Friday, February 3, 2006
Ellen Frances Brooks O'NeillActress, Businesswoman
Ellen Frances Brooks O'Neill, 58, a former teenage model who went on to a varied career as a Playboy bunny, actress, artist, university instructor and businesswoman, died Dec. 27 at University of North Carolina Health Care in Chapel Hill, N.C. She had brain cancer.
Mrs. O'Neill was born in Chicago and lived in Key West, Fla., before moving to Washington at age 8. She attended National Cathedral School before graduating from Northampton School for Girls in Northampton, Mass.
A precocious artist and performer, Mrs. O'Neill studied ballet in Key West and Miami with Princess Nina Carrociola, a former prima ballerina in the Diaghilev Ballet company. She also studied painting -- landscapes and portraits were her specialty -- as a child in Key West and at the Corcoran School of Art.
Mrs. O'Neill danced and performed in local theatrical productions in Washington and modeled for Garfinckel's department store and Pepco as a teenager. In a 1964 ad for self-cleaning ovens, she is shown with a head full of rollers.
Immediately after high school, she toured South America with the June Taylor Dancers. She later toured the United States with Ann Corio, the burlesque queen, in "This Was Burlesque," which was also performed at the Shady Grove Theater. When the tour reached California, Mrs. O'Neill joined the Repertory Theatre at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She also started a wedding dress boutique, specializing in gowns imported from Mexico, in Mill Valley, Calif.
After moving to New York in her early twenties, she directed and acted in six horror films that played mostly in Southern drive-ins. She also worked in several advertising and marketing firms before joining American Express as an advertising account executive.
From 1977 to 2003, she lived in Malvern, Pa., where she owned an advertising consulting business, and taught advertising and marketing at Temple University.
A graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, she received a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin in journalism and mass communications in 1999. She began studies for a doctorate in journalism and mass communication in 2000 at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where she moved in 2005.
A photograph of Mrs. O'Neill, taken when she was a model and Playboy bunny in the 1960s, is included in the 2003 book "Bikini Girls of the 1960s" by Bunny Yeager.
Her marriage to William Shibe ended in divorce.
In December 2003, on the day her cancer was diagnosed as terminal, the man she had been dating for 18 months proposed to her. They were married April 1, 2004.
Survivors include her husband, retired Army Col. Timothy O'Neill of Alexandria and Chapel Hill; her mother, Janet Brooks of Washington; and a brother, Roger Stratten Brooks of Rotkreuz, Switzerland.
Roger Sidney BoydNuclear PhysicistRoger Sidney Boyd, 74, who was staff assistant on nuclear weapons defense programs at the Department of Energy from 1990 to 1993, died Jan. 29 at the Culpeper Health and Rehabilitation Center of pneumonia and other complications of Alzheimer's disease. He lived in Locust Grove.
Mr. Boyd had a long career as a nuclear physicist with several agencies before retiring from the Energy Department. In the early 1960s, he was credited with coining the phrase "the China syndrome" to describe a catastrophic accident in which the reactor core melts through the containment of a nuclear plant.
He consulted with the governments of Germany and Italy on safety issues for their first nuclear reactors. He also was a U.S. representative from 1976 to 1979 to an international committee in Paris on nuclear safety issues.
He was born in Los Angeles and spent his childhood in Perrysburg, Ohio. He attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio until enlisting in the Air Force in 1951. He served as a meteorology instructor at Chanute Air Force Base, Ill., and left the military in 1954.
Mr. Boyd returned to college, graduating from Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in nuclear physics in 1956. He began working as a nuclear physicist at the Battelle Memorial Laboratory in Columbus, Ohio, where he held the first operator license for a research reactor.
From 1961 to 1979, he worked on what was then the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission regulatory staff in supervisory positions. As director of the project management division, Mr. Boyd was responsible for safety reviews for construction permits and operating licenses for more than 60 U.S. nuclear power plants and safety reviews of Department of Defense programs and ships using reactor energy sources.
