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Theology and entered into ministry.
He served churches throughout
the North Alabama Conference,
retiring in 1987. In retirement, he
served in other capacities, including
district superintendent. Curl was
given an honorary doctorate from
BSC, where he chaired the executive
committee of the Board of Trustees.
They are survived by their daughter,
two granddaughters, and ve
great-grandchildren. The family
requests memorial donations be
made to the William E. and Faye
L. Curl Scholarship at BSC, Of ce
of Advancement, Box 549003, 900
Arkadelphia Road, Birmingham, AL
35254. It is awarded to outstanding
United Methodist students at BSC.
Walter Sinclair Fletcher ’45
of
Mountain Brook, on March 22,
2016. After attending the University
of Alabama School of Law, Fletcher
practiced law with Dominick,
Fletcher, Yielding. He was an avid
golf and tennis player. Survivors
include his wife, three children,
12 grandchildren, and six great-
grandchildren.
John Olan McDaniels Jr. ’45
of
Vestavia Hills, on Oct. 30, 2016.
McDaniels reached the rank of
colonel in the U.S. Air Force and
served in World War II. He was a
member of the Vestavia Country
Club for more than 50 years and
was a champion golf and tennis
player. He is survived by two step-
children, two step-grandchildren,
and three step-great-grandchildren.
Lillian Douglas Berg ’46
of
Clearwater Beach Fla., on Dec. 31,
2016. She enjoyed teaching chemistry
for many years at Northern Virginia
Community College and was a
church organist, pianist, and choir
director at St. Patrick’s Episcopal
Church in Falls Church, Va. Survivors
include a son,
Frederick Berg ’83
of
Del Rio, Texas.
Jane Scruggs Randolph ’46
of
Birmingham, on May 16, 2016.
Randolph earned master’s degrees
from Middlebury College and the
Sorbonne in Paris. When her French
husband died in a ying accident
after World War II, she regained
her U.S. citizenship and embarked
on a career as a French teacher at
the Brooke Hill School until 1975.
In 1952, Randolph re-married and
began parenthood. She enjoyed
playing tennis. She is survived by
ve children, 11 grandchildren, and
six great-grandchildren.
Emily Blake Vail ’46
of Greensboro,
N.C., on May 30, 2016. Vail
received master’s degrees in English
literature and in counseling from
Georgia State University. She began
writing at an early age, eventually
publishing more than a dozen
books of ction and poetry that
earned state, regional, and national
awards; she served two years as
president of the Georgia Poetry
Society. Vail was a promoter of
arts for children, often reading
her poetry in schools. She loved
opera and was a soloist in her
church choir. Her late ex-husband,
Dr. Charles B. Vail ’45
, endowed
the Vail College Fellows Program
at BSC. She is survived by two
daughters, two granddaughters, and
four great-grandchildren.
Johnnie Bates Edwards ’47
of
Birmingham, on April 20, 2016.
Edwards earned a master’s degree
from the University of Alabama.
She spent most of her life as a
teacher throughout the Birmingham
area and was at the forefront of
computer science. Edwards traveled
all over the world with friends
and family, was an avid reader,
and supported the arts in her
community. Survivors include two
daughters, ve grandchildren, and
three great-grandchildren.
The Hon. Perry O. Hooper
Sr. ’47
of Montgomery, on April
24, 2016. After earning his JD
from the University of Alabama
School of Law, Hooper began
his law career in Montgomery.
He was elected probate judge of
Montgomery County in 1964
and re-elected in 1970. In 1974,
he was elected as a circuit judge
in Montgomery. In 1994, he
became the rst Republican chief
justice of the Alabama Supreme
Court since reconstruction. He
was one of the founding fathers
of the modern Republican Party
in Alabama, serving as the state’s
longtime National Committee chair
and onetime party chair. Among
survivors are his wife, four sons, and
a host of grandchildren and great-
grandchildren.
Thomas Alfred Parker ’47
of
Birmingham, on April 9, 2016.
Parker served as a naval aviator
during World War II and was in the
reserves until his retirement in 1964.
He was a longtime employee of
Liberty National Life Insurance Co.
and was active in the Boy Scouts of
America. Survivors include his wife.
Elizabeth Baker Leath ’48
of
Irondale, on May 3, 2016. A
homemaker, Leath was active at
Irondale United Methodist Church
for 66 years. She is survived by a son
and three grandchildren.
Jack Stevens Breckenridge ’49
of Mountain Brook, on Feb. 14,
2016. Breckenridge was a CPA and
30-year employee of Southern
Natural Gas Co.; he began his
career as a staff accountant and
retired as vice president/controller.
He served with the U.S. Air Force’s
31st Bomb Squadron in the South
Paci c during World War II and
was awarded the Purple Heart.
Breckenridge was a member of
Canterbury United Methodist
Church. He and his wife belonged
to several dance clubs. Among
survivors are three children and ve
grandchildren.
Dr. Edward Brock Dismukes ’49
of Hoover, on Dec. 24, 2016.
Dismukes received his master’s
and Ph.D. in physical chemistry
from the University of Wisconsin
and worked at Southern Research
Institute. As a senior research
advisor at SRI, he became a
nationally recognized expert on
ue gas conditioning processes and
studied methods of air pollution
control. He was a U.S. Army
veteran. His survivors include two
children, six grandchildren, and
four great-grandchildren.
Hugh Anderson Neighbors Jr.
’49
of Alexander City, on April
13, 2017. Neighbors served as a
medical corpsman in the South
Paci c Theatre during the last years
of World War II. After graduating
from BSC, he worked one year at
TCI Steel (U.S. Steel) before joining
his father in the family business,
Alex City Provision. Upon his
father’s death, Neighbors became
president of the company until
his retirement. He was an active
member of First United Methodist
Church. He is survived by his wife,
Ann Smallman Neighbors ’51
,
three children, four grandchildren,
and ve great-grandchildren. The
family requests that memorial
contributions be made to the Hugh
and Ora Neighbors Ministerial
Tuition Scholarship at BSC, Of ce
of Advancement, Box 549003, 900
Arkadelphia Road, Birmingham, AL
35254.
Julia Walker Williams ’49
of
Birmingham, on May 28, 2017.
Williams was a longtime member
of the American Association of
University Women and a member
of Trinity United Methodist Church.
Survivors include her husband;
three children, including
Robert
Williams, Jr. ’72
of Birmingham;
six grandchildren, including
Sarah Keathley Hutchings ’05
of
Birmingham and
Charles Williams
’05
of Angier, N.C.; and 11 great-
grandchildren.
Mariam Wilder Bailey ’50
of
Hoover, on May 21, 2017. Bailey
was a beloved seventh and eighth
grade teacher for 38 years at
Inglenook Elementary School. An
avid reader, her natural curiosity led