1960s

David Stuart Wheeler '60

David Stuart Wheeler '60, a longtime telecommunications executive, grew up in Endicott, NY, where he was born on May 18, 1938. A son of Stuart S. '19, a securities representative, and Margaret Foster Wheeler, he entered Hamilton in 1956, following his graduation from Union Endicott High School. Dave Wheeler joined Alpha Delta Phi and majored in history. Known as "the big fella," and often seen puffing on a pipe, he was awarded his diploma in 1960.

Within a few months, Dave Wheeler was an active duty with the U.S. Navy. Commissioned as an ensign, he served until 1965. On December 21, 1963, while in uniform, he was married to Janet E. Lefeve, a teacher, in Dannemora, NY.

Following his discharge from the Navy as a lieutenant, Dave Wheeler went to work for New York Telephone Co. in Binghamton, NY, as a communications consultant. In 1969, he was appointed manager of the company's newly established business office in nearby Johnson City. He later became a sales representative and account executive for New York Telephone and subsequently NYNEX.

Dave Wheeler, known to family and friends as "the most caring and generous person you could ever meet," was an avid fisherman and golfer, and he took particular pleasure in family get-togethers with his grandchildren at Chateauguay Lake in the Adirondacks.

David S. Wheeler, a resident of the Binghamton suburb of Vestal, died at his home there on October 6, 2009. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Kelly Wheeler Miller '87, and three grandchildren.

Clark Haynes Minor II '61

Clark Haynes Minor II '61, a son of George H. Minor, Jr. '36 and the former Dorothy Taft Sears, grew up in Rome, NY, where he was born on July 18, 1939. A grandson of George H. Minor, Class of 1890, and great-nephew of Clark H. Minor '02, chairman of Hamilton's Board of Trustees from 1945 to 1963, he entered the College from Rome Free Academy in 1957 and joined Lambda Chi Alpha. He left the Hill after two semesters and later enrolled at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, where he was graduated in 1965. The College has no information regarding his subsequent activities.

Clark H. Minor II was residing in Whitesboro, NY, near Utica, when he died on July 2, 2009. He is survived by three daughters, Amy Cronent, Rebecca Rercer, and Sara Wood, and three grandchildren, two brothers, and two sisters.

William Dingler Miller '62

William Dingler Miller '62, a longtime assistant dean at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, grew up in Elmira, NY, where he was born on June 12, 1940. A son of Robert J., an electrical contractor, and Margaret Dingler Miller, he became an Eagle Scout and was active in Christian youth organizations as well as dramatics while attending Elmira High School. After his graduation in 1958, he followed his brother, Robert L. Miller '58, to College Hill.

Bill Miller joined Gryphon (formerly Lambda Chi Alpha) and played in the Band as well as with the Woodwind Ensemble. He was also a member of the swimming team in his sophomore year. Majoring in French, he participated in Hamilton's Junior Year in France program, and his experiences at the Sorbonne in Paris left a lasting impression on him. He returned to the Hill, resumed his activities with the French Club, and henceforth, as alleged in The Hamiltonian, "French occupied most of his time, even to the point of babbling it in his sleep...."

Following his graduation with honors in French in 1962, Bill Miller went on to further study in that language at the University of Wisconsin. Married to Joy Carroll in Elmira on September 12, 1964, he continued his studies in Madison, earning his M.A. degree in 1966. That year, he returned to France as a Ph.D. candidate on a research grant from the French government. For him and his wife, the year in France was also a delayed honeymoon. While there, he worked with French novelist Jean Giono, the subject of his doctoral dissertation. He acquired his Ph.D. in 1972.

After teaching French at Wisconsin and in adult education classes, Bill Miller became a dean "more by accident than design." As assistant dean of the College of Letters and Science, his responsibilities as an academic advisor included helping "bewildered students make more sense out of their college careers than I made out of mine." While occasionally getting to teach a course in French, he also took over supervision of an innovative computer program called DARS that monitored students' progress toward graduation. In 1978-79, he directed the University's Junior Year in France program as well.

Bill Miller, who retired in 2001 after some 35 years in university administration, continued to reside in Madison. He found pleasure in travel and photography, and in camping with his family. He was also active as a deacon in the First Baptist Church and as a member of the Perfect Harmony Men's Chorus. In his later years, he observed that, "while many of my contemporaries seem to thrive on life in the fast lane, I content myself with riding on the soft shoulders." His contentments included settling down to reading while his favorite music played.

