In Memoriam

1951 The alumni office has learned of the death of Ann Trowbridge Johnston, 88, of Marietta, Ga., on March 26, 2018. Her daughter is Lynne Johnston ’80.

1952 John A. Gregory, 90, of Murray, Ky., died May 29, 2021. He graduated from law school at the University of Kentucky and was a captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps before settling in Murray, where he joined the law firm Nat Ryan Hughes. He was a member of the Murray First Presbyterian Church, where he served on the board of elders and as board chair. He had a lifetime love of hunting and fishing and especially enjoyed his many bird dogs and hunting companions. He was proud to have been an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America in Harlan, Ky. Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Charlotte O’Keefe Gregory ’54; two daughters, Anne Mills and Keane Hale; and three grandchildren.

1953 David L. McNeill, 88, of New Orleans, died Feb. 24, 2020. He was an ophthalmologist for more than 50 years and had been an Air Force flight surgeon and chief of aviation medicine at the Air Force Base in Edwards, Calif. He received his medical degree from Baylor University College of Medicine in 1958 and trained at several other universities, including Tulane Medical School Ophthalmology and Charity Hospital, during his residency. He was president of Tulane Eye Alumni Association. He was clinical investigator at McGhan Medical in 1976 and conducted the first intraocular lens implantation. He was a clinical investigator for Cilco Medical in 1980. His honors included a certificate of merit from the City of New Orleans, commendation from Louisiana Senate, and being named Outstanding Tulane Eye Alumnus in 2008. He was also active in the Clan McNeill Association of America. Survivors include his wife of 22 years, Linda Paradise McNeill; a daughter, Jennie-Lynn McNeill Campbell; a son, Ronald David McNeill; stepdaughters Karen Freese, Missy Schulz, Gretchen Riddle, and Jennifer Coats; his sisters, Margaret Anne Goldstein, Dorothy McNeill Koomey, and Evelyn Koudal; and eight grandchildren.

1954 Amelia Green Nichols, 88, of Danville, died Jan. 6, 2021. She was a housewife and an active volunteer in her church, Danville Presbyterian Church, as well as the Boyle County Public Library, Centre College, and the Humane Society. Her hobbies were pets, bird watching and hiking, She ran the Empty Nest Bed & Breakfast in her home for 20 years. Survivors include her three children, Kitty Sears, Reidy Guild, and Alex Nichols ’85; and four grandchildren.

The alumni office has learned of the death of Carolyn Toy of Louisville on Jan. 22, 2019.

1956 Josephine Cramer Hoover, 85, of Ever green, Colo., died Feb. 9, 2021. In 1959, she was assigned to Saudi Arabia as a CIA analyst for three years. She was one of, if not the first, women to drive in Saudi Arabia, transporting diplomatic pouches. She moved to Evergreen in 1972. For many years she volunteered with what became the Evergreen Mountain Area Historical Society, serving on the board and as its librarian, cataloging oral histories, photographs, and documents in the collection. She was also honored as one of the longest-serving volunteers in the Jefferson County Open Space program. She earned a master’s in library science at the University of Denver in 1977 and was a librarian for the Stearns-Roger Engineering Corporation and the Jefferson County school district. Survivors include her daughters, Amelia Adair and Teresa Holden; and her siblings, Judith Cramer Kite ’59 and Noel Cramer.

Robert W. Nichols, 85, of Louisville, died Nov. 30, 2020. He was a Navy veteran and a retired investment advisor. Most of his career was spent at the old First National Bank/Kentucky Trust Company, where he was a senior vice president. He retired from Raymond James in 2004. He enjoyed family, friends, the arts, politics, extensive travel, and golf. A lifelong Presbyterian, he was a member of Second Presbyterian Church, where he served as a trustee. Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Martha Clay Nichols; children Martha Nichols-Pecceu ’85 and Robert Nichols ’88; and four grandchildren.

1957 Ewing Marsh Goodson, 85, of McMinnville, Tenn., died Dec. 11, 2020. He was a member of Centre’s undefeated 1955 football team, one of only four teams inducted into Centre’s Hall of Fame. He was a football and track coach in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Georgia. In 1967, he joined the inaugural faculty at Jackson State Community College in Tenn., where he taught and was an administrator until he retired in 1994. In 2013, he was inducted as a member of the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame. Marsh is survived by his wife of 57 years, Katharine Pearsall Goodson; his daughter, Marsha Kaye Dennison; his son, Jeffrey Todd Goodson; and four granddaughters.

1959 The alumni office has learned of the death of James E. Cahill of Senatobia, Miss., on Aug. 21, 2020.

Guilio “Julian” Guinchigliani, 88, of Louisville, died Nov. 15, 2020. He was an Air Force veteran of the Korean War and was in the Reserves. He spent more than 35 years at Citizen’s Fidelity, later acquired by PNC, and retired as a vice president in the accounting department. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was instrumental in implementing the automated teller machine process for the bank. He was considered an expert in “overnight float” and was often loaned out to regional banks as a consultant. Survivors include his son, Tony Guinchigliani; daughter, Gina G. Hina; and three grandsons.

