1940s

Commencement 1946. Front Row (L to R): Mary Strait, Anita Herdegen, Virginia Blair, Sylvia Gray*, D. Ann Norwood. Middle Row (L to R): Norma Taraldson, Anne Lawrence, Eugene Struckhoff*, Carol Robin, Hannah Karp, Mary Tetlow. Back Row (L to R): Jean Sellar, Joyce Theriault, Edward Saltzberg*, Cornelius Callaghan*, Courtney Simpson, Norma Twist. (*Sylvia Gray—originally Class of 1947, graduated in February ‘47. *Eugene Struckhoff, Edward Saltzberg, Cornelius Callaghan—originally Class of 1944.)

1940–1949

From Spring 2025: David C. Weber ’47 stays in touch with the College through periodic emails. He is proud of Colby and particularly grateful to three of its former professors, including Alfred King Chapman in the English Department. “Colby gave me so much that my wife and I endowed the Clara C. and Carl J. Weber Library Fund. Decades later, we gave the two Weber Family columnar maple trees that front Miller Library. After another few decades, my son L. Jefferson Weber and I gave the library relevant books and selected documentary correspondence from my father’s teaching efforts, who published the Library Quarterly.” In 2024 David published the Garden of Printed Words, inspired when he asked his daughter Sarah to name her favorite book, Charlotte’s Web. Illustrated by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, it is a candidate for the John Newbery Medal. The book includes an image of a small dish, given to David by the Fresney family of France when he had finished service in World War II and was about to be shipped home. “It is a unique memento wishing me a bon voyage. For three years I had to take a break to serve my country in wartime. Then it was back to Colby for my junior year and to graduate in 1947. My dish reminds me every day to be grateful for human good and kindness as well as tolerance of and to learn from the bad.”
From Anne Hagar Eustis ’49 for Spring 2025: Greetings ’49ers! Unfortunately, I, again, have NO news from our classmates to pass on. So I shall have to bring you up-to-date on my Liberty Trike. In my last column, I told you I’d put on 150 miles in my first riding season. My second season of riding was over in October 2024, and I was able to add another 350 miles before cold weather set in—at least too cold for me to ride comfortably. I have a picture of me at age 2 or thereabouts sitting on the handlebars of my brother’s big trike! It would seem my life is bookended by trikes!

