1930s – Davidson College

October 7, 2022November 7, 2025

William T. Rainey ’39

William T Rainey (Bill) ran a great race and died peacefully October 7, 2022.

He was born on Sept 1, 1919, in Salisbury, NC, raised in Fayetteville, NC, educated at Davidson College (BS) and UNC Chapel Hill (PhD).

He was a professor most of his life, starting as an Eagle Scout teaching younger kids, then taught chemistry at Davidson, was a scoutmaster in DC, an instructor in San Francisco for the Navy during WW2, a Professor at Clemson. He was a lifelong learner and did research at ORNL. (X-10 to Oak Ridgers!)

But his best, and longest term assignment was as our father, married to our mother (Mary Swann Rainey) for 62+ years, helping us all through schools in Oak Ridge, TN, and colleges across the US, and then investing in our families, now including 19 great-grandkids! He introduced us, and nephews and neighbors to the Appalachian Trail, scaring off bears with pans and hollering. He included us in countless projects, always learning, himself, and teaching us as he went: Built and filled a greenhouse with camellias and bonsais, created an arboretum around our house, built a split rail fence in our front yard which is still covered in beautiful vines, made pottery on a wheel and fired in the kiln, raised generations of Scotties, stained and nailed cedar shakes on our home, taught us to body surf in the Atlantic, made beautiful furniture, wrote his memoirs with hunt & peck keyboard skills.

We saw him invest countless hours, with our mother, in more people than we can begin to name. They sponsored a refugee family fleeing war in Laos…parents and 8 kids when they arrived in Oak Ridge, adding one more in Tennessee! The Moua family taught the Raineys as much as we taught them…a beautiful example of God’s Economy where our call to service ends up benefitting the servers as much as the served! They hosted Gen Takamoto, from Japan, for two summers at their Blue Bell Farm so Gen could learn English…and learn all about raising blueberries, driving the Kubota tractor, and working on the PVC irrigation system. Daddy made learning fun and adventurous. There was plenty of work accomplished…but he made it fun.

He and mother worshipped at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church, and Daddy stayed active after mother died in 2011.

He is survived by Eleanor (Wesley) Crum, Tommy (Kathy) Rainey, Julie (Tim) Head and Molly (Tommy) Cousins, and 12 grandkids and 19 great-grandkids. He is currently teaching his last class, letting doctors and EMTs practice on his amazing body to benefit the rest of us. We, and you, are blessed! We will celebrate his life Sat Oct 29, at 2pm, Clemson Crosspoint Church.

He sponsored kids overseas and supported local ministries. If you want to donate, either Wears Valley Ranch, founded and run by their pastor’s brother ( https://wvr.org/ ) or Thrive ( https://thrivelonsdale.com/ ) were two of his favorites. Both focus on helping kids from difficult settings in east Tennessee.

November 3, 2019November 11, 2019

Arthur Henry Haake ’36

Colonel Arthur Henry Haake, USMC (Ret.), died at Brandermill Woods on November 3, 2019, at the age of 103.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Susan; and his adopted daughter, Barbara Jett. He was predeceased by Ruth Jacqueline Stein, his wife of 68 years.

Art was born on Leap Year Day, February 29, 1916, in Queens, New York City. He graduated from Bushwick High School at age 15 and started at Davidson College in the fall.

After graduating from Davidson, he enrolled and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1939 with an LLD/JD. He was admitted to the New York Bar and joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1940.

He was commissioned in 1941, with the primary military specialty of Infantry and a secondary of Legal. During WWII, he was a member of the Marine Raiders, the prototype of all future military Special Forces, until the Raiders disbanded in 1944.

He participated in four landing operations, three in first wave: Russell Islands, Bourgainville, Pelelieu and Okinawa. The Russell Island occupation was a successful nighttime sneak attack in rubber boats. He was wounded by mortar explosion September, 1944, on Pelelieu.

After recovering from his wounds, he returned to active duty to Okinawa in April 1945. He was awarded the Bronze Star with V for Valor on Okinawa for “Bravery Under Fire.” After WWII, he had an eclectic career. From 1945 to 1946, he was deployed to China to establish a presence and support the Chinese National operations.

As the last Equitation (the art or practice of horse riding or horsemanship) officer of the Marines, he instructed on animal packing and other equitation topics. He was deployed to Korea in 1952 to train South Korean marines in amphibious operations.

