Virginia Tech Magazine

Summer CLASS NOTES 2010

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ALUMNI . We want to hear what you've been doing. Although we cannot print stories or obituaries, we can post online photographs of weddings, babies, and spirited alumni.

Mail photos to Virginia Tech Magazine, 105 Media Building, Blacksburg, VA 24061, or e-mail them to vtmag@vt.edu.

Please mail career, retirement, wedding, birth, and death notices to Alumni Notes, Virginia Tech Alumni Association, Holtzman Alumni Center, Blacksburg, VA 24061; e-mail them to fleets@vt.edu; or submit them online. Because of the magazine's schedule, your news may not appear in print for several issues.

Address updates can be sent via e-mail to alumnidata@vt.edu.

The Duck Pond on the Virginia Tech campus

[ 1960s ]

[ 1970s ]

[ 1980s ]

[ 1990s ]

[ 2000s ]

[ Births & Adoptions ]

[ Deaths ]

[ Weddings ]

1960s

'63

James D. Burnett (EE), Satellite Beach, Fla., is vice president of the Florida Genealogical Society.

'65

George L. Hanbury II (PAD), Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is president and COO of Nova Southeastern University.

'67

Robert B. Fish (CHE), Parkersburg, W.Va., received the Bolton/Carothers Innovative Science Award from the DuPont Company.

'68

George M. Simmons Jr. (BIOL), Blacksburg, Va., was conferred the Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus title by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

Victor E. Sower (CHEM), Huntsville, Texas, authored the book Essentials of Quality with Cases and Experiential Exercises.

1970s

'70

J.B. Hyler Jr. (ACCT), Raleigh, N.C., is president of the U.S. Golf Association.

'71

Mark S. Londner (ARCH), Hillsboro, Va., was named to the American Society of Home Inspectors board of directors.

'72

James H. Hatch (ACCT), White Stone, Va., received the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award from Pamplin College of Business.

'74

Gary G. Ahrendts (ETE), Attleboro, Mass., was awarded the 2010 President's Award for Outstanding Service at Wheaton College.

Francis H. Ayers Jr. (HIST), Palm Coast, Fla., is executive vice president of the Prescott, Ariz., campus of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

'75

Lewis L. Lanier (BIOL), San Francisco, Calif., is chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.

'76

William D. Wray (CHE), Kingwood, Texas, is chairman of WBF, the Organization for Production Technology.

'77

Mitzi Potts Lail (ELED), Kenbridge, Va., authored her first children's book, Box and Contents, which tells of a young boy's first trip to a country auction.

'78

Kylene Barker McNeill (CTRA), Naples, Fla., participated in the Evening of Dreams Gala hosted by Robin Leach.

Robert N. Rector Jr. (BIOL), Roanoke, Va., is president of Richfield Retirement Community.

'79

Mary Leigh Wolfe (AGE), Blacksburg, Va., was inducted as 2009 Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Fellow.

1980s

'80

Thomas T. Wiatt (ETC), Newport News, Va., wrote and published Just Tell Me What Happened.

'81

Thomas M. Barrie (ARCH), Raleigh, N.C., is the author of The Architecture of the In-between: The Mediating Roles of Architecture and Spiritual Path, Sacred Place: Myth Ritual and Meaning in Architecture.

Allen A. Brunk (COMM), Redmond, Wash., co-founded a health care software company that delivers interactive entertainment and education content to the patient's bedside.

David A. Dillard (ESM), Blacksburg, Va., received the International 2010 Award for Excellence in Adhesion Science.

Judy S. Riffle (CHEM), Blacksburg, Va., was elected a Fellow in the polymeric materials science and engineering division of the American Chemical Society.

Robin '82 and Colby '83 Nicks shared this photograph of their daughter, Kara, who was married in February. Even though she's a Texas A&M Aggie, Kara "has grown up loving our beloved Hokies!" wrote Robin.

'82
Kimberly Kratch Giancaspro (SOC), Richmond, Va., is a licensed therapist with James River Psychotherapy Associates.

'83

Mary Kathryn Burkey Owens (ENGL), Chesterfield, Va., was selected as one of Virginia's 2009 Legal Elite by Virginia Business magazine for her work in the category of family/domestic relations.

Joseph P. Parr (HORT), Tampa, Fla., is director of horticulture for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment.

