Summer 2012 Review - Lake Forest Academy

in memoriam1932Mr. Thomas C. White III of Barrington, diedJuly 13, 2011. He was 97.1938Lois Griffis Kahler, of Bettendorf, Iowa, diedDecember 2011. She was 91. Lois, a consummate“people person,” readily shared conversations,smiles and laughter with family andfriends, offering sound advice. She was an avidreader and bridge player. She had a lifelong loveaffair with the Northwoods of Wisconsin, whereshe spent childhood summers at Trout Lake.She will be remembered as a wife, mother,grandmother and friend who was honest andtrue, found humor in many situations, and whoexhibited a deep loyalty and unwavering loveand commitment to those who were part of herlife. Survivors include 2 children, 3 grandchildren,and 3 great-grandchildren.1940Walter H. Helmerich III, of Tulsa, Oklahomadied January 17, 2012. He was 89. Walter, anAir Force veteran, graduated from the Universityof Oklahoma and Harvard Business School.Walter was president for more than 25 years ofHelmerich & Payne Inc., the oil company thathis father, Walter H. Helmerich, co-founded in1920. From that position, Walter would lavishmuch of his spare time and attention on the cityhe loved, Tulsa. He would guide the companyfor 30 years, becoming the chief architect ofH&P’s global operations, real estate dealingsand other activities, as the company grew intothe largest active provider of land drilling rigs inthe U.S. A strong civic leader, Walter served asa trustee with the Philbrook Museum, The SalvationArmy, Hillcrest Medical Center and theRetina Research Foundation. He served on theboards of Atwood Oceanics Inc. and NorthwesternMutual Life Insurance Co. as well as Chairof Tulsa’s Board of Parks and Recreation. Walteris survived by his wife, Peggy, 5 sons, and 12grandchildren.1941Kohler McInnis, of Grand Junction, Colorado,died March 24, 2012. He was 88. Kohler Mc-Innis was blessed with a life full of family andfriends.1942Betty Firstenberger Hummel, of Chevy Chase,Maryland died May 16, 2011. She was 87.She is survived by 2 sons, 3 grandchildren, and3 great-grandchildren.Ralph Whitaker, of San Luis Obispo, Californiadied November 15, 2011. He was 87. Ralphcombined his love of language with his engineeringbackground and pursued a career inindustrial writing and editorial work. The maritimeworld and tall ships were a life-long passionof his. He was thrilled by opportunitiesto crew several sailing ships, and his docentactivities on the Star of India at the San DiegoMaritime Museum brought him great joy. Ralphis survived by 4 children, 2 grandchildren and1 great-grandchild.1944John C. Weston, of Madison, Wisconsin, died onMarch 5, 2012. He was 86.1945Faye Iten Evans, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, diedJanuary 3, 2012. She was 84.Surviving are her5 children and 6 grandchildren.JoAnn ‘JoJo’ Ridge Meehan, of South Bend, Indianadied December 29, 2011. She was 84.JoJo held numerous civic roles which won hermany roles for exemplary service. She is survivedby 3 sons, and 1 grandson.1946JoAnne Goodar Stewart, of Naples, FL, diedFebruary 20, 2011. She was 82. JoAnne wasa long time member of the Island Country Clubon Marco Island where she enjoyed playing golf.She enjoyed playing bridge with her friends.She loved spending time with her family. She issurvived by a son and a daughter, grandchildrenand great-grandchildren.1949Shirley Iten Kern, of Naples, Florida, died November4, 2011. She was 79. Shirley will beremembered for her love of the arts, nature andher volunteerism. She was an amateur ballroomdancer and an avid wooden jigsaw puzzler.Shirley was a 60-year member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood,a philanthropic educational organizationwhich promotes educational opportunitiesfor women. Shirley is survived by 2 daughters.1950Richard Spencer III, of Corvallis, Oregon, diedFebruary 24, 2012. He was 80. In addition tobeing an award-winning journalist, Richard wasan avid collector who continued the effort of hismother to collect and catalogue jazz recordingson 78 r.p.m. He continued adding to this importantcollection up through the age of the 331/3 r.p.m. This entire body of rare and carefullypreserved music was donated to StanfordUniversity. It is available to musicians and researchers.He also collected rare mining mapsfrom California from the Gold Rush days intothe 20th Century. Also, he gathered old railroadmaps and timetables, histories of ghost towns,and an historical library focused on the settlingof the West, aviation and biographies. Richardis survived by his wife.1955Jay Ecklund, of Wayzata, Minnesota and FortLauderdale, Florida, died February 26, 2012.He was 75. Jay was born in Minneapolis, MNand summered on Lake Minnetonka, where hegained a lifelong passion for boating. Not onlydid Jay have a passion for the water, he lovedbeing an entrepreneur. He successfully builtYoung America Corporation in Young America,Minnesota, where he worked until his retirementin 1997 as Chairman and CEO. Duringhis retirement, he could be found cruising hisyacht in the Caribbean, East Coast, or to hisfavorite destination, Harbour Island, Bahamaswhere he loved spending holidays with familyand friends. Jay touched thousands of livesthrough his business and travels and it will behis unique sense of humor, witty banter, creativeproblem solving and personal counsel thatmany will remember. Jay is survived by 2 sons.34 Review Spring/Summer 20128 Click: www.lfanet.org