Births
• In Brattleboro (Memorial Hospital), March 25, 2014, a son, Theodore Daniel McKay, to Christine (Meyer) and Tyler McKay of Brattleboro; grandson to Bernadette and Jeffrey Meyer, and Ronald and Kimberley McKay.
College news
• Madison Hinrichs of West Halifax, a junior mathetmatics major at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., recently was inducted into the college's TAU Chapter of Delta Epsilon Sigma National Scholastic Honor Society.
• Skyler Duncan of Wilmington, currently studying psychology and business administration at Elmira (N.Y.) College, has been named to the Elmira College Dean's List for the fall 2013 term.
School news
• The Brattleboro Lodge of Elks selected the following four students as their Students of the Month. Kera Johnson, a 10th-grader, is doing a student placement at Taylor for Flowers, who report that she is doing a great job. She hopes to move on to college following graduation. Katie Morse, a 10th-grader, was recognized for her choice to recover stolen property from a student who had stolen it and making sure the property was returned. She hopes to attend a cosmetology program following high school. Amber Williams, a ninth-grader, enjoys singing and hopes to go to health care training and become a nurse's assistant. She was nominated for her student citizenship and friendliness towards a new student arriving at the school. Hunter Brooks, a 12th-grader, is enrolled at the Windham Regional Career Center and was nominated for being a highly motivated student with strong leadership skills. He is an Explorer with the Hinsdale, N.H., Fire Department who enjoys dirt biking. He hopes to become an overhead electrical lineman following graduation.
• Israel Cavanagh of Saxtons River was recently inducted into the National Society of High School Scholars. A home school student, she is currently completing the Oak Meadow High School curriculum, and will graduate on June 14 with a 4.0 GPA. After graduation, Israel plans to attend either Greenfield (Mass.) Community College or Keene (N.H.) State College to pursue a degree in dance.
Obituaries
• Ralph Elwood Atkins, 94, of Westminster West. Died March 30 at Vernon Advent Christian Home. Husband of the late Mary Hamill Atkins. Father of the late Nancy Atkins Aldrich. Brother of Donald Atkins of Rhode Island and the late Howard Atkins. Father-in-law of Donald Aldrich of Westminster West. Born in Providence, R.I., he grew up in West Peru, Maine, where his family had lived since 1753. A machinist and toolmaker by trade, he served in the Merchant Marine during World War II and then worked as a manufacturing equipment salesman in the New York City area. He lived in New Jersey for 50 years and was active in his church, leading prayer groups and visiting hospital patients. Memorial information: A memorial service was held at the Congregational Church of Westminster West on April 5.
• Nathan Daniel “Nate” Plecha, 37, of Brattleboro. Died March 27 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Son of Daniel and Barbara (Maksimov) Plecha of Streetsboro, Ohio. Brother of Thomas and Milena Plecha of Streetsboro. Born in Seattle, he was raised and educated in Streetsboro, graduating from Streetsboro High School, Class of 1996. He went on to attend Kent State College, where he majored in business. He moved to the Brattleboro area, settling in Vernon about 10 years ago. He worked as the supervisor in the payroll department at C&S Wholesale Grocers. He valued his time spent with friends he'd made over the years. Of his pastimes and interests he enjoyed hiking, music and all types of sports, especially softball. Memorial information: A funeral service in Streetsboro will take place at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of Atamaniuk Funeral Home of Brattleboro.
• Joe A. Greenhoe, 90, of Dummerston. Died March 29 at his home. Husband of Elizabeth Garfield Greenhoe for nearly 64 years. Father of Eliza, of Dummerston; Barbara, of Bellows Falls; and Samuel, of Brooklyn, N.Y. Brother of Barbara Ann Leavitt of Lansing, Mich. Born in Lansing, son of the late Homer and Letha Mae Greenhoe, he entered Michigan State University in 1942 and joined the Naval ROTC. He received officer training at Notre Dame and Columbia before serving in the Pacific Fleet with the rank of Ensign in 1945. He was assigned to PC-461 class submarine chasers, attaining his own command in 1946. In 1950, he entered the Yale University School of Drama, where he met his wife-to-be. They were married in 1952. In 1961, he was hired to teach drama at Dillard University, a private historically black college in New Orleans. While at Dillard, he earned a Ph.D. in Drama from Tulane University. He left New Orleans in 1968 to create the new theater department at Windham College in Putney. In 1971 he founded the Windham Summer Repertory Theatre, a professional company that attracted actors and designers from across the country. To honor the bicentennial in 1976, he wrote “The Equivalent Lands,” a play about the history of Dummerston and Putney at the time of the Revolutionary War. Many local people acted in the production including some descendants of actual characters in the play. The play was later revived to celebrate the 250th anniversaries of Dummerston and Putney, and directed by Elizabeth Greenhoe. Memorial information: A graveside committal and open house will be held on May 24. Arrangements are under the direction of Ker-Westerlund Funeral Home of Brattleboro.
