Author: Ruth Olson

William Davis Fishback, Jr., 76, passed away at home Tuesday, July 16th. Born in Lexington, KY, he was the son of the late William Davis Fishback, Sr. and Frances Gore Fishback. Dave graduated from The Lexington School, Henry Clay, Davidson College and Auburn University where he received his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. While doing a veterinary internship in Charlottesville, VA he met his future wife, Betsy Buchanan Fishback. Dave began his veterinary career at Woodford Veterinary Clinic, moving to Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in 1975. He would remain at Hagyard for the remainder of his career, serving as President for over a decade, and retiring in 2018. He would always state that he had the best job because he was able to drive around the bluegrass, see all of his best friends, and take care of horses everyday. Dave also had a passion for his family business. He and his father bred stakes winning Thoroughbreds and Angus cattle at their family farm, Glen Airy, in Versailles. Dave wore several other hats in the equine and local community. He served many boards and organizations throughout his life: The Lexington School Board of Trustees, Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, Pisgah Community Club, Pisgah Presbyterian Church Session, Woodford Humane Society, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, The American Veterinary Medical Association-Council on Education, American Association of Equine Practitioners, Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association, and Thoroughbred Club of America. Giving back was a way of life for him, and something for which he never wanted to receive praise. 

More than anything, Dave took much pride in his relationships with family and friends. Dave was a devoted friend, son, brother, husband, father, and a very proud grandfather. He was preceded in death by his wife, Betsy Buchanan Fishback. Dave is survived by his daughters, Leslie Fishback Cutchins and husband Chip of Virginia Beach, Sarah Davis Fishback of Lexington, and his grandchildren, Cooper Anne Cutchins, Cecil Vaughan Cutchins, III, and Elizabeth Davis Cutchins, all of Virginia Beach. Dave is also survived by his sister, Frances Fishback Allen, his sister-in-law, Deborah Ann Buchanan, and three nieces, Sheila Camp Motley, Robin Janette Allen, and Elizabeth Allen Giordano.

Visitation will be held at Blackburn and Ward Funeral Home in Versailles, KY from 5pm to 8pm on Sunday, July 21st. On Monday, July 22nd a Celebration of Life will take place at Holly Hill Inn in Midway, KY from 2pm to 5pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Central Kentucky Riding for Hope, P.O. Box 13155, Lexington, KY 40511, the Markey Cancer Foundation, 115 Waller Avenue, Lexington, KY 40503, or Woodford Humane Society, P.O. Box 44, Versailles, KY 40383.

Dr. Stephen Edwin Rostan, a well-loved Moore County physician, died at his home on July 10, 2024. He was 79. Dr. Rostan joined Dr. John Haserick at Pinehurst Dermatology in 1976. He was proud and honored to have served the sandhills and surrounding communities as a dermatologist and dermatopathologist for 34 years. He felt fortunate to have been associated with Moore Memorial Hospital, serving many years as a member and chair of the hospital’s education committee, and once as chief of staff. Dr. Rostan graduated from Valdese High School where he was an outstanding athlete and student leader, serving as president of his Senior Class. He graduated from Davidson College where he was a Dana Scholar, president of Alpha Epsilon Delta (pre-med honorary society), and a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. Dr. Rostan graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and completed his internship and residency in dermatology at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX, where he was promoted to Major. He also served at Womack Army Hospital in Fort Bragg, NC. Dr. Rostan was active in the community and with his sons’ sports teams. He was a generous donor to charitable causes and a member of Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church. Steve loved Davidson College, especially Wildcats basketball. He became a very good tennis player and enjoyed a competitive game followed by a cold beer. He was preceded in death by his parents, Stephen and Hattie Reynolds; and by his first wife and mother of their sons, Barbara Hay.

He is survived by his wife, Wendy Brown Rostan; sons, Robert S. Rostan (Elizabeth), Charlotte, NC, and Scott W. Rostan (Stephanie) Hoboken, NJ; sisters, June Rostan (Bob Ferguson and his sons, Robbie and Mike Ferguson) and Renee Rostan and her daughter, Holly Anderson; grandsons, Luke and Xavier Rostan of Hoboken, NJ; stepdaughters, Olivia Webb (Brett), Jenna Webb (Michael Todd) and Holly Webb; stepgrandchildren, Larkin Webb and Adeline Todd; and loyal friend, Pat Henderson.

The family thanks the nurses and caregivers of FirstHealth Hospice and Comfort Keepers for their wonderful care for Dr. Rostan after his health and mobility declined due to Parkinson’s.

According to Dr. Rostan’s wishes, burial will be in Valdese, NC. Friends and family are invited to the graveside service at the Waldensian Presbyterian Church Cemetery at 1141 Praley Street SW and to the visitation/reception following at Le Phare des Alpes hall at 301 Laurel Street SE. The graveside service will be held at 11 a.m., on Thursday, July 18, 2024.

