spring 2014 / 57
CLASSNOTES
spent two years in theU.S. Army
before embarking upon a 50-year
career in real estate andmortgage
banking. Hewas executive vice
president at JacksonCompany,
president at SouthTrustMortgage
Corp., and vice president at B.F.
Saul Company inBethesda,
Md. He finished his career
as vice president at Byars and
Company. Cavaleri hadmany
professional and community
affiliations, andwas amember
of All Saints’ Episcopal Church.
He is survivedby hiswife, two
daughters, and threegrandchildren.
Bothof his parentswereBSC
alumni.
’56
FrancesDinsmoreMcLaughlin
of Birmingham, onDec. 4, 2013.
McLaughlinwas amagna cum
laude andPhi Beta Kappa graduate
of BSC. Sheworked as a librarian
at Birmingham-Southern, UAB,
and theBaptist Hospital School
of Nursing for a number of years.
McLaughlinwas amember of
EnsleyHighlands Presbyterian
Church (nowChapel in the
Pines Presbyterian). Among her
many interestswere gardening,
needlework, reading, bridge, and
enjoying loving relationshipswith
family, friends, and neighbors.
McLaughlinwas 101 years old.
She is survived by a daughter
and several grandchildren, great-
grandchildren, and great-great-
grandchildren.
’58
MaryAnn“Sam”Braden
Whisner
ofVerbena, onDec. 3,
2013. She realized her love for
world travel duringher husband’s
Air Force career, living inSouth
America andEurope. Always
active,Whisnerwas elected to
theboards of theMaxwell-Gunter
Credit Union andChiltonCounty
Bank. Shewas president of the
German-AmericanWomen’sClub
while living inStuttgart; while in
formerYugoslavia, she served as
community liaison officer for the
U.S. Embassy. After retiring to
Verbena,Whisner ran the antiques
and curiosities shopBits andBobs
and devotedher energy to various
civic activities aswell as supporting
various functions in theChilton-
ClantonPublic Library. She and her
husband continued to travel abroad
in retirement.
’59
JamesArthur“Jim”Raines
of
Lynchburg,Va., onFeb. 1, 2013.
He served in theU.S. Air Force as
amedic during theKoreanWar.
After graduating fromBSC, Raines
began a careerwith theYMCA,
which took him toMontgomery;
Albany, Ga.; SanFrancisco; New
YorkCity; Birmingham; and finally
Lynchburg,Va. He retired in1996,
but continued to consult atYMCAs
throughout the country. Raines
was a civic leaderwhowas very
involved in his community. He
was an activemember of Peakland
UnitedMethodist Church and
loved playing golf. The endeavor
ofwhich hewasmost proudwas
being the promoter, chief roadie,
and booking agent for his family
singing group,TheRainedrops.
Raines and hiswife,
ShirleeDover
Raines ’59
, weremarried students
at BSC. “’Southernwas a fantastic
experience for us,” she said. “We
cherished our years there.”
FrederickJackson“Jack”Zylman
III
of Birmingham, onNov. 13,
2013. Zylmanwas aUnitarian
minister and a liberal activist
against racism, war, and poverty.
After graduating fromBSC, he
attended theMeadville Lombard
Theological School at theUniversity
of Chicago. He devoted his life to
making theworld amore just place
andworked tirelessly for the civil
rightsmovement and causes he
believed in. In 2010, hewon the
Fannie LouHamer HumanRights
Award from theSouthernHuman
RightsOrganizersConference.
Survivors include awife and
daughter.
’61
Phyllis PughSzabo
ofTuscaloosa,
on July 5, 2013. Szabo taught
kindergarten, first, and second
grades inBirmingham, Jefferson
County, andTuscaloosaCounty.
She also taught piano and organ
for several years. She andher late
husband,
MichaelW. Szabo ’61
,
loved to sing and go camping. Her
sister,
LuveniaPughButler
of
Bessemer, who attendedBSC in
1961 and 1962, remarked“Phyllis
said the happiest days she ever
hadwere at Birmingham-Southern;
itwas certainly one of the best
decisions I evermade.”
In
Memoriam
’63
E. FrankSchmidt
of Sterrett, Ala., a longtimebank executive,
passed awayon Jan. 17, 2014.
Schmidt joined SouthTrust Bankone year after his BSC
graduation. Hebeganwork in the audit department andquickly
moved into thebank’smanager trainingprogram. Hewas
headof all of SouthTrust’sMobilebranches before returning
toBirmingham in1994 tobecome executive vicepresident of
Alabamaoperations—aposition that placedhimover all branches
in the state.
In1999, Schmidt becamepresident of themarket bank
division. Hewas SouthTrust’s lead executive inoverseeing the
bank’smergerwithWachovia in2004.
Hewas aBSC trustee from1987-99 andwas a generous supporter of the college.
Hehad also served in several organizations and community groups, including the
BirminghamRegional Chamber of Commerce,Dean’sCommunityAdvisoryCommitteeof the
UAB School ofOptometry, andBirminghamRotaryClub.
Schmidt receivedhis bachelor’s degree inhistory andpolitical science. In addition, hewas a
graduateof theUniversityofOklahoma’s School of Commercial Lending andRutger’s Stonier
Graduate School of Banking.
Survivors includehiswife, Carolyn. Schmidtwas alsooneof themenwho established
theMobileArea Scholarship at BSC. The scholarshipwas establishedbybusiness, civic, and
church leaders in theMobile areawho are friends of the college and in recognitionof BSC’s
commitment toquality education.