He was vice president of KMC Inc. from 1979 to 1989, consulting to U.S. utilities on nuclear safety policies and licensing issues.
In retirement, he developed an interest in Civil War history, enjoyed Japanese-style gardening and traveled the world on cruises. He lived in Wheaton, Rockville and McLean before moving to Locust Grove after retiring.
His marriage to Rose Marie Boyd ended in divorce.
Survivors include his wife of 26 years, Sybil M. Boyd of Locust Grove; four children from his first marriage, Diana Crossan and Kenneth Boyd, both of Gaithersburg, Roger S. Boyd Jr. of Olney and Brian Boyd of Mount Airy; and eight grandchildren.
Sal DeGiorgiCoach, Educator
Sal DeGiorgi, 76, a coach and educator in Northern Virginia schools, died of heart disease Jan. 17 at Georgeson Hospice House of Naples, Fla., where he lived.
Mr. DeGiorgi was a physical education teacher and coach at Arlington's Swanson Junior High, now a middle school, and at Washington-Lee High School. He became athletic director at JEB Stuart High School in Fairfax County and then was assistant principal at Falls Church High School, Chantilly High School and Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria until his retirement in 1986.
A native Washingtonian and a star schoolboy athlete, Mr. DeGiorgi was inducted into the Boys Club of Washington (Eastern Branch) Hall of Fame when he was 14 years old. He earned letters in three sports at Eastern High School.
He played on The Washington Post's all-star sandlot baseball team that beat a Brooklyn team 12-2 on July 13, 1948, and, according to a sports headline in The Post, scouts were "in a dither" over him.
"Catcher DeGiorgi was swamped by Brooklyn Dodger scouts after he led the District team to victory," the Post reported. "The scouts got an eyeful of dark-complexioned Sal as he easily threw out two would-be base-stealers in the first two innings then barely missed hitting a home run in the fourth. He got a double on the blow which hit the top of the left field wall, 343 feet from the plate. When Sal told the scouts he planned a college education before turning to pro ball, they promised to get him into any institution he wanted. He could have had the Brooklyn Bridge had he asked for it."
He won a four-year baseball scholarship to Seton Hall University in New Jersey, graduated, served in the Army and received a master's degree in education from George Washington University in 1957.
Upon retirement, he moved to Naples, Fla., where he enjoyed tennis, golf, fishing and attending spring training baseball games. He volunteered as a tennis teacher with the Special Olympics there.
His marriage to Marie Marmo ended in divorce.
Survivors include his wife, Anne DeGiorgi of Tampa; four children from his first marriage, Gina DeGiorgi of Tampa, Christine DeGiorgi of Centreville, Paul DeGiorgi of Marysville, Wash., and John DeGiorgi of Roswell, Ga.; a sister, Gussie Carey of King George, Va.; and five grandchildren.
Anne BrunsdaleITC AppointeeAnne Brunsdale, 82, founding editor of Regulation Magazine at the American Enterprise Institute and a Reagan appointee to the International Trade Commission, died Jan. 20 at a nursing home in Denver. She had Alzheimer's disease.
Ms. Brunsdale was born in Minneapolis and received a bachelor's degree in political science in 1945 and a master's degree in Far Eastern area studies in 1946, both from the University of Minnesota. She received a master's degree in comparative government in 1949 from Yale University.
She worked for the Central Intelligence Agency in 1947 and again from 1950 to 1956.
She joined the American Enterprise Institute as a research associate in 1967. She was director of publications from 1970 to 1977, when she became the first editor of Regulation Magazine, a publication that addressed issues concerning government regulation of energy, transportation and communications. She worked closely with Antonin Scalia and Murray Weidenbaum, who served as university-based editors of Regulation until President Ronald Reagan named them to the Supreme Court and the chairmanship of the Council of Economic Advisors, respectively.
