacy includes a cousin, David George ’53; a brother, William George ’58; and a daughter, Sally Boulter ’87.
Remarking on the impact of the College years on his life, George noted in his 50th reunion yearbook: “At Hamilton I got the language skills to make myself understood with clarity and to understand others as well. I learned the integrity and discipline needed to lead a good life.”
George earned his medical degree from Queens University School of Medicine in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, in 1958. He trained in pediatrics at Boston City Hospital and served as the base pediatrician at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada, from 1960 to 1962. After returning to Boston City Hospital to complete his pediatric residency, George joined his father in 1963 as a pediatrician in Watertown, where he practiced for more than 40 years until his retirement.
George was chairman of the pediatrics departments at both Mercy Hospital and the House of the Good Samaritan in Watertown and president of the Mercy Hospital staff. He also served as an attending physician in the pediatric outpatient department and as a clinical instructor of pediatrics for 20 years at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse. In 1992, he received the President’s Award for Voluntary Faculty Service.
Active in his community, George served on the board of directors of the Jefferson County Historical Society, the Volunteer Transportation Center, and the vestry of Trinity Church. In addition to a passion for sailing, he enjoyed woodworking, cross-country skiing, and biking, according to a published obituary.
Henry L. George III died on April 9, 2018. He was 86 years old. Survivors include his wife, the former Janet Johnston, whom he had married in 1956, two sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren.
Roger Donald Brink ’53
Roger Donald Brink ’53, a foreign language teacher of Lawrenceville, N.J., was born on Aug. 11, 1931, in Plainfield, N.J., a son of the former Ruby Walker and Loren Brink, a welfare case investigator. He graduated from Prattsburg (N.Y.) Central School.
On College Hill, Brink concentrated his studies in French and Spanish and excelled academically. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and participated as a member of the Spanish Club, French Club, Charlatans, and the Emerson Literary Society.
After graduation, he pursued a year of graduate study at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Brink then received a grant from the Institute of International Education that allowed him to move to Spain where he fully immersed himself in the language and culture at the University of Madrid. He returned to the States to earn a master’s in Spanish from Middlebury College in 1955.
Brink began his career in education teaching Spanish and French at The Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J. In 1959, he joined the faculty at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, retiring in 1997 after 38 years in the classroom.
In his retirement, Brink split his time between Lawrenceville and northern New Mexico. He enjoyed attending the opera, travel to Europe and Latin America, cooking, and volunteering with Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic at its Princeton studio. According to a published obituary, he also enjoyed a political debate over a glass of fine Scotch.
For his 50th reunion yearbook, Brink reflected on the fond memory of his professors in the language department, noting that “Hamilton introduced me to a new way of life, an appreciation of many things without which I now cannot imagine living.” In 2012, he showed his gratitude by establishing the Roger D. Brink ’53 Scholarship that provides financial support to students demonstrating financial need.
Roger D. Brink died on April 14, 2018. He was 86 years old. Brink is survived by cousins, other relatives, and many friends.
Frederic Thomas Henry, Jr. ’53
Frederic Thomas Henry, Jr. ’53, an attorney and judge of Canandaigua, N.Y., was born on Sept. 8, 1931, in Canandaigua, the son of the former Gertrude Powell and Frederic Henry, Sr., an attorney. He graduated from Canandaigua Academy.
On the Hill, Henry, a history major, was a member of the Outing Club and Psi Upsilon. The 1953 Hamiltonian foreshadowed his future career: “He aspires to judicial heights and hopes that the bar admits fanciers of cigars and leather bow ties.”
Reminiscing on his years at the College for his 50th reunion yearbook, Henry noted: “I particularly valued the training in writing, which I badly needed and which helped me in law school and in my profession.” He received an LL.B. from Cornell Law School in 1956 and served in the U.S. Army from 1956 to 1958.
