College news
• Rachel Spence of Newfane has enrolled at Kent State (Ohio) University as a member of the Class of 2019.
• The Western New England University College of Pharmacy in Springfield, Mass., formally welcomed Meghan Armstrong of Searsburg into the profession during a White Coat Ceremony held recently on the Western New England University campus. Armstrong is one of 74 members in the College of Pharmacy's Class of 2019.
Transitions
• The Vermont Democratic Party has reappointed Carol Buchdahl, R.N., M.A. of Saxtons River to serve on the Vermont Commission on Women (VCW). Buchdahl retired as the Manager of Leadership Development and Organizational Learning for the Continuing Education and Workforce Development (CEWD) Department of Vermont Technical College. Her work with CEWD involved facilitating and consulting for businesses and organizations throughout New England. She continues in this role as a consultant for state government agencies and private companies. She presently serves on the Board of the Greater Falls Warming Shelter and was Secretary and Co-Chair of the Development Committee of Main Street Arts in Saxtons River. She is the current Chair of VCW's Health, Safety and Civil Rights Committee. At the end of this new term, she will be the longest-serving Commissioner ever on the VCW.
Obituaries
• Thomas E. “Ted” Dunham, 86, of Newfane. Died Aug. 27 at home after an extended illness. Husband of Joan Ellis Dunham for 61 years. Father of Karen Dunham and Dr. Brian Dunham. Half-brother of the late Philip and Spencer Field. Sister of Claire Dunham Lincoln. Born in Richmond, Va., the son of the late Capt. Thomas Dunham (USN) and Elizabeth (Cocke) Dunham of Mallorca, Spain and Alexandria, Va. For the first 11 years of his life, he lived in Geneva, Switzerland, returning to the United States in 1939 when World War II broke out. He graduated from Kent School in 1947 and Dartmouth College, Class of 1952. He began flying at age 16 and was a passionate pilot his whole life. Coming from a military family dating back to the Civil War, he joined the Marines at age 18 where he stayed for two years. Later, he joined the Navy where he was a pilot attached to VC-4, an all-weather night squadron aboard the USS Wasp. He saw active duty during the Korean War. After completing his college degree, he joined the international division of Mobil Oil. His first assignment was in Yaounde, Cameroon, where the couple spent two years. They then moved to Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo-Brazzaville, for a year-and-a-half. The Dunhams had many wonderful adventures in Africa, as they met unique and colorful individuals and learned about and embraced other cultures. Then it was on to Denmark and Sweden as he continued his career with Mobil Oil. In 1966, he joined Nordson, SA as its European Director and the family moved to Brussels, Belgium, where they lived for 11 years before returning to the United States in 1977. He was a linguist, a teacher, a skier, an author, a scuba diver, and a lover of classical music, fine wine, and good food. A refined and complex man, he loved adventure requiring skill, self-confidence, and a great deal of risk. He was very proud of his Virginia ancestors who were early planters and who founded the University of Virginia and the Virginia Military Institute. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Atamaniuk Funeral Home of Brattleboro is assisting the family with arrangements.
• Terrence J. “Terry” Gray, 76, of Limerick, Pa., formerly of Bellows Falls. Died Aug. 29 at his home after a brief illness. Husband of Judith A. (Mack) Gray for 56 years. Father of Theresa McKinnell and her husband, Graham, of Sanford, N.C.; Eric Gray and his wife, Michelle, of Charlton, Mass.; and Jessica Gray Cooper of Marlboro, Mass. Brother of Margaret “Peggy” Abild, and her husband, Forrest, of Easthampton, Mass.. and the late Colleen (Gray) Frankiewicz and Shirley (Gray) Minarchan. Also survived by seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild. Born and raised in Bellows Falls, he was the son of the late Lawrence E. and Mary R. (Searles) Gray and a 1957 graduate of Bellows Falls High School, where he was very involved with sports. He spent many years in paper manufacturing, retiring from National Gypsum Co. as a plant superintendent. He was a member of the Vermont National Guard, an avid golfer who had two holes-in- one, and loved skiing with his children and grandchildren. He and his wife spent many summers traveling and camping throughout the United States. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A funeral Mass was held Sept. 4 at St. Charles Catholic Church in Bellows Falls. Donations to the Bellows Falls High School Alumni Association, in case of Lori McGinnis, P.O. Box 172, Bellows Falls, VT 05101.
• Jay Hesselgrave, 66, of Kinnelon, N.J. Died Aug. 29 following a sudden illness. Husband of Helen Crispe Hesselgrave of Newfane. Brother of Barbara Wulf of Princeton, N.J., and Joan Malcolm and her husband, Bryant, of Warwick, N.Y. Brother-in-law of Lawrin Crispe and his wife, Pam, of Brattleboro. Born in Nyack, N.Y., following graduation from Nyack High School, he earned a B.A. from Yale and an MBA degree from Harvard. For the past 20 years, he has been self employed as a certified financial planner and investment advisor. He was a registered member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. He previously served as Vice President of the B.D. Malcolm Company in Lincoln Park, N.J., plant manager at General Cable in Pownal, and plant manager at Converse in Puerto Rico. He served on many boards, including the Interfaith Council for Homeless Families in Morristown, N.J., the Board of Elders of the Community Church of Smoke Rise, and the Friends of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum. He enjoyed cycling and running and competed in biathlons and triathlons. He also enjoyed bicycle touring, especially in Vermont, with family and friends. While at Yale, he competed in crew and soccer. He enjoyed reading and art, as well as spending time at his home and in his garden. Having spent his early years in Nyack and Saugerties, N.Y., he carried a special fondness for the Hudson River Valley. One of his proudest accomplishments was being awarded the position of “principal bassoonist” for the Summit (N.J.) Symphony. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A graveside service will take place on Friday, Sept. 11, at noon, at Morningside Cemetery in Brattleboro. Donations to the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center, 475 South Street, 1st Floor, Morristown, NJ 07960, or Family Promise of Morris County, PO Box 1494, Morristown, NJ 07962.
