Category: 1943

John Alexander Lusk III ’43, of Greensboro, N.C., died peacefully on June 9 surrounded by his family. He was 87 years young and lived a very full and giving life. Lusk was born April 9, 1923, in Gadsden, Ala., the elder son of John Alexander Lusk, Jr. and Sarah Bellenger Lusk. He entered Davidson as a member of the Class of 1944. He accelerated his studies in order to graduate early and serve his country in WWII. He earned degrees in chemistry and mathematics from Davidson in 1943. Within days of graduation, he joined the U.S. Army. He was assigned to Italy and participated in the invasion of southern France. After sustaining wounds that prevented him from returning to combat, he joined the Military Police Battalion in France. For his service he received the Combat Infantry Badge, as well as the Purple Heart. After returning to the U.S. in the summer of 1946, Lusk earned his M.D. degree from the Medical College of Alabama in Birmingham in 1951. In 1958 he met his future wife, Barbara Angele, who was finishing her postgraduate degree in medical technology. Lusk moved to Greensboro in 1958, opening an internal medicine practice with his brother, Walter. As he completed his hematology fellowship, the new specialty of oncology was added to his training. He introduced these specialties to the Greensboro medical community. Soon after his practice was set up, he became a clinical associate with Dr. Wayne Rundles, chief of hematology and oncology at Duke University. He earned his fellowship in the American College of Physicians in 1972. He served as chairman of the pharmacy committee at Moses H. Cone Hospital for 25 years, at which time he was elected chief of medicine at Cone Hospital, serving until 1992. He spent the first 36 years of his career serving Greensboro as a hematologist/oncologist and was one of the first physicians to recognize the need for hospice (end-of-life) care. He went on to become a founding board member of Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro and was the first physician in the community to make a patient referral to Hospice. Lusk retired for two weeks in 1993. For the next 17 years, he served with HPCG as the first medical director and then as medical director emeritus. In 1998 he became certified as one of the first Hospice and Palliative Medicine specialists in North Carolina. At the time of his death, he and Barbara co-chaired the 2010 HPCG Annual Campaign. Lusk was very proactive in medicine, which was recognized by numerous honors, awards, and leadership roles on local, state, and national levels. A few of Lusk’s honors include the Sword of Hope from the American Cancer Society (ACS), the St. George’s Medal from the ACS, Physician Laureate award from the N.C. chapter of the American College of Physicians, and the Spirit of Hospice Award from HPCG. He was also was on the cutting edge of medicine, as well as technology, helping to establish a computer system at Moses H. Cone Hospital. When praise was given of his determination and dedication, his reply would be: “That’s just what you do. Give your best.” He was always quick to note that Greensboro has given him many opportunities and that it was natural to give back to the community. Lusk is survived by his wife of 50 years, Barbara Angele Lusk, 3113 Northampton Dr., Greensboro, NC 27408-5220; their two children, John Alexander Lusk IV ’83 and Elizabeth Lee Lusk ’85; his brother, Walter Coles Lusk II (Nancy McKelvey Lusk); two grandchildren, Conrad and Albert Lusk; and many loved family members and close friends. Memorials may be made to the Lusk Family Scholarship at Davidson College, Box 7174, Davidson, NC 28035.

Homer Ashley Spencer ’43, 89, of Lakeland, Fla., a Presbyterian missionary and minister, passed away after a stroke on April 18. He was born in Spartanburg, S.C., on Dec. 6, 1921. After receiving degrees from Davidson and Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va., he and his first wife, Patricia Patterson, were commissioned as missionaries to Mexico. He served as hospital chaplain at Sanatorio la Luz in Morelia for 16 years. Patricia died and Spencer returned to the U.S. with his two children, Harriet and Homer, Jr. In 1971, he married Barbara Sue Nichols. He served Presbyterian pastorates in Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida, his latest one in Lehigh Acres. Anticipating retirement, he and his wife signed up as volunteers in Mission (Presbyterian VIMs) and were assigned in border ministries along the Mexican border. They helped start Project Amistad during their two-year term. Upon retirement, he was described as “a warm and kind person, always diligent in his work for the Kingdom-a very loyal presbyter-emanating happiness.” His work for the Kingdom included playing a part in getting a public water system for Milford, Va.; getting brown lung established as a distinct disease so that those afflicted could get compensation; under Habitat for Humanity, teaching household finance in Immokalee; and managing the art group at the Presbyterian Homes. He and Sue have lived at the Presbyterian Homes for 19 years. Spencer is survived by his wife, Sue Spencer, 519 Cresap St., Lakeland, FL 33815-4709; daughter, Harriet Brown (Robert); son, Homer Spencer, Jr.; granddaughters, Abigail Brown and Sarah Dayton (Charles); and grandson, Andrew Brown.