After his service, Henry joined the law firm of Nixon, Hargrave, Devans & Doyle in Rochester, N.Y., where he worked from 1958 to 1967 before returning to Canandaigua to start a private law practice. He served as acting Canandaigua City Court judge from 1975 to 1981 and was elected as an Ontario County surrogate judge. Henry was re-elected in 1991 and also served as Ontario County Court judge, Family Court judge, and acting Supreme Court justice.
An article on Henry in the Finger Lakes Times marked his retirement in 2002. In addition to outlining the highlights of his career, the piece described how the judge was known to give jurors serving on his cases tours of the portrait gallery lining his courtroom walls. Henry would tell stories about prominent local residents in the frames, including Susan B. Anthony, whose famous 1873 trial for trying to vote was held in that very room.
Henry was active in the community as a member of the Ontario County Historical Society, the Canandaigua Chamber of Commerce, and the Canandaigua Rotary Club. He enjoyed hiking, skiing, bicycling, and spending time on Canandaigua Lake.
Frederic T. Henry, Jr. died on June 16, 2018. He was 86 years old. Henry is survived by his wife of 24 years, Gayle; two sons; a daughter, Janette Henry ’85; two grandchildren; two stepdaughters; and four step-grandchildren.
James Arthur Rath III ’53
James Arthur Rath III ’53, a corporate communications executive and author from Honolulu, was born there on Dec. 30, 1931, a son of James Arthur Rath, Jr. and the former Ruth Lyman. His grandfather was the founder of the Palama Settlement and a descendant of the Lyman Hawaiian missionary family. Young Art attended the Kamehameha School for Boys. At age 9, he witnessed the bombings on Pearl Harbor from his home.
On College Hill, Rath held several off-campus jobs to pay for his education; however, that didn’t deter him from participating in a variety of activities. A member of Tau Kappa Epsilon, he served as photo editor for both the Royal Gaboon and the Spectator, trouped with (and wrote two plays produced by) the Charlatans, ran with the track team, and lent his musical talents to the College Choir, Glee Club, and band.
Having focused his Hamilton studies in psychology and English composition, Rath decided to remain in Upstate New York after graduation and in 1965 formed the Rath Organization, Inc., a corporate communications firm, that served such clients as Niagara Mohawk, Carrier Corp., and General Electric. His work earned three prestigious Silver Anvil Awards for Public Relations. He also taught public relations as an adjunct professor at Syracuse University Newhouse School of Communication for 25 years, where he also earned his master’s degree in 1977.
Rath returned to Hawaii in 2005 and dedicated himself to writing about his heritage. Among his works are a memoir of his former Kamehameha School roommate, Don Ho, and several books, including one about his own experiences at the school titled Lost Generations: A Boy, a School, and a Princess. He also wrote many articles about Hawaiian history and folklore for the Hawaiian Reporter as well as “carried on spirited dialogue on social media,” according to a published obituary.
In addition to his work as a writer, Rath enjoyed the limelight. He was active in the theatre at the Salt City Playhouse and sang during church services. A gardener, he was described by family members as a “collector, a showman, a storyteller, an elegant dresser, and a lover of women.” They added, “He could be difficult to understand because he enjoyed using words that were only meant for those with high SAT scores.”
Ever devoted to his alma mater, Rath returned to campus regularly for reunions and volunteered in a variety of capacities, including on the Alumni Council and as the correspondent for the Class of 1953. His reports on his classmates, as well as his colorful illustrations, graced the pages of this magazine. In 2007, he published Thy Boys: Hamilton College Stories, a book of vignettes largely focused on the personalities who lived and worked on College Hill during his student days.
J. Arthur Rath III died in his Honolulu home on May 21, 2018, at the age of 86. He is survived by five children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Previous spouses included the former Jeanne Drake and Audrey Schwartz.
Geoffrey Sedgwick Simpson ’54
Geoffrey Sedgwick Simpson ’54, an Episcopal priest and teacher and a longtime resident of England, was born on Aug. 20, 1932, in South Milwaukee, Wis., the son of the former Helen Keeler and Alexander Simpson, an Episcopal priest. He graduated from Washington Park High School in Racine, Wis.