Reagan appointed Ms. Brunsdale to the International Trade Commission in 1985. She served as chairman in 1989-90 and retired in 1991.
"Anne wasn't afraid of criticism for her commitment to free trade or of the opposition of colleagues whose political commitments brought them to different conclusions," said Ron Cass, a colleague at the ITC.
"She was unfailingly considerate of her friends, her staff, her co-workers and all around her," Cass added.
A longtime Capitol Hill resident, she was a member of a group of friends, mostly political scientists and public intellectuals, that was notable for being both high-powered and bipartisan.
Ms. Brunsdale's marriage to Willmoore Kendall ended in divorce.
Survivors include a sister.
Cassandra Allen BlowReal Estate AgentCassandra Allen Blow, 61, a former real estate agent, died of cancer Jan. 29 at Georgetown University Hospital. She lived in Port Allegany, Pa.
Mrs. Blow sold real estate for Prudential Preferred Properties while she lived in Columbia in the 1980s and 1990s. She was also a member of the PEO Sisterhood, a philanthropic organization.
Born in Wellsboro, Pa., she graduated from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania and taught school in Port Allegany. She married and moved around the United States, including to New Orleans, Boise, Idaho, and Juneau, Alaska, where she was a docent at the Alaska State Museum. She lived in Columbia from 1971 to 1976 and from 1980 to 1999. She moved to Port Allegany in 1999 to care for her aging parents and was preparing to move to Chevy Chase when she died.
Survivors include her husband of 39 years, Philip Walter Blow of Chevy Chase; a son, Trevor Blow of Washington; and a granddaughter.
Arlene E. Bickings'Rosie the Riveter,' Volunteer
Arlene E. Bickings, 79, a homemaker, volunteer and a real-life "Rosie the Riveter," died of pancreatic cancer Jan. 23 at the Halquist Memorial Impatient Center in Arlington. She lived in Dumfries.
Mrs. Bickings, born in Niles, Kan., worked as a teenager during World War II riveting skins on the fuselage of B-29 Superfortress bombers and repairing bomb bay doors for Boeing in Wichita, Kan. When rumors circulated about the war's end in April 1945, she and a friend went to a Wichita dance hall to celebrate. It was there that she met her future husband, a serviceman from Washington.
Mrs. Bickings was among 20 Rosie the Riveters honored at a congressional reception May 19, 2004, at the Rayburn House Office Building.
She moved to the Washington area in 1946 and volunteered while raising a family. She organized and managed the craft table for the fundraising bazaar at Bells Methodist Church in Camp Springs. She was a Girl Scout leader, a member of the Prince William County chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution and a member of the Harmony Hall regional center in Fort Washington.
Survivors include her husband of 60 years, James E. Bickings of Dumfries; three children, Shirley Butler of Severna Park, Charlene Bickings of Alexandria and James Bickings of Leesburg; two sisters; and three grandchildren.
Julius Davis 'Cap' CaporalettiHUD AccountantJulius Davis "Cap" Caporaletti, 81, a retired accountant with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, died Jan. 26 of lung cancer at St. Vincent Hospice in Indianapolis. He was a longtime Alexandria resident.
Mr. Caporaletti was born in Alexandria, the son of Italian immigrants. He was a 1944 graduate of George Washington High School, where he was captain of the football team and voted most popular. During World War II, he served in France with the Army's 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
He received a bachelor of commercial science degree from Strayer College in 1953 and joined HUD shortly thereafter. He was with the agency until he retired in 1980.
In retirement, he worked part time as an accountant with the Naval Research Lab. He also served on the board of directors at Wight Bay Condominium in Ocean City, where he had a vacation home.
Mr. Caporaletti loved being with family and friends, playing tennis, bowling and following the Washington Redskins. He was a good cook, and he played the harmonica and wrote poetry.
