Category: 1970

Edgar Lee Exum, 77, died October 17, 2025 in the home nestled in a sylvan glen in the Oregon woods that he designed,  supervised construction of and shared for 30 years with the love of his life, Claudette Aras. The son of Joe Lee Exum and Vesta Euzelia Exum, Edgar was raised in Greenville, North Carolina, where he attended Junius H. Rose High School and matriculated to Davidson in 1966. At Davidson, Edgar was attracted to and thrived in the energetic classrooms of Professors Charlie Lloyd and Karl Garrison. His sardonic wit, acerbic yet convivial nature and broad knowledge of a very wide variety of learning made him an extraordinary student and companion.  

Edgar’s post- Davidson existence was atypical. Thanks to his ROTC commission, he did spend a mercifully brief time in the army. Lengthy military service would have served the best interests of neither Edgar nor the nation. Thereafter, he sojourned briefly as the director of advertising for the small hotel chain Guest Quarters before the numbing regularity of the corporate world caused him to flee.

He moved on to a series of jobs ranging from executive in an outward bound program to crewman on a sailing ship before moving to Ft. Lauderdale where he exchanged the high seas for kennel ownership. 

Edgar met Claudette, 16 years his senior, in Fort Lauderdale in 1988 when they were both invited to the same Thanksgiving dinner. They immediately bonded and shortly thereafter resolved to move to a more accommodating environment, embarking upon a lengthy series of forays seeking that cherished spot on earth. In 1991 they settled in McKenzie Bridge, Oregon where Edgar methodically worked through the inventory of the Eugene Public Library, professing to have read one book per day.

Claudette was a very sweet, intelligent and warm lady, the product of many years spent in Europe. Edgar frequently observed that he was very lucky to have her. No one disagreed. Lamentably, just prior to Edgar’s death, Claudette suffered a stroke from which she died on November 24, 2025, just weeks before her 94^th birthday.

Edgar leaves behind a large contingent of Sigma Chi brothers from the classes of 1967-72 who for many years have convened weekly for a call, monthly for a book discussion, seasonally to attend Davidson basketball and yearly to travel with their wives. We miss Edgar’s ability to knowledgeably discourse on virtually any topic, his bracing cynicism and his wicked and thoroughly original wit.

Written by classmate, Jim Long ’70

A much-loved husband, father, grandfather and brother, James Butler Puckett, 77, of Asheville, NC, passed away on September 18, 2025 with his family present.

He was born October 20, 1947 in Charlotte, NC and raised in Davidson, NC. He graduated from North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville, NC in 1966; received a BA from Davidson College in 1970; and received his Medical Degree from UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, NC in 1974. He completed a medical internship at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, VA in 1975. From 1975-1977, he was a Captain in the US Army Medical Corps 735th medical detachment in Sandhofen, West Germany. Upon returning to the United States, he completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in medical oncology at Wake Forest Bowman Gray School of Medicine in 1981.

James joined the faculty at the USC School of Medicine in Columbia, SC for three years, followed by six years on a Duke faculty assignment in Concord, NC before settling in Asheville, NC in 1990. He worked as a medical oncologist in private practice for nineteen years, notably starting one of North Carolina’s first bone marrow stem cell transplant programs in 1991. He later worked at the VA Hospital in Asheville for twelve years until his retirement in 2021.

Truly dedicated to the service of others, James volunteered his spare time at the ABCCM Free Medical Clinic and participated in a medical mission to Honduras. He was a former deacon and Sunday school teacher at the First Baptist Church in Asheville, NC.

He was known to his family and friends as an avid reader with many interests. A serial hobbyist, one could never predict the project of the year, which ranged from astronomy to Egyptian hieroglyphics to diagramming the Puckett family lineage going back several generations. Through one of these projects, James became a published author of the book “Olin, Oskeegum and Gizmo: Growing Up in a Small Southern College Town 1950-1970” (BlackInk Press 2003). He and his granddaughter enjoyed constructing increasingly large, and much to his wife’s chagrin, space-occupying Lego projects.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Margaret Tucker Puckett; son James William Puckett and wife Joanne Wen Puckett; granddaughter Alisa Puckett; twin brother John Lawrence Puckett and wife Karin Schaller; sister Virginia Northington Puckett Grizzard and husband William Berkeley Grizzard Jr; and nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents William Olin Puckett and Virginia Lewis House Puckett.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at eleven o’clock in the morning in the main sanctuary at First Baptist Church of Asheville. The family will receive friends after the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Endowment Fund of the First Baptist Church of Asheville: FBC Asheville, 5 Oak Street, Asheville, NC 28801.

Richard Fontaine Howard of Ipswich was born on April 21, 1948, in Montgomery, Alabama, and died on Friday May 9, 2025.