• Stephen Prescott Hill, 80, formerly of Brattleboro. Died Aug, 31 at home in Windsor, due to complications of cancer. Wife of Joel Ann Goodrich for 46 years. Father of Houston Prescott Hill, and his wife, Heather Mason Hill; Allison Rachel Hill and fiance, Adam John Carlson; and Coleman Goodrich Hill, and his wife, Amy Duhaime Hill. Also survived by six grandchildren. Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., son of the late Buchanan Houston Hill and Marion Webb Strauch, he grew up in Pittsburgh, and later served in the Navy from 1957 to 1960. The Hills joined the Peace Corps in 1968 and served in Brazil for two years. He earned a B.A. from Williams College (1957), a J.D. from George Washington University Law School (1964) and an M.S. from Johns Hopkins University (1994). His teaching career began in 1971 at the Ashville School for Boys in North Carolina and he taught at various schools until 1990, when he began working at Johns Hopkins University. He was the Administrator of the Preventative Medicine Residency Program at Johns Hopkins until his retirement in 2000. His passions included fishing and canoe camping in the Boundary Water Canoe Area in northern Minnesota. He also spent time volunteering for Alternatives to Violence for the Maryland Correctional Institute, and in Brattleboro at Hospice and at Loaves and Fishes community kitchen. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A memorial Service will be held Oct. 10, at 11 a.m., at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Brattleboro, with a reception immediately following the service. Donations to Loaves and Fishes, in care of Centre Congregational Church, Brattleboro, VT 05301; or Brattleboro Area Hospice, 191 Canal St., Brattleboro, VT 05301.
• Kathleen Haus “Katsy” Moriarty, 90, of Boca Raton, Fla. Died May 7 at the Boca Raton Atrium, where she lived for the last year. Wife of the late Jim Moriarty. Mother of Kathleen Brown and her husband, Art, and Michael Moriarty and his wife, Dorothy. Grandmother of Patrick Brown and his spouse, Edan Lepucki. Born in Brattleboro, daughter of the late Bernard Haus and Alice Long Haus. she graduated from St. Michael's High School in Brattleboro and also graduated from the University of Vermont. She went on to teach French, Spanish, and English as a Second Language. She married Jim Moriarty in 1948 and moved to Annandale, Va., in 1963. She taught for 20 more years for the Fairfax County Public Schools. She loved teaching and interacting with people and shared her love of the French language and culture with everyone. She also enjoyed meeting students from around the world while teaching ESL. She and her husband owned a luncheonette-newspaper store in downtown Essex Junction. Both were involved in political action and community service. She loved friends, exercise class, Alpha Chi events, and political action. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and often visited her friends and relatives in Brattleboro, spending time at nearby Spofford Lake. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: Services were held in Florida in May. Donations may be made to the American Heart Association.
• Jeannette M. Morrissette, 80, of Brattleboro. Died Sept. 3 at Pine Heights Nursing Home, following a period of declining health. Wife of the late Joseph A. “Al” Morrissette. Mother of Russell Duclos of Montana, Robert Duclos of Swansea, Mass., Derrick Morrissette and his wife, Lorelei, of Brattleboro; and Keith Morrissette and his wife, Sharon, of Hinsdale, Also survived by six grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by her twin sister, Annette Camarra, and two brothers, Harold “Sonny” Duclos and Robert “Popeye” Duclos. Born in Fall River, Mass., the daughter of the late Frank and Germaine (Bard) Duclos, she was raised and educated in Fall River and had been a longtime resident of the town prior to moving to Brattleboro in 2008 to be closer to her family. She was a faithful and devoted wife and loving mother whose life centered around her family. She enjoyed jigsaw puzzles and drawing. She loved small animals. She especially enjoyed spending time with her family and close friends. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A celebration of life services will be held Friday, Sept. 11, at 2 p.m., in the community room at the Daly Shoe Building Apartments on Birge Street, her Brattleboro home. Donations to the Pine Heights Nursing Home Activities Fund, 187 Oak Grove Ave., Brattleboro, VT 05301. Atamaniuk Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
• Val Smith, 89, of West Chesterfield, N.H., and Desert Hot Springs, Calif., formerly of Brattleboro. Died Sept. 2 at his home in West Chesterfield. Husband of the late Ruth Smith for 67 years. Father of Dennis Smith and his wife, Jill Johnson of Brattleboro, and Linda Dierks of Guilford. Grandfather of Laura Tancredi and husband, Bill, of New York. He was an avid outdoorsman and longtime volunteer on the National Ski Patrol and Rescue Inc. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: There will be no service at his request.