'84

Richard D. Evans (GEOP), Varina, N.C., published a book called 50 Year Adventure.

Jacquelyn Reed Hall (HIDM), Southbury, Conn., is senior pastor of Winchester Center Congregational Church.

'85

David M. Barker (HIST), Palm Harbor, Fla., wrote a novel, The Heretic: A Mystical Parable.

L. Catherine Brinson (ESM), Evanston, Ill., was named an American Society of Mechanical Engineers Fellow.

Richart C. Kahler (CE), Virginia Beach, Va., is a structural engineer with the Virginia Task Force 2, Urban Search and Rescue team in Haiti.

Michael D. Miller (ARCH), Midlothian, Va., is vice president at HKS Inc., a leading architectural design firm.

'89

Ralph P. Albrecht (EE), Fairfax, Va., founded an intellectual property law firm named Albrecht Tousi and Farnum PLLC.

Jeffrey W. Burkett (MGT), Alexandria, Va., attained the rank of colonel in the U.S. Air Force and is the assistant to the A3 for Nuclear Enterprise Operations.

Brian L. Klock (EE), Alexandria, Va., is managing partner of the Washington, D.C., office of Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto.

1990s

'90

Carl D. Gray (PSCI), Chesapeake, Va., is serving as counsel at Hunton & Williams LLP.

Michael P. Maxwell (FIN), Waukesha, Wis., is a judge for the Wisconsin Governor's Business Plan Contest.

William D. Tyrrell Jr. (VM), Leesburg, Va., is the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association president.

'91

Mary Ann Drumright Clarke (MATE), Bruceton Mills, W.Va., was chosen to receive WVU Foundation's Award for Outstanding Teacher.

Jennifer K. Martin (ART), Big Pine Key, Fla., installed her most recent paintings and sculptures in the gallery of the East Martello Museum.

'92

Christopher J. Gregoire (ACCT), Tracys Landing, Md., is vice president and controller of Lockheed Martin.

Jill S. Weseman (ENGL), Seattle, Wash., is a National Board Certified Teacher in English.

'93

Michael T. Maslanka (FW), Rockville, Md., is head of the department of nutrition for the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park.

'95

Marc B. Bassler (BIOC), Philadelphia, Pa., is partner with the law firm of Caesar, Rivise, Bernstein, Cohen and Pokotilow Ltd.

Matthew J. Lohr (AGED), Broadway, Va., is commissioner for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Erik B. Stenberg (ARCH), Spanga, Sweden, was named one of the 100 most influential architects in Sweden.

'96

Nathan R. Butler (ARCH), Orlando, Fla., was selected for Building Design & Construction magazine's list of "40 under 40" and is principal of the firm at C.T. Hsu and Associates.

Anthony L. Ciuca (PSCI), Souderton, Pa., earned his J.D. from the Rutgers University School of Law.

'97

Jennifer Johnson Kane (BIOL), North Billerica, Mass., and her colleagues on the CONSERV 1&2 Study Team were named Team of the Year by Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Stuart P. Mease (MKTG), Christiansburg, Va., is director of undergraduate career services for the Pamplin College of Business.

'98

Anne Miller Frazier (ARTF), Martinsville, Va., was listed as one of the Influential Women of Virginia for 2010 by Virginia Lawyers Media.

John T. McConnell Jr. (APSC), Haymarket, Va., is a major in the U.S. Army and has received the Bronze Star.

'99

Erin McCants Parker (FIN), Arlington, Va., is a senior partner with Isis Associates LLC.

Steven J. Wilkes (EE), San Clemente, Calif., received his M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.

2000s

'00

Somil R. Mehta (BIOL), Burke, Va., is assistant director of graduate international recruiting and admissions at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.

Melissa Haskell Miller (IDST), Fredericksburg, Va., completed her doctorate in educational leadership.

Pavli Mykerezi (EDVT), Blacksburg, Va., is director of the Virginia Tech agricultural technology program.

Ryan J. Witherell (COMM), Nashville, Tenn., is vice president of client services and new media at Seigenthaler Public Relations.

'01

Brian D. Sutton (MATH), Roanoke, Va., was awarded the 14th Leslie Fox Prize in Numerical Analysis.

John I. Thomas (CPE), Crozet, Va., created an iPhone application called Buckets.

