Year 2008

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February - April - May - July - September - November - December

February 2008

Robert Benson “Bobby” May, 73, of Tampa, Fla., died October 3, 2006. He was born in Colon, R.P., graduated from BHS in 1951, and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. In 1961 he returned to the Canal Zone where he joined the Locks Division as a machinist until returning to the United States.

Isaac William “Bill” Metzger, 81, died July 30, 2007. He was born in Panama and graduated from Cristobal High School. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy and served during the Korean War. He resigned his commission in 1954 and later became an Engineer with Minneapolis Honeywell Inc.

Faye C. Minton, 93, died January 8, 2008, at the Hospital Nacional in Panama. She retired as the Secretary to the Office of the Director of the Panama Canal Company on March 31, 1977, with over 30 years service. She lived in Coronado until 2004 when she was placed in the Hospital Nacional.

Hiram Overall, 96, of Ingram, Texas, died November 29, 2007. He was a police officer for the Louisville, Ky., Police Department, where he was one of the first motorcycle Officers. He went on to become a police officer in the Canal Zone and was sergeant in charge of the Gamboa Station. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Charles Arthur Parks, 77, died January 18, 2008, in Peoria, Ariz. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and then worked as a federal employee for the Locks Division of the Panama Canal Company for 30 years until 1981. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Frances Louise “Bricky” Pattison, 84, died December 26, 2007. She moved to the Canal Zone in 1933 with her family, attended Canal Zone schools and graduated in 1941 from BHS. She worked for the Navy and the Panama Canal Company as an accountant until 1964. She returned to the Canal Zone in 1971 and resumed working for the Company until her retirement in 1986. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Monroe T. Phillips, 98, died December 10, 2007, in Winter Haven, Fla. He retired with 19 years of service from the Engineering Division of the Panama Canal Company in 1971. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Judith Anne (Jorstad) Rose, 74, of Huntsville, Ala., died December 14, 2007. She graduated from CHS in 1950 and was a 1954 graduate of the University of Michigan. She was a second grade teacher in Boulder, Colo., until her marriage. She returned to teaching in Huntsville in the 1970s and in 1990, she began working for H&R Block for over 15 years. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Margaret E. (Ward) Rybicki, 77, of Loganville, Ga., died August 12, 2007. She was a graduate of the BHS class of 1948 and lived in Gamboa and Curundu. She was a Civil Service retiree and a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Marjorie Jean Mann Scarborough, 89, died January 19, 2008, in Clarksville, Ark. She was a nurse and in 1969 moved to the Canal Zone with her husband and family and lived in Ancon. In 1984 she and her husband retired to Clarksville. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Michael Francis Tiernan, 38, died December 30, 2007, in Jacksonville, Fla. He grew up in the Canal Zone but graduated from Bishop Kenny High School and worked in the family business, the “Fly’s Tie” in Atlantic Beach, Fla.

Catherine “Kay” B. Wallace, 90, died on December 28, 2007. She moved to the Canal Zone with her family in 1943 where she attended Junior College. She worked for the Office of the Comptroller and retired from the Panama Canal Company in 1977 after almost 30 years of employment. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Dr. James M. Wolf, 79, died September 22, 2007. He was the former Superintendent of Schools for DoDD until 1997.

Hilda Lehman Baas, 86, died December 11, 2007. She and her husband Matthew Baas raised a family of six children in Venezuela and the Canal Zone. After her husband’s death in 1969, she pursued a career in finance and real estate.

Robert “Bobby Jr.” Mullen Baum, 81, died December 24, 2007, in Fairhope, Ala. Bobby worked as a Tug Master and Docking Pilot and in 1975 he transferred to the Panama Canal where he finished his Civil Service career. He retired in 1972. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Donald H. Beall, 82, of Tampa, Fla., died November 6, 2007. He was the brother of the late Richard “Pat” Beall, former Editor of the Canal Record.

