Russell Newton Barringer, Jr. ’57

Russell Newton Barringer, Jr., November 10, 2023. He was born in Durham, North Carolina on March 16, 1935, to the late Russell N. Barringer, Sr., and Maelee McKenzie Page Barringer.

He attended the Calvert Method School (now Durham Academy), Carr Junior High School, and Durham High School. Upon graduation he attended Davidson College for two years before transferring to Duke University to be closer to his fiancé, Mary Teer.

He was married on November 18, 1955 to his beloved Mary Teer, who pre-deceased him on November 21, 2021. He began his career at West Durham Lumber Company in 1955, a company founded by his father. In 1967, he was named President and CEO of Dealers Supply Company, a division of West Durham Lumber Company. Under his extraordinary leadership, Dealers Supply grew into one of the top thirty floorcovering distribution companies in the United States and was among the top fifty privately held companies in North Carolina many years running.

From early childhood Russell was passionate about aviation. For almost fifty years he was an accomplished pilot and aircraft owner. His devotion to private aviation led to his appointment to the North Carolina Department of Transportation Aeronautics Commission, a position he proudly held through both Republican and Democratic administrations. His love for aircraft and his business success allowed him to become the first person to charter the Concorde for a trip to Paris for some of his beloved customers. He served as a mentor to many aspiring young pilots throughout his lifetime even after he reluctantly gave up his license at age eighty.

His devotion to Durham was manifest in countless ways, both openly and more often, quietly. He served as the Chairman of the Citizens Safety Patrol and oversaw the annual trip to Washington DC for over a thousand young Safety Patrol boys involved in that program.

As a long time member of the Durham Planning and Zoning Commission, he was very much a part of creating the Durham we have today. He gladly gave of his time and financial support to dozens of civic groups and institutions. A charter member of the Iron Dukes, the University he loved so, was supported by him on both the academic and athletic side. He took great pride in providing, along with his sisters, the Fuqua School of Business a building named after their father.

A stalwart Duke fan, he suffered through many difficult times in both the football and basketball programs but never wavered in his belief in their greatness, however long it took.

His love for the game of golf throughout his lifetime brought him immeasurable joy. From boyhood when his mother would pack him a sandwich and send him off to play nine holes at the age of six until hanging up his clubs at eighty- three, he was a disciple of the game. He traveled the world in pursuit of playing the legendary courses and could conservatively claim to have played almost seventy- five of the top hundred in the world at one point.

Russell never grasped the fourteen- club rule as a directive to the number of golf clubs in your bag rather than the number of golf clubs one should hold membership. He was a member of Hope Valley Country Club for sixty-eight years. He loved his homes in Myrtle Beach the first of which was secured in 1974. He joined the Dunes Club that year and remained a member until his death. Over the years he was a founding member of the following: Treyburn (Durham, NC), Old Chatham, Wachesaw Plantation, The Reserve, Governor’s Club, and the Robert Trent Jones Club. It is possible there were more that he kept secret! He loved nothing better than driving out to RDU on a late Thursday with a couple of friends, loading them and their golf bags into his airplane and flying off to one of his courses.

One his most extraordinary golf endeavors was his fifty-six year leading the CRUDS. A golf buddy tradition that is unparalleled in golf history. Beginning in 1967, Russell organized, directed a rarely changing cast of characters for over a hundred golf trips to Myrtle Beach (with one ten-day stint to Scotland). The achievement was worthy of a featured story on Golf Channel upon the hundredth trip.

His reverence for the United States and the armed forces was a core passion of his. As an student in the history of World War II, Russell was often asked to give lectures about various aspects of that conflict. He served in the United States Army Reserves receiving an honorable discharge after his service. There are not adequate words to describe the pride he held when his grandson, and namesake, Russell N. Barringer IV, joined the United States Air Force and was assigned pilot duty flying F-35 fighter jets.

As a prominent businessman, he served as Chairman/CEO of many different entities over his career. He created thousands of jobs throughout NC, SC, TN, VA, OH, PA. He mentored and financially invested in dozens of people he believed in. As a real estate developer he created many neighborhoods around Durham.