'02

Jennifer Riley McLendon (MKTG), Roanoke, Va., received her M.B.A. from Radford University.

'03

Emily R. Gambill (PSCI), Midlothian, Va., received her master's of public administration and homeland security and emergency preparedness graduate certificate from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Peter A. Parker (STAT), of Gloucester, Va., won a NASA NESC Leadership Award.

'04

Dad's Changing Bag, designed by Evan I. Gant '05
Learn more at www.yankodesign.com/
2010/03/05/welcome-to-the-future-dad/.

Gary D. Grassi Jr. (BIOL), Kingman, Ariz., was selected as a Hokie Hero for the Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee Chick-fil-A Bowl game.
'05

Evan I. Gant (IDS), Medford, Mass., designed the Flip Bath, Dad's Changing Bag (pictured at right), and the Modular Rocker to accommodate parents of infants.

Jessica M. Schnekser (IDS), Norfolk, Va., joined HBA Architecture and Interior Design Inc. as marketing coordinator.

'06

Howard A. Deskin (BAD), Midlothian, Va., opened a Central Virginia WSI office in April 2009.

Andrew T. Shadley (HIST), Von Ormy, Texas, was selected as a Hokie Hero for the Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee Chick-fil-A Bowl game.

'07

Elizabeth A. Hart (COMM), New York, N.Y., served as an assistant stage manager at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

A member of the event production and entertainment team at Whistler Olympic Park in Vancouver, Liz Hart '07 noted that she "definitely could draw on some of [her] experiences with large stadiums filled with very spirited fans ... Go, Tech, Go!!!"

'09
Jeong Doo Park (HTM), Knoxville, Tenn., was recognized as having written one of three best papers at the Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism.

Nathan O'Neal Reynolds '05 and Samara Lieber Kuhn '07

Weddings

'77 Ann R. Tatman and Donald F. Bennis, of Virginia Beach, Va., 1/9/10.
'81 Melanie A. Pearson and Stephen K. Hurley, of Alexandria, Va., 5/2/09.
'00 Andrea J. Puckett and Brian Wells, of Alexandria, Va., 5/09.
'01 Tonya L. Echols and Brent Humphrey, of Arlington, Va., 7/3/09.
'05 Nicholas A. King and '08 Meghann E. Vincie, of Goshen, Ohio, 8/22/09.
'05 Nathan O. Reynolds and '07 Samara Kuhn, of Morrisville, N.C., 1/16/10.
'06 Steven A. Kyriakides and '07 Annie E. Parsons, of Simpsonsville, S.C., 9/5/09.
'08 Mark A. Ballintyn and Jennifer Lynn Sieber, of Wilmington, Del., 8/8/09.

Births and Adoptions

Levi Hudson DeShazo, son of Jesse M. DeShazo '94 and Natalie Saunders DeShazo '03, born Nov. 2, 2009.

Drake Foley Johnson, son of Ryan '98 and Allyson Johnson, born June 25, 2009.

Isabella Rose White. daughter of David '01 and Laura White, born Oct. 22, 2009.

Daniel Maine '07, his wife, Brittany, and their son, born Aug. 12, 2009.