Thelma J. Chan, 88, died January 9, 2008, in Austin, Texas. In 1948 she moved to Panama to work at Colon Hospital as a nurse for the Panama Canal Company. She married Harry V. Chan in 1953. They moved to Austin after her husband’s retirement in 1983. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

F. Stuart Clemmons, 67, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died December 24, 2007. He was born in Colon and grew up in the Canal Zone. He graduated from Louisiana Polytech and settled in San Francisco. In 1983, he moved to St. Petersburg.

Charles “Charlie” Hoyt Cooper, 66, of Tampa, Fla., died December 1, 2007. He lived in the Panama Canal Zone as a child. His joy in life was his music and the “Original Copra Band” which he started in 1970. His band played at the dances at the Reunions in past years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

George T. FitzGerald, 90, of Clemson, S.C., died in Auburn, Calif., while visiting his son’s family. He was born in the Republic of Panama, attended BHS, and went to sea in 1923. He went back to Panama in 1947 and worked until 1951 when he was called to serve in the Korean War. He returned in 1954 and worked until retiring in 1970 as Port Engineer. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Isabelle A. Gibson, 84, of Wasilla, Alaska, died December 28, 2007. She lived in the Canal Zone for nearly 30 years until moving to St. Petersburg, Fla., where she worked as a benefits administrator at the VA Regional Office.
She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

James Cook Giles, 63, died January 2, 2008. He met his future wife, Terry Sprague (BHS’66), on New Year’s Eve 1973, and they were married on June 15, 1974. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Floyd Maynard “Tony” Johnson, 95, died December 21, 2007. He and his family went to the Canal Zone in 1953. He retired from the Panama Canal Railroad in 1972 and relocated to Uvalde, Texas.

Elizabeth B. Keigley, 91, died December 28, 2007. She was married to Daile D. Keigley and taught elementary school in Balboa, Ancon and Curundu until her retirement. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Lydia Esther (Lugo) Long, 65, died November 3, 2007, in Norman, Okla. She moved to the Canal Zone in 1956, lived in Curundu and graduated from BHS in 1960. She married Jerry D. Long at the Albrook AFB Chapel and moved to North Carolina. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Robert “Bob” Delano Martin, 63, of Austin, Texas, died on December 18, 2007. He was born and raised in the Canal Zone. He served in the U.S. Army in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was a professional in the dental industry for more than 40 years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

April 2008

Joseph Allen Carlisle, 64, died in Seattle, Wash., on July 19, 2007. He worked for many years at Pedro Miguel Locks as the supervisor of the Locomotive Repair Component Facility and retired as a lockmaster in July 1999.

Gertrude “Trudi” Garni Clontz, 91, of Aiken, S.C., died January 31, 2008. Trudi moved to the Canal Zone where she worked for the U.S. Army for three years and then transferred to the Department of Justice. In 1969 when her husband retired, she resigned as an Administrative Assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s office. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society and for many years was the Canal Record reporter for South Carolina.

Captain Ennis (Danny) E. Daniel, 82, of Randolph Center, Vt., died April 30, 2007. From 1958 to 1986 he worked for the Panama Canal Company as one of the senior pilots on the Canal and lived in La Boca and Diablo Heights. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Lois E. Harrison, 93, died February 26, 2008. Born in the Canal Zone she retired from the Canal Zone District Court as a Clerk of Courts. She and her late husband C.W. Harrrison owned property in El Valle. She was known for her trip up through Central America by bus with Patsy Detamore.

Marion M. Hebert, 88, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died February 25, 2008. She was born in Colon and moved to Florida in 1965 from Fitchburg, Mass.

Birdie Elizabeth (Tedder) Helé, 90, died in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., on January 25, 2008. She was born in the Canal Zone, raised in Pedro Miguel, and graduated from Balboa High School. She worked as a secretary at Albrook AF Base, Balboa Maintenance Division, and the Balboa Engineering Trade School.