Friends, family, and patients of Dr. Rostan are invited to a celebration of life at Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church, Southern Pines, NC, held at 11 a.m., on Friday, July 19, 2024 followed by a visitation/reception.

Memorials can be made to FirstHealth Hospice, 215 Campground Road, West End, NC 27376.

William “Bill” Alexander Kirkland, Jr., 83, passed away July 2, 2024. He was born in Durham, NC to the late William “Buck” Alexander and Helon Wilkerson Kirkland. In addition to his parents, Bill is pre-deceased by his son, Kirk Kirkland, and brother-in-law, Bob Carter.

Bill was educated at Calvert School (now Durham Academy), George Watts Elementary, and Carr Junior High. He was a member of Durham High School’s Class of 1958. He graduated from Davidson College with a B.A. in English in 1962.

Bill started his career as a reporter for the Durham Sun before moving to sports reporter for the Fayetteville Observor. He returned to Durham as city editor for the Durham Morning Herald. He then took a four year detour from newspapers to work in public relations for Broyhill Furniture Industries in Lenior, NC.

In 1979, he returned to newspapers and began a 22 year career with Worrell Newspapers. He spent his first year as associate publisher for the Lenoir News Topic. He moved from there to being publishers of the Southwest Times in Pulaski, VA; the Greensburg Daily News in Greensburg, IN; and the York County Coast Star in Kennebunk, ME. He concluded his career with Worrell at the Daily Progress in Charlottesville, VA while being named a Worrell general executive in 1979 and vice-president in 1986.

After retiring from Worrell Newspapers, he started Kirkland Newspapers, Inc. (KNI). He owned weekly newspapers in Wisconsin, Maine, and North Carolina. He started two weeklies in North Carolina.

Bill wrote Eddie Neville of the Durham Bulls – a book about his childhood hero and his hometown baseball team. While researching and writing his book, Bill connected with many former teammates of Eddie Neville. In 1993, Bill was instrumental in helping the Durham Bulls put together a reunion of former players.

Bill was a member of the Jaycees and Rotary. He served as United Way Chairman in Pulaski, VA and as Chairman of the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Bill is survived by his wife, Ann Carter Kirkland; daughter Elizabeth Kirkland Sickles (Robert); grandchildren: Alexandra, Kari (Phillip Bader), and Michael Sickles; Coley, Mimi, and Kate Kirkland; cousins: Linda Nelson Davis, Susan Nelson Dox (Allan), Cathy Nelson Raddatz; brother-in-law Bill Carter ( Jo Lene) and sister-in-law Cindy Carter; and niece Jo Carter (James Dees).

Cecilia Johnson, Sharon Turrentine, and Chastiny Reid were Bill’s caregivers in his final years battling Alzheimer’s Disease. Their professionalism, empathy, and patience, helped ease Bill’s life. They also provided much needed support to his immediate family.

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, July 11th at 2pm at Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church with the Reverend Emily Wilkes officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church, 927 W. Trinity Avenue, Durham, NC 27701; Kirkland Family Scholarship, Davidson College, 209 Ridge Road, P.O. Box 5000, Davidson, NC 28035.

The family is being assisted by Clements Funeral and Cremation Services, Inc. in Durham. Online Condolences may be sent to www.clementsfuneralservice.com

Journalists have traditionally used -30- to indicate the end of an article. Bill Kirkland was proud of his newspaper career – and he could write. Oh, how he could write.

-30-

Richard Paul Barber, Jr., of Santa Clara California, died peacefully June 25, 2024 from complications of a bone marrow transplant. He was 62.

Rich was born December 14, 1961 in Iredell County, North Carolina and grew up in Mooresville, North Carolina. After graduating from Mooresville High School in 1980, he attended Davidson College where he received a B.S. degree in Physics in 1984. Following that, he received a Ph.D. in 1990 at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he studied superconductivity in disordered films.

He then worked as a post-doctoral researcher at UC San Diego and then two more years as a post-doctoral fellow in oceanography studying air-sea interactions at the University of Delaware.

Rich came to Santa Clara University in 1995 and built a lab that became a hub for cross-disciplinary undergraduate research. During his career there, he mentored 48 undergraduates and three high school research students whose majors included Physics, Engineering Physics, Biochemistry, Biology, and Public Health. Thirty-six of these students were co-authors with Rich on one or more peer-reviewed publications.

On projects ranging from superconductors to solar materials to insect silk to dance, he engaged students and colleagues with kindness and a deep love for learning. In 2023, Rich received the Bernard Hubbard S.J. Creative Collaboration Award, a testament to his gift for teaching through professional research projects and creative work. Beyond the classroom and research lab, Rich served as, among other positions, Chair of the Physics Department, Director of the Center for Nanostructures, Chair of the University Rank and Tenure Committee, and advisor to Sigma Pi Sigma, the honor society for Physics and Astronomy students.