'89 Susan Brennan Amaral, Severna Park, Md., a daughter, 5/18/09.
'89 Richard T. Nielsen and '91 Christine A. Espinoza, Oak Hill, Va., a son, 12/11/09.
'90 Robert K. Brooks, Mechanicsville, Va., a son, 8/28/09.
'90 Charles H. Brown, Fairfax Station, Va., a daughter, 10/30/09.
'92 Stephen R. Payne, Highlands Ranch, Colo., a daughter, 3/7/10.
'92 Michael S. Schroder and '94 Elizabeth N. Schroder, Baltimore, Md., a daughter, 9/4/09.
'94 Jesse M. DeShazo and '03 Natalie Saunders DeShazo, Suffolk, Va., a son, 11/02/09.
'94 Edwin M. Wied III, Annawan, Ill., a son, 12/21/09.
'95 Mary D. Connor, Houston, Texas, a son, 2/3/10.
'95 Kristie L. Nichols, Blue Ridge, Va., a son, 10/30/09.
'95 Ami J. VanDeventer, Louisville, Colo., a daughter, 12/22/09.
'96 Claire L. Blevins, Richmond, Va., a son, 6/29/09.
'97 Terra M. Schaden-Ireland, Walkersville, Md., a son, 12/24/09.
'98 James P. Holzgrefe, Fort Belvoir, Va., a daughter, 10/20/09.
'98 Ryan D. Johnson, Plymouth, Mass., a son, 6/25/09.
'98 Sara Grove Jordan, Fishersville, Va., a son, 5/15/09.
'99 Courtney Briggs Hampton and '00 Brian E. Hampton, Richmond, Va., a daughter, 12/22/09.
'99 Sean T. Hoffman, Walden, N.Y., a son, 11/10/09.
'99 Jeffrey A. Holmes, Chicopee, Mass., a son, 12/29/09.
'99 Rodelito G. Homoroc Jr. and '02 Nikole M. Giraldi, Fredericksburg, Va., a daughter, 10/09.
'99 Chadwick E. Meade and '00 Misty Wiley Meade, Denver, Colo., a son, 10/2/09.
'00 Brian C. Okerberg and '00 Laura Pollard Okerberg, Gibsonia, Pa., a son, 1/17/10.
'01 Julie Cobb Accamando and '01 Matthew R. Accamando, Canonsburg, Pa., a daughter, 6/1/09.
'01 Mark C. Bigley and '03 Giselle Bergeret Bigley, Anchorage, Alaska, a daughter, 11/6/09.
'01 Brian K. Cabacar, Woodbridge, Va., a son, 2/1/10.
'01 Mary Ellen Braswell Duy, Alexandria, Va., a son, 8/13/09.
'01 Marilyn Kay Eames Kitchell, Morris Plains, N.J., a son, 1/11/10.
'01 Brendan J. McMurrer, Arlington, Va., a son, 1/13/10.
'01 Ashley Garth Updike and '01 Michael S. Updike, Clarksville, Md., a daughter, 7/21/09.
'01 David P. White, Roswell, Ga., a daughter, 10/22/09.
'01 Jennifer L. White-Friend and '02 Scott A. Friend, Christiansburg, Va., a son, 8/12/09.
'02 Marsha Wood Canfield and '02 Matthew A. Canfield, Ashburn, Va., a son, 8/14/09.
'02 Kevin B. Cooley and '02 Melissa Gill Cooley, Yorktown, Va., a daughter, 3/14/09.
'02 Kylie Felps Draucker, Midlothian, Va., a son, 7/17/09.
'02 Robert T. Garnett, Norfolk, Va., a daughter, 1/20/10.
'02 Stephen P. Janoschka Jr. and '03 Macel Hubbard Janoschka, Salem, Va., a son, 10/29/2009.
'02 Christina Schiller Kilduff and '02 Robert S. Kilduff, Hilton Head Island, S.C., a daughter, 12/15/09.
'02 Bethany Lindsay Schiller and '02 Noah H. Schiller, Yorktown, Va., a daughter, 8/19/09.
'03 Matthew S. Britt and '03 Sarah Breeding Britt, Virginia Beach, Va., a son, 1/10/10.
'03 Benjamin A. Sady and '03 Shannon O'Neill Sady, Midlothian, Va., a son, 2/12/10.
'03 Vival S. Weatherford Jr., and '04 Jennifer Fox Weatherford, Richmond, Va., a son, 12/16/09.
'05 Gabrielle Horton Everett and '05 Thane W. Everett, Fredericksburg, Va., a son, 4/8/09.
'05 Benjamin K. Sovacool and '09 Kelly Siman Sovacool, Canton, Ohio, a daughter, 7/23/09.
'05 Brian C. Wells and '06 Amy Ducut Wells, Mechanicsville, Va., a son, 1/18/10.
'06 Brian R. Dudrow and '06 Lindsey Weise Dudrow, Minneapolis,
Minn., a daughter, 12/29/09.
'07 Daniel M. Maine, Pensacola, Fla., a son, 8/12/09.

