Category: 1954

Igor Nicholas Sviatoslavsky ’54, of Madison, Wis., passed away on Nov. 21, 2010, at UW Hospital. Sviatoslavsky was born in Jerusalem on Oct. 11, 1932, the son of Nicholas and Alexandra Sviatoslavsky. He came to the U.S. on a Fulbright scholarship in 1952 and attended Davidson. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954-55. He married Wanda Blejwas on May 13, 1956, in New Jersey. He received his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1958 and worked for UW Madison from 1956 until he retired as a senior scientist in 2005. He was the 1998 recipient of the John G. Bollinger Award for his contributions to fusion engineering, for developing innovative design solutions for fusion reactors, and for developing methods for recovering lunar resources. Sviatoslavsky loved going on his annual Canadian fishing trip with his work friends and going to his cabin, Pete’s Place, in Northern Wisconsin. Sviatoslavsky loved reading and writing poetry. He loved attending his grandchildren’s musicals, baseball, soccer, and basketball games. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Wanda Sviatoslavsky, 1249 Meadow Sweet Dr., Madison, WI 53719-4516; sons, Andy Sviatoslavsky (Meg) and Greg Sviatoslavsky (Cindy); grandchildren, Lydia, Elena, Peter, and Alex; brother, Nicholas Sviatoslavsky (Marina); sister, Olga Nazaroff (George); and by a number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and son, Peter (29) in 1991.

Robert “Tim” Gilley ’54, of Altamonte Springs, Fla., died Aug. 25. His life partner and wife of 52 years, Doris Anita Boyer Gilley, joined him in heaven within a week; the two were never apart for long. Gilley is survived by their sons, Rob Gilley (Lonnise), 25209 Wymont Park Rd., Worton, MD 21678, and Tim Gilley, 300 Overbrook Rd., Richmond, VA 23222; nieces, nephews, and many extended family whom he discovered through extensive genealogy research.

John “Johnnie” Gerald Smith ’54, of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., died April 18 as a result of an accident. A native of Harnett County, he was the son of the late Edgar Solomon and Estelle Byrd Smith. Smith was preceded in death by two brothers, Theodore and William Harold Smith ’52. He graduated from Davidson with a bachelor of science degree in business. He married Ola Kelly Avent of Fuquay-Varina on Aug. 27, 1955. He served as a lieutenant at Fort Benning, Ga. He was also athletic director of the Seventh Infantry. While in service at Fort Benning, he trained six cycles of basic trainees and attained the ranking of first lieutenant. He always loved baseball and was a baseball pitcher in high school, college, and pro for the Baltimore Orioles. He played one summer with the Fayetteville Highlanders in the Class B Carolina League. He was a merchandise manager for Varina Wholesale and the Wickes Corporation. After working for several years with the company located in Fuquay-Varina, he moved to Greenville, S.C., and later to Saginaw, Mich. After 20 years with Wickes, he returned to Fuquay-Varina, where he went into business for himself as a manufacturers’ representative and formed the company John G. Smith and Associates. He represented 15 separate companies in the Southeast U.S. and sold his company in 1998. After 22 years, he retired and enjoyed fishing, hunting, and playing golf. He was a former member of the Flat Branch Presbyterian Church and served as chairman of the finance committee for building the new church. He later became a member of Christian Light Christian Church, where he had served as a Sunday school teacher for the men’s class, choir member, and deacon since 1978. Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Ola Kelly Avent Smith, 125 River Rd., Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526; son, Randy Gerald Smith (Susan Moore Smith); daughter, Kelly Smith Bain (Alton “Al” Deems Bain); sister, Ann Funderburk (Jim); sister-in-law, Monteen B. Smith; five grandchildren, Jessica Vickers, Morgan Smith, Andrew Smith, Drew Bain, and Daniel Bain.

Charles Leonard Geiger ’54, of Gainesville, Ga., passed away peacefully at home and in the presence of his family July 14. Geiger was born in 1932 in Boaz, Ala., to William Marlin and Leah Tolbert Geiger. He spent his childhood in Gadsden, Ala.; Portland, Ore.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Panama City, Fl. He attended Davidson, graduating in the Class of 1954 with a dual major in physics and premedical studies. He was a member of the Physics Honor Society and was a tenor soloist for three years in the Davidson Male Chorus. Geiger attended Emory School of Medicine in the Class of 1958. He completed his internship in pathology and his two year residency at Emory Hospital, and spent his third year of postdoctoral pathology at Emory as a fellow of the National Cancer Institute. For the next two years he was appointed to the Emory Medical School faculty as assistant professor of pathology and served as assistant director of the laboratory at the Atlanta Veterans Administration Hospital. In 1963 he joined the U.S. Air Force Medical Service, serving as captain at Eglin Air Force Base. During this time he became a member of the American Society of Clinical Pathology as a fellow of the College of American Pathology. On leaving the Air Force, he moved with his family to Gainesville, Ga., to work with Dr. Hamil Murray. After studying at Oak Ridge, he obtained a license from the Atomic Energy Commission and opened the first radioisotope laboratory in North Georgia. During this time he remained on the Emory Medical School Faculty as professor of clinical pathology. He later moved his practice to Lanier Park Hospital in Gainesville, where he continued to work for the next 14 years until his retirement from medicine in 1991. Upon his retirement he began a long-term study of the natural world and volunteered several thousand hours as a naturalist at Elachee Nature Center. While he was still physically able, he devoted his time and study to paleontology. He often referred to these years as the most enjoyable in his life. He considered the most fortunate event in his life meeting Rebecca “Becky” Deal on a blind date in 1953. They married in 1956, and their marriage continued to grow in joy and meaning until his death. He was preceded in death by his eldest son, William Marlin Geiger ’79. He is survived by his wife, Rebecca Geiger, 715 Mountain View Cir., Gainesville, GA 30501-1672; his daughter-in-law, Catherine Brooks Geiger, and grandchildren, Caitlin and Christopher; his son, Leonard Geiger, Jr., (Christina) and daughter, Ava; his daughter, Beth Geiger Bolstad ’85 (Arlen) and children, Joanna, Emma, and Thomas; and his son, Ralph Geiger. Geiger was a man who lived in awe of the mysteries of the natural world and of the human heart.