In Memoriam: 1970s
Notices sorted by graduation date
Hon. David A. Melesco (Law ’70 CM) of Rocky Mount, Virginia, died Sept. 26, 2023. He graduated from George Washington University in 1967 before earning his law degree from UVA. He practiced law for 25 years before taking a position as a juvenile and domestic relations judge and eventually being appointed to the circuit court bench for the 22nd Judicial District. Outside of work, he served two terms on UVA’s Board of Visitors and was a member of the state bar’s disciplinary board. He also volunteered in a number of local organizations, including coaching youth sports teams and serving on a committee to fight domestic violence. He found joy in discovering new music, new books and new people. He was known for his quick wit and had a soft spot for dogs. Survivors include his wife of 36 years, Cece; five children; and five grandchildren.
Charles “Chuck” W. Norton (Col ’70 CM) of Montgomery, Alabama, died Dec. 15, 2023. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from UVA and his M.B.A. from Samford University. Early in his career, he worked for insurance companies including Travelers and Molton, Allen & Williams. He later worked for Aronov Insurance in Montgomery and finally for Turner Insurance & Bonding before retiring. He enjoyed playing golf, tennis and football; practicing guitar; and cheering on the Cavaliers. Survivors include two sons, three sisters and five grandchildren.
Rabbi David Ellenson (Grad ’72 CM) of New York City died Dec. 7, 2023. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree in religious studies from UVA. He pursued the rabbinate at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, was ordained in 1977, and received his doctorate in religion from Columbia University in 1981. Beginning in 2001, he served as president of Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion for 12 years. He also taught there for more than 40 years and was known for forging academic and intellectual alliances across the Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist branches of Judaism. He instituted social responsibility and community service as a core pillar of students’ professional development through programs with the American Jewish World Service and other organizations. He also fostered interdenominational and interfaith relationships among Jewish seminaries, secular universities and institutions of other faiths, including the University of Southern California and Xavier University. After retiring from the seminary, he served as director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University in the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, where he was also a visiting professor. He authored seven books, including After Emancipation: Jewish Religious Responses to Modernity, which won the National Jewish Book Council’s award as the outstanding book in Jewish thought in 2006. Survivors include his wife, Jacqueline; five children; two siblings; and four grandchildren.
Myron Yagel (Educ ’73) of Richmond, Virginia, died Dec. 4, 2023. He served in World War II, rising through the ranks to naval lieutenant commander after continuing in the Navy Reserves. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in speech pathology from the University of Richmond. He served as a principal at Richmond’s Park School for many years, dedicated to the education of children with special needs. In his early 40s, he returned to school, earning a doctorate in special education at UVA. After graduation he accepted a position at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he taught for 20 years. He enjoyed sailing, skiing, photography, gardening and beekeeping. He also co-authored a marriage mentoring book titled 15 Minutes to Build a Better Marriage with his wife, Bobbie, who predeceased him. Survivors include three children, six grandchildren, three great-granddaughters and two nephews.
Henry “Harry” Neill Ware Jr. (Col ’77 CM) of Wares Wharf, Virginia, died Jan. 2, 2024. He studied anthropology at UVA, where he was a member of Theta Chi fraternity. After graduation, he moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to work as a waterfowl hunting guide. In 1982, he received his law degree from the University of Richmond, where he served on the law review. He embarked on a 40-year career practicing law. He worked as a litigator at McGuireWoods before co-founding his own law firm. In 2001, he joined Spotts Fain as one of the firm’s early partners and spent more than 20 years there. He served as a fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation, where he was on the board of directors and served on or chaired numerous committees. He was also chair of the Virginia Bar Association’s civil litigation section and its corporate counsel section. In 2021, he retired to Bellevue Farm, where he had grown up. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed spending time on the duck marsh, at the sandbar and on the water with his family. Survivors include his wife of 39 years, Marilynn; three sons, including Alexander Ware (Col ’12, Engr ’15 CM); sisters Elizabeth Ware Katona (Educ ’80 CM) and Lucile Ware McCarthy (Col ’87 CM); brother-in-law Scot Alan Katona (Com ’80 CM); two grandchildren; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.