In Memoriam

Cynthia Smith ’42.
Wilfred R. “Dick” Granger ’46, Feb. 6, 2025, in Auburn, Mass., at 102. He earned a master’s in education from Clark University in 1957 and enjoyed a long career as an educator. He began teaching English, Latin, and French at Sherman Mills (Maine) High School and continued teaching at North Brookfield Junior High School. His tenure in Auburn began as principal of Pakachoag School before he became vice principal and guidance counselor at Auburn Junior High. His final position was as principal of Auburn Middle School, from which he retired in 1988 after 38 years. He was an active member of the Rotary Club of Auburn, serving as president for the 1984-85 term and earning the Paul Harris Fellowship for 35 years of perfect attendance. He belonged to the Worcester Country Club and joined senior golfer friends on outings, attended Boston Braves and Red Sox games and collected baseball memorabilia, and loved growing and sharing vegetables. He was married for 71 years, but leaves only a surviving cousin.
David C. Weber ’47, Dec. 9, 2025, at 101.
Lois Bowers Came ’48, June 6, 2024, in Marblehead, Mass., at 97. After Colby, she did graduate work at the University of California at Berkeley, falling in love with the “City by the Bay.” She also met Clifford Came ’42 following his return from the U.S. Navy in 1951. They married in Boston, and she raised a son and daughter, following her husband to New York City, Chicago, and Simsbury, Conn. She moved to the North Shore in the 1980s and became involved in the arts community. She became a librarian in Arlington, Mass., and at the National Maritime Fisheries in Gloucester. At 64, she studied for her master’s in library science at Simmons College. She possessed a joie de vivre, loved to travel, was an avid golfer (who played her last round at 96), and was the “happiest and proudest” of grandparents. Predeceased by her husband, Clifford Came ’42, she leaves two children, including Pamela Came Barker ’76, three grandchildren, and a brother.
David M. Marson ’48, Jan. 29, 2025, in Dedham, Mass., at 98. He served in the U.S. Navy for two years before transferring to Colby. After graduation, he followed his grandfather and father as the third generation running the family business, NewCan Company, a leader in the production of tubes and perforated components for the filter industry. He was promoted to president of the company in 1976 and retired nearly 20 years later. An active supporter of the College for five decades, he served as chair of the Colby Fund, chair of the Alumni Council, and president and correspondent for his class. He joined the Board of Visitors in 1981 and served until 1985, when he was elected to the Board of Trustees, serving for 12 years. In 1979 he received a Brick Award, and in 1990, the Ernest C. Marriner Distinguished Service Award. He was well-traveled, including making frequent trips to Waterville, and loved to sail his 41-foot sloop Hero. He leaves two daughters, including Deborah Marson ’75; three grandchildren, including Jessica McNulty Sargent ’07 and Mark McNulty ’11; and two great-grandchildren.
Janice McKenney Crossman Murphy ’48, Oct. 19, 2024, in San Luis Obispo, Calif., at 98. In the early 1950s, she moved with her husband, Bernard “Steve” Crossman ’49, to California, where she worked as an elementary school teacher while he was an attorney. They settled in San Luis Obispo and raised their family. She worked alongside her husband in the law office as he built a successful practice. He passed away unexpectedly at 43, but she continued to work in the law office with his partner. She married again in 1982, sharing a passion for camping, ski trips, and international travel with her new husband, Nick Murphy, until he passed in 1991. She remained active later in life, working part time in another law office until age 88. Deeply engaged in her community, she was honored as San Luis Obispo Republican Women Federated Woman of the Year in 2005 for her contributions and commitment. She leaves two children, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
Shirley Stowe Sarkis ’48, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glastonbury, Conn., at 99. After raising her children for a period of time, she earned a master’s in library science from Southern Connecticut State University in 1969. She worked for the Town of Manchester as a librarian for many years and ran the Whiten Memorial Library Branch before retiring. A true character who loved reading and listening to classical music, her ultimate pastimes were Mozart and martinis. She was happiest attending the opera at Lincoln Center or a classical music event at Tanglewood. She was a huge fan of Luciano Pavarotti, Puccini, and Verdi. She leaves three children and a grandchild.
Earl S. Bosworth ’49, March 27, 2026.
Lois Norwood Engelking ’49, Jan. 26, 2024, in Newcastle, Maine, at 96. She pursued many interests and career paths after college, living in New England, Florida, and California. While working for General Electric in California, she met her future husband and was married in 1982. They lived in Washington and New York and settled in her family home in Warren, Maine, upon retirement. She loved being active and enjoyed bicycling, skiing, and hiking. She was the “fun aunt” who played games with her niblings. A lifelong learner, she took art courses and music lessons. She was also a member of the Warren Baptist Church. Survivors include a sister and extended family.
Evelyn Armstrong King ’49, Jan. 18, 2025, in Brunswick, Maine, at 96. Originally from Machias, Maine, she was proprietor of Evelyn’s Tea Room, an ice cream and sandwich shop in Jonesport, during the summers while in college. Her first job after Colby was at the Bath Memorial Hospital as a medical technologist until her marriage in 1951. While being a housewife and mother in Bath, Maine, she was president of the Huse School PTA, Sunday School teacher at the old Central Church in Bath, member of the Morse High School Band Boosters, and band mother. She was also a Cub Scout den mother for eight years and especially enjoyed marching in the Bath Memorial Day Parade with her den. She was a member of the Plant Memorial Auxiliary, the Cosmopolitan Club, and Bath Senior Citizens. She leaves four children, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Donald E. Nicoll ’49, April 3, 2024, in Miyazaki, Japan, at 96. He was an architect of the modern Maine Democratic Party and a longtime aide to Senator Edmund S. Muskie and Congressman Frank M. Coffin. He earned a master’s in history and government from Penn State University in 1952 and was a news editor and reporter for WLAM in Lewiston, Maine, when he was tapped to serve as executive secretary of the Maine Democratic Party in 1953. In that role, he and Coffin, a friend and colleague, helped revive the party and propel Muskie into Maine’s governorship. In addition to many roles with Muskie, including senior advisor 1972-96, he was vice president for planning and public affairs at Maine Medical Center (1975-86) and an independent consultant with D&H Nicoll Associations. He led many Maine state committees, commissions, and task forces, was a founding member of the Edmund S. Muskie School Board of Visitors, and was founding president of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation. Committed to social justice, environmentalism, and world peace, he was involved with the Unitarian Universalist Church and the Japanese-American Society of Maine as a goodwill ambassador and host to Japanese visitors. He was visiting his oldest son in Japan from his home in Portland, Maine, when he passed away. Predeceased by his wife of 65 years, Hilda Farnum Nicoll ’49, he leaves four children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Joan “Jay” Smith Rogers ’49, Aug. 23, 2024, in Bar Harbor, Maine, at 96. A dedicated mother and homemaker most of her life, she also led a life full of activity while living in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. In addition to church-related activities, she and her husband bought and sold antiques, refinishing old chests and perusing yard sales. She was an active knitter, a dedicated diarist, and loved cooking, reading, collecting, and music. Retiring first in Waterville, she was a mainstay in the Waterville Universalist Unitarian Church and its Evening Sandwich Program. She also traveled extensively during this period. Three years after the death of her husband in 2013, she moved to a retirement community in Bar Harbor. She hails from a long line of Colby graduates, including her grandparents, Clarence and Alice White, her parents, Ralph and Marion White Smith, both Class of 1917, and an uncle, Donald White, Class of 1913. Also predeceased by her husband of 65 years, A. Raymond Rogers Jr. ’49, and a brother, Douglas N. Smith ’45, she leaves five children, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Jean Desper Fitton Thurston ’49, June 5, 2024, in Nobleboro, Maine, at 96. She began her teaching career in 1959, earning a master’s in education from Worcester (Mass.) State Teachers College in 1962, and spent most of her career at West Tatnuck School in Worcester. She retired to Nobleboro in 1979 and became active in the Baptist Church and volunteered for the historical society, garden club, and Buddies Program at the town’s Central School. She loved painting, gardening, reading, and all sorts of needlework. She leaves six children, including Deborah Fitton Mansfield ’70, three stepchildren, eight grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren.
Martha “Marty” Jackson White ’49, June 9, 2024, in Cullowhee, N.C., at 96. She did graduate work at the Boston University School of Music for three years following Colby, marrying in 1951 and working for United Airlines in New York City for a few years before moving to New Jersey and starting her family. Later, she worked as a public school music supervisor for more than 20 years. She was active with the Episcopal Church, becoming a licensed lay reader, singing in the choir, serving on the Altar Guild, and being elected vice president of the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Newark. In retirement in North Carolina, she joined the Church of the Good Shepherd and served as a chalice bearer and supervised Christian education. She was also a member of the Western Carolina Community Chorus, which sang in Europe and along the East Coast, and the Cashiers Knitting Club. Predeceased by her husband, Conrad G. White ’49 and her sister Sally Jackson Frailey ’52, she leaves two children and two grandchildren.