Category: 1960s

Dr. Stephen Edwin Rostan, a well-loved Moore County physician, died at his home on July 10, 2024. He was 79. Dr. Rostan joined Dr. John Haserick at Pinehurst Dermatology in 1976. He was proud and honored to have served the sandhills and surrounding communities as a dermatologist and dermatopathologist for 34 years. He felt fortunate to have been associated with Moore Memorial Hospital, serving many years as a member and chair of the hospital’s education committee, and once as chief of staff. Dr. Rostan graduated from Valdese High School where he was an outstanding athlete and student leader, serving as president of his Senior Class. He graduated from Davidson College where he was a Dana Scholar, president of Alpha Epsilon Delta (pre-med honorary society), and a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. Dr. Rostan graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and completed his internship and residency in dermatology at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX, where he was promoted to Major. He also served at Womack Army Hospital in Fort Bragg, NC. Dr. Rostan was active in the community and with his sons’ sports teams. He was a generous donor to charitable causes and a member of Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church. Steve loved Davidson College, especially Wildcats basketball. He became a very good tennis player and enjoyed a competitive game followed by a cold beer. He was preceded in death by his parents, Stephen and Hattie Reynolds; and by his first wife and mother of their sons, Barbara Hay.

He is survived by his wife, Wendy Brown Rostan; sons, Robert S. Rostan (Elizabeth), Charlotte, NC, and Scott W. Rostan (Stephanie) Hoboken, NJ; sisters, June Rostan (Bob Ferguson and his sons, Robbie and Mike Ferguson) and Renee Rostan and her daughter, Holly Anderson; grandsons, Luke and Xavier Rostan of Hoboken, NJ; stepdaughters, Olivia Webb (Brett), Jenna Webb (Michael Todd) and Holly Webb; stepgrandchildren, Larkin Webb and Adeline Todd; and loyal friend, Pat Henderson.

The family thanks the nurses and caregivers of FirstHealth Hospice and Comfort Keepers for their wonderful care for Dr. Rostan after his health and mobility declined due to Parkinson’s.

According to Dr. Rostan’s wishes, burial will be in Valdese, NC. Friends and family are invited to the graveside service at the Waldensian Presbyterian Church Cemetery at 1141 Praley Street SW and to the visitation/reception following at Le Phare des Alpes hall at 301 Laurel Street SE. The graveside service will be held at 11 a.m., on Thursday, July 18, 2024.

Friends, family, and patients of Dr. Rostan are invited to a celebration of life at Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church, Southern Pines, NC, held at 11 a.m., on Friday, July 19, 2024 followed by a visitation/reception.

Memorials can be made to FirstHealth Hospice, 215 Campground Road, West End, NC 27376.

William “Bill” Alexander Kirkland, Jr., 83, passed away July 2, 2024. He was born in Durham, NC to the late William “Buck” Alexander and Helon Wilkerson Kirkland. In addition to his parents, Bill is pre-deceased by his son, Kirk Kirkland, and brother-in-law, Bob Carter.

Bill was educated at Calvert School (now Durham Academy), George Watts Elementary, and Carr Junior High. He was a member of Durham High School’s Class of 1958. He graduated from Davidson College with a B.A. in English in 1962.

Bill started his career as a reporter for the Durham Sun before moving to sports reporter for the Fayetteville Observor. He returned to Durham as city editor for the Durham Morning Herald. He then took a four year detour from newspapers to work in public relations for Broyhill Furniture Industries in Lenior, NC.

In 1979, he returned to newspapers and began a 22 year career with Worrell Newspapers. He spent his first year as associate publisher for the Lenoir News Topic. He moved from there to being publishers of the Southwest Times in Pulaski, VA; the Greensburg Daily News in Greensburg, IN; and the York County Coast Star in Kennebunk, ME. He concluded his career with Worrell at the Daily Progress in Charlottesville, VA while being named a Worrell general executive in 1979 and vice-president in 1986.

After retiring from Worrell Newspapers, he started Kirkland Newspapers, Inc. (KNI). He owned weekly newspapers in Wisconsin, Maine, and North Carolina. He started two weeklies in North Carolina.

Bill wrote Eddie Neville of the Durham Bulls – a book about his childhood hero and his hometown baseball team. While researching and writing his book, Bill connected with many former teammates of Eddie Neville. In 1993, Bill was instrumental in helping the Durham Bulls put together a reunion of former players.

