Category: 1937

Albert McEver Cumbie ’37, of Greensboro, N.C., went to be with his Lord on March 24. Cumbie was born in 1913 in Stokes County, N.C., to the late John and Martha Hill Cumbie. He was raised from the age of eight through high school at Barium Springs Home for Children in Barium Springs, N.C. He was the only child of 11 children in the family to graduate from college (Davidson).

After college, Cumbie was a teacher and coach at Christ Church School for Boys in Rappahannock, Va. He was a U.S. Army veteran, serving his country during WWII. He was part of the U.S. forces that liberated the city of Paris.

After the war, Cumbie was the Veteran’s Service Officer for Guilford County for many years. He spent the majority of his career working for Nationwide Insurance in Greensboro as an insurance agent. He was active in both the American Legion and the VFW. He managed and coached the local American Legion baseball team for over 25 years and was inducted into the American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame. He was also very active in his church, Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, serving as a Sunday School teacher, elder, and deacon.

Cumbie is survived by his wife, Adella “Del” Williams Cumbie, 1575 John Knox Dr., Apt. D104, Colfax, NC 27235-9666. They were married in 1941. He is also survived by their three children, Jane C. Autler (Henry), Stephen M. Cumbie (Druscilla French), and Richard L. Cumbie (Laurie); and grandchildren, Missy Doran, Jordy Doran, Taylor Cumbie, and Grant Autler.

Lt. Col. Edward Smoot Finley ’37 USAF (Ret.), of North Wilkesboro, N.C., died on July 20. He was born April 6, 1916 in Alexandria, Va., son of Edward G. and Sibyl Smoot Finley 1906. He grew up in North Wilkesboro and graduated from Davidson. Afterwards, he returned to North Wilkesboro, where he was employed by Meadows Mill Company until being ordered to active duty with the Army Air Force in June 1941.

On May 2, 1942, he married Elizabeth Stewart Heath, who preceded him in death in 2008 after 66 years of marriage. During WWII, he served in China Theater of Operation, commanding air bases in Sian, Ankang, and Pai-Shi, under the ultimate command of Gen. Claire Chennault, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. Returning to civilian life in 1946, he was again employed by Meadows Mill Company as secretary-treasurer and general manager. He served as chairman of the North Wilkesboro Board of Education from 1957-67; president of Wilkes Jaycees; North Wilkesboro Lions Club; vice president of Wilkes Chamber of Commerce; and treasurer of Friends of the Wilkes County Library.

At the North Wilkesboro Presbyterian Church, he has served as deacon, receiving treasurer, elder, clerk of session, and Boy Scout leader. He was a member of the Board of Visitors of Davidson and its Ne Ultra Society. He raised cattle and trees on his Brushy Mountain Farm.

He is survived by Edward S. Finley, Jr. (Virginia Doughton Finley), 2024 White Oak Rd., Raleigh, NC 27608-1450; Ann Finley Reynolds (Fairfax C. Reynolds); five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Robert Wood Finley ’41.

George Franklin Albright ’37, 94, of Richmond, Va., died May 18. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Dorothy Severs Albright, and is survived by children, Dottie Albright (James Millikan), Claudia Albright Wyatt, and George Franklin Albright, Jr. (Beth), 6424 Crosswoods Dr., Falls Church, VA 22044; six grandchildren, W. Whitlow Wyatt, Jr. (Amanda), Sloane Wyatt Alford (Brad), George Franklin “Toby” Albright III (Stephanie), John W. Albright (Sheri), William A. Albright, and Abigail Albright; and seven great-grandchildren, Bradley Huston Alford, Jr., Wyatt Franklin Alford, Adeline Elizabeth Alford, George Franklin Albright IV, John W. Albright, Jr., Drew Sloane Wyatt, and W. Whitlow Wyatt III.

He was the retired vice chairman of the Harford Mutual Insurance Company, a former executive with the Life Insurance Company of Virginia, and a director of the Bank of Virginia.

Born Sept. 13, 1916, Albright was a 1937 graduate of Davidson and a 1956 graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. He was also valedictorian of his class at Belmont Abbey College. He served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army in the American-Asiatic Theater (1943-46).

Memorials may be made to Davidson College, Box 7174, Davidson, NC 28035-7174.

Richard Wade Rogers III ’37, of Marietta, Ga., died April 3, 2010. Rogers was born in Atlanta, Ga., on Oct. 31, 1914, living most of his life on Signal Mountain, Tenn.

Rogers served in the U.S. Army during the WWII era. He loved to garden and make wine. Rogers was a member of Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Sarah Elizabeth “Lib” Rogers. He is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth Childress (George), 680 Trailwood Ln. SW, Marietta, GA 30064-4627; son, Richard Rogers IV (Patricia); grandchildren, Sarah Roy (Brian), Richard Rogers V (Nyssa), Zack Childress, and Alex Childress; and great-grandchildren, Chloe Roy and Colton Roy.

Herbert William “Bill” Bondurant, Jr. ’37, of Atlanta, Ga., died Aug. 22 at the age of 93.

Bondurant was an orthopedic surgeon, golfer, outdoorsman, husband, and father of five.

He was born in Dallas, Tex., on April 19, 1916, to Alyne Thomas Bondurant of Nashville, Tenn., and Herbert William Bondurant of Union City, Tenn.

He attended Davidson and later graduated from Emory University School of Medicine in 1940.

During WWII, he worked as a surgeon in the Army Medical Corps. He was the first resident at Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital, and also completed residencies at Grady Memorial Hospital and at the University of Illinois Research and Education Hospital in Chicago. He began his 45 years of private practice in Atlanta as an orthopedic surgeon in 1949 and served on the staff at Crawford Long, Emory University, and Piedmont hospitals. He was president of the Atlanta Orthopedic Society, the Georgia Orthopedic Society, and the Association of Southern Railway Surgeons. He was a member of many medical organizations, including the Southern Medical Association, Southeastern Surgical Congress, Southern Orthopedic Society, and the Crippled Children’s Division of Georgia. In 1950, Bondurant was certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons, and he was admitted to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in 1954.

He also enjoyed many years as a teaching professor in orthopedic surgery at Emory University.

Bondurant was an avid tennis player and golfer. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club and a member of All Saints’ Episcopal Church. Over the years, he spent many weekends hunting and fishing with friends and family at Burge Plantation.
He was always well known and loved for his cheerful disposition and infectious laugh, and he put friends and strangers alike at ease with his generous and gregarious nature. In his later years, he was often seen with his faithful canine companion, Peanut. He enjoyed all things in nature and frequently sat with his wife, Virginia, on the back porch of their townhome watching the birds.

Bondurant was preceded in death by his daughter, Ann Bondurant Rall. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Virginia Kelley Bondurant, 3528 Paces Place NW, Atlanta, GA 30327; his four children, Herbert William Bondurant III (Jacki Martin), Alyne B. Hunt (Walter), Virginia Page Bondurant, and Kelly Lynn Bondurant (Michael Burch); his four grandchildren, Hunter Thomas (Laura), Ann Kennedy Thomas, Maximilian Hunt, and Ella Burch; and his three great-grandchildren, Megan Thomas, Ryan Thomas, and Amelia Thomas-Horowitz.