A lifelong Republican, he was deeply active in politics both locally and nationally. He ran unsuccessfully for Durham County Commissioner. Over the many decades he opened his house up to countless candidates much to his wife’s chagrin.

He accumulated a massive wardrobe of clothes and never failed to be best dressed in any room. He did not purchase a pair of jeans (dungarees in his vernacular) until he was in his early 60’s and that was to wear to a country-western themed event. That pair of jeans was sent to Goodwill after one wearing, enlarging the 100’s of dress shirts, pants and sport coats that he donated over the years. The number of males walking around with RNB embroidered on the clothing he culled over the years is impressive.

Finally, his family was the most important thing in his life. Not just his immediate family but his sisters and brother, his nieces and nephews well-being were driving responsibilities he carried out with love and equity.

As the father of three sons, he was a stern disciplinarian for minor transgressions and a loving forgiver and ever-present source of support when one of them committed a major transgression. He provided every opportunity that any child could have wished for. He stepped aside from many of his corporate leadership positions in favor of his sons when he felt the time for them to move the entities forward. He somehow crafted corporate structures that allowed each son to rise to those responsibilities with limited overlap between them. Once he handed over the reins he rarely second-guessed and never overruled allowing each to make mistakes but to also let them shine at an earlier age than they probably deserved.

He took joy in family traditional family gatherings hosting with his wife spectacular Thanksgiving dinners and over-the-top Christmas celebrations despite unanimous giggling from all in attendance when he inevitably failed to get through the Blessing without choking up.

He was a singularly giant personality who lived an incredibly blessed life. At the same time, his unwavering respect and the graciousness he extended to people from all walks of life made all he came into contact with feel better. He will be desperately missed by all.

He is survived by his sons, Russell N. Barringer, III, (Amanda Tuck Barringer) Edward Teer Barringer, (Laura Collins Barringer) and Stephen W. Barringer (Kelly Elizabeth Wood). He also is survived by his grandchildren, Russell N. Barringer IV, McKenzie Tuck Barringer, Anderson T. Barringer, Mary Bowen Barringer, Fitz Edward Barringer, Neils Teer Barringer, Pickens Collins Barringer, Grace Barringer Moroney, Veronica Page Barringer and great-grandchildren, Adlai W. Barringer, Wynfryd Barringer, and Mary Margaret Moroney.

His family will be forever grateful to angel caregivers who have been a part of our family through both our parents in their final years. Donna Garner, Lorene Mitchiner, Bonnie Hardison, Tiffany Cindric, Sharon Toney, and Connie Wooten. We are also thankful for the ever-present help in these last few years for the help keeping the family home safe and comfortable through the diligent efforts of John Williams.

A Visitation was held at 2825 Chelsea Circle on Tuesday from 6:00 PM until 8:00 pm. A Memorial Service will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 2:00 PM. A reception at the home will follow immediately after the service.

A private interment will be held.

Angus Guy McInnis Jr. ’53

Dr. Angus Guy McInnis, Jr., 92, of Reidsville passed away on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at the Penn Center.

A memorial service will be conducted at 2:00 PM Saturday, October 21, 2023, at First Presbyterian Church with Rev. Wes Pitts officiating.  The family will see friends immediately following the service at the church.

A native of Washington, GA he was a son of the late Angus Guy and Nancy Caroline Douglas McInnis and he had lived in Reidsville since 1962.  Dr. McInnis was a member of First Presbyterian Church and was active in the Men of the Church, a former member of the Board of Directors of Annie Penn Memorial Hospital, and he practiced medicine in Reidsville for over 54 years.  He was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather.  Dr. McInnis graduated from Davidson College and Duke University Medical School.  He was an avid golfer, he enjoyed trips to the beach, he loved spending time with his family and friends and was a “Major Duke Fan”.  He was preceded in death by his grandson, Kegan McInnis,  brother-in-law, Bud Bramley, and sister-in-law, Shelia Carrasco.