William D. Miller, "a long-term survivor of HIV," according to his obituary in the Wisconsin State Journal, died on October 19, 2009, following a recurrence of bladder cancer. His marriage having ended in divorce in 1985, he is survived by a daughter, Cynthia Lovell; a son, Bruce W. Miller; and three grandchildren and his brother Robert. A loyal alumnus, Bill Miller contributed his collection of Jean Giono books and related research materials to Hamilton in 2008. The gift was made in honor of Professor Frank Piano, his mentor in French at Hamilton.

Richard Guy Sedlack '62

Richard Guy Sedlack '62, a retired professor of sociology at Towson State University in Maryland, was born on February 28, 1940, in Baltimore. The son of Joseph A., a physician, and Ruth Shipley Sedlack, he grew up in Baltimore County, prepared for college at McDonough School, a military-style academy in Maryland, and enrolled at Hamilton in 1958. Guy Sedlack joined Sigma Phi and spent his senior year, as he recalled years later, "trying to keep the entire Sig house from going on social probation during my reign as president." Having majored in biology, he was graduated in 1962.

Guy Sedlack went on to graduate study in biology, but switched to sociology while at the University of Maryland, "after being enticed into [it] by such trendy things as 'social problems.'" He earned his M.A. degree from Maryland in 1966 and stayed on as an instructor in sociology until 1970, when he joined the faculty of Towson State as an assistant professor. He acquired his Ph.D. from Maryland in 1973 and was promoted two years later to associate professor.

In 1992, Dr. Sedlack's textbook, Social Research: Theory and Methods, written in collaboration with Jay Stanley, was published. Intended to acquaint college students majoring in social sciences with research methodology, it was well received and helped earn him promotion to full professor. In addition, he helped develop and was for a decade the director of the Towson State honors program. He also held a variety of offices in the Maryland Collegiate Honors Council and chaired the research committee of the National Collegiate Honors Council.

Guy Sedlack, the recipient of an outstanding teacher award at Towson State, was active beyond academia as a research and planning consultant to the Maryland Synod of the Lutheran Church in America. Also active at one time as a Little League soccer coach, he contributed to community efforts to revitalize Towson as a member of the Central Towson Property Owners' planning group.

In 1990, Guy Sedlack took early retirement, and he and his wife, Marilyn Witt Sedlack, whom he had married on September 3, 1966, in Baltimore, moved from Towson to Terra Alta, WV, a mountain town with "no traffic lights, a Ford dealership with nothing but trucks and SUVs, and a public library where you can only take out one book at a time." There he concluded that "life doesn't get any better than this."

R. Guy Sedlack, a faithful alumnus, was still residing in Terra Alta when he died on January 9, 2009, as the College had learned belatedly. In addition to his wife, his presumed survivors include three sons, John W., Jefferson S., and Douglas A. Sedlack.

John Crumbaugh Pierson, Jr. '63

John Crumbaugh Pierson, Jr. '63, for 40 years a teacher and coach at his alma mater, Tower Hill School, in Wilmington, DE, was born in Wilmington on May 9, 1941. The son of John C., a locally prominent surgeon, and Doris Snyder Pierson, a nurse, he prepared for college at Tower Hill School and entered Hamilton in 1959. He was assigned to the recently constructed Dunham Dormitory, along with the rest of the freshman class. Enthusiastically athletic, he played on the first lacrosse team Manfred von Schiller ever coached. It was a sport equally new to John Pierson. As "an undersized lineman," he also played on the varsity football team and lettered in that sport as well. At the end of his college career, in recognition of his sportsmanship and strength of character, in addition to athletic ability, he was awarded the Gélas Memorial Prize.

John Pierson, a member of Alpha Delta Phi and eager participant in the all-hours-of-the-night bridge sessions at the house, majored in French and was graduated in 1964. By then he had already entered the field of teaching, at the Landon School in Bethesda, MD. After three years there as a teacher and coach, he moved on to the St. Louis (MO) Country Day School. Two years later, in 1968, he returned to his hometown of Wilmington and joined the Tower Hill faculty.

For the next four decades until virtually the end of his life, John Pierson would teach English in its middle school and at various times coach football, boys' basketball, and girls' lacrosse. Most recently assisting in the school's developmental office, he helped with its capital campaign while continuing to teach and coach part-time. He also became "an ardent supporter of all things THS." Known with affection as "Coach P," he was a co-founder and mainstay of Tower Hill's athletic booster club as well as promoter of numerous other undertakings in support of the school.