Other than his phenomenal teaching skills, Rich was known for his brightly colored ties, which he wore with equally brightly colored short-sleeved shirts. He was also known for his talkative nature, meaning if you asked him what time it was, he would tell you how to build a clock.

He had high expectations of his students, and mentored them with gentle encouragement, sometimes with a boisterous gaffaw. His colleagues also described him as authentic, loving, loyal, sacred and mildly profane. They said he was “a man of science who knew there was more.”

He met the love of his life, Letel, in high school and they married in 1985. The two enthusiastically embraced the local culture of whereever they lived, including a deep love for the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland crabs and the San Francisco Giants. His son Charlie was born in 2000.

He often cycled with Charlie and taught him how to build, weld, plumb and use any tool in the shed. He enjoyed cooking–especially Lebanese cuisine, as it was his heritage–eating and traveling. But most of all, he loved spending time with Charlie.

He additionally served as the Commissioner of Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Scouting Association and with his beautiful bass voice sang in the choir for more than 25 years at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and Trinity Cathedral in San Jose.

Rich’s health started to decline in 2021 and he overcame three various cancer diagnoses. Sadly, he was diagnosed again last November with MDS, Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a form of blood cancer. He received a stem cell tranplant at Stanford University Hopsital on June 7. After doing well for several weeks, he became critically ill from complications of the transplant June 17.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Martha Barber of Mooresville, North Carolina and then Santa Clara (2021) and his father Richard P. Barber, of Mooresville, NC who passed in 1980. He is survived by his wife Letel; his son Charlie, of Santa Clara; his uncle Richard A. May of Burlington, North Carolina; cousins in Massachusetts, Tennessee and North Carolina and many, many friends and colleagues.

Donations in his name can be made to Ventana Wildlife Society, which conserves native wildlife and their habitats through science, education and collaboration or the Second Harvest of Silicon Valley Food Bank.

A memorial service is pending.

Gilbert “Hugh” Moore Jr, 71 of Sanford passed away Monday June 24, 2024. 

Funeral arrangements are pending. 

Hugh was the son of the late Gilbert Hugh Moore Sr and Lavonna Deel Moore. He was born on February 4, 1953, in Hampton, Virginia. As a child, Hugh and his family moved frequently for his father’s career as a salesman. Most of his childhood was spent in Charlotte and Greensboro. He graduated from Davidson College in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Following college, Hugh served as a United States Peace Corps volunteer in Iran for a year before attending law school at the University of North Carolina from 1975-1978. Hugh first practiced law in Louisburg for a short time and then moved to Sanford where he was a well-respected attorney for more than 40 years. He was devoted to his career and was passionate about working toward justice and advocating for people from all walks of life. Molly McElveen, his office manager, was his trusted right hand for nearly his entire career.

Sanford was home for Hugh, and he was actively involved in the community. He participated in many local organizations throughout his life including the Optimist Club, Haven, Friends of the Library, the Hispanic Task Force, the Lee County Board of Elections, Willing Hands, and the local Democratic party. Kiwanis Park was one of his favorite places to exercise. Hugh had a love for words and looked forward to Sanford’s annual Spelling Bee competition.

Anyone who knew Hugh knew his love for UNC and Carolina sports. Depending on the season, he could be found at Kenan Stadium, the Dean Dome, or Boshamer Stadium cheering on his beloved Tar Heels. He took sports seriously and was always in a good mood after a Carolina victory.

Family was important to Hugh, and he dearly loved his three sisters. For many summers, the Moore Family vacationed at Emerald Isle creating beautiful memories. Hugh was proud of his nieces and nephews and was a special uncle to them.

One of the greatest joys of Hugh’s life was being Elizabeth’s father. He passed on to her his love of politics, trivia, music, and travel. They shared special trips to London and Spain. Watching Elizabeth grow up brought him great pride, and he thought very highly of her husband, Stuart. In his last year of life, Hugh became a granddaddy to James, and perhaps this was his favorite title of all. James could always make his granddaddy smile and filled him with tremendous happiness.

Hugh will be remembered as a smart, humble, generous, witty person who lived life to the fullest. He made the world a better place and will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Mr. Moore is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth Grace Moore (Stuart Thomason) of Morrisville; grandson, James Lasater Thomason; sisters, Wanda Hunter (Tye) of Chapel Hill, Debbie MacDonald (Steve) of St Augustine, FL, and Libby Smith (Nelson) of Rocky Mount; best friend, Dr. Howard James; special friend, Laura Farmer; former wife, Virginia Moore; beloved nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephew.

Memorial contributions can be made to the American Friends Service Committee @ afsc.org; Amnesty International USA @ amnestyusa.org; or Doctors Without Borders USA @ donate.doctorswithoutborders.org.