1960s
William Kenneth Laidlaw, Jr. '64
William Kenneth Laidlaw, Jr. '64, an educational administrator who became executive director and chief executive officer of the Ohio Historical Society and a leader in efforts to preserve that state's heritage, was born on September 8, 1942, in Colchester, VT. The son of William K. a corporate buyer and manager, and Gladys Marion Porter Laidlaw, he grew up in Ithaca, NY, and was graduated from Ithaca High School, where he was co-captain of the football team. Bill Laidlaw came to College Hill in 1960 and joined Psi Upsilon. He played football for four years and lettered in the sport. Elected to DT and president of the Psi U house in his senior year, he majored in biology and economics. He left the Hill with his diploma in 1964. Soon thereafter, on November 26, he and Donna Kuhn, a Wells College graduate, were married in Medina, NY.
After brief employment with the Tompkins County Trust Co. in his hometown of Ithaca, Bill Laidlaw enrolled in the M.B.A. program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Awarded the degree in 1966, he stayed on as a research analyst at Penn's Management Science Center and served from 1967 to 1968 as assistant director of admissions of the Wharton Graduate Division. Ap-pointed director of business school programs for the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ, in 1968, he retained that position until 1975. Thereafter, he became executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, an accrediting and service organization for university-based business schools and programs worldwide, which was headquartered in St. Louis, MO. As part of his work, he traveled extensively abroad as a consultant and advisor on business education.
Bill Laidlaw remained with the Association until 1999, the year he completed the executive doctorate in management program at Case Western Reserve University and was awarded his E.D.M. degree. Having moved from St. Louis to Cleveland, OH, he remained at Case Western to serve as interim dean of the Weatherhead School of Management. Also named a professor at the School in 2000, he became its associate dean for executive education in 2001.
In 2003, Dr. Laidlaw moved to Columbus, OH, when he was chosen to take over direction of the Ohio Historical Society, then undergoing considerable financial stress and strain. Wholeheartedly committed to preserving and enhancing the Society's mission "to help people connect with Ohio's past," he confronted and countered severe cutbacks in state funding with plans for a total restructuring of the Society. While utilizing his management skills internally, he also traveled throughout the state to advocate for the Society and the educational value of history and the need to preserve the historical past. With his genial disposition, considerate nature, and willingness to welcome new ideas, he encouraged and inspired others to get involved, thereby "laying the foundation for the Society's reinvention as a stronger, more focused statewide history organization."
William K. Laidlaw, Jr., who had planned to retire at the end of this year, was vacationing with his family at Martha's Vineyard, MA, on August 7, 2009, when he died of an apparent heart attack while swimming. An ever loyal and generously supportive alumnus, he is survived by his wife of 44 years as well as a daughter, Christina Kimmel, a son, W. Scott Laidlaw '89, and three grandchildren.
Christian Paul Vogt '64
Christian Paul Vogt '64, for many years a data processing analyst and director in the health care in-dustry, was born on December 15, 1941, in Berlin, Germany. The son of Gideon and Olga Volkers Vogt (later Mrs. Eugene Havas), his father was a banker. Young Christian remained in Berlin, where he attended the Goethe Gymnasium, until he was 16. He then came to the United States to live with his mother and stepfather in Washington, DC. Naturalized as a U. S. citizen at the age of 18 in 1959, he prepared for college at the Meret School in Washington and entered Hamilton in 1960.
Christian Vogt, who joined the Emerson Literary Society, became actively involved with campus radio station WHC as well as the film society Kinokunst Gesellschaft. Despite his academic difficulties with English, his second language, he persevered and, majoring in psychology, was graduated in 1964.
Christian Vogt went on to pursue an M.A. degree in psychology at the University of Maryland. After employment with the Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan, he joined the staff of the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont in Burlington as a systems analyst. Promoted to director of data processing, he later became vice president for information systems. The College has no information on his subsequent employment.
Christian P. Vogt, a resident of Guilford, CT, in recent years, died unexpectedly while on vacation in Sicily on October 17, 2009. He is survived by his wife, Margery Ann Vogt, and a son and daughter, Stephen Vogt and Karen Cleary, from his previous marriage to Gail Ann Vogt. Also surviving are three grandchildren and a sister.
William Schoolfield Sartorius, Jr. '65
William Schoolfield Sartorius, Jr. '65, a dentist who became a costume shop proprietor in retire-ment, was born on February 4, 1943, in Baltimore, MD. A son of Wiliam S., a superintendent of schools, and Dorothy Cooper Sartorius, he grew up in the Baltimore area and was graduated from Towson High School. Bill Sartorius entered the College from Towson in 1961. He joined Delta Kappa Epsilon and majored in biology. He was awarded his A.B. degree in 1965.
Bill Sartorius returned to his home area, where he enrolled in the University of Maryland School of Dental Medicine. Married in 1967 to Lois Ann Campobasso, he obtained his D.D.S. degree in 1970. That year, he went on active duty with the U.S. Navy and, served during the Vietnam conflict at the Naval Air Station Hospital in Orlando, FL. Discharged as a lieutenant in 1973, he then joined the Veterans Administration. Assigned to VA hospitals in Alabama and North Carolina, he concluded his career with the VA at its hospital in Miami, FL. He continued to reside in Miami, where he and his life-partner, Franco Carretti, established and developed ABC Costume, a shop providing costumes for holiday and party occasions.
William S. Sartoruis, Jr., a faithfully supportive alumnus and known as "a compassionate gentleman who loved gardening and artistry," resided in Miami Beach. He died in Miami on August 28, 2009. In addition to his life-partner of 31 years, he is survived by a sister, Anne Payne, and a brother, John C. Sartorius. He was predeceased by his infant son, William S. Sartorius III, in 1970.
Francis Birt Evans, Jr. '67
Francis Birt Evans, Jr. '67, who practiced law for many years in New York's North Country, was born on August 13, 1945, in Modesto, CA. When he was three years old, his family moved to upstate New York. The son of F. Birt, a school guidance counselor, and Leanore Knopp Evans, a special education teacher, he grew up in Baldwinsville, near Syracuse, and was graduated from Baldwinsville Academy and Central School. He entered Hamilton in 1963 and played varsity lacrosse and soccer while on the Hill. He also served as president of the Chi Psi lodge.
"Birt" Evans, who had already gone on to law school at Syracuse University by the time of his graduation from Hamilton in 1968, earned his J.D. degree in 1970. After admission to the bar the following year, he began his law practice in Ogdensburg, NY, in association with Christopher B. Acker. Appointed as an assistant district attorney of St. Lawrence County in 1972, he served in that post for two years. He continued to practice law as a partner in the firm of Acker & Evans in Ogdensburg until 1991, when he established his private practice in nearby Canton, from which he retired.
Active in the community, Birt Evans was a former vice chairman of the City of Ogdensburg Charter Commission and chaired the board of trustees of the Ogdensburg Public Library. He was also a regional director of the New York State Association for Retarded Children and a trustee of the Presbytery of Northern New York.
F. Birt Evans, Jr. died at his home in Canton on June 5, 2009. He is survived by his wife, Annemarie FitzRandolph, whom he had wed in 1994. A previous marriage, to Ann Spies, had ended in divorce. Other survivors include his two daughters, Elizabeth and Joanna Spies-Evans, and a sister.