Bill was a member of the Jaycees and Rotary. He served as United Way Chairman in Pulaski, VA and as Chairman of the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Bill is survived by his wife, Ann Carter Kirkland; daughter Elizabeth Kirkland Sickles (Robert); grandchildren: Alexandra, Kari (Phillip Bader), and Michael Sickles; Coley, Mimi, and Kate Kirkland; cousins: Linda Nelson Davis, Susan Nelson Dox (Allan), Cathy Nelson Raddatz; brother-in-law Bill Carter ( Jo Lene) and sister-in-law Cindy Carter; and niece Jo Carter (James Dees).

Cecilia Johnson, Sharon Turrentine, and Chastiny Reid were Bill’s caregivers in his final years battling Alzheimer’s Disease. Their professionalism, empathy, and patience, helped ease Bill’s life. They also provided much needed support to his immediate family.

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, July 11th at 2pm at Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church with the Reverend Emily Wilkes officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church, 927 W. Trinity Avenue, Durham, NC 27701; Kirkland Family Scholarship, Davidson College, 209 Ridge Road, P.O. Box 5000, Davidson, NC 28035.

The family is being assisted by Clements Funeral and Cremation Services, Inc. in Durham. Online Condolences may be sent to www.clementsfuneralservice.com

Journalists have traditionally used -30- to indicate the end of an article. Bill Kirkland was proud of his newspaper career – and he could write. Oh, how he could write.

-30-

Dr. William Rowan Barron II, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, minister, and friend, entered the Church Triumphant on June 16, 2024, completing a life of rich blessing and purpose. The second son of N. Gonzales and Ruby Hutton Barron, he was born in Columbia, South Carolina, on November 18, 1942, while his father served overseas as a Chaplain in World War II. Bill became Head of Staff at Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church in 1981, after serving as Assistant Minister at First Presbyterian Church in Sanford, Florida, and Minister at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Titusville, Florida, and First Presbyterian Church in Marianna, Florida. He retired in 2008, and was named Pastor Emeritus at Sequoyah Hills in 2009.

A child of the manse, he called three states and five places home. His beloved father (“Da”) was his signature role model and a primary influence in Bill’s call to ministry. Bill was an Eagle Scout, President of the Student Council, and delegate to Alabama Boys State. He had a lifelong love of sports and games, fed in part by the challenge, camaraderie, and competition, whether playing, coaching, or watching.
In high school he wrote a weekly column for the local paper called “Sportingly Yours,” which always ended with a life lesson. As a young minister, he became involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes; a connection that influenced his son’s becoming a coach. Through the years according to one who watched him on the softball field, at the billiards or ping-pong tables, and on the golf course, he was a “natural athlete with world class hand-eye coordination and brilliant strategy.” A lifelong borderline fanatic Georgia fan, he also relished watching the Vols and Braves. Probably his favorite spectator sports showcased his children and grandchildren.

He graduated from Davidson College (Class of 1964), and received his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Columbia Theological Seminary, where he later served on the Board of Trustees. The Presbyterian Church was in his DNA.

So was storytelling. He guided his children and congregations by example and story, believing as Henri Nouwen did that story “…creates space. We can dwell in a story, walk around, find our own place.” His sermons created space for people, including himself, to “find their own place.”

His practical, relatable message always linked Scripture and the real world, and his theology was consistent: we are saved by grace. Bill’s heart for ministry was equal parts preacher and pastor. He thrived on relationships—with individuals, congregations, the larger denomination, other denominations, and other religions.

After retiring in 2008, he served a congregation in crisis as interim, shepherding members whose families who had been in that church for generations. He also organized and led an interdenominational program called “Ministry of the Laity,” bringing people together for eight weeks of study in the fall and the spring. He later worked with Muslim leaders to bring Muslims and Christians together in a series of community events where speakers from both faiths told their stories and engaged in open dialogue, always around a shared meal.
​
Bill loved travel, especially when it included his children and later his grandchildren. In the summer of 1982, Bill exchanged pulpits and homes with a minister in Scotland. Before that immersion experience, the entire family spent several weeks traveling in Europe. That seed no doubt later inspired his children’s international study and work-related travel. His children have now instilled that spirit in their children.
Bill’s yen for exotic destinations backfired when he bought into Telly Savalis’s convincing late-night television endorsement of a “fun for the whole family” cruise to the Bahamas. The series of disasters did, however, become everyone’s favorite vacation story and gets better and better with each reenactment.

