summer 2012 / 53
CLASSNOTES
Elementary, and Kingston
Elementary. She was heavily
involved with the Quilt Club,
Literary Guild, and Marks Village
Tutoring Program. Among her
survivors is a sister,
Gloria Scalise
Eubank ’51
of Birmingham.
Charles O. Dexter Sr. ’53
of
Ormond Beach, Fla., formerly of
Birmingham, on March 30, 2012.
Dexter served two tours with the
U.S. Navy, earning an honorable
discharge in 1948. He established
a career in human resources,
retiring from State Farm, Coca-
Cola, and the Florida Department
of Transportation. A gifted singer
and musician with a deep booming
voice, Dexter performed onstage
across the country. Besides
singing and viewing shows, he
enjoyed traveling and playing
bridge.
George Hiles Jones ’53
of Leeds
on Jan. 13, 2012. Jones was
co-founder and served as senior
warden of the Episcopal Church in
Leeds. He earned an Education for
Ministry certificate from the School
of Theology at the University of the
South in Sewanee, Tenn. Jones
also was a hospice caregiver
and served as director of the
Leeds Welfare Cooperative. He
formed Association Management
Services to serve as executive
director for multiple small
business associations in the
Southeast. Jones was a longtime
participant in the Kairos Prison
Ministry and served on the board
of the Alabama Committee to
Abolish the Death Penalty. He
was a recipient of numerous civic
and humanitarian awards. Among
survivors is his wife,
Sue Poe
Jones ’58
,
and granddaughter
Rachel Buchan, a sophomore
biology major at BSC.
Steve Michael Leontis ’53
of Birmingham on Sept. 10,
2011.
After graduating from BSC,
Leontis attended the NewYork
Institute of Finance in NewYork
City and became a stockbroker
with Courts & Co. in Birmingham.
After retiring from the brokerage
business in 1971, he went into
business for himself as owner/
operator of the Steve Leontis
Smokehouse Restaurant, retiring
again in 1984. After retirement,
Leontis was an active securities
trader.
Margaret Brown Shepherd
’53
of Huntsville on Aug. 31,
2011.
She earned graduate
degrees from Alabama A&M
University. Shepherd taught in
Alabama public schools for many
years having last served at Grissom
High School.
Emogene Kinney Copeland ’54
of
Decatur on Jan. 8, 2012. Copeland
was an associate member of the
Junior League of Morgan County
and Decatur General Foundation,
among her community affiliations.
JamesWilliam Holley ’54
of
Tigard, Ore., on July 19, 2011. He
had a profound love of music
and singing. Following years of
teaching at Birmingham’s Shades
Valley High School, he served as
a medical technologist for Lloyd
Memorial Hospital. He and his
wife moved to Tigard in 1967 and
he began work for the Providence
Portland Medical Center and
helped found the Medical
Diagnostic Laboratory in Portland,
among his accomplishments. He
also was a tailor who could knit
and crochet. Survivors include his
wife,
Carlota Perez Holley ’52
.
Rev. Dr. Robert Gordon
McKinney ’54
of Alabaster on
April 14, 2012. McKinney received
his master of divinity from Emory
University and his doctor of
divinity from Athens College. He
served numerous churches in the
North Alabama Conference of the
United Methodist Church during
his 60-year ministry. He retired in
1996,
but began serving Overton
Road and Bessemer First United
Methodist churches.
Frances Oliver Norwood ’54
of
Dunwoody, Ga., on March 26,
2012.
Norwood was an active
member of Trinity Presbyterian
Church and loved teaching at every
opportunity. She had a strong love
for music and received her degree
in piano and voice from BSC. She
loved to travel also and had a
passion for genealogy. Norwood
supported the Hugh and Barbara
Thomas Endowed Scholarship at
BSC for many years.
Flora SimmonsTrotter ’55
of
Huntsville on Dec. 11, 2011. She
worked as an executive secretary
for WAPI radio and television
in Birmingham, and also for
Birmingham-Southern. Survivors
include her husband,
C. Leon
Trotter ’58
.
Lynn Harrell Crouch ’56
of Birmingham on April 11,
2012.
Crouch was an avid reader,
sports fan, history teacher, and
basketball coach. He was a
member of the Birmingham-
Southern Sports Hall of Fame for
his heroics in basketball, a loyal
supporter of BSC for many years,
and a regular at men’s basketball
games on campus. Crouch was
commissioned as an officer in
the U.S. Navy in 1956 and retired
as a commander. He began a
career with Liberty National Life
Insurance Co. in 1961, and after his
early retirement, he worked in the
Department of Human Resources
at AmSouth Bank until 1994.
Jo Ann Howard Pritchett
’56
of Montevallo on April 22,
2012.
Pritchett taught in various
elementary school positions in
Birmingham, Tallahassee, and
Panama City from 1956-65. From
1966
until her retirement in 1992,
she held positions in Hoover
as teacher, elementary school
principal, high school principal, and
new construction liaison. Pritchett
earned her master’s degree from
the University of Montevallo and
held an AA certificate from the
University of Alabama. She and
her husband,
Dr.Theodore M.
Pritchett ’58
,
traveled widely.
Rev. Billy GeneWright ’56
of
Tuscaloosa on July 2, 2011. Wright
earned a degree in divinity from
Vanderbilt University. He served
50
years as a United Methodist
minister in various churches in
North Alabama. Wright remained
active after retirement at Jasper
UMC and Trinity Methodist in
Tuscaloosa. He was a Korean War
veteran.
David S. Bishop ’57
of Cleveland,
Tenn., on March 13, 2012. A
lifelong scholar, his education
included an associate degree from
Lee College, a bachelor’s from
BSC, and a doctorate of philosophy
in pastoral ministry from the
California Graduate School of
Theology.
Leland Graves Jr. ’58
of St.
Charles, Mo., on Jan. 27, 2012.
Graves’ BSC degree in geology
was delayed by a U.S. Army tour
of duty in Korea. He worked