George Wilson Tate ’43, of Charlotte, N.C., died March 21, 2009, at his residence. A native Charlottean, he was born May 9, 1921, son of the late John Austin Tate and Sarah Wilson Tate. He was one of four children, and is survived by his younger sister, Sarah Lindsay Tate. His older siblings, Betsy Tate Freeman and John Austin Tate, Jr., preceded him in death. In his early teens, Tate left Charlotte for Culver Military Academy in northern Indiana. He returned to North Carolina to attend Davidson. His education was interrupted by WWII, when he chose to enlist in the U.S. Army. As he made this decision, he also made one of the most important decisions of his life: to marry his childhood sweetheart. On Sept. 9, 1943, he married Elizabeth Robinson Hoppe, 5100 Sharon Rd., Unit 1204, Charlotte, NC 28210-4766. He and Libby would spend 65 wonderful years together. Tate shipped out in 1944 to join his comrades-in-arms in the European Theatre. Soon after arriving in Italy, he was captured by the Germans and remained a prisoner of war until liberated at war’s end. He and Libby were blessed with three children, George “Pudge” Wilson Tate, Jr. (Jane), William “Billy” Hoppe Tate, and Elizabeth “Libby” Tate Higgins, and, subsequently, four grandchildren, Mary Austin Tate Bolin (Rob), Jane Wilson Snyder (William), John “Tate” Higgins, and David William Higgins, and one great-grandchild, Will Bolin. Tate loved his family, and he loved life. He started his career at Hoppe Motors, an early Chrysler franchise for the Charlotte area. Later he worked with Freeman and McClintock in the real estate business. In addition to his family, he loved his church. He and Libby joined St. Martin’s Episcopal after marrying, where he would be the Sunday school superintendent and a member of the vestry.

R. Holt Ardrey, Jr. ’43, of Rye, N.Y., passed away on Feb. 27, 2009. He was born on Dec. 23, 1922, to Robert Holt Ardrey, Sr. and Lina Blakeney Ardrey in Charlotte, N.C. Ardrey served in the U.S. Army as a lieutenant during WWII in southern Germany in 1944-45. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Davidson in 1946. He then served during the Korean War. In 1951 he was awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Duty as platoon leader of the Garryowen Regiment of the U.S. Army’s First Calvary Division. In 1953 he married Ruby (Ronnie) Barnes, and moved to Rye, N.Y., in 1955. Ardrey was active in the Rye community with the Boy Scouts of America, Rye Little League, and as deacon of the Rye Presbyterian Church. Ardrey was a marketing executive and retired from the Metromail Corp. in 1988. He is survived by his three children, R. Holt Ardrey III, 23231 Sumners Creek Ct., Katy, TX 77494-7598; James B. Ardrey; and Elizabeth A. Burgett. He is also survived by five grandchildren.

Henry Deane McIntosh ’43, of Lakeland, Fla., died on Dec. 26. Born July 19, 1921, in Gainesville, Fla., and raised in West Palm Beach, Henry was a distinguished cardiologist and teacher. He served as chief of cardiology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and chief of medicine at the Methodist Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Tex. He later practiced at the Watson Clinic in Lakeland and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa. He was past president of the American College of Cardiology and founder of Heartbeat International, an international pacemaker distribution network, which received a Presidential Citation from President Reagan in 1986. During WW II, he served in the U.S. Parachute Infantry Office of Strategic Services and earned the Silver Star and Croix de Guerre. He was a graduate of Davidson and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. In Lakeland, he was an active member of First Presbyterian Church and Rotary International. Henry is survived by his wife of 63 years, Harriet Owens McIntosh, 6 Lake Hunter Dr., Apt. J5, Lakeland, FL 33803-1298; two sons, Thomas Irvine McIntosh and James Owens McIntosh; daughter, Betsy McIntosh McCrary; seven grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.