Bill met Eleanor Warr, the love of his life, on a blind date his senior year at Davidson College. They married three years later. Their love story spanned sixty years, four generations, and four pastorates. For their 50th anniversary, he pulled off the ultimate surprise; and when Eleanor turned around in the church of her childhood where they were married and saw a sanctuary filled with people she loved, she said, “This must be what heaven looks like.”

Bill was creative, funny, and smart. He loved to sing along with Elvis, lead pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and tell stories to children. He thrived on an audience and cherished one-on-one conversations. He was at home with the privileged and underprivileged, with prisoners, the devout, and the atheist. He lived with clarity, authenticity, and love.

Bill is survived by.his wife Eleanor Barron, his son Richard Barron (Maureen), his daughter Meg Christian (John), and his son Walt Barron (Katy); grandchildren Gill and Kate Christian, Lane, Rae, and Billy Barron, and Ruby and Dot Barron; sisters Lucie Eggleston (Bob) and Sally LaBadie; and sister-in-law Sibylle Barron; and many nieces and nephews. .

He was pre-deceased by his parents Ruby Hutton Barron and N. Gonzales Barron and brother Dr. F. Hutton Barron.

The Service of Witness to the Resurrection will be at 2:00 pm Saturday, June 22nd, in the sanctuary of Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church. A reception will follow in Barron Hall.

Memorials may be made to Tennessee Memory Disorders Foundation, 1400 Dowell Springs Blvd., Suite 340, Knoxville, TN 37909. (tmdf.org) or Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church.

Dr. E. Vernon Anderson, Jr., 80, died peacefully surrounded by his wife and three sons on Monday, May 27, 2024. Vernon was born to Dr. Egbert Vernon Anderson, Sr. and his wife, Rela Randall Anderson, in Pensacola, Florida. His father, fondly known as “Dr. Andy,” was a longtime pediatrician in the Pensacola community.

Vernon graduated from Davidson College in 1965 and completed medical school at Vanderbilt University in 1969 where he was inducted into the national medical honor society, Alpha Omega Alpha. He married the love of his life, Gwyn Foushee, in Durham, NC in the summer of 1969. He then completed his internship in pediatrics at Bowman Gray School of Medicine and his pediatric residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he served as chief resident in pediatrics.

In l972 Vernon joined the Christie Pediatric Group in Greenville, South Carolina. The group was named for Dr. Amos Christie, his mentor in training and longtime Chief of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt. Vernon spent his entire 41 year distinguished career at the Christie Group caring for multiple generations of children in the Greenville community. Vernon took great pleasure in mentioning that he not only cared for children but was once called by the Greenville Zoo to care for a newborn orangutan, Baby Bob.

In time away from his busy medical practice, Vernon was a very active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, serving three terms as a church elder and participating in many other church activities. He was on the inaugural board of South Carolina First Steps and a loyal member of the Greenville County Medical Society. Vernon served for two years as Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and held an important role on the Credentials Committee of Greenville Hospital System. He also enjoyed volunteering at the local Free Medical Clinic. He was an avid gardener and loved to travel, often with a beloved group of couples. He enjoyed playing cards with his long-time couples bridge club and more recently with a weekly men’s group, alongside his brother-in-law, John Rowell. He always looked forward to summer vacations spent at Perdido Key, Florida and Fripp Island, South Carolina with all of his beloved nieces, nephews, and grandchildren.

Vernon is survived by his wife, Gwyn Foushee Anderson, and their three sons: John and his wife, Chase, of Charlotte, NC and their three sons, Coale, James and Burke; Alan and his wife, Allison, of Greenville, SC and their four children, Eliza, Lane, Macie and Abe; and Chris and his wife, Cameron, of Charleston, SC and their four children, Harper, Mary Bennett, Janie and Anna Grace. He is survived by his sister, Rela White (Stewart) of Knoxville, TN, and his brother, Rhette (Mary) of Pensacola, FL.  He also treasured his extended family, Tom Duncan (Carolyn), Sam Foushee (LaRae), and John Rowell.

Vernon will be remembered as a skilled and caring physician and a loyal and steadfast friend, but above all he will be remembered for his enduring kindness, his abiding faith and his boundless love of family. There is no greater testament to this than his deep devotion to Gwyn, his bride of 56 years.

A visitation will take place at Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes, Downtown from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, 2024. The Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, June 2nd at 3:00 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church and the family will receive guests after the service. A private family graveside service will be held.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Prisma Health Children’s Hospital-Upstate or Westminster Presbyterian Church.