• Walter Louis “Walt” Harrington, 91, of Hinsdale, N.H. Died March 31 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, following a period of declining health. Husband of Mary Adams for nearly 20 years, and the late Charlotte Agnew. Father of Scott Harrington and his wife, Irene, of Chesterfield, Va., and the late Lance C. Harrington. Brother of Jeannine, of New York State, and Marion, who died in childhood. Born in Brattleboro, the son of Raymond and Eunice Rogers Harrington, he attended Guilford Public School #3 and was a graduate of Brattleboro High School, Class of 1941. With his wife, he hosted class reunions at their home from the 50th to the 70th reunion. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II as a P-51 Mustang instructor pilot at the Southeast Training Command Center in Georgia. He later flew F-86 jet fighters for the Massachusetts Air National Guard. For many years, he lectured and gave talks about flying in World War II to area schools and historical societies. He was director of the Brattleboro Ski Patrol at Hogback Mountain, where he retired after 40 years of service with the ski area, and was also an early member of the National Ski Patrol. He was an American Red Cross first aid instructor for more than 40 years and was the recipient of the U.S. Eastern Amateur Ski Association Safety Award, a national award. He was a founding member of Rescue Inc. and the organization's first paid staff member. He invented many first aid splints and procedures still in use today. He obtained a patent on the Harrington Whole Body Splint, an emergency backboard capable of applying cervical traction in the field. A highlight in his life included a 50-year search of finding the crash site of a close friend and fellow serviceman whose plane went down during combat in Germany and arranging to have a memorial stone of Vermont granite placed at the site. He was a former trustee of the Brattleboro Historical Society and Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. He was also instrumental in the moving of Brattleboro's Civil War granite monument to the current location on the grounds of Brattleboro Union High School. He coordinated an archaeological dig of the original Fort Dummer site in 1971. He placed many artifacts in the Brooks Memorial Library for public display, which he donated to the library in 2008. He was a master woodworker and became a renowned maker of Shaker oval boxes, using local historic wood in his creations. This craft has been passed down to his son Scott, and in turn, his grandson, Scott II. He enjoyed numerous activities, including hunting, fishing, camping, and macro photography. He was also an amateur herpetologist who studied the physiological effects of timber rattlesnakes' venom on humans. Memorial information: In accordance with his final wishes, there are no formal funeral services planned. His urn will be buried in the Harrington family lot in Morningside Cemetery. Donations to the Harrington Scholarship Fund in memory of Raymond and Eunice Harrington, in care of BUHS, 131 Fairground Rd., Brattleboro, VT 05301. Arrangements are under the direction of the Atamaniuk Funeral Home.
• Dr. Wallace L. “Wally” Pelton, 78, of Stroud Township, Pa. Died March 28, at Pleasant Valley Manor in Hamilton Township, Pa., where he was a resident for nearly three years. Husband of Anne-Louise Strickland. Father of Wallace N. Pelton and Scott E. Pelton, both of Emporium, Pa.; Dawn Pelton and her husband, Trip Flavin, of Newton, Mass.; Leslie Pelton Nichol and her husband, Peter, of Concord, Mass.; and the late Elisa Pelton Bell. Brother of the late Reese E. Pelton. Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., the son of the late Leo and Bessie Evans Pelton, he is a 1952 graduate of Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa. He attended Dickinson College, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, and graduated from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa. He received his master's degree from Lehigh University and his Ph.D. from Boston University. He was a psychologist, operating a private practice in Brattleboro for 35 years, and was a member of the American Psychological Association. He loved fishing, biking, buffaloes, and cowboy hats. Memorial information: A funeral service was held April 5, with burial in Laurelwood Cemetery in Stroudsburg, Pa. Donations to the Pleasant Valley Manor Activity Fund, 4227 Manor Drive, Stroudsburg, PA 18360; Mt. Pocono United Methodist Church, 12 Church Ave., Mt. Pocono, PA 18344; or to a charity of one's choice.