Emley Mead Henter, 95, died in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 9, 2008. She moved to Panama as an infant and spent the next 60 years there, graduating from Balboa High School in 1930. She worked for the Police Department, Port Captain’s Office, and the State Attorney’s office until 1972. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

George J. Hoffman, Jr., 86, died in Aiken, S.C., on February 13, 2008. He retired in 1981 and resided in St. Petersburg, Fla., until recently moving to Aiken. A World War II veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific with the Seabees on Guam. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

George Francis Klein, 74, died in an auto accident in Bejuco, Panama, on March 9, 2008. He retired from the Army and then worked for 18 years with the Panama Canal Commission in the Industrial Division. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Olive L. Krouse, 86, died in Springfield, Pa., on January 20, 2008. She was born in Ancon, grew up in Balboa, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1938. She was an airplane pilot receiving her license at the age of 58. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Robert H. McFarland, a former District Judge for the Panama Canal Zone, died on March 31, 2008, of heart failure in Mississippi. He was appointed a U.S. District Judge for the Canal Zone by President Carter in 1978 and served two years.

Edward K. “Lucky” Wilburn died in Clearwater, Fla., on January 28, 2008. He was employed since 1940 with the Panama Canal Company and retired as a Tugboat Captain in 1977. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Margaret “Olga” Norman, 95, died in Kent, Wash., on March 19, 2008. She moved to the Canal Zone with her husband and son in 1945 where they lived for the next 28 years until her husband retired in 1973. She lived in Coco Solo, Balboa, and Ancon during those years.

Captain Rodman Alexander Morris Oakes, 78, of Old Lyme, Conn., died January 28, 2008. He was a retired Senior Panama Canal Pilot and USCG Unlimited Ocean Master. He was the last U.S.-hired pilot trainee in 1981.

Mary “Betty” Land Peterson, 95, died in Burke, Va., on March 6, 2008. She went to the Canal Zone in 1939 for a visit and became a nurse at Gorgas Hospital in 1940 and married her late husband in 1943. She lived in the Canal Zone for 27 years until 1970 and then in Hollywood, Fla., until 1989 when she moved to Virginia.

Dortha H. Phillips, 88, of Lake Forest, Calif., died on March 15, 2008. She married Noble “Buddy” Phillips in 1991 and they visited the Panama Canal Zone where he was born and worked until retiring. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

William J. “Bill” Powell, 88, of Tampa, Fla., died February 10, 2008. He served in World War II in the Canal Zone, worked as a CPA for the Panama Canal Company and other government agencies in Washington, D.C., until he retired in 1974. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Marjorie Jean Mann Scarborough, 89, of Clarksville, Ark., died January 19, 2008. In 1969 she and her family moved to the Canal Zone where they lived in Ancon. She and her husband retired in 1984 to Clarksville. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Norbert Michael Schommer died in Deltona, Fla., on March 2, 2008. He retired from the Panama Canal Company in 1972 as Chief Budget Officer of the Budget and Statistical Section of the Supply Division. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Christian S. Skeie, 63, died in Miami, Fla., on January 11, 2008. He grew up in the Canal Zone, graduating from Balboa High School in 1963. He spent ten months of the year in Panama and was active in the Panama Canal Society and the Panama Canal Museum.

Ruth Francis Roelofson Stroop, 102, of Sarasota, Fla., died March 4, 2008. She and her husband raised their family in Cristobal until retirement in 1954.

Stephen Bahrd Tanner, 71, died in Hendersonville, N.C., on December 7, 2007. He went to the Canal Zone in 1968 and later married Marty Irvin in 1970. He and Marty timed the Ocean to Ocean Cayuco races for 17 years. In 1988 they retired to Hendersonville.

Bernard Tibbotts of Port St. Lucie, Fla., died on February 20, 2008. He worked for the Dredging Division and later the Ports Division as a Chief Engineer. He and his late wife Florence (who died December 26, 2007) lived in Gamboa, Ancon and La Boca. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Kenneth “Ken” Baker Tucker, 83, of Athens, Ga., died March 19, 2008. In 1952, he accepted a position with the former Canal Zone Government to teach Social Sciences. He also coached the Panama Canal College’s boys and girls tennis teams. He retired in 1992.

William H. Beebe II, 84, of Kerrville, Texas, died April 26, 2007. He was retired from the U.S. Army and was married to Rosalie Merrill of Kerrville.

