Category: 1943

William Wright Abbot III ’43, of Charlottesville, Va., died peacefully in his sleep on Aug. 31 at the age of 87. Abbot was born in Louisville, Ga., on May 20, 1922, the son of William Wright Abbot, Jr. and Lillian Carswell Abbot. He attended Davidson for two years. In 1941 he transferred to the University of Georgia, where he was awarded the baccalaureate degree upon his entering the U.S. Navy in 1943. During WWII, Abbot served in small craft in the Pacific Ocean and in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas. He would later quip that he felt he reached the pinnacle of his own personal authority at the age of 22, when, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, he was made captain of PC 504, a 110-foot submarine chaser. Abbot’s career as a teacher spanned nearly 50 years. It began when he was assigned to teach celestial navigation to young naval cadets at Duke University in the spring of 1946. That fall, he returned to his hometown to teach science and English grammar at his old high school. Under the G.I. Bill, Abbot went on to study history at Duke University, where he earned his master’s and doctorate degrees. After completing his Ph.D. in 1953, he was hired as an assistant professor of history by the College of William and Mary. He met his wife, Eleanor Pearre, in Williamsburg, and their two sons were born while he was a member of the William and Mary faculty. Except for brief stints with the history departments at Northwestern University and Rice University, Abbot remained at William and Mary until 1966, when he joined the faculty at the University of Virginia. There he held the chair of James Madison professor of history for 26 years, serving twice as chairman of the Corcoran Department of History. Among historians, Abbot was best known as an editor. His association with The William and Mary Quarterly, the magazine of early American History, began in 1953, and he was its editor from 1961 until 1966. He also edited The Journal of Southern History in 1960 and 1961. During the latter years of his career at the University of Virginia, he devoted most of his efforts to editing The Papers of George Washington, serving as chief editor from 1977 until 1992. Although he retired from the university in 1992, Abbot continued to edit individual volumes of the Washington papers until 1998, by which time close to 50 volumes were in print. In addition to editing magazines and documents, Abbot wrote two books and several articles, but he believed his chief contributions as a teacher and historian came from the attentive reading and detailed responses that he gave over the years to what his students, and many of his fellow historians, wrote. Abbot was always active in the affairs of his profession and the institutions to which he belonged. He served as president of the Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and on the councils of the Institute of Early American History and Culture and the Southern Historical Association. For 20 years he was on the board of editors of The Virginia Quarterly Review and was a member of Gridiron Club at the University of Georgia and the Raven Society at the University of Virginia. In 1989, the Virginia Historical Society made him a life member, and in 1998 the College of William and Mary awarded him the honorary degree of doctor of humane letters. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Eleanor Abbot, 804 Rugby Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22903-1629; his sons, Wright Abbot (Cynthia Cox) and John Abbot; grandchildren, Will and Catherine; his sister, Lillian Easterlin; and Louise Hardeman Abbot, the widow of his younger brother, James Carswell Abbot.

Wallace M. Gamble ’43, formerly of Davidson, N.C., died Aug. 29 at the home of his nephew, Bill Gamble. He was born Jan. 29, 1922 in Davidson, a son of the late Joseph G. and Connie Williamson Gamble. He was a graduate of Davidson, and he retired as an administrative supervisor at the Mooresville plant of Burlington Industries. During WWII, he served as a Navy lieutenant (J.G.) in Europe and Asia. He was a lifelong member of Davidson College Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon and elder. Gamble had over 50 years of membership in North Mecklenburg Post 86, which gave Lake Norman YMCA its first home and gave Legion Park to Cornelius. For the Davidson Lions Club, he was treasurer for many years and president for two terms. Gamble was a past district governor for Lions District 31-C and was a Jack Stickley and Melvin Jones Fellow. He loved to garden and to share his flowers and vegetables. Gamble was one of the founders and contributors in starting The Pines at Davidson and provided the location for the new St. Albans’s Episcopal Church. In his mother’s honor, he established a book fund in her name at Davidson College, as she had been a schoolteacher. Surviving are his brother, Joseph G. Gamble ’38, 11602 Savannah Dr., Fredericksburg, VA 22407-9105; sister-in-law, Sue M. Gamble; nephew, Bill Gamble; and five nieces, Connie Koch, Cecelia Grosse Ray, Nancy Grosse Kelley, Mary Grosse Snizer, and Elizabeth Gamble Bryant. He was preceded in death by sisters, Laura M. Gamble, Mary E. Gamble, and Hilda G. Grosse (late husband, William Maurice Grosse, Jr. ’43), and brother, Wayne W. Gamble ’48. Memorials may be made to Connie Williamson Gamble Library Fund at Davidson College Library, Box 7200, Davidson, NC 28035-7200.

Henry Baxter Roney, Jr. ’43, 86, of Mebane, N.C., and formerly of New York City, died Aug. 25. A native of Alamance County, he was the son of Henry Baxter Roney, Sr. and Carrie Anderson Roney, both deceased. Roney was preceded in death by his brother, James A. Roney, Sr., and two sisters, Nancy Roney Covington and Caroline Edith Roney. He is survived by one niece, Carolyn Roney Turner (Leonard); one nephew, James A. Roney, Jr. (Carolyn), 2334 Barnett Rd, Mebane, NC 27302; two grand-nieces, Carrie and Jennifer; two grand-nephews, George and Jeff; two great-nieces, Sarah and Emily; and four great-nephews, Mark, Matthew, Lee, and James. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Davidson, where he held student assistantships in Bible, English, and psychology, he earned a degree in history and psychology. He held graduate degrees and professional diplomas from Columbia University and the University of the State of New York in history, English, and educational administration. In a career in education spanning 44 years, he held the following positions: professor of history and director of admissions of Darlington School for Boys, Rome, Ga.; headmaster of St. Thomas Church Choir School, New York City; headmaster of Presbyterian Day School, Memphis, Tenn.; professor of history at Scarsdale Senior High School, Scarsdale, N.Y.; and educational consultant for New York Public Schools. He received national recognition for his leadership in teacher training and evaluation, and he was honored for volunteer work in English-as-a-second-language programs in both New York and North Carolina. He was a member of the American Historical Association, the National Association of School Administrators, the American Academy of Philosophy, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, and numerous societies for the arts, history, and literature. He was a U.S. Army veteran from WWII. Although an Episcopalian by faith, in his retirement years in North Carolina, he attended Cross Roads Presbyterian Church in Mebane, where he taught the covenant class and chaired the witness and service committee. He recently retired from teaching Sunday school after faithfully serving 71 years. Memorials may be made to Davidson College, Box 7174, Davidson, NC 28035.

Langley Preston Land ’43, 87, of Virginia Beach, Va., passed away July 23 in Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital. Land was born Aug. 14, 1922, in Virginia Beach, and was the son of the late Langley and Marie Land. After a short illness, he joins his wife, Beverly Neal Land, in heaven. Land was a graduate of Davidson, served in the Merchant Marines, and was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach. He was an embellished storyteller and an avid golfer. He loved to be outdoors in the sun, and was well-known for his beach rental services at the Cavalier Hotel and the Capes Beach Club. Survivors include his two daughters, Neale Ford (John), 2944 Couples Ct., Virginia Beach, VA 23456-7230, and Heather Alexander (Ian Morris); four grandchildren, Rogers and Caroline Ford and Grayson and Landon Alexander; one brother, Richard Bernstrom; and a sister, Jeanne Crockett. Besides his wife, he was also preceded in death by son, Beverly Preston Land; a sister, Preston Coleman; and a son-in-law, Michael Alexander.