Mary Jo Settle Lones, 83, of Atlanta, died March 11, 2021. She was a retired elementary school teacher who taught for many years in Scottsville, Ky. Survivors include her daughter, Laura Lones; sister, Emily Polson; and brothers, Bill Settle, Wilbur Settle ’62, and Francis Settle.

1964 Winston F. Clifton, 78, of Charleston, S.C., died March 22, 2021. He was a retired systems analyst for the State of Kentucky and a member of the Barbourville First United Methodist Church. His passion was always University of Kentucky men’s basketball. Survivors include his daughter, Elizabeth Clifton O’Leary ’92; brother, Charles Randall Clifton; and grandchildren, Declan O’Leary and Erin O’Leary ’24.

H. Gordon DePoyster, 78, of Greenville, Ky., died Jan. 12, 2021. He was a dentist and a member of First Christian Church in Greenville. Survivors include his wife, Lamar Hansen DePoyster; and longtime family member Greg Haley of Greenville.

G. William “Bill” Kingsbury, 79, of Snellville, Ga., died March 10, 2021. He received a Master in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He worked with communities and the private sector in Kentucky, Colorado, and Georgia to establish economically sound improvement programs for

parks, industrial sites, resorts, hotels, airports, campgrounds, retail development, roadways, and housing. At the time of his death, he was chair of the Snellville Planning Commission, secretary of the Snellville Downtown Development Authority, and principal advisor to obtain an affordable senior housing development for Snellville United Methodist Church. Survivors include his wife, Shaysha “Shirley” Davidson Kingsbury; children, Beth Duncan and Mark Kingsbury; stepchildren, Lonnie Ford and Melanie Freeman; and seven grandchildren.

John B. “Jack” Roe, 78, of Holmes Beach, Fla., died Nov. 27, 2020. He practiced law in Rochelle, Ill., for more than 20 years and was admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court. He was elected Ogle County (Ill.) State’s Attorney, circuit judge for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, and to two terms in the Illinois Senate. He was appointed chief justice of the Illinois Court of Claims. After retiring as a judge in 2000, he became an adjunct professor at the Stetson University law school in St. Petersburg, Fla. He enjoyed horse racing, golf, reading, and traveling. Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Phyllis; son, Ben Roe ’97; stepdaughter, Julie Watt; sister, Ruth Roe Arth; and four grandchildren.

1967 Edward H. “Bing” Walter, 75, of Danville, died Dec. 9, 2020. He served a number of years as controller at Centre, then was a vice president of Citizens National Bank. He had been treasurer of the Danville-Boyle County Humane Society, a board member of McDowell House, and president of the Danville Country Club. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church of Danville, where he had been a deacon and treasurer. He was an avid University of Kentucky Wildcats fan. Survivors include a daughter, Julia Walter; a sister, Leslie Walter Dedman ’69; and four grandchildren.

1968 Beverly Morris Monohan, 74, of Louisville, died March 12, 2021. She earned a master’s in education from the University of Louisville and taught for many years at Smyrna Elementary School in Louisville. Her many volunteer works included two years with the Association for Retarded Citizens using handicapped puppets. She enjoyed travel, especially to the beach. She was a member of St. Leonard Catholic Church. Survivors include her husband of 51 years, Jim Monohan ’69; daughters, Elizabeth Monohan ’95 and Erin Monohan Whitlock ’98; siblings, Linda Davis and Edward Morris; and five grandchildren.

1969 The alumni office has learned of the death of Judith Preuss Erler of Louisville on July 31, 2020.

E. Scott Kimbel, 74, of Frankfort, Ky., died April 6, 2021. He retired as a well-respected professional farrier, specializing in the care of thoroughbred foals. Some of his favorite activities were horseback riding, fly fishing, and playing the guitar. Survivors include his wife, Kathryn Anne Kimbel; and his brother, Wayne Herrick Kimbel.

1979 The alumni office has learned of the death of Michael Troutman of Lexington, Ky., on March 17, 2019.

THE LEGACYAWARD

$3000 RENEWABLE ANNUALLY for the CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN of ALUMNI.

For information, contact the Admission Office at 800.423.6236 or email at admission@centre.edu.

1984 The alumni office has learned of the death of Kathleen McEnerny of Arlington, Va., on Sept. 26, 2020.

1996 William E. “Wes” Stilwell, 46, of Midway, Ky., died Oct. 19, 2020. A master logger, he owned Tree Tenders. He was an avid outdoorsman and especially loved fishing and being in the woods. He coached several youth soccer teams. Survivors include his mother, Doris Stilwell; children, Brooke Stilwell and William “Earle” Stilwell; and sister, Belen Angel.