Surviving is his wife:  Peggy Bunton McInnis of the home, son, Mark McInnis (Sherri) of Mooresville, daughters, Suzanne M. Cotter (Mark) of Reidsville and Debbie M. Huffstetler (Mark) of Wilmington, sister, Caroline M. Bramley of Statesville, brother-in-law, John Grogan of Loveland, CO, grandchildren, Lauren McInnis (Diedier Treudic), Jillian McInnis, Cami McInnis, Delilah McInnis, Jordan Kluttz (Carson), Olivia Martin (Charley) and Chris Cotter, great grandchildren, Selevin and Bluesen Treudic, special family friends, Kaleigh Roe and Taylor Martin.  The family would especially like to thank the home caregivers, the hospice staff, and the staff of the Penn Center for their kindness and care.

In lieu of flowers, the family wishes that memorials be sent to the First Presbyterian Church 318 S. Main St. Reidsville, NC  27320.  Citty Funeral Home is assisting the McInnis family and online condolences may be made at www.cittyfh.com

Thomas Barber Stockton ’52

Bishop Thomas Barber Stockton, of Arbor Acres, Winston-Salem, North Carolina moved from life to life eternal on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. Born to Norman and Emorie Stockton on July 26, 1930 along with his twin brother, Richard, he attended Wiley School, Reynolds High, Davidson College, Duke Divinity School, and Cambridge University, and received honorary doctorates from Pfeiffer College and Shenandoah University.

Tom married Jean Stevens, the love of his life, in 1953. They worked deeply together in ministry, family and life until Jean’s death in November, 2017. They had three children and nine grandchildren: Lisa Stockton Howell, and her husband James, and their children Sarah Howell-Miller, Grace Howell, and Noah Howell; Tom Stockton, Jr., and his wife Margie, and their children Rosie Stockton, Elizabeth Fox, and Katy Stockton; and Shannon Stockton Miller, and her husband Shannon, and their children Regan Johnson, Taylor Miller, and Sydney Miller.

He entered the United Methodist ministry in 1956 and served Thrift United Methodist Church in Charlotte, First United Methodist Church in Reidsville, Dilworth United Methodist Church in Charlotte, Central United Methodist Church in Asheville, Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, and Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in High Point. Tom then served as Bishop of the Virginia United Methodist Annual Conference. In addition, he served on the United Methodist Board of Higher Education, and as a Trustee of Duke University, High Point University, and Virginia Methodist College. Upon retirement he taught at High Point University until he and Jean moved to Arbor Acres.

A Service of Death and Resurrection will be held at Centenary United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem on Saturday, October 28, at 2 p.m., conducted by Dr. James Howell, Rev. Sarah Howell-Miller, and Bishop Ray Chamberlain.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Resident Assistance Fund at Arbor Acres, 1240 Arbor Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27104, or to Lake Junaluska, Annual Fund, PO Box 67, Lake Junaluska, NC 28745. Condolences may be made online at www.salemfh.com.

David Sheppard Shaw ’57

David Sheppard Shaw, 89, died October 5th 2023 while at his Wildewood Downs home in Columbia, South Carolina. Born in Baltimore Maryland, he was the son of Edith and Thomas Shaw. In 1958, David graduated from Davidson College, Charlotte area, earning a BS in Physics and Mathematics. Shortly thereafter, he began a rewarding and accomplished career with NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton. He would work at NASA for over 47 years as an aerospace research engineer, in the research center’s Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, where he and his team tested and measured an array of planes, rockets and space craft that traveled faster than the speed of sound (767 mph).

He was preceded in death by his parents, Edith Sheppard Shaw and Thomas Willard Shaw and sister-in-law Elizabeth Shaw; He leaves to cherish his memory his wife devoted Mildred Morris Shaw and three loving sons, David (Shep) Shaw Jr., Charles (Skip) Shaw and his wife Sutton, and Steve Shaw and his wife Stephanie; his brothers Tom Shaw and wife Tommie Shaw and brother Bobby Shaw; Grandchildren Vanessa (Jay) Fielder, David (Trey) Shaw III and his wife Katie, Sydney Shaw, Skylar Shaw, Grigg Shaw and Tyler Shaw; Great-granddaughter Cassidy Fielder; as well as a host of other family and dear friends.

