Thomas McCutchen Gignilliat ’32, a lifelong resident of Seneca, S.C., died May 6, 2007, at the Presbyterian Home in Clinton, S.C. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Davidson College, he was associated over the years with Charles N. Gignilliat & Sons, Cotton Merchants, based in Seneca and Spartanburg. The business was begun by his grandfather, George Warren Gignilliat, a founding father of Seneca. He also served in the U.S. Army during World War II, was a deacon and elder of the Seneca Presbyterian Church. He was a member of the South Carolina Historical Society and the South Carolina Huguenot Society. He was an active member of the Seneca Rotary Club for sixty-four years, was club president and a Paul Harris Fellow, and was recognized as an honorary member in April 2002. He is survived by three nieces, Anne Gignilliat Clarke of Isle of Palms; Marguerite Gignilliat Old of Lexington, Va.; and Sally Gignilliat Stebbins of Marietta, Ga.; great-niece, Anne Trezevant (Trez) Clarke; six great-nephews, Phillip G. Clarke III, Charles T. and Dixon G. Grubbs, William W. Old IV, and Roland A., Jr. and Charles R. Stebbins. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by two brothers: George Warren Gignilliat III of Seneca and Charles Nutting Gignilliat, Jr. of Spartanburg; niece Sarah Ruth Gignilliant Grubbs of Stone Mountain, Ga.
John T. Welch, Jr. ’32
John T. Welch, Jr. ’32 of Charleston, S.C. died August 19, 2006. Following his graduation from Davidson, he worked in Columbia, S.C. until August 1942, when he joined the Army Air Force. He spent time in England during the war prior to returning to Columbia in 1946. He joined the First National Bank of South Carolina. In 1948, he came to Charleston to set up the office. He met Julie Pringle within a few weeks of arriving and they were married in September 1948. They settled in her family home at 29 Legare Street where they lived until she died in 1993. He was on the School Board for District 20, and was later chairman of the State Board of Education. He was awarded an honorary degree from the Citadel. He was very involved in the life of St. Philip’s Church where he continued to attend. He served several times on the vestry and as the senior warden. Survivors include three daughters, Pam and Gil Wilkes of East Haven, Conn.; Ann Welch, 1406 Glencoe Dr., Mt. Pleasant, S.C. 29464; and Julie Acker of Mt. Pleasant, S.C.; and special caretaker, Margaret Brightman of Charleston, S.C. He has four grandchildren, Gil Wilkes, of Victoria, Canada, Julia O’Connell of Pittsburg, Pa., Sarah and Lee Acker of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., and two great grandchildren. He stayed close to his family in North Carolina and is survived by his brother, Bill Welch of Charlotte, N.C., his nieces, nephews, and many cousins in Mt. Holly, N.C. He is also survived by his second wife, Elizabeth Welch of Spartanburg, S.C.
Joseph Chalmers Biggs ’32
Joseph Chalmers Biggs ’32 of Lumberton, N.C., died April 9, 2006. He was elected Robeson Country coroner in the early 1970s and remained in the job until 1989. He owned Biggs Funeral Home in Lumberton until he retired in 2000. He attended Davidson before graduating from N.C. State University with a degree in architectural engineering. He also graduated from the Cincinnati School of Mortuary Science. He had been a member of the First Presbyterian Church since 1923, where he served as a deacon and elder. He was a member of the Rotary Club, where he received the Paul Harris Fellows Award, and was a member of the Robeson County Shrine Club. He was also a member of St. Alban’s Lodge for more than sixty years, a member of the N.C. Funeral Directors Association, and was on the board of directors of United Carolina Bank. Survivors include his wife of thirty years, Mary McIntyre Biggs, 508 W. 32nd Street, Lumberton, N.C. 28358; a daughter, Susan B. Kelly; two stepsons, Mackie McIntyre and Stewart McIntyre, both of Lumberton; a brother, Dennis W. Biggs, Jr. of Spokane, Wash.; a grandson; and two step-grandchildren.
Roger Enloe ’32
Roger Enloe ’32 died at his Kendal home in Kennett Square, Pa., on January 10, 2006. His friends and family describe him as a monumental role model, loving husband and father, and a man of principle with life-long interests in ethical and theological inquiries. He encouraged all those he met, in all walks of life, to live with a loving heart. He served as a dedicated class secretary for 20 years. He was a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary. He served as the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, Pa. With his daughters and wife, Jane Dent of Allentown, he lived in Spain during the 1950s counseling the emerging Protestant churches under the auspices of the World Council of Churches. As president and founding member of UN We Believe, he promoted the principles and purpose of the United Nations over three decades with UN ambassadors, foreign ministers, U.S. presidents, and leaders of business, industry, and labor. In 1999 Roger Enloe’s leadership of Leonardo da Vinci Horse, Inc. culminated in the gift of a colossal bronze horse to the people of Italy from the people of the United States as envisioned by the late Charles C. Dent. He was preceded in death by his wife Jane. Survivors include his two daughters, Elizabeth Enloe and Margaret Enloe McIntyre, 15 West 84th St., Apt. 7A, New York, N.Y. 10024, his son-in-law Steven McIntyre; grandchildren Andrew Enloe McIntyre, Laura Elizabeth McIntyre, and Sarah Jane McIntyre; G. Geddes Dowling, and many nieces and nephews.