Rudolph “Rudy” Burda, 92, died in David, Panama, on January 10, 2008. He went to the Isthmus with Pan American Airways in 1938. He was later transferred to Guatemala and then returned to Panama as Station Manager in David where he helped organize COPA Airlines. In 1953 he was employed by the Panama Canal Company as an optician on the Pacific side until he retired in 1974.

May 2008

Patricia Grace (Neckar) Coleman, 74, of Fort Myers, Fla., died March 5, 2008. She was born in Colon and graduated from Balboa High School in 1951. She retired in 1989 after 31 years of government service mostly with the U.S. Army, Southern Command, Panama. She was very involved in civic, community and art activities, and the Sweet Adelines. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Nancy Gallin, 88, died in Titusville, Fla., on March 31, 2008. She lived in the Canal Zone for ten years where her husband served as the Marine Director. She was an avid golfer, hospital volunteer, Girl Scout leader, and cooked all the barbecued beef for the Fort Clayton Riding Club horse shows. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

James Joseph “Joe” Kilgallon, 75, of Osprey, Fla., drowned while on a cruise on February 12, 2008. He was stationed in the Canal Zone with the U.S. Army and married Josephine “Joanie” M. Sprague (BHS’51) in 1957. They lived in the Washington, D.C., area until his retirement in 2000. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Claus Madsen, Command Sergeant Major retired, died April 6, 2008, in Fort Clayton of the former Canal Zone. He was an infantry enlisted man with 27 years service with the U.S. Army. He served as a Reserved Officers Training Corps instructor at Balboa High School.

Richard Alexander McClean, 84, died recently in Tampa, Fla. He graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1944 and served in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War. In 1958, he became a Panama Canal pilot for 12 years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Helen McGuinness, 83, died March 16, 2008, in La Quinta, Calif. During World War II she worked at Wright Patterson Field. She and her husband Tom moved to the Canal Zone in 1946, had two sons, and relocated to California in 1953. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Elizabeth C. “Betty” McNaughton, 86, died in Salisbury, Mass., on December 26, 2007. She and her husband and two children moved from Massachusetts to Coco Solo in 1962. She was the Home Economics teacher at Cristobal High School from 1967 until her husband retired in 1981. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Lori Sasso, 47, died March 18, 2008, in Warsaw, Ind. She and her husband, Dr. Richard Sasso (CHS’54), always enjoyed attending the Panama Canal Society reunions. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Edna Wantuk Wild, 74, died December 14, 2007. She was born in Panama where her father was stationed at Fort Amador. She graduated from Balboa High School in 1952.

Myra L. Withers, 72, died March 21, 2008. She was the daughter of an Army officer and was in Hawaii when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. She married an Army officer in 1956, and accompanied him on his military assignments which included the Canal Zone.

July 2008

Betty T. Cole died in North Miami Beach, Fla., on September 14, 2005. She met and married Harry E. Cole at George Washington University and they both worked for the federal government. In 1958 they went to Curundu Heights in the Canal Zone where she briefly worked as a librarian for the Smithsonian Institute at Barro Colorado Island. When Mr. Cole retired in 1977, they returned to Florida.

Theodore Stephen Corin, PhD, 79, of Austin, Texas, died March 18, 2008. In 1968 he and his wife went to the Canal Zone where he had a fulfilling career as a teacher and dean at the Panama Canal College. After his retirement in 1986, they moved to Austin where he continued to teach at Austin Community College for eight years.

Nye Crowell, 93, died June 11, 2008, in Centerville, Mass. He ran the YMCA in the Panama Canal Zone and then joined the Navy during World War II. After the war he returned to Massachusetts where he was employed at Cape Cod Cooperative Bank for 37 years (22 years as President).