After graduating from Davidson College in North Carolina, he traveled north to Boston, where he met his future wife, Nancy (Sargent).

In Boston, they both began working with children with mental health disabilities, with Richard performing his service as a conscientious objector and Nancy at independent study at Boston University.

They married in Annisquam while Richard was in law school at Boston University and Nancy was studying for a master’s degree. 

Their daughter, Madeline, was born in Maine, where Richard was an assistant attorney general.

The family then returned to Massachusetts, where Malcom was born.

There, Richard continued his legal advocacy on behalf of children with disabilities.

After several years as the director of the Disability Law Center, he joined Kotin, Crabtree & Strong and continued to represent children with disabilities and their families.

He continued this work through the last years of his practice and established his own firm in Ipswich.  

During his lengthy career, he litigated precedent-setting cases and helped countless children achieve their maximum potential.

He was beloved by his colleagues for his optimism and capacity to see possibility. He was always willing to mentor new lawyers in public service.

In his retirement and up until his death, he continued this work by serving on the Board of Massachusetts Advocates for Children.

He participated in many local activities, including the Ipswich Finance Committee, the Town Democratic Committee, and on the board of Ipswich River Watershed Association.

Richard is survived by his wife of 52 years, Nancy; his children, Madeline and Malcolm; his sister, Jennifer; and his grandchildren, Silas, Miles, Keira, and Graham.

His many friends and family remember him for his infectious chuckle and the ever-present twinkle in his eye.  

Donations in Richard’s memory may be made to Massachusetts Advocates for Children and Ipswich River Watershed Association.

A celebration of his life will be held on July 24 at 10:30 a.m. at the Annisquam Village Church.

Dr. Kenneth Allen Rice, 76, of Pembroke, Virginia, passed away on April 21, 2025. A devoted husband, stepfather, step-grandfather, scientist, and teacher, Ken will be remembered for the breadth of his intellect, the strength of his convictions, and the deep care he brought to every aspect of his life.

Born on November 9, 1948, Ken pursued a lifelong passion for learning. He was gifted chemistry sets at a young age and never stopped discovering. Ken earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Davidson College, followed by master’s degrees in Psychology from the University of West Georgia and in Applied Mathematics and Computing from the University of Georgia. Ken ultimately completed his Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University.

His career was equally wide-ranging. He served as a director and therapist at Georgia Behavioral Health Services and worked as a biologist at GlaxoSmithKline, contributing to the Human Genome Project. Ken was also a drug designer and computer programmer whose scientific and technical expertise was matched by his compassion and curiosity.

Ken found meaning in both quiet reflection and hands-on engagement with the world. He was an Eagle Scout, an accomplished ham radio operator (K3VV), a dulcimer player and singer, a dedicated homesteader, a lover of dogs, practitioner of photography, and a student of religious traditions. His deep affinity for Appalachia shaped his life and spirit. He humbly marked his sobriety on November 8, 2008. 

Ken’s life was a testament to faith, service, and the transformative power of knowledge. He will be profoundly missed.

Ken is survived by his beloved wife, Juliet Katherine Rice (née George), of Pembroke, Virginia; and his mother, Carolyn Nadine Rice (née Baker), of Conway, South Carolina.

He is also survived by his stepdaughters, Melissa McCleery (and fiancé Stephen Pianovich) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Erin McCleery (and partner Josiah Latham) of Charlotte, North Carolina; by his step-grandchildren, Atlas Latham and Apollo Latham; his father-in-law, James Kennedy George Jr., of Austin, Texas; and his brothers-in-law, Chris George (and wife Julie Haddon) of Portland, Oregon, and Jimmy George of Austin, Texas.

He is remembered by his sister-in-law, Nelljean McConeghey (and husband Clay) of Arlington, Virginia. He is also survived by his niece, Carolyn Emily Louise Carney (née Rice), of Rockville, Maryland; his nephew, Jesse Kenneth Roberts Rice of Atlanta, Georgia; and his cousin, Gail Brown (and husband Charlie), of Opelika, Alabama.

Ken was preceded in death by his father, Samuel Paul Rice; his brother, Dr. Samuel Paul Rice, Jr.; and his mother-in-law Diana George (née Simmons). 

The family will receive friends at a time of visitation on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 4:00 PM at Kendall Funeral Home in Pembroke. A memorial service will follow at 5:00 PM with Pastor Gary Poff of Castle Rock Baptist Church officiating. In lieu of flowers, Ken’s family requests donations be made to The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/79420bd0-a13c-4189-98aa-dda5cab8fd0e?638748783565447750%20%20target=_blank ) .  A guestbook is available to send condolences to the family by visiting www.kendallfuneralhome.com.  The staff of Kendall Funeral Home are honored to serve the Rice family.