In Memoriam: 1950s
Notices sorted by graduation date
Lloyd L. Craighill (Com ’50 CM) of Lexington, Virginia, died Sept. 14, 2021. At UVA, he was a member and Worthy Master of Alpha Tau Omega. After graduation, he worked for Philip Morris Inc. He progressed through many positions and retired in 1984 as general manager of the Richmond, Virginia, manufacturing center. After retirement, he and his wife, Margaret, moved to Rockbridge Baths, Virginia, to be close to a family property where five generations have vacationed for nearly 100 years. He gave back to the community through work on several volunteer boards, including St. Michael’s School, Easter Seals Society of Virginia, Stonewall Jackson Foundation and the Historic Lexington Foundation, among others. More than anything, he loved his family. His love for UVA also stayed with him, and for decades he rarely missed watching a broadcast of a Cavaliers football or basketball game. Survivors include his wife; three sons, including Lloyd L. (Lang) Craighill (Darden ’78 CM); five grandchildren, including Christopher L. Craighill (Col ’06 CM); and three great-grandchildren.
Dr. Murray Marvin Hausner (Col ’51, Med ’55) of Los Angeles died Sept. 1, 2021. He served as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps. He moved to California in 1962 and served as chief pathologist and director of laboratories at Inter-Community Hospital in Covina from 1967 to 1976. After completing additional training and receiving certification in dermatopathology and Mohs micrographic surgery, he entered private practice in Beverly Hills. Active in community affairs, he served as president of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce. After his retirement, he embraced lifelong learning as an enthusiastic member of the Plato Society of Los Angeles. Survivors include his wife, Leonore Blum Hausner, and two children.
Edward G. Cortright Jr. (Law ’52) of Madison, Mississippi, died Aug. 11, 2021. He attended Virginia Military Institute for a year and then served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He then attained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi and a law degree at UVA. He engaged in the general practice of law for 18 years. During that time he served as a city alderman from 1957 to 1961. In 1970 he was elected as a chancery judge of the 11th Chancery Court District of Mississippi. He remained in that position without opposition until his retirement in 1997. After retirement, he served as a senior status judge for a number of years. Judge Cortright also served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Rules for the Supreme Court of Mississippi for 14 years and as chairman of the Mississippi Conference of Chancery Judges. He vigorously supported the promotion of judicial education for judges through the Mississippi Judicial College. He was active in Red Cross relief efforts and served as chairman of the local Disaster Committee. Survivors include his wife, Mary Ann; three children; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
John Wesley McClintock Jr. (Law ’52) of Richlands, Virginia, died Sept. 5, 2020. He served in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1946, in the Philippines and in the post-war occupation of Japan. At UVA, he met his wife, Elizabeth Jayne Christie McClintock (Nurs ’50) of Ronceverte, West Virginia. They were married in 1951. He began practicing law in Richlands in 1952 and was actively engaged for 67 years, until his retirement in 2019. He served as substitute District Court judge for the 29th Judicial Circuit from 1994 until 2006. He was also mayor and town attorney for Richlands; former director of the Richlands Area Industrial Development Corp.; past commander of American Legion Post No. 138, Department of Virginia; and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was a great believer of the phrase “Blessed is he who hath found his work,” and he also had this saying displayed in his office: “I am still learning.” He was predeceased by his wife and a son. Survivors include six children, including Steven McClintock (Col ’82, Law ’86).
Duncan Charles “Chuck” Merriwether (Col ’52, Law ’57 CM) of Naples, Florida, died April 24, 2020. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was a member of the Virginia Law Review at the UVA law school and a Baker Scholar at Harvard Business School, where he earned his MBA. Mr. Merriwether had a successful professional career, and he won a case in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court while at the Philadelphia law firm Pepper Hamilton & Scheetz. He went on to lead a large lease financing company in Philadelphia, and later he developed popular real estate communities in South Carolina and Colorado. Passionate about planes, Mr. Merriwether served on the national board of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and on the boards of Hampshire National Bank in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and Widener College. He retired to Hilton Head, South Carolina, in the 1970s and settled in Naples after marrying his wife, Lynne. He enjoyed golf, reading, crossword puzzles, world travel, and watching college and professional sports. He spent his last years celebrating his Cavaliers’ national championships in baseball, men’s basketball and men’s lacrosse. Survivors include his wife; three children, including John Merriwether (Col ’87); 13 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a brother.