Herschell W. ”Bud” Dempsey Jr., of Cape Canaveral, Fla., died May 5, 2008. He moved to the Canal Zone in 1949 where he was Chief of the Printing Office for the Panama Canal Commission until he retired in 1988. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Arthur William Peter Farrell, 86, died May 29, 2008. He was born in the Canal Zone, joined the U.S. Navy, was discharged on February 2, 1946, and returned to the Canal Zone. He was employed by the U.S. Army and then returned to California to attend college. After his second discharge from the Navy, he returned to the Canal Zone where he was a Tugboat Captain until May 1980. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

John Finlason, 88, died April 20, 2008. He was born in Costa Rica and went to the Canal Zone at the age of seven. He graduated from CHS in 1938 and married Shirley Crews in 1942. After attending school in Los Angeles, he returned to the Canal Zone where he worked for the Army Engineers and Transportation Service. He retired in 1976 as Senior Chief Engineer of Towboats with the Panama Canal Company. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Kenneth Orien Fugleberg, 78, of Portland, N.D., died June 12, 2008. In 1963 he and his family moved to the Canal Zone where he and his wife were employed. He taught at Gamboa Elementary School, Gatun Elementary School and was Principal of Balboa Elementary School and the elementary school on Howard Air Force Base. In 1979 he retired from teaching. He then worked at Kennedy Space Center and MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Ill., in computers. In 1997 he retired again. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Charles Stanley Howe, 92, of Horse Shoe, N.C., died June 13, 2008. He was employed by the Panama Canal Company and retired in 1970 as assistant chief of engineers after 32 years of service. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Calvin M. Landrum, Sr., 83, died April 24, 2008. He moved his family to the Canal Zone in 1962 to work for the Panama Railroad. He was an avid square dancer, enjoyed camping in their Winnebago, and played an integral part ensuring Engine 299 remained in American hands after the treaty. He retired from the Panama Railroad in 1979.

Fred H. Lee, Sr., 96, of Merritt Island, Fla., died May 15, 2008. He retired in 1969 from government service in the Canal Zone. He worked in bookkeeping and accounting for the Health Bureau and the Electrical Division. His last service of 33 years was with the Canal Zone Postal Service, He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Anna Brasher Rheney, 99, of Spartanburg, S.C., died January 21, 2008. She was a former resident of Fort Myers, Fla., for over 25 years. She was employed as a radiology technologist at Gorgas Hospital in the Canal Zone. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

September 2008

Raymond Elwood Allen, 81, of Fort Ashby, W.Va., died June 17, 2008. He retired in 1980 from the Panama Canal Company with 25 years of service. He was a member of the Isthmian Lodge, the Panama Canal Society, and a 33rd Degree Mason.

Darlene Behre, 55, of Chattanooga, Tenn., died July 25, 2008. She was the wife of Michael Behre and the daughter-in-law of Tommy and Lucy Behre, formerly of Margarita.

Marian Dodson Bowen, 87, died April 9, 2008, in Palm Harbor, Fla. She was born in Ancon and graduated from Balboa High School in 1938. She worked in several secretarial positions until retirement in 1971. Her last position was as a secretary in the Office of the Governor. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Barbara O’Neal Braun of Verona, N.J., died April 8, 2008. She went to the Canal Zone with her parents as a young child and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1964. She was a folk artist and marketed her art through Bohio Art S.A. and Edenwild Handiworks. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society and a vendor at the Society annual reunions.

Charles (Chile) Brennan died October 29, 2007, in Los Altos, Calif. He moved to Panama at an early age and lived there from 1926-1950, graduating from Cristobal High School in 1942, and completing his apprenticeship as a ship fitter. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Anna Theresa Collins, 87, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died August 7, 2008. Anna was a Past President of the Panama Canal Society from 1983-84, and was the Sunshine Committee Chairperson for the Society from 1986 until her death. She was also extremely involved in various charities, a dedicated leader, and untiring community volunteer.

Charlotte Tippin Daniel, 52, died on May 4, 2008. She moved to Panama as a young child and lived there until her father’s retirement as a Canal Pilot in 1986. She was raised in Coco Solo where she attended a Special Needs school.

Tommie Allen Davidson of Mesquite, Nev., died July 10, 2008. He moved to the Canal Zone before World War II and graduated from Balboa High School in 1954. He spent 35 years until 1994 working for Pratt Whitney Aircraft as a metallurgist after attending Colorado State University. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

John Charles Delaney, 72, died on June 28, 2008, in Puyallup, Wash. He was born in Colon Hospital, graduated from Cristobal High School in 1954, and attended the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. After serving in the Army, he worked in Delaware and New Jersey until his retirement.