David was a very supportive father to all three of his sons in their many outdoor pursuits, which ranged from swimming, skateboarding, soccer, to flying airplanes, water skiing and boating. At many swim meets, he was the official score keeper. He would also drive several hours to watch and support a soccer game of one of his son at the drop of a hat.
In his youth, David was a very competitive basketball player, and he loved to watch basketball on TV. He attended Central High School in Charlotte, where he had a special nickname, “Dazzling Dave”. He was able to receive a basketball scholarship to Davidson University playing for 3 years. He was also a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He selected Mathematics and Physics as his majors. He would also go on to undertake graduate work at Virginia Tech (VPI).

David and his wife Millie were married for 65 years. He met Mildred (Millie) Morris in Charlotte and they dated their senior year in college. They married on June 14, 1958. They would have three sons, known, respectively, as Shep, Skip and Steve to family and friends. David and Millie would also travel together to Mexico, England, Scotland and many destinations across the U.S. David and Millie were able to attend their grandsons wedding in May 2023 (picture seen here). They were members of Hidenwood Presbyterian Church in Newport News, Virginia for many years, and most recently were members of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Columbia, South Carolina.

David was known as a medical survivor of tireless strength and will to live. He had over 135 throat surgeries across his lifetime. He had a medical condition of polyps (warts) on his vocal cords. The polyps needed to be removed on a regular basis by surgery & lasers. These surgeries gave him a very distinct raspy voice. In 2022, he took part in an experimental research drug program with the National Institutes of Health (NiH) to address the throat polyps. While the new drug had minimal impact on him, it is now receiving FDA approval to help others. He also had colon cancer in 2001, resulting in approximately a third of his lower intestine being removed. As we said he was a Survivor and fought hard!!
David loved to play card games, including Bridge, Hand and Foot, Gin, Poker, Kings Corner and Mish Mash. He was a voracious reader, and sometimes completed three books per week.

In 2006, David and his wife Millie moved from Newport News, Virginia, after residing in the area for 48 years, to the Wildewood Downs subdivision in Columbia, South Carolina. He was very active in the community in Bridge card games, expanding the library, putt putt golf competition, orientation for new members, supporting community activities, and exploring local sites & restaurants.

David worked at NASA Langley Research Center, in Hampton, Virginia, for over 47 years, specializing in the area of Supersonic Aerodynamics. In short order, he became acclaimed for the quality of his meticulous research and the insightful findings provided in his experimental results, as well as for the speed with which he was able to obtain, analyze and report them. He utilized some of the first NASA computers. He even worked with several notable experts that were the subjects in the movie called Hidden Figures. He received several patents from his work.
His many laudable accomplishments also included:
* 25 technical publications
* Group Achievement awards – NASP in 1993 and Space Shuttle in 1985
* NASA Awards for SST evaluation and Apollo achievement
* Fighters: X-2, X-15, F101, F104, F14, F15, F16, F18
* Bombers: B1, B58, B70, F111
* Supersonic Transports (SST) Boeing and Lockheed
* Missiles: Polaris, Sidewinder, Patriot, Navaho and over 40 others
* Spacecraft, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, Voyager, Viking Lander, Venus Probe, Mars Decelerator

A memorial Service will be held at the Wildewood Downs clubhouse on November 5th at 2:30 PM led by Father William “Scotty” Brock of St. David’s Episcopal Church. A reception for the Shaw and Morris Families will be held shortly afterwards.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made in David’s name to The Big Red Barn Retreat at www.thebigredbarnretreat.org to support Veterans.

William N. Mebane III ’51

Pediatrician and family physician Dr. William “Bill” Mebane III, who practiced for years at Chestnut Hill Hospital and was a long-time resident of Chestnut Hill and Wyndmoor, died Oct. 1 while visiting relatives in Salida, Colorado. He was 94.

In addition to being affiliated with the local hospital, now named Temple Health Chestnut Hill, Mebane held faculty positions at Jefferson Medical College and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He was also an elder of the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, where he had a special commitment to community service.