Frank MacConochie (Col ’53 CM) of Atlanta died Jan. 18, 2021. At UVA, he wrote for the Cavalier Daily. He began his career in sales at IBM and was a manager for construction firm McDevitt & Street, where he worked on the Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, the Cathedral of St. Philip and renovations to the Georgia State Capitol. He founded his own firm, MacConochie Construction Co., whose projects included the Cotton Exchange Building, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation and nearly 200 locations for FedEx. He served on the Board of Trustees of the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation for 50 years and was past president of the UVA Club of Atlanta. Survivors include three daughters and a grandson.
Edward F. “Pete” Mitchell Jr. (Engr ’56 CM) of Annapolis, Maryland, died April 30, 2020. After serving in the U.S. Navy in aviation electronics, he earned a degree in electrical engineering from UVA. He went on to receive a master’s in engineering administration from George Washington University, which conferred on him an honorary doctorate in 1989. He began his career at Pepco in 1956 as a junior electrical engineer and worked his way up through every phase of the utility’s operations to the top office. After joining the board of directors in 1980, he became president in 1983, CEO in 1989 and chairman of the board in 1992. An active leader of electric industry related organizations, Mr. Mitchell also served on the boards of local businesses and other organizations, including the National Rehabilitation Hospital, the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the University of Maryland’s College of Engineering. However, his proudest appointments were the chairmanships of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education and the Corporation Against Drug Abuse. In 1980, Mr. Mitchell and his wife, Suzanne, moved to Potomac, Maryland, where they were a constant presence at their granddaughters’ activities and events. He was a sailing enthusiast and active in efforts to revitalize the Chesapeake Bay. After retirement, he and his wife moved to Kent Island, enabling him to fulfill his lifelong dream of waking up to the bay every morning. Survivors include his daughter, two granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.
James Douglas Smith (Grad ’56, ’60) of Williamsburg, Virginia, died Nov. 14, 2020. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, he served in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer on the USS Zellars. At UVA, he was elected to the Raven Society and Phi Beta Kappa. He taught history at the University of Georgia for three years. In 1962, he began his career with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, where he was director of exhibition buildings and then director of historic area administration until his retirement in 1994. He also directed a graduate program in museum management jointly sponsored by the College of William & Mary. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Sanford Smith; daughters Sallie Smith Hutcheson (Arch ’82 CM) and Jennie Ellen Smith (Educ ’84); son-in-law Drewry B. Hutcheson Jr. (Col ’77 CM); and a grandson.
Dr. Joseph H. Fitzgerald (Med ’57 CM) of Miami died June 21, 2021. After a medical residency and internship in New York, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, serving as a battle group surgeon in Germany and completing 19 jumps as a paratrooper. He then returned to Miami, where he had grown up, and established a private practice in urology, which he continued until his retirement in 2003. An avid sailor, he also had a keen interest in history, particularly in exploration and antique maps. To share his passion, he proposed to the Miami Historical Society the idea of an annual map fair, which became the Miami International Map Fair, founded in 1994 and now in its 27th year. He is survived by his wife, Monica; three children, including Karl Joseph Fitzgerald (Col ’90 CM); and four grandchildren.
Jim Bazemore (Arch ’59 CM) of Greenville, South Carolina, died May 17, 2021. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and graduating from architecture school, he opened Bazemore Architect in Niagara Falls, New York. He also taught design at Buffalo State College and later at the University of Buffalo. He received two AIA design awards for his work. In his free time, he loved sailing and won many races at the local yacht club. After closing his firm in 1991, he and his wife, Trudie, enjoyed living aboard their large sailboat and sailing to Southern waters. Upon leaving Florida waters, they sailed to Trudie’s hometown of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and built their retirement home on the shore of Lunenburg Bay. They lived there for 10 years sailing and working with community organizations, spending winters boating in Florida. They subsequently moved to South Carolina, most recently Greenville. Survivors include his wife, four children, nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.