John Adam Dovel, 82, of Vienna, Va., died June 24, 2008. He graduated from Cristobal High School in 1943, and following a tour of duty in the U.S. Navy, he graduated from the University of Virginia in 1950. He worked for GE and the Systems Development Corp. (SDC) before going to work for the Interstate Commerce Commission until his retirement.

Fronia L. Fender, 91, of Bradenton, Fla., died August 17, 2008. She was married to the late Walter Fender in 1944 in the Canal Zone. She was a nurse and spent 28 years as an OB nurse in Civil Service. She worked on both sides of the Isthmus until retiring in 1971.

Melvynn M. “Mel” Field, 66, died July 27, 2008, in Palmetto, Fla. He was born in the Canal Zone and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1960. He served four years in the U.S. Air Force and then graduated from the University of North Carolina. He was a well-known local fisherman and fishing guide in the Tampa Bay/Palmetto area. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Elizabeth “B.J.” Geerer (Betty Jane Kenealy), 75, of El Segundo, Calif., died May 23, 2008. She was born in Ancon and graduated from Balboa High School in 1950. She was a descendant of two Roosevelt Medal holders (her grandfathers). She earned a teacher’s degree from Los Angeles City College, and she taught primarily at the Middle School grade level. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Paul J. Hieronymus, 82, died June 13, 2008, in Lakeland, Fla. Paul and his family moved to the Canal Zone in 1967. He was the Chemistry teacher at Cristobal High School for 18 years, and taught Human Physiology and 7th grade Math for several of those years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Robert E. Holland (Bob), 76, died April 13, 2008, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bob and his family arrived in the Canal Zone in 1961. He worked for the Electrical Division and became a Maintenance Foreman at Miraflores Power Plant. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Marilyn Iris (Davidson) McCain, 85, of San Antonio, Texas, died July 6, 2008. She moved to the Canal Zone as a military dependent, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1940. She was known for her china paintings and travelled extensively in Europe and Australia.

Faye Crowder Minton, 93, died January 8, 2008, at Hospital Nacional in Panama, R.P. She arrived in Panama in 1946 and worked for the Engineering & Construction Bureau until her retirement in 1977. She was a founding member of the Diablo Camera Club, and also enjoyed playing the piano.

Captain John Wesley O’Daniel Jr., 83, of Panama City Beach, Fla., died August 1, 2008. He graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y. He then joined the Corps of Engineers in North Carolina until recalled to active duty. He returned to the Corps of Engineers until transferring to the Panama Canal Commission in 1960. He took early retirement in 1976. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Agnes R. Mannette O’Donnell, 97, died September 1, 2008, in Seminole, Fla. She spent 15 years at U.S. Army STRATCOM in the Panama Canal Zone where she lived with her family until retiring in 1972.

Manuelita O. O’Sullivan, 87, died June 9, 2008. She was born in Panama, R.P., and graduated from Balboa High School in 1938. She worked for the Panama Canal Company as an assistant director of personnel services and retired in 1980 with 37 years of service. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

William (Bill) Rogers, 88, of Indiatlantic, Fla., died August 23, 2008. He went to Panama in the early ‘40s, where he built a successful contracting business performing projects for the Panama Canal and the U.S. Department of Defense. He was a member of BPOE Lodge 1414, Abou Saad Shrine, and the Panama Canal Society.

William Andrew Violette, 90, died August 16, 2008, in Seminole, Fla. He went to Panama as an infant and was a Roosevelt Medal descendant (his father and grandfather). He graduated from Balboa High School in 1936 and worked for Smoot & Paredes General Motors Dealership in Panama, and then the Panama Canal Company from where he retired in 1978. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

November 2008

Kenneth R.A. Booth, 96, died in Laguna Hills, Calif., on September 23, 2008. Ken was employed by the Rates Branch of the Budget & Rates Division of the Panama Canal Company for over 42 years and retired in 1971.

James “Dutch” Borell, 91, died May 1, 2008, in Homestead, Fla. He was a Deck Officer in the U.S. Merchant
Marines during WWII. During the 1950s he returned to sea and found work with the Panama Line. In 1960 he moved to Gamboa where he worked as a tugboat captain for the
Dredging Division until he retired in 1978.