2014 Logan James Humphrey, 29, of Paris, Ky., died July 1, 2021. He received his doctorate in physical therapy at the University of Kentucky and was a physical therapist at ARK Rehab. He enjoyed anime, listening to hip hop, Godzilla, and playing video games. Survivors include his parents, Rodney and Linda Morris Humphrey; brother, Landon Chase Humphrey; grandparents, Anna Lee Morris, Alice Faye Means, and Carroll James Humphrey; and girlfriend, Kara Christiansen.

Zachary Thomas Trette, 29, of Frankfort, Ky., died Dec. 30, 2020. He worked for EPIC Systems and Metcalfe’s in Madison, Wis., before returning to Kentucky to work at Keeneland. While at Centre, he was a member of the Association for Computing Machinery competitive coding team and created a Perryville Civil War Battlefield Casualty Database for the Kentucky Historical Society. He played handbells and sang at church throughout his life and enjoyed history, mathematics, culinary arts, tennis, sushi, pizza with extra sauce, video games, and anime. Survivors include his parents, Frank and Sally Clark Trette; his siblings, Clayton Trette ’16, Evelyn Koger, Olivia Trette, and Matthew Trette; and grandparents, Marilyn Lacy Clark and Margaret Trette.

FORMER STAFF

Phillip Anderson, 62, died Oct. 29, 2021. He retired as a maintenance mechanic in July 2021 after more than 17 years at the College. He received a Horky Award in 2008. A Navy veteran, he previously worked for 20 years at Penn Ventilator. He was an enthusiastic fisherman. Survivors include his wife of 38 years, Barbara Tamme Anderson; three children, Cassie Chester, Kristin Anderson, and Hunter Anderson; and grandchildren.

CHARLES A. GIRARD

Charles A. “Chuck” Girard, a 27-year member of the chemistry faculty, died Oct. 15, 2021. He was 89.

Girard served four years with the U.S. Army in Austria in the early 1950s before earning chemistry degrees at Ohio State University (B.S.) and the University of Kentucky (M.S., Ph.D.). While at UK, he met his beloved wife, Annabel, who survives him. They were married almost 52 years.

A Massachusetts native, he was senior associate chemist at IBM in Lexington, Kentucky, 1962-66 and held a patent related to printing and developing. He joined the Centre faculty in 1968 to teach theoretical chemistry.

“I’ve always been curious,” he once said. “That’s why I came to Centre—so I’d have the opportunity to interact with other disciplines.”

His curiosity took him in many directions. He spoke three languages—English, German, and French—studied the constellations with a refractor telescope, and tracked meteorology using a rain gauge and a wind vane on his house. He played the piano and organ for many years and even built a pipe organ after reading about how old organs were made. He used a vacuum cleaner motor for the organ’s blower. He also built paper cathedrals and a greenhouse, loved opera, operated a ham radio, painted, and usually had a good cigar in his hand.

“Chuck Girard was a true renaissance man with knowledge in so many fields—from foreign languages, to music, to the sciences,” says Jeff Fieberg ’91, who joined the Centre chemistry faculty in 2005.

“He demonstrated that learning should be fun and that laughing a lot is contagious! He is one of two professors I have tried to emulate during my past 24 years of college teaching. I try to make my classes as fun as his were to motivate my students to study chemistry.”

Debbie Massey-Eyre ’91, now a pediatric physician, concurs. “He is the reason I became a chemistry major,” she says. “He was such a fun professor and so very kind.”

She also remembers him as a true character who loved music.

“I can see him now in one of his famous pullover sweaters, cigar not far away,” she recalls. “I am confident that when he passed through the pearly gates, the angel choir serenaded him with ‘Danke Shoen’ as he so often sang to us, and that dear Dr. Sagar was waiting for him with a bushel of kumquats, which is what Dr. Girard famously offered students who answered his questions correctly.”

Girard received a number of honors for his work with Boy Scouts, including the District Award of Merit, District Commissioner of the Year, and the Silver Beaver (highest award at the council level). He was a member of the Order of the Arrow and in 1989 received the St. George Medal, presented by the Catholic Church to outstanding Scout leaders. For many years he was troop committee chair for Troop 119 in Danville. He was very involved with his church, Saints Peter and Paul, in Danville.

When he retired in 1995, he was asked what final advice he would like to give his students.

“You have the wherewithal within you to be anything you want,” he said. “But to be that, you need to set a goal and focus on it.”

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Charles Girard; his daughter, Mary Girard (a librarian at Centre); two grandchildren, Veronica Annabel Girard and Arturo Constantine Borges; and his brother, Arthur Girard.

“I’ve always been curious. That’s why I came to Centre— so I’d have the opportunity to interact with other disciplines.”

CHARLES “CHUCK” GIRARD