Category: 1970

Tom Bersuder died on July 2nd after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was born to John Edward and Virginia Patterson Bersuder in Dayton, Ohio in 1948 and when he was a child, his family moved to Texas City, Texas. On the recommendation of his minister, an alumnus of Davidson College, Tom attended Davidson where he developed lifelong friendships and became an active alumnus and ambassador of the “Great Class of 1970.” He was honored to receive the Alumni Service Award from Davidson in 2025.

After graduating and working for his Texas congressman in Washington, D.C., Tom returned to North Carolina and lived with several other Davidson alumni as they attended graduate and professional schools. After receiving a master’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, Tom moved to Raleigh and began a career of more than 30 years in state government. He retired in 2010 from what is now the NC Department of Information Technology and he was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

Tom also actively supported his wife, Hope Williams, in her work with NC Independent Colleges and Universities. Together, they took great joy in raising their two sons, Jonathan and Edward, and in welcoming Edward’s wife, Gabby, and their darling granddaughter, Marcella, to the family. In addition, Tom was proud to be the big brother to his sister, Suzi, and brother-in-law to her husband, Dick Grbac.

Other relatives include his uncle, Ron Bersuder, and wife Cindy, of Ohio, and many cousins, including Jeannette Albert and her husband, Danny, of New Orleans.

A Celebration of Life Service, followed by a reception, will be held on Saturday, August 15th at 2pm at First Baptist Church of Raleigh on Salisbury Street.

In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome donations to the Tom Bersuder ’70 Fund, Davidson College, PO Box 5000, Davidson, NC 28035 (or Office of Donor Relations – tel:704-894-2077) or in memory of Tom to the Independent College Fund of North Carolina, 530 N Blount St, Raleigh, 27604 (919-832-5817).

Tad Lowdermilk passed away on June 5, 2026. Most important to Tad were his wife, Ellen, to whom he was married for nearly 48 years, their four children and seven grandchildren.

After he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Davidson, Tad completed Medical School at the University of Miami School of Medicine. He did his internship and residency at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Emergency Medicine. After completion of those programs, he joined Forsythe Emergency Services as a full-time Emergency Medicine physician.

Frederick Troupe Mickler III, known as “Rusty,” died from Parkinson’s disease on May 23, 2026, at the age of 77. He was born on June 3, 1948, in Atlanta to Dr. and Mrs. Frederick Troupe Mickler Jr. (Beverly Patterson). After graduating from Hamilton County High School in Jasper, Florida, Rusty earned a B.A. in History from Davidson College in 1970 and a J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law in 1973. Rusty married Deborah Ann Haston on August 29, 1970.

Rusty and Deborah moved to Columbia, South Carolina, in 1980, where he retired as General Counsel from Farm Credit Bank (now AgFirst) after 31 years.

Rusty grew up swimming in the Suwannee River, playing football, basketball, and baseball, and running track at HCHS. He loved an SAE band party and spending his free time camping, kayaking, and hiking, as well as cheering on the Gators and Wildcats, traveling with Deborah, visiting Brevard, reading non-fiction, and taking long walks through Columbia.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Deborah; his children Brooke Mickler Martin (Michael) of Auburn, Alabama, and Frederick Troupe Mickler IV (Kimberly) of West Grove, Pennsylvania; his grandchildren Jacob Forrest Martin, Samuel Baxley Martin, Ann Morrow Martin, Frederick Troupe “Quin” Mickler V, and Gray Margerite Mickler; as well as his siblings Sam Mickler, Beverly Mickler Brown, Ben Mickler, Bill Mickler, and Jon Mickler, and many wonderful sisters- and brothers-in-law and nieces and nephews.

A special thanks to the staff of Carroll Campbell Place, Westminster Memory Care, MSA Hospice, and Evelene Bowman, for their loving care of Rusty in his final months.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, July 25, at 10:00 a.m. at Washington Street United Methodist Church in Columbia, with a reception to follow at the Ascot Clubhouse, Steeple Ridge Road, Irmo.

In memory of Rusty, donations may be made to The Davidson Trust (https://community.davidson.edu/gift-form, Davidson College, PO Box 5000, Davidson, NC 28035), which makes it possible for students from all backgrounds to attend Davidson College.

Dr. Bruce G. Wolff, M.D., passed away peacefully at home in Rochester, Minnesota on Friday, April 24, 2026, from natural causes. Born in Columbus, Georgia, Dr. Wolff dedicated his professional life to advancing the field of colorectal surgery and improving the lives of his patients. He followed in the footsteps of his father and older brothers in joining the Mayo Clinic in 1982, where he spent the duration of his career as a surgeon, mentor, and leader in his field. He served as chair of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Mayo and held numerous national leadership roles, including President of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and Executive Director of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery. He was a sought-after speaker, engaging audiences around the world on colorectal surgery topics with his trademark blend of humor, stories, and clinical perspective from his many years of practice. His lasting influence on the profession is also, and notably, underscored through his passionate educating and mentorship to hundreds of physician residents and his impact on the countless patients that benefited from his compassion and care.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Dr. Wolff was a beloved father, husband, grandfather, and friend. He had a deep appreciation for classic cars and American history, especially the Civil War and World War II. He was in ROTC and served as an Army surgeon for two years, and he was a talented banjo and guitar player, entertaining family, friends, and colleagues with bluegrass and folk renditions. His love of music led him to a long time tenure as an enthusiastic supporter and board member of the Rochester Symphony Orchestra and Chorale. He’ll be remembered for his love of family and friends, long-haired dachshunds, and travel, his hospitality, his much-lauded annual Christmas letters, his compassion, and his dedication to his work.