John W. Carlson, 63, died September 19, 2008. He went to the Canal Zone in 1953, attended Diablo Elementary School, Balboa Jr./High School, and Canal Zone Junior
College. After college in the U.S. he returned to Panama and worked in private business, aviation, and the Panama Canal Commission for 11 years before returning to private business in Panama. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Elizabeth Mary Dillon died July 25, 2008, in Panama City. She immigrated to Panama in 1944 where she met and married her late husband Woodrow Wilson Dillon in
1947. They founded Dillon Construction in 1954 and quickly
established a lasting reputation throughout the area.

Captain Marshall W. Irwin, 83, died September 16, 2008, in Gainesville, Fla. He started his Merchant Marine
career at the age of 18 during WWII and earned his master’s license in 1957. He was a Panama Canal Pilot from 1966 until he retired in 1979.

Albert “AL” Johnston, 74, died September 7, 2008, in Spartanburg, S.C. He was born in Colon, R.P., in
1929, attended Canal Zone schools and graduated from BHS in 1947. He attended the University of Illinois, served in the U.S. Navy, and was employed as an architectural engineer for 37 years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Dr. Charles “Chuck” Laurens Latimer, Jr., died September 12, 2008, in Greenville, S.C. He graduated at 19 from college, served in the U.S. Navy during WWII, and
graduated from Harvard and Columbia Universities with advanced degrees. He went to the Canal Zone in 1962 and served as Dean of the Canal Zone College, and later became Deputy Superintendent of the Canal Zone schools. He was a
member of the Panama Canal Society.

Dorothy Huffman Smith, 97, died October 13, 2008, in Cridersville, Ohio. In 1944 she accepted a position as a teacher at CHS. She retired in 1972 as a senior English
teacher and head of the English Department after 28 years of
service. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Louise Spradlin, 87, of Richmond, Texas, died August 10, 2008. She and her family spent many years living on Albrook Air Force Base, Canal Zone, during her husband’s
career in the Air Force. After he retired in 1965, they returned
to the Canal Zone until his retirement from the Panama Canal
Company. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Nancy Judean (Greenway) Thompson, 78, died September 11, 2008. In 1963 she moved to the Canal Zone to teach in the school system. She taught Home Economics and Earth Sciences at Curundu Junior High School. After 25 years
of service with the Panama Canal Company, she retired to
Naples, Fla. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Doug Lord, 85, of St. Petersburg, Fla., formerly of the Panama Canal Zone, died September 24, 2008. He served in the Navy during WWII and retired from the Maintenance
Division of the Panama Canal.

Raymond H. “Ray” Magan, 79, of Pueblo, Colo., died September 27, 2008. He joined the Air Force in 1951. In 1956 he began his 29-year career with the Pueblo Police Department. He was married to the former Helen Edwards (BHS’52) and a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Wallace B. Matthews, 79, of Chase City, Va., died August 31, 2008. He joined the Air Force and served 20 years including a tour in the Canal Zone. After retiring, the family
moved to the Canal Zone in 1971 where he worked as a Budget Officer for the Engineering and Construction Bureau until 1986. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Gladys E. (Miller) Mead, 69, of Dunedin, Fla., died October 22, 2008. Gladys was born in San Jose, Costa
Rica, and graduated from BHS in 1957. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Donald E. Musselman, 86, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died September 20, 2008. He and his family moved to the
Canal Zone where he taught at Balboa High School and the at
the Canal Zone Junior College until 1964.

Captain Wendell Phillips, 87, of Clearwater, Fla., died September 12, 2008. Captain Phillips was a Panama
Canal Ship Pilot until 1983 when he moved to Florida.

Ruth E. (Barlow) Schmidt, 91, of Tampa, Fla., died September 26, 2008. She retired as a civilian from the Department of the Navy at Rodman. She was a member of the
Panama Canal Society.