At Hamilton, Simpson was a member of the Chapel Board, the Anglican Society, the College Choir, the tennis team, and Alpha Delta Phi. He received the Winslow Prize, the Hawley Prize, and the Fitch Prize, all for his prominence in Latin. The 1954 Hamiltonian foreshadowed Simpson’s chosen profession: “Doubtless he’ll pursue his ministerial studies with the same diligence and energy which characterize his steady progress at Hamilton.”
Following his time on the Hill, Simpson earned a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology from General Theological Seminary in New York City in 1957 and a master’s in history from the University of Wisconsin in 1966. In 1973, he received a Ph.D. in history from Cambridge University.
On Sept. 13, 1961, Simpson and 14 other Episcopal clergymen were arrested after traveling from New Orleans to the Trailways bus terminal in Jackson, Miss., for their participation in the Prayer Pilgrimage Freedom Ride, according to the Civil Rights Digital Library.
Simpson was a rector in various parishes in Milwaukee and southern and northern England throughout his career, as well as a teacher of history at Bucknell University and the University of Birmingham in England.
Geoffrey S. Simpson died on Feb. 9, 2018. He was 85 years old and is survived by his wife, Mary, their two children, and their families, according to his brother, Alexander Simpson.
Michael Montgomery Stephenson ’54
Michael Montgomery Stephenson ’54, a foreign language teacher of Manlius, N.Y., was born on June 25, 1929, in Washington, D.C., a son of the former Phyllis Howe and Robert Stephenson, a Department of State employee. Raised in DC and Cooperstown, N.Y., he was educated in pre-World War II Berlin and postwar Switzerland, graduating from the Institute auf dem Rosenberg in St. Gallen, Switzerland, in 1948.
After high school Stephenson served in the U.S. military intelligence in Austria from 1948 to 1950 before attending Hamilton. On the Hill, he was a member of the tennis team, Camera Club, German Club, Alpha Delta Phi, and Pi Delta Upsilon. He trouped with the Charlatans and was a photographer for The Spectator and the Hamiltonian, which noted in its 1954 edition that he had amassed “the finest collection of informal pictures of campus life ever accumulated by an undergraduate.”
Following his graduation with majors in French and German, Stephenson worked for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. in sales as well as for other companies, including on the production line for General Motors. During this time he pursued his master’s degree in education, which he completed in 1962 from Syracuse University. In 1965, he returned to Hamilton to conduct further graduate studies and continued that work in Toulouse, France, thanks to funding through the National Defense Act.
For more than 30 years, Stephenson taught French and coached tennis and soccer at Pebble Hill School and later at Jamesville-DeWitt High School in the Syracuse area. For the 1990 Hamilton College Alumni Survey, Stephenson assessed the College’s contribution to his future: “The quality and methods of teaching (particularly of Frank Hamlin and Marcel Moraud) influenced me greatly in my own teaching.”
Michael M. Stephenson, whose lifelong interests included sailing and photography, died on May 11, 2018. He was 88 years old. Stephenson is survived by his wife of 63 years, the former Joan Taylor, three children, eight grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren.
Peter Prior Gerquest ’55
Peter Prior Gerquest ’55, a shipping company broker of South Freeport, Maine, was brought into the world on March 3, 1932, in Passaic, N.J., by the noted physician, poet, and family friend William Carlos Williams, according to a published obituary. The son of the former Llewellyn Prior Lansing, a painter and sculptor, and Arthur Gerquest, an engineer and potter, he graduated from Williston Academy in Easthampton, Mass. The family was nurtured by many artists who influenced Gerquest’s lifelong appreciation for art and music, the obituary noted.
Gerquest attended Hamilton for two years. He was a member of Sigma Phi. He served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955 during the Korean War and then earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University in 1959, majoring in public relations.
For eight years, Gerquest lived in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y., while working for a ship brokerage firm in New York City. In 1965, he moved to Riverside, Conn., and continued to commute to the city before starting his own shipping company, Sea Quest, in 1976. The company was later renamed Sea Reef Chartering and Beaufort Navigation.
