Category: 1937

L. Hunter Pharr ’37, 94, of Charlotte, N.C., passed away June 19 at Plantation Estates in Matthews, N.C. He was born Dec. 1, 1915, at the family home on Providence Road to Walter Hazel and Louise Hunter Pharr and lived all but a few years in Charlotte.

Pharr attended Davidson and served in the Marine Corps during WWII as a naval mail clerk. While working at the Providence Road pharmacy, he met a Queens College student, Mildred Massenburg, his wife of 69 years.

Pharr was preceded in death by his sister, Cynthia P. Whiting, and brothers, Robert Baxter Pharr and Walter Springs Pharr ’38. He is survived by his wife, Millie, 701 Plantation Estates Dr., WillowBrooke Ct., Matthews, NC 28105; a brother, Hazel Harris “Dux” Pharr ’45; three sons, William H. Pharr, Robert S. Pharr, and J. Victor Pharr; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Pharr retired from the U.S. Postal Service as a station superintendent after over 30 years of service, and then went to work for his brother at R.B. Pharr and Associates until 1980.

He was elected an elder at Sardis A.R.P. Presbyterian Church in 1937 and served several terms as clerk of the session at Sardis Presbyterian Church, where he taught Sunday school for 20 years and served as superintendent of the church school. He also served as the first commissioner to the general assembly in 1952 and was the first Boy Scout leader at Sardis.

Pharr was a member of and secretary for the Knights of Pythias for over 20 years. Always active in the community, Pharr delivered friendship trays for nearly 25 years, worked as an unpaid volunteer for the United Way, and delighted in traveling to schools around the area to deliver awards to outstanding students.

Robert King, Jr. ’37 died in Durham, N.C., on Feb. 22.
He was born in Richmond, Va., on Aug. 24, 1915, to the Reverend Dr. and Mrs. Robert King 1906.

A graduate of Davidson, he spent 60 years as a stockbroker. Retiring as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, King served in the Pacific Theater in World War II. He was a past president of the Lions Club in Durham. He was also active for 68 years in the Gideons International, serving as local, state, and international officer. He was an elder at Blacknall Memorial Presbyterian Church. King was preceded in death by his loving wife of 55 years, Helen Ayers King.

He is survived by his second wife of 12 years, Catherine M. King, 2801 Carmel Rd., Charlotte, NC 28226-6393; his children, Robert King III ’66 (Yvonne); Ellen King Wiser (Clark); and Mary King Milks (Buddy). In addition, he has three grandchildren, Brook Galvin (John), Rebekah Collette (John), and Andrew Wiser ’98 (Dru).

Heman Robinson Clark ’37 died peacefully at his home in Raleigh, N.C., on Dec. 5. He was born Sept. 12, 1915, in Elizabethtown, N.C., to Jerome Bayard Clark and Helen Purdie Robinson Clark.

He will be long remembered for his gentle humor, his compassion, and his special ability to inspire others to serve the greater public good.

Clark received his A.B. degree from Davidson. Following in both his father’s and brother’s footsteps, he graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1940, where he was class president.

After passing the bar exam, he married and began raising a family in Fayetteville. His 67-year legal career flourished under the tutorship of his father, J. Bayard Clark, who served for 20 years as a U.S. Congressman from North Carolina.

Clark was a World War II veteran, attaining the rank of second lieutenant. He served as post judge advocate, stationed in Camp Blanding, Fla. At war’s end, Clark resumed the practice of law and then was selected as assistant solicitor in Cumberland County Superior Court. In 1958, Governor Luther Hodges appointed him as a superior court judge. After winning election to this position, he served until 1963.

He returned to the private practice of law and shortly thereafter began his 20-year service as Cumberland County attorney. He served as chairman of the Cumberland County Democratic Party for 10 years. In 1967, he was named North Carolina Outstanding County Attorney by the North Carolina Association of County Attorneys. He was also the president of the Cumberland County Bar Association and was inducted into the North Carolina Bar Association’s Legal Hall of Fame for General Practice. Clark and his first wife, Mary Read Harris, worked tirelessly for compassionate mental health reform.