Captain Benjamin (Benny) Schoenleber, 90, died October 21, 2008. In 1951 he decided to go to the Canal Zone as a Panama Canal Pilot where he stayed 32 years until his
retirement in 1983. He lived in Cristobal, Gatun, and Los
Rios.

Kevin Anthony Sheridan died September 14, 2008, in Palm Beach, Fla. He taught Special Needs Children in San Jose County for 20 years and had been living in Tezuitlan, Mexico, for the past decade teaching English at the Institute. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Dorothy J. Trim, 81, of Conway, Ariz., died September 16, 2008. She married the late Preston M. Trim, Jr., on March 5, 1945, and they moved to live and work in the Canal Zone. They lived in Diablo and Balboa. She was a
member of the Panama Canal Society.

Marie C. Weir, 96, died in Gulfport, Fla., on October 22, 2008. Marie spent 28 years in the Panama Canal Zone where she taught biology and served as chairman of the guidance department at Balboa High School and then at the Canal Zone College. She retired in 1973 and was a member
of the Panama Canal Society.

Bobby L. Winford, Jr., 51, died January 30, 2008, while flying home from Beijing, China, following a business trip. He served in the Vietnam War and he graduated from BHS in 1975.

Bobby Lee Winford, Sr., 72, died September 20, 2008. He graduated from BHS in 1952 and served in the Korean War. He was a Canal Zone detective for 20 years before retiring in 1984. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

December 2008

Anna E. (Patchett) Calvit, 89, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., died November 24, 2008. She graduated from Cristobal High School in 1939, was married to the late Robert “Benny” Calvit, and was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Dr. Walter C. Friday Jr., 90, of Burlington, Iowa, died November 19, 2008. He was born in Starkville, Miss., and moved to the Canal Zone in 1924, graduating in 1936 from Balboa High School. In 1943 he graduated from Tulane School of Medicine and joined the Army Medical Corps after an internship at Gorgas Hospital. He had a long and busy career delivering babies as he specialized in obstretics and Gynecology.

Gerald (Jerry) Hall of Carrollton, Texas, died November 22, 2008, of a heart attack. He was a graduate of S. Illinois University and a retired Senior Captain with Southwest Airlines. He was a member of the Panama Canal
Society.

Charles Edwin Johnston, 96, of Franklin, N.C., died October 19, 2008. He was born in Brilliant, Ohio, attended Kent University and went to work for Republic Steel Company. He then moved to the Canal Zone where he worked in Customs. After retirement, he moved to Kissimmee, Fla., where he lived for 35 years and then to Franklin. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Raymond Newell Larson, 80, died November 18, 2008, in Kerrville, Texas. He and his family moved to the
Canal Zone in 1966 where he worked as a machinist and shift foreman for 20 years for the Panama Canal Company. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Ralph A. Moulton, Jr., 84, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died November 4, 2008. He moved to Florida in the 1970s from the Panama Canal Zone where he retired as a radar engineer for the Federal Aviation Administration. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Brigadier General Arthur S. Moura, USA (Ret.), died October 29, 2008, at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill, N.C.
General Moura was a decorated Army officer who specialized in U.S.-Latin American relations. He served one tour in the Panama Canal Zone in the Office of the Commander-in- Chief, Caribbean Command.

Allen Douglas “Tex” Newton of Big Pine, Calif., formerly of New Orleans, La., died in January 2008. He was a member of the BHS class of 1936 and a member of the Panama Canal Society. No further information is available.

Marie Elizabeth (Schmidt) Park, 87, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died December 2, 2008. She moved with her family to the Canal Zone around 1923 and graduated from Balboa High School in 1940. She was on both the girls’ swim
team and softball team. She married William J. Park and they resided in Cristobal, Margarita and Coco Solo until 1960.

Robert W. “Lucky” Summers of Clearwater, Fla., died November 10, 2008, in Mease-Countryside Hospital. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society. No further information
is available.

Erich Thomas Tabert, 26, died suddenly on November 17, 2007, at the hands of another. He was the son
of Eileen Mastin and Herbert H. Tabert, Jr., (BHS’68) of Salt Lake City, Utah; and the grandson of the late Bert Tabert, formerly of Gamboa, Canal Zone.