In a prepared statement, his family members said that in the last week of his life, Mebane “biked 2.4 miles for fried okra, bounced his newest great-grandchild on his knee and celebrated his 94th birthday on a jeep tour through Aspen foliage at Camp Hale at 9,000 feet.”

They also said that “Bill’s life taught us all to enthusiastically seize the day, embrace every opportunity to learn new things and always extend a caring hand and a listening ear to dear ones and strangers alike.”

In his professional capacity, Mebane helped to establish the CHH Family Practice Residency program and was one of the initial Program Directors.

“Chestnut Hill Hospital has lost a giant,” said Dr. John Scanlon, chief medical officer at Temple Health/CHH. “Dr. Mebane was a consummate leader, clinician and teacher, and his caring and compassionate nature is what set him apart from his peers. His contributions to CHH are limitless and will continue to be felt into perpetuity.”

As a practicing and busy physician, Mebane also took seriously the role of helping to mentor scores of students and residents. 

“On a personal level, Bill was extremely supportive of me as I rose through various leadership roles at the hospital, and I will miss the sage advice he often gave me,” Scanlon added. “He is one of the role models on whose shoulders I stand.”

Marc W. McKenna, a family medicine physician at CHH who succeeded Mebane as program director of the Family Medicine program in 1994 and worked directly with him for many years, described him as “the epitome of an old-time primary care doctor.” 

“He always had a twinkle in his eye, a word of encouragement and a nice thing to say to everyone,” McKenna said. “And, in addition to directly caring for so many members of our community, he also helped train and mentor the next generation of family physicians.”

A native of North Carolina, Mebane graduated from Davidson College and moved to Philadelphia in 1950 to attend the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. After receiving his M.D. in 1954, he interned at Philadelphia General Hospital. It was then that he charmed wife-to-be Marianne with his dance moves, executed with a cast on his leg from a ski accident on Mount Washington. 

The two were married in 1955 and went on a honeymoon to Fort Benning in Georgia, where Bill served in the U.S. Army as a battalion surgeon. It was there that he discovered surgery was not his niche. (He once told the Local that he learned that after suturing the colonel’s dog with a running stitch.) 

He returned to Philadelphia in 1957 for a residency in pediatrics at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. In 1959, he joined the Chestnut Hill Pediatric Group and the staff of Chestnut Hill Hospital. 

He also became an integral part of his local community. 

In his work with the church, Mebane tutored Philadelphia public school children in reading. He also actively participated in building homes with Habitat for Humanity and other projects, and he and his wife volunteered with school groups at Morris Arboretum. 

On more than one occasion, he was scolded for teaching the students to roll down the grassy hills.

The Rev. Russell Sullivan, minister of visitation at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, said “Bill was one of the finest persons ever to serve” at the church, citing his work in the community and also as a volunteer in Haiti. 

“His faith shaped him to be a person of compassion, kindness and mercy, which he embodied also as a physician,” Sullivan said. “Bill was the kind of doctor we still need in the world.”

Mebane enjoyed both golf and tennis and especially enjoyed the golfing fellowship of the Wayfair Club and his friends at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, where he scored a hole-in-one on the 10th hole at the age of 75. As his sight diminished, he continued this passion, thanks to the Middle Atlantic Blind Golf Association.

Mebane was predeceased by his wife and partner of 66 years, Marianne (Wehner). Bill is survived by his son William, of Falmouth, Massachusetts; daughters Jane Luceno of Yorktown Heights, New York, and Anne Gibbons, of Wenatchee, Washington, as well as seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. 

“Until the very end, he asked himself and others what we could collectively do to ‘bring a little peace and justice to this old world of ours,’ a favorite saying of his before a meal,” the family said in their statement. “Even during his last days, Bill never complained about his physical limitations imposed by ‘too many Birthdays.’ Instead, he reflected with compassion on the unjust pain millions of people are confronted with daily.” 

A memorial service will be held at Foulkeways in Gwynedd at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to  88bikes..org and the Foundation for Health Equity, 10 East Springfield Ave., Phila., Pa., 19118 (f4he.org).