In 1957, he was Battalion commander, 2nd Battalion, 9th marines. At this time, the Battalion climbed Mt. Fuji. This appears to have established a tradition for Marines to make a yearly trek up the mountain. Following this, he was given legal assignments in the states.

The first tour was in Personnel Section of Marine Corps headquarters in the Discipline division. The second was one of three judges on the Naval Appellate Court (Naval, Marine and civilian). His last assignment, 1963 to 1967, was Command Officer of the Officer Candidates School at Quantico, Va.

Twenty-seven years had passed since he had first entered the school in 1940 as a candidate during the first officer’s training class at Quantico. His picture is still on the wall at the school with other COs of the school. After 27 years as a Marine, he had a second retirement from Fredericksburg, Va., after 12 years as a city planner and resident of Caroline County.

While living in Caroline County, he was member of the Planning Commission and an instructor in the 4H horse and pony division. He then moved to Brandermill in 1980 and lived there until his final move to Brandermill Woods at the age of 90. During that time he attended night classes at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).

Art will be buried in the Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Amelia, Va., at 12 noon on Friday, November 15, 2019, with full military honors.

October 10, 2018October 15, 2018

Perry A. Sloan, Jr. ’39

Perry A. Sloan, Jr., having celebrated his 100th birthday in the company of many friends late last year, died peacefully at his home on Wednesday, October 10.

He is survived by his son Perry Sloan III of Salt Lake City and cousin Robert M. Sloan, of Winston-Salem. He was predeceased by his wife of 64 years, Lillie Duke Clements Sloan, and his daughter Trudie Ruffin Sloan Peek.

His passing is grieved by generations of fellow members of Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church, who loved and admired their friend. Perry was a stalwart of the church, assured to be in his regular pew every week, including the Sunday before his death.

Perry was respected for his kindness, generosity, determination, humility, and faithfulness. He believed in humbly doing the right thing for the right reason. His later years were spent quietly finding ways to make a difference to his family, church, alma mater, and the community.

A Durham native, Perry was born November 6, 1917, to Perry Austin and Gertrude Ruffin Harris Sloan. His father died when he was very young, leaving Perry with fond memories of Durham Bulls baseball games and a lifelong connection to the church he watched being built by his father’s side.

Perry was president of the Durham High School Class of 1935. He then went Davidson to Davidson College where he received a B.S. in Business Administration in 1939. At Davidson, Perry was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and served as fraternity president in his senior year. He was inducted into the ODK national leadership society. He later studied graduate-level finance at UNC Chapel Hill.

Perry was utterly devoted to his wife Dukie, with whom he became acquainted at a college dance while she was a student at the Woman’s College of Duke University. They married in Bethesda, Maryland, July 20, 1942. He had enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1940, completing his first tour of duty as a young officer before the war, then returning to active service in the 82nd Airborne Division after Pearl Harbor.

He served with the 82nd as Finance Officer and was awarded a Bronze Star in 1944 for having “demonstrated the most painstaking devotion to duty” as his unit pursued campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, England, France, Holland, and ultimately Germany. He was honorably discharged from the Army as a Captain in1946.

Perry began his professional life as a partner in the CM Headache Powder Company in Durham. In 1948 he joined First Securities Corporation as a stockbroker, eventually rising to become the firm’s president in1965. He served in that role until its merger with J.C. Wheat & Co., later known as Wheat First Securities. He retired after a forty-year career.

An abiding concern for Durham led him to service on the Durham County Welfare Board in 1951, later serving as chairman in 1957. He also served as an officer in the Jaycees, the Community Chest, and in 1964, as president of Hope Valley Country Club.

In 1970, he joined the Board of Trustees of Peace College, where he endowed the Sloan Scholars Program. Perry was a loyal and generous supporter of Davidson College. In 2002, Davidson named the Sloan Music Center in honor of Perry and Dukie.

Perry was devoted to Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church and its work was ever a priority. Earlier this year the Presbytery of New Hope presented Perry with Trinity Avenue’s Outstanding Older Adult Award in recognition of the many supportive roles he played, including decades as a Ruling Elder, Finance Committee member, and Stewardship campaign leader.

His financial leadership impacted Trinity Avenue in life-sustaining ways, allowing the congregation to grow the church staff and budge, rebuild the organ, and build a new fellowship hall. These gifts were always made humbly, with a desire to empower others and share God’s blessings.

