Category: 1946

William Frederick Rainey ’46 of Columbus, N.C. died March 17, 2007, in Inman, S.C. After graduation from Decatur Boys High, Decatur, Ga., he entered the U.S. Marine Corps and served overseas with the 2nd Marine Division in action against the Japanese at Saipan and Tinian Islands in the Pacific. Following WW II, he graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in civil engineering and married the late Leila Swink Grady of Kenly, N.C. Before moving to Tryon, N.C. in 1979, he was an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg, S.C., where he served on the board of deacons and was an elder. He was chief engineer at Reeves Brothers, Inc., Spartanburg, S.C., corporate headquarters from 1966 until his retirement in 1988. He was a registered professional engineer and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Survivors include one son, William F. Rainey, Jr., P.O. Box 33878, Charlotte, N.C. 28233-3878; and one daughter, Sarah Jo Rainey Tunno, of Spartanburg, S.C.; two grandchildren, Edward Logan Rainey and Anna Kathryn Rainey Crockett both of Winston-Salem, N.C. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lelia, of forty-eight years; a brother, Hiram Watson Rainey Jr., and a sister, Sarah Gray Rainey Glausier.

William Campbell Spratt, Jr. ’46 of Fredericksburg, Va. died December 17, 2006. He was a World War II Army Air Corps B-24 pilot, having flown over thirty missions in the European Theater. Upon returning to Fredericksburg, he joined his father at W.C. Spratt Inc. and later became the owner of the company. In 1948, he married Patricia Fitzgerald, who preceded him in death in 1973. An avid outdoorsman who loved hunting, he was a charter member of Fredericksburg Rod and Gun Club and a life member of Schenandale Gun Club of Staunton. Campbell was an accomplished jazz musician who played in several area bands through the years. He was well-known for playing the saxophone and was a charter member of the Fredericksburg Big Band. Survivors include his wife of thirty-one years, Ruth Caple Spratt, 318 Ingleside Dr., Fredericksburg, Va. 22405; his children, W.C. “Rob” Spratt III and his wife, Gail, of Fort Myers, Fla.; Stephen W. Spratt and his wife, Linda, of Fredericksburg; Rebecca S. Smith and her husband, Steve, of Lynchburg; Patricia S. “Tricia” Rubenstein and her husband, Tom, of Blacksburg; and Sarah S. Minter and her husband, James, of Fredericksburg; his stepchildren, Donna Corbin of Fredericksburg and Charles W. Caple III and his wife, Susan, of Fredericksburg; fourteen grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; a sister, Martha Helmen and her husband, Harry “Bud” Helmen, of Fredericksburg; and several nieces and nephews.

William Styron ’46 of Roxbury, Conn., died November 1, 2006. He was the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Confessions of Nat Turner and other novels whose explorations of the darkest corners of the human mind and experience were charged by his own near-suicidal demon. He also wrote Sophie’s Choice, the award-winning novel about a Holocaust survivor from Poland, and A Tidewater Morning, a collection of fiction pieces. He also published a book of essays, This Quiet Dust, and the best-selling memoir Darkness Visible, in which he recalled nearly taking his own life. Prior to World War II, he attended Davidson for a year and in 1986 Davidson awarded him the Honorary Doctor of Literature degree. He served as a lieutenant in the Marines during World War II and in 1945 was stationed in Okinawa. After the war, he graduated from Duke University and moved to New York, where he worked briefly as a copy editor at McGraw-Hill until the publisher fired him “for slovenly appearance, not wearing a hat, and reading the New York Post.” He was recalled to the Marines in 1951, just as Lie Down in Darkness was being published, and his second book, The Long March, drew on his experiences at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He took a lengthy tour of Europe after his discharge, offering moral and literary support for the founding of The Paris Review and meeting his wife, the poet Rosa Burgunder, 12 Rucum Rd., Roxbury, Conn. 06783, with whom he had four children, Susanna, Paula Claire, and Thomas.

Philip T. Withers III ’46 of Charlotte, N.C. died July 16, 2006. He attended Davidson before serving in the U.S. Navy as seaman second class during World War II. Post military service, he graduated from The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with a B.A. in business in 1950 and attended The Wharton School of Finance’s Executive Program in 1953. He was employed at R.S. Dickson and Co., Dean Witter Reynolds, and Previews Real Estate. Mr. Withers, an Eagle Scout, was an accomplished pilot and enjoyed playing tennis with his two sons. He was a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Charlotte, N.C. In addition to his parents, preceding him in death was his brother, William Lane Withers of Gastonia, N.C., and sisters, Florence Reinhardt of Virginia Beach, Va., and Francis Findlay of Gastonia, N.C. He is survived by his sons, Philip Thornton Withers V and George Geyer Adams Withers; daughter-in-law, Leta Morris Withers; grandsons, George Geyer Adams Withers, Jr., Charles Sullivan Withers and Payson William Withers; sister, Florence Reinhart of Virginia Beach, Va; as well as many nieces and nephews

James G. Patton ’46 of Atlanta, died June 17, 2006. After serving in WWII, he graduated from the University of Virginia and received his master’s from Georgia State University. During his thirty-eight years at The Westminster Schools, he wore many hats. He had been coach of the football, baseball, and golf teams, director of the boys school, instructor of biology and dean of students. He was a longtime member of North Avenue Presbyterian Church and recently a member of Roswell Presbyterian Church. During his retirement, he was active with the Meals on Wheels program, golfing, watching his favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, and enjoying his grandchildren. Survivors include his wife of fifty-three years, Arlene, and four daughters, Patricia Nicks, 677 Bruce Way SW, Lilburn, Ga. 30047-2217; Susan Fraley of Roswell, Elizabeth Harper of Roswell, Janet Liles of Marietta, twin brother Sam Patton of Toccoa, Ga., sister Katherine Carssow of Austin, Tex., and nine grandchildren.