Known as "Poppy" to his grandchildren, with whom he especially enjoyed spending his time, John Pierson had a great affection for Delaware's Dewey Beach area, where he spent countless hours reading, doing his school work, and running his dogs, mostly Labradors, along the beach. A dedicated alumnus, his devotion to Hamilton never waned.

John C. Pierson, Jr. died on November 29, 2009, at his home in Wilmington, after a decade-long battle with prostate cancer. His marriage in 1967 to Elizabeth T.B. Brown having ended in divorce after almost 20 years, he is survived by a son, John C. Pierson III; two daughters, Corbin T. B. and Tucker T. Pierson '97; and six grandchildren and two sisters.

Roger John Daley '65

Roger John Daley '65, whose 35-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service took him through much language training and to numerous postings on three continents, was born on June 10, 1943, in Staten Island, NY. His parents were John H., a telephone company engineer, and Ruth Torgersen Daley, a travel agent. Roger Daley grew up on Staten Island, where he was graduated in 1961 from New Dorp High School. He entered Hamilton that fall and became a member of Gryphon. Originally inclined toward an academic career, he changed direction by the time of his -graduation, deciding on a career in international affairs instead. It was prompted by the courses he took, especially with Professor Edgar B. "Digger" Graves, and his participation in the Junior Year in France program. Active in the International Relations Club, he majored in history and was graduated in 1965.

Roger Daley went on to the Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Relations. In 1967, following a year of studies at its Bologna Center in Italy, he obtained his M.A. degree and joined the Department of State as a Foreign Service officer. First assigned to Lagos, Nigeria, where the Biafran war was then raging, he was transferred a year later to Durban, South Africa, where he met Dalene du Toit, a native of that country and a psychologist and teacher. They were married in Durban in 1970.

In 1971, Roger Daley returned to Washington, DC, for Turkish language training prior to assignment in Istanbul. He served at the U.S. Consulate in Turkey from 1971 to 1973, followed by three years as a consul in Paris. Back in Washington for Italian language training in 1976, he was thereafter posted to Palermo as consul and commercial officer (1977-81). In 1985, after four years as regional consular officer in Johannesburg, South Africa, he entered the U.S. Army's Russian Institute in Germany for further language training in preparation for his next assignment, this time as consul general in Moscow. He remained in the Soviet capital for just a year before assignment in 1988 as consul general in La Paz, Bolivia. The later stages of his career included posts in Monrovia, Liberia, Istanbul again, and Port au Prince, Haiti, where he was consul general from 1998 to 2002.

In retirement, Roger J. Daley, an ever faithful alumnus, took up residence in the southern French university town of Montpellier. He died on May 6, 2009. He is survived by Dalene du Toit-Daley, his wife of 39 years.

David Rand Spielvogel '65

David Rand Spielvogel '65, a certified public accountant who served as chief financial officer for several businesses, was born on May 8, 1943, in Southbridge, MA. A son of Chester R., an engineer and corporation executive, and Dorothy Wright Spielvogel, he grew up in Southbridge, where he was graduated from Wells High School. David Spielvogel entered Hamilton in 1961 and joined Chi Psi. He majored in English and participated in dramatic productions with the Charlatans. Following his graduation in 1965, he enrolled in Rutgers University's Graduate School of Business Administration, where he earned his M.B.A. degree in 1967. On August 17 of the following year, he was wed to Mary H. McEnroe, a nurse.

David Spielvogel began his career as a public accountant with Arthur Young & Co. in New York City. In 1972, after four years with the accounting firm, he joined International Paper Co., also in New York City. He remained with the company for 12 years, primarily in real estate finance and accounting. In 1980, he was named controller and treasurer of its real estate division and subsidiaries. Four years later, he became controller of the Parsons-Brinkerhoff Real Estate Development Group, and in 1987, he joined CRYO Resources, Ltd., a medical technology company also located in Manhattan, as vice president and chief financial officer. He subsequently served as CFO for the Pioneer Foundation.

David Spielvogel, an avid reader of historical works, enthusiastic advocate for the Charter School movement, and a loyal and generous supporter of the College, had long resided in New Jersey while commuting to work in New York City. In 1992, he returned to his native Southbridge, where he died at his home there on December 10, 2009. He is survived by a daughter, Leigh Hunt Spielvogel, and two brothers and a sister.