His regular and faithful attendance at church on Sunday mornings sent a message to the congregation of the value he placed on gathering together to worship God, and in recent years his care providers were always by his side. Fellow members of the George Watts class remembered him singing a favorite hymn, “Dwelling in Beulah Land” with gusto.

He was dearly loved and trusted by all of the pastors through the ages, particularly Bill Bennett, on whose search committee he served, and current pastor Katie Crowe, who spent many happy hours visiting him with her young son Dillon.

Perry was a skilled golfer. He won two men’s titles at Hope Valley spending many happy hours on the course and in the clubhouse with friends. His 63 on the par 70 course in 1977 took the Hope Valley record from professional golfer Mike Souchak, and his 28 on the back nine may never be eclipsed. He was an active leader in the Southern Seniors Golf Association and Perry and Dukie enjoyed many trips playing courses in the U.S., and across the British Isles and South Africa. Well into his 90s, Perry would step out his door and play a few holes. He had his last hole-in-one long after his eyesight began to deteriorate.

In recent years, Perry was surrounded by kind and devoted caregivers whose service is deeply appreciated. The family gratefully wishes to thank Frankie J. Perry, Gretchen Alston, Nate Dove, James Green, Jean Horton, Reggie Perry, Verselle Shaw, the late Sandy Williams for the loving care that so enriched his later years.

A celebration of Perry’s life and service of witness to his resurrection will be held at 11 am on Tuesday, October 16 at Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church, led by the Rev. Katie Crowe. A reception will follow. Memorial gifts may be made to the outreach ministries of Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church, 927 West Trinity Avenue, Durham, NC 27701.

Online condolences; www.hallwynne.com: select obits.

Published in HeraldSun on Oct. 14, 2018

September 4, 2018October 17, 2019

Joseph Gamble ’38

Joe Gamble passed away on September 4, 2018. We have no additional information.

May 21, 2018May 25, 2018

Warner McNeill Wells Jr. ’36

Warner McNeill Wells Jr., 103, was born on Jan. 25, 1915 in Greenwood. He passed away peacefully in his home in Jackson on Monday, May 21, 2018.

Mr. Wells attended Davidson College in North Carolina, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and held an NCAA swimming record. He then transferred to The University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, to complete his college education.

He returned to Greenwood to begin his business career. He joined his father at Warner Wells Insurance Agency and later became president. He was also president of First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Greenwood, co-owner of Wells and Pond American Oil distributors, president of the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce, president of the Mississippi Independent Insurance Agents, president of the Mississippi Savings and Loan Association, president of the Southern Insurance Group in Naples, Florida, president of the Greenwood Country Club, and a developer of real estate. Mr. Wells enjoyed serving on the boards of various organizations throughout his long life and was a loyal contributor to many charities.

He was the oldest member of the First Methodist Church in Greenwood, which his parents help found. He was a trustee of the Methodist church and a longstanding member of the choir. Due to the quality of his beautiful voice, he sang in at least half of the weddings and funerals in the Mississippi Delta in his day. He was also a member of the Kiwanis Club Barber Shop Quartet.

He was married to the late Memrie Gary Wells for 53 years, until her death in 1996. They enjoyed many years of golfing and traveling around the world until they decided to split their time between Highlands, North Carolina, and Naples, Florida. He later moved to Jackson, where he married Marisue Wilkinson Wells, and they continued to enjoy his hobbies of golf and travel.

Mr. Wells was preceded in death by parents Hattie and Warner Wells Sr., his first wife, Memrie, and his sister, Martha Wells Goslen.

He is survived by his wife of 19 years, Marisue; his son, Warner McNeill Wells III (Anne); his daughters, Memrie Wells Bruce (Jim) and Rebecca “Becky” Wells Johnson (the late Larry Johnson); Marisue’s children, Ab Wilkinson (Laura), Kimberly Wilkinson Mason (Mark) and Christopher Wilkinson (Stacey); and 13 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and various nieces and nephews.

The family is most grateful to Ms. Daisy Tisdale and StaHome Hospice for their loving support.

Visitation for Mr. Wells will be held at Parkway Funeral Home at 1611 Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, between 4 and 6 p.m.

There will be a private family burial at Odd Fellows Memorial Cemetery in Greenwood at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 24, 2018.

Memorial donations may be made in the name of Warner McNeill Wells Jr. to First Methodist Church, 310 W. Washington St., P.O. Box 1870, Greenwood, MS 38930/662-453-2822 or to the charity of your choice.