52 / 60
48 / ’southern
CLASS NOTES
Andrew Joseph Douglas Jr.
’53
of Robertsdale, formerly of
Birmingham, on Dec. 13, 2016.
Douglas served as a military
policeman in the U.S. Army during
the Korean con ict. Douglas
had retired from U.S. Steel/
Fair eld Works. After retiring, he
and his wife moved to Baldwin
County. He enjoyed bowling and
bingo. Among survivors are three
daughters.
Wade Lanning Herren ’53
of
Birmingham, on Dec. 7, 2016.
Herren served in the U.S. Navy
during World War II. He attended
BSC on a tennis scholarship, and
during his career, won more 200
tennis titles, including an SEC
Championship in 1948 while
at Tulane and four national
championships. Herren later
founded Highland Racket Club
and built tennis courts all over the
South. He was inducted into the
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the
Southern Tennis Association HOF,
the Alabama Tennis Association
HOF, and the BSC HOF for his
achievements and in uence in
tennis. Herren served as president
of the Alabama Tennis Association.
He is survived by his wife, three
children, and 10 grandchildren.
Joanne Hayes McLaughlin ’53
of
Auburn, on Jan. 5, 2016. McLaughlin
assisted her husband in his dental
practice. She loved antiques and
playing bridge; she taught several
bridge classes over her career. She
and her husband attended Auburn
United Methodist Church. She
is survived by her husband, four
children, nine grandchildren, and
two great-grandchildren.
Terrell G. Latham ’54
of
Birmingham, on June 10, 2016.
Marilyn Brittain Rice ’54
of
Nashville, on Dec. 30, 2016. Rice
worked for the Nashville Public
Library system for 26 years after
earning her master’s in library
science from Peabody College
(now Vanderbilt). She was the head
librarian of the Bellevue branch
library from its founding in 1984
until her retirement in 1997. After
retiring, she served at the Bellevue
United Methodist Church and
volunteered at Nashville’s ALIVE
Hospice. She is survived by three
children, four stepchildren, six
grandchildren, six step-grandchildren,
and eight step-great-grandchildren.
Dr. George Neal Wilson ’54
of
Bessemer, on Oct. 31, 2016. Wilson
attended the School of Medicine at
UAB and went into private practice
as a family physician with his friend
and medical partner, Dr. Leroy
Holt, for more than 30 years. He
nished his career by serving 10
years as director of the University of
Alabama’s Russell Student Health
Center. Wilson served on the Board
of Education for the Bessemer City
Schools and was a past president
of the Bessemer Rotary Club. He
served in the U.S. Marine Corps
during the Korean con ict. He is
survived by four children and seven
grandchildren.
Rev. Howard Earl Collins ’55
of
Birmingham, on May 26, 2017. A
veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Collins
subsequently served as a Methodist
minister for 26 years at various
churches in the North Alabama
conference. He graduated from
the Candler School of Theology at
Emory University. In retirement,
he continued his ministry serving
as director of continuing care at
Parkside-Bradford Health Services.
He is survived by his three children,
six grandchildren, and 13 great-
grandchildren.
Rev. Charles Robert Walker ’55
of Navarre, Fla., on June 27, 2017.
After graduating from BSC, Walker
earned his master of divinity degree
from Emory University. He was a
clergy member of the Alabama-West
Florida Conference of the United
Methodist Church for more than
55 years, serving on several of its
boards and agencies; he retired in
1999. Walker had served on mission
trips in Cuba and the U.S., where
he worked with youth. He was
recognized as pastor emeritus at
Mary Esther UMC in Mary Esther,
Fla., in 2006. He is survived by his
wife, two children, six grandchildren,
and one great-grandson.
Rev. William G. Cowart Jr. ’56
of
Carrollton, Ga., on Dec. 8, 2016.
Cowart was a retired Methodist
minister. He served in the U.S. Navy
as a chaplain and also served two
years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He
is survived by his wife, two children,
and 17 grandchildren.
James Lemuel Sanders ’56
of
Hoover, on Jan. 7, 2016. Sanders
served as the rector of Episcopal
churches in Athens and Selma
and was dean of the cathedral for
the diocese of East Tennessee in
Knoxville. He retired as the vicar
of Steelwood Chapel in Loxley. He
was a U.S. Air Force veteran and
earned his master of divinity from
the Episcopal Theological Seminary
in Virginia. Among survivors
are his wife, three children, six
grandchildren, and several great-
grandchildren.
William E. Dean Jr. ’57
of
Birmingham, on Sept. 27, 2016.
Dean served in the U.S. Army
Reserve and then worked nearly 30
years at Jefferson Federal Savings
and Loan. In retirement, he enjoyed
traveling with his wife, shing,
volunteering with church activities,
and spending time with his two
grandchildren. He is also survived
by his wife,
Norma Goodwin Dean
’63
, and two children.
Waymon Franklin Martin ’57
of
Birmingham, on March 20, 2016.
Martin served in Korea as a sergeant
in the U.S. Army during the ’50s.
He worked as a disc jockey for
WYDE and other radio stations
during and after college. Martin
helped start the Birmingham City
Schools’ instructional television
facilities and became director. At
retirement, he worked with Meals
on Wheels. Among his survivors are
two children, six grandchildren, and
a great-grandson.
Daniel D. Roper ’57
of Atlanta, on
Sept. 3, 2016. After college, Roper
served two years in the U.S. Navy on
the battleship USS Lake Champlain
before becoming a reporter for the
Birmingham News. Later he joined
BellSouth, continuing with AT&T in
public relations. He retired in 1987.
He is survived by his wife, two
children, and ve grandchildren.
Beverly West Turner ’57
of
Trussville, on July 6, 2016. Turner
received her master’s degree from
the University of Alabama. She
studied abroad in Mexico and Costa
Rica, and taught as well. She retired
from the Jefferson County Schools
after several years of service as a
Spanish and French teacher. She was
a member of First Baptist Church
of Center Point. Turner is survived
by three children, including
Lara
Turner Gowder ’00
of Trussville,
and ve grandchildren.
Robert T. Gorman III ’58
of
Vestavia Hills, on Aug. 11, 2016.
Gorman was a retired commercial
real estate broker and an avid Meals
on Wheels volunteer. He was a U.S.
Army veteran of the Korean con ict.
He is survived by his wife, three
daughters, and two grandchildren.
Nancy Gentry Orr ’58
of Nashville,
on Jan. 24, 2016. Orr was active in
several areas of ministry at Forest
Hills Baptist Church; she did
mission trips to Mexico, Guatemala,
Poland, and Portugal. She was an
avid gardener and reader and a
world traveler; she visited more
than 40 countries and many parts of
the U.S. She enjoyed water rafting,
hot air ballooning, hang-gliding,
and ying in antique airplanes. Her
survivors include her husband, four
children, 11 grandchildren, and four
great-grandchildren.