An avid sailor, Gerquest raced yachts and traveled the world in personal and professional capacities. In 1995, he and his wife moved to Freeport, living down the street from their daughter and granddaughter, where he watched the sea daily from his home overlooking Casco Bay. He devoted his time to the Harraseeket Yacht Club, the Freeport Historical Society, the South Freeport Congregational Church, and the Maine Maritime Museum.
Peter P. Gerquest died on June 1, 2018. He was 86 years old and is survived by his wife, the former Mabel Indelkof; a daughter, Heidi Gerquest ’83; a son; and a granddaughter.
James Potter Holmlund ’58
James Potter Holmlund ’58, an English teacher and business manager of Northern Ireland, was born on Dec. 16, 1935, in Salamanca, N.Y., the son of the former Dorothy Potter, a teacher, and Theodore Holmlund, a medical doctor. He graduated from Jamestown High School in New York.
At Hamilton, Holmlund was a member of the College Choir, Charlatans, Biology Club, the Student Admissions Committee, and Tau Kappa Epsilon. He served as president of the freshman class and majored in biology and chemistry. His brother, David Holmlund ’60, followed him to College Hill.
Reminiscing on his years on campus, Holmlund noted in his 50th reunion yearbook, “My Hamilton days were crucial ones during which life-changing decisions emerged. How much Hamilton influenced these is difficult to say. But I did learn how to study there, and it clearly enabled me to cherish a posture of learning.”
Holmlund served two years in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960, and then attended the Université de Neuchâtel in Switzerland from 1961 to 1962. He spent a good part of his professional career as an English teacher in Switzerland and then in Sardinia, Italy, beginning in 1962, where he also was a partner at the Big Ben Academy, a private language school. In 1985, he moved to Northern Ireland, where he held managerial positions with two firms and retired in 2002.
After retirement, Holmlund worked for many years coordinating the integration of people of more than 20 ethnic minorities into his hometown in Northern Ireland, a class reunion yearbook noted. His interests included choral singing, reading, keeping abreast of current affairs, and a long-nurtured devotion to the Bahá’í teachings.
James P. Holmlund died on March 10, 2018. He was 82 years old. As of his 50th year reunion, he was survived by his wife, the former Hazel Aikman, three children, and four grandsons. His first wife, the former Maria Ciocca, predeceased him.
Robert Cannon Mongeau ’59
Robert Cannon Mongeau ’59, an insurance agent of Alpharetta, Ga., and Naples, Fla., was born on July 20, 1936, in Boston, the son of Alice Irene and Leo Raymond Mongeau, an insurance agent. He was raised in Lowell, Mass., and graduated from The Taft School in Watertown, Conn.
On the Hill, Mongeau was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, majoring in French and English literature. He was an avid golfer and played on the golf teams at both Taft and Hamilton. He was also co-captain of the undefeated 1958 Hamilton football team, an accomplishment of which he remained proud throughout his life.
Reflecting on his years at the College for his 50th reunion yearbook, Mongeau noted the impact of Hamilton on his life: “Honesty, but I think I brought that with me. Hamilton solidified character. ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t!’”
After graduation, Mongeau returned to Lowell to begin his career as a life insurance agent for CNA Financial Corp. and Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1959 to 1963, achieving the rank of sergeant. Mongeau later started his own firms, RCM Insurance Agency and Life Brokerage, LLC.
In 1960, he married his childhood sweetheart, the former Grace Elaine Dusseault. His wife shared his love of golf. Together they traveled the world and played at notable courses, including The Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, according to a published obituary. The couple lived in Naples from 1985 to 2015, where they also were active in various golf and country clubs.
When not hitting the links, Mongeau devoted time to a number of community groups, including Rotary International, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, The American Red Cross, and the Vesper Country Club in Tyngsboro, Mass.
Robert C. Mongeau died on June 24, 2018. He was 81 years old and is survived by his wife of 57 years; five daughters, including Jacqueline Mongeau Segars ’90; one son; and 11 grandchildren.