Deaths
	'32 William E. Betts Jr., 12/29/09 '33 J. Kyle Montague III, 9/11/09 '34 Carl F. Robison, 1/2/10 '37 Blair L. Whitt, 1/31/10 '38 Joseph P. Venezia, 2/11/10 '39 R. Tate Alexander, 11/7/09 '39 Ward A. Goodwin, 12/10/09 '39 Howard Gordon Jr., 1/15/10 '40 Charles W. Hutton, 12/12/09 '40 Benjamin A. Williams Jr., 1/16/10 '41 W.C. Buchanan, 11/24/09 '41 Claude A. Harper, 1/14/10 '41 David B. Keezell, 9/4/09 '41 Charles O. Schobel Jr., 1/31/10 '41 Welford A. Sherman Jr., 1/20/10 '42 H.G. Alley Jr., 1/22/10 '42 John H. Ball Jr., 11/19/09 '42 Richard G. Broun, 11/22/09 '42 James W. Green Jr., 12/20/09 '42 A. Ray Pentecost Jr., 12/25/09 '42 Samuel G. Spangler, 1/31/10 '42 Jordan B. Wheeler Jr., 1/12/10 '43 Fanning M. Baumgardner, 5/28/09 '43 C. H. Carter Jr., 11/20/09 '43 Constantine K. Geaneas, 1/18/10 '43 Richard H. Hawkes, 1/31/10 '43 Robert F. Jackson, 1/4/10 '43 John P. Middleton, 1/25/10 '43 Carey J. Padgett, 1/19/10 '43 C. Allan Paxton, 11/26/09 '44 W. Gordon Echols Jr., 2/2/10 '44 Robert J. Fagelson, 12/2/09 '44 Donald F. Franz, 12/28/09 '44 John C. Gray, 12/20/09 '44 Robert E. McGhee, 1/2/10 '44 Shreve S. Woltz, 11/27/09 '45 John T. Harris Jr., 12/4/09 '45 Edwin P. Ketchum Jr., 11/24/09 '45 Robert C. Morehead Jr., 12/14/09 '45 Martha King Neate, 12/8/09 '45 J. Knox Pannill Jr., 2/1/10 '45 Ernest Saunders, 12/15/09 '45 Raymond E. Toms, 12/11/09 '46 Charles F. Ballou III, 11/19/09 '46 Lawrence D. Hamner Jr., 12/26/09 '48 John L. Amato, 1/6/10 '48 William L. Rodman, 1/7/10 '48 Edward C. Turner, 11/30/09 '49 John A. Hawkins, 12/22/09	'49 Otis L. Hurt, 12/24/09 '49 Thomas W. Old, 12/1/09 '49 Cordelia J. Richards, 1/17/10 '50 William M. Bennett, 2/14/10 '50 J.V. Gorman Jr., 12/20/09 '50 E. George Middleton Jr., 12/7/09 '50 Charles S. Phillips, 12/7/09 '50 James H. Pruitt, 7/29/09 '50 Pietro Reck, 11/27/09 '50 Arthur G. Sherrell Jr., 7/17/09 '50 Rollin P. White, 1/18/10 '51 Jacob R. Berger, 1/10/10 '51 Edward T. Creger, 12/13/09 '51 G.W. DeHaven, 12/2/09 '51 Edmundson L. Dickerson, 12/11/09 '51 Allison G. Glover, 1/15/10 '51 J.S. Paxson Jr., 1/10/10 '51 Charles R. Poole Jr., 1/3/10 '52 P.W. Hanson, 12/4/09 '52 Roy H. Jennings, 12/12/09 '52 Paul F. Maine, 9/18/09 '52 Wendell A. Smith, 12/26/09 '52 Lewis N. Springer, 2/5/10 '53 N. Erskin Arehart, 1/20/10 '53 William G. Sandy, 1/6/10 '55 Margaret Cox Ayers, 11/19/09 '55 Eugene O. Wilson, 9/2/09 '56 John R. Canada, 1/20/10 '56 H. Randolph Tillett, 12/22/09 '57 Nancy Mitchell Miller, 11/29/09 '57 Carlton E. Ryan, 1/15/10 '57 Joseph W. Sabol, 1/17/10 '57 C. Ray Wells, 1/26/10 '57 Richmond T. Zehmer Jr., 2/10/10 '58 Patsy Steckler Bean, 12/10/09 '58 John R. Davidson, 1/26/10 '58 Richard F. Harrington, 10/2/09 '58 Josephine E. King, 1/31/10 '58 C. Edward Wrenn Jr., 9/23/09 '59 Leland F. Cornwell, 11/27/09 '59 H. Jack Spencer, 12/16/09 '60 Jerry T. Ferguson, 12/2/09 '60 Peter E. Lewis, 12/23/09 '61 T. Harrison Williams, 12/5/09 '61 Eddie L. Wood, 12/3/09 '63 E. Lee Reed III, 2/14/10 '63 W. Roger Simer, 11/20/09 '64 J.F. Brandon III, 11/18/09	'64 Ronald M. De Young, 12/21/09 '64 N. Nat Hurd III, 12/8/09 '64 Robert H. Lindsay III, 12/6/09 '65 Bennie A. Clemmer, 12/2/09 '65 Royall B. Smithey, 1/3/10 '66 James L. Stork, 1/7/10 '67 Betty R. Mahan, 12/8/09 '67 Martin R. Wittersheim, 1/23/10 '68 Harry W. Johnson, 1/21/10 '69 Sally Robinson Browning, 12/6/09 '69 D.M. King, 11/27/09 '69 George W. Preston, 11/28/09 '69 Richard L. Thomas, 12/17/09 '70 Terry G. Ferguson, 1/18/10 '70 H.S. Patterson, 4/16/09 '71 Brian D. Holm, 7/27/09 '71 William K. McDonald, 1/30/10 '72 Richard C. Albert, 11/17/09 '72 Robert J. Poux Jr., 1/26/10 '73 Frank W. Haden, 1/21/10 '75 Michael R. Eanes, 1/1/10 '75 Hugh V. Ferguson, 12/25/09 '76 Anna Malin Hoehn, 12/17/09 '76 Stephen H. Smith, 11/27/09 '77 John E. Davey III, 9/1/09 '77 Marilyn Helmeyer Hamilton, 10/5/09 '77 Frederick F. Pearson II, 12/6/09 '77 Robert H. Penn, 11/28/09 '78 Betty L. Bobbitt, 12/8/09 '79 David W. DeHart, 1/4/10 '79 Michael M. Heller Jr., 12/9/09 '79 David Z. Walker, 11/24/09 '81 Warren J. Burch, 11/25/09 '82 Ramons Miezis, 11/15/09 '84 Kathleen Lacey Henne, 8/11/09 '89 Joan M. Baruffaldi, 11/5/09 '91 Donna Brewer Conner, 1/24/10 '92 Bradley E. Jones, 2/17/10 '98 Deborah Rhatigan, 12/10/09 '00 Shane A. Leone, 2/2/10 '03 Adam L. Boardway, 11/24/09 '04 Thomas J. Gray, 1/12/10 '05 Lisa M. McCoig, 2/6/10 '06 George W. Humphrey, 12/26/09 '06 Andrew J. Woodward, 2/3/10 '07 Travis F. Campbell, 1/10/10 '07 David W. Epp, 1/20/10 '09 Mark K. Abdallah, 2/16/10 Class of 2013 Jacquelyn E. Bruhn, 2/27/10