Dr. Wolff is survived by his wife, Vikki; his children, Catherine (Katie) Wolff; William (Oscar) Wolff and his wife, Lauren, and their children, Maren and William (Will); and Charles (Charlie) Wolff and his wife, Kaylie, and their children, Jack and Hank. He was preceded in death by his wife Jacqueline Goodyear, his brothers William (Bill) and Luther (Butch), his sister Mary Louise (Bug), and his parents Luther and Mary Will.

A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 512 3rd St SW Rochester, MN, at 1:00pm on May 4, 2026, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Undue Medical Debt (https://unduemedicaldebt.org [unduemedicaldebt.org]) or Save the Music Foundation (https://www.savethemusic.org [savethemusic.org]).

Dr. Thomas Edward Hendren passed away at 78 on Wednesday, Jan. 28.

He had two children. His son, Matt, was with him when he died in Austin, Texas. His daughter, Cate, a physician in Boston, was able to communicate with him via speaker phone in his final hours. Dr.

Hendren was known as Tommy Hendren when he was fine athlete at West Rowan High in the mid-1960s. The quarterback of the football team and a starting forward for a conference-champion basketball team, he was named the school’s Outstanding Senior Athlete for the 1965-66 school year.

Hendren was born into a prominent family in Cleveland. He had an older sister, Myrna, who became a teacher. Tommy’s father, Travis Edward Hendren, was a remarkable fellow who graduated in 1934 from Hiddenite High School in Alexander County.

In 1939, a lot happened in Travis’ life. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from N.C. State. got married in Alabama and was commissioned by the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant. He served in Europe in World War II with the 35th Infantry Division. He was wounded twice, but he came home with medals and in one piece.

After he was discharged from active duty, he still served in the reserves for many years, eventually retiring as as a lieutenant colonel.

In civilian life, Travis was an agriculture teacher at Celeste Henkel in Statesville, at old Cleveland High and then at West Rowan,  after Cleveland was consolidated with Mount Ulla and Woodleaf to form the new school in 1959.

In the 1970s, he got a masters degree in education from N.C. State and went to work for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. He was a charter member of the Cleveland Lions Club, didn’t miss a meeting for decades, got into politics and served on the town board. When he was in his 70s, he was elected mayor of Cleveland for the period of 1992 to 1996. Tommy’s mother, Mary, died in 1992. Travis passed in 1998.

Travis was teaching agriculture at West Rowan when Tommy was coming along. Tommy was exceptional academically as well as athletically, and he also was raised with unusual discipline for a high school youngster. His last two years of high school, he was up before dawn delivering Charlotte Observer newspapers. Those thick papers landed in subscriber’s yards early.

West Rowan football had not yet blossomed in those days. The Falcons went 3-6-1 in 1964 and were 4-6 in the fall of 1965. There was a head-coaching change during the 1965 season, with Doug Chalk stepping in for Gerald Hasty. West did win two of its last three games, rolling over Monroe and Troutman. The 32-13 victory against Troutman was Tommy Hendren’s farewell to football.

Chalk, who had been a star at Catawba College, also coached West’s basketball team, and the Falcons would have considerably more success in that arena in the winter of 1965-66.

The Falcons had been solid for Chalk in 1964-65, 13-9 overall and 9-5 for a third-place tie in the North Piedmont Conference. That was a heated race, with Monroe and North Rowan finishing 10-4 to tie for first and West Rowan and Davie County both finishing 9-5.

Hendren was the fourth scorer for the Falcons, averaging 8.4 points per game. With lots of juniors, West finished strong, beating a stout Asheboro team in the Bi-Conference (North Piedmont and South Piedmont) Tournament, before losing 50-48 to Albemarle to end the season. That Albemarle squad came close to winning the Western North Carolina High School Activities Association title, losing 54-50 to Hickory in the finals.

The roundball Falcons were even better in 1965-66, dominating the NPC with a 13-1 record and finishing 16-6. West beat Thomasville in the first round of the Bi-Conference Tournament, but lost to South Rowan in a tight game in the semifinals. Albemarle’s Bulldogs eliminated South Rowan and then went on to pound Valdese for the WNCHSAA championship.

Hendren was again the fourth scorer for the Falcons as a senior. He averaged 7.1 points, scoring in double figures five times, with a high of 13. Forward Dinker Jones, who died a month before Hendren, averaged 17 points. Center Roger McSwain averaged 14, and point guard Bill Watson averaged 12.1.

Hendren was a valuable member of the student body, in addition to his athletic efforts. He was president of the band. He could sing and had the lead in the school play. Academically, he was co-valedictorian of the class. He was the superintendent of the “young people’s department” in the Cleveland Baptist Church. He was a district finalist for a Morehead Scholarship.

He ended up at Davidson College and made his mark there. He was named as one of the 12 outstanding members of the junior class. He graduated with a degree in psychology in 1970. He was in ROTC at Davidson and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General Corps when he graduated. He served his military duty in Indiana at Fort Benjamin Harrison.

Hendren had been awarded a U.S. Public Health Fellowship for graduate study in clinical psychology for his academic performance at Davidson and earned a doctorate degree from the University of North Carolina in 1976. After an internship at a children’s hospital in Boston, he went to work in New Bern, and then in Winston-Salem.

Dr. Hendren married Catherine Gross Hendren, who was originally from High Point. They had two very well educated and successful children, Matt and Cate. Matt was living in Texas when Dr. Hendren moved there. He got to spend time with grandchildren, including one who was named after him.  

Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/02/04/sports-obituary-west-standout-of-the-mid-1960s-dies/