Highland Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville was Clark’s lifelong foundation. In 1982, after the unexpected death of his first wife, Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. called Clark back to public service as secretary of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. In 1984, he joined the law firm of Sanford, Adams, McCullough, and Beard where his primary focus was the government relations group.

Clark married Mary Jane Ethridge in 1991 after working with her on a judicial campaign in 1990. In 2005, Governor Michael F. Easley conferred upon him the state’s highest civilian honor, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, for his “integrity, learning and zeal.”

He was preceded in death by his treasured wife of 40 years, Mary Read Harris, and two of his siblings, Martha Holton Clark Hutaff and Jerome Bayard Clark, Jr. Immediate family survivors include his devoted wife of 17 years, Mary Jane Ethridge Clark, 1407 Canterbury Rd., Raleigh, NC 27608-1903; his three children of his first marriage, Mary Laurens Clark, Jerome Bayard Clark II, and Martha Holton Clark; his grandson, William Bayard Bondshu; and his sister, Helen Purdie Clark Jackson.

Frank Swift Poe ’37, of Greenville, S.C., died Oct. 29. He was born in Washington, D.C., the son of the late Harry Tinker Poe, Jr. and Julia May Swift Poe.

He graduated from Davidson with a B.A. degree cum laude.

He served in the U.S. Army from 1941–1946 in various posts in the U.S., in the 24th division in the Pacific Theatre, and in the occupation of Japan. He retired with the rank of colonel after 30 years of service.

He worked for the Travelers Insurance Company in Charlotte, N.C., and the Alester G. Furman Co. He was president of the Furman Agency and senior vice president of Marsh McLennon Co.

He was the first in the Carolinas to be awarded the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters title in 1951.

He was active in the First Presbyterian Church, having served as a deacon, elder, and treasurer. He was a member of the Saint Andrews Society, the English Speaking Union, the Collectors Group of the Greenville Art Museum, the South Carolina Historical Society, the Greenville Historian Society, the Retired Officers Association, the National Trust for Historical Preservation, and the Civil War Preservation Trust.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosalie Haynes Poe, and is survived by his sons, Frank S. Poe, Jr. and George W. Poe ’74 (Sylviane), 92 Lake Bratton Ln., Sewanee, TN 37375; and four granddaughters, Mary Harper Poe Vergel de Dios, Rosalie Haynes Poe, Caroline Martin Poe, and Lindsay Camille Poe.

Kenneth Warren Archibald ’37, of Jacksonville, Fla., passed away Sept. 28. He was born July 31, 1914, to Lysbeth and Cecil Archibald in Los Angeles, Calif.

He graduated from The Episcopal High School in Virginia and attended Davidson.

He traveled around the world settling in Los Angeles, Calif., where he worked for Lockheed during WWII.

He returned to Jacksonville to work with his step-father, Frank Huckins, at Huckins Yacht Corporation. He assumed Frank Huckins ownership in 1951, and continued until his retirement in 1980. He remained active in the business until his death.

In addition to his love of building boats, Kenneth had a huge passion for building furniture for many of his family and friends. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Ramona, in 2007.

He is survived by his children, Patricia Abbott (John Abbott); Field Davidson Boatwright (John Boatwright), 9650 Atlantic Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32225-8230; Cindy Purcell (Dale Purcell); seven grandchildren, John Abbott, Jr. (Debbie), Kimball Brown (John), Rory Mazzola (Tony), Kelly Buckingham (Bill), Michael Davidson, Jr. (Daisy), Benham Purcell Howard, Field Purcell Copeland (Clyde); 10 great-grandchildren, Shane and Jack Abbott, Mandy Leon, Sarah Van Landingham, Heather Mazzola, Catherine and Christopher Buckingham, Michael Davidson III, Gunnar and Elinor Davidson; and two great-great-grandchildren, Andrew and Isabel Leon.