U.S. Navy Ensign Zachary Eckhart (aerospace engineering '08), a 2007 graduate of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, was killed April 12, 2010, in the crash of his T-39 training aircraft in Georgia. Eckhart was a member of the Regimental Band and the Highty-Tighties, and served as the 3rd Battalion academics officer for the spring semester of his senior year. He is remembered by the senior band cadets, who were freshmen when Eckhart was a senior, as always smiling and positive about everything he did. A Pylon Dedication Ceremony will be scheduled in spring 2011 and more will be posted on the corps' website as details become available.

Col. Richard Franklin Wilkinson, 89, of Williamsburg, Va., died on May 14, 2010. The 1942 forestry alumnus earned a Bronze Star and a Silver Star for heroic actions while leading troops in Africa during WWII. He led an infantry battalion in taking Mount Venere in Italy, which earned his battalion the Presidential Unit Citation, indicating that each man in the unit deserved the Distinguished Service Cross. His division saw more days of combat than any other American division in the war.

Wilkinson was a long-time supporter of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets; he and his late wife, Margaret, are recognized in the Commandant's Circle for giving more than $1 million.

According to his obituary, Wilkinson briefly pursued graduate studies at VPI after WWII before rejoining the U.S. Army for a distinguished 26-year career. After he retired, he served as the chairman of the York County Industrial Development Authority from 1981-90.


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