Survivors include his wife of 59 years, June Caporaletti of Indianapolis; three children, Janet Lewis of Indianapolis, David Caporaletti of Port St. John, Fla., and Gregory Caporaletti of Titusville, Fla.; and two grandchildren.
Joseph Emory HardestyEngraving WorkerJoseph Emory Hardesty, 90, who worked for many years at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, died Jan. 25 of cancer at a treatment center at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington in Rockville. He lived in Silver Spring.
Mr. Hardesty was born in Washington and graduated from McKinley Technical High School. He served in the Navy as a Seabee during World War II and participated in Normandy landings just after D-Day.
He had worked for the Bureau of Engraving before the war and rejoined the bureau after his return. He was a metalsmith and sheet-metal specialist and retired in 1971.
He enjoyed boating and fishing and was a member of the American Legion.
His first wife, Kathleen Huntington Hardesty, died in 1970.
Survivors include his wife of 24 years, Dorothy Hardesty of Silver Spring.
Daniel Glyndwr LewisEngineer, SingerDaniel Glyndwr Lewis, 79, a retired engineer with the American Public Power Association, died of lymphoma Jan. 28 at Inova Fairfax Hospital. He was a Bethesda resident.
Mr. Lewis, who sang bass for 40 years at the River Road Unitarian Church, died just after 40 members of the church choir arrived to sing "Bright Morning Stars," "Hush, Somebody's Calling My Name" and "Yonder Come Day" for him. Their voices echoed down the hospital hallway.
He sang soprano as a preacher's son in Newark Valley, N.Y., and moved on to school and university choruses, light opera and the Washington Choral Arts Society.
He served in the Navy during World War II . After the war, he graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, then took advanced engineering training at General Electric Co. in Syracuse, N.Y. He later worked for Control Data in Minneapolis and the Public Power Commission and the American Public Power Association in Washington. He retired in 1991.
He was a member of the National Capital Astronomers. For the past five years, he worked on planning, fundraising and groundbreaking for a new fellowship hall at River Road Unitarian Church in Bethesda.
His marriages to Helen Lewis Cackener and Bett Notter ended in divorce.
Survivors include his wife of 15 years, Barbara Keairnes Laur Lewis of Bethesda; four children from his first marriage, Deborah Lewis Poplasky of Canandaigua, N.Y., Elizabeth Lewis Michl of Delmar, N.Y., and Margaret Lewis Price of Tualatin, Ore.; a son from his second marriage, Daniel Lewis of Sacramento; two adopted children from his second marriage, Lee Lewis of Beverly Farms, Mass., and Bart Burkewitz of Norwich Corner, Conn.; three stepchildren, David Laur of Seattle, Karen Laur of Belmont, Calif., and Matthew Laur of Gaithersburg; a brother; and 16 grandchildren.
John Dorsey HeinbergEconomistJohn Dorsey Heinberg, 68, an economist specializing in the evaluation and research of domestic federal programs and policies, died of brain cancer Jan. 22 at his home in McLean.
Mr. Heinberg worked for the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration from 1987 until his retirement in 2003. From 1988 to 1995, he designed, ran and evaluated job training for a homeless demonstration project that helped more than 45,000 homeless people at 32 locations by providing shelter, jobs, training and social services. That model is now used around the country by many communities.
Born in Columbia, Mo., Mr. Heinberg was the son of a University of Missouri political science professor. In the summer of 1949, when he was 11, his father took him to a private meeting with President Harry S. Truman at the White House. Mr. Heinberg graduated from Yale University and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He served in the Navy from 1959 to 1962.
The following year, Mr. Heinberg received a master's degree in economics from the University of Missouri, and he received a doctoral degree in public finance in 1967 from the University of Wisconsin. His thesis on the rehabilitation of housing as an alternative to urban renewal projects introduced him to his career.
Mr. Heinberg taught public finance and developed a course in urban economics at Princeton University in 1966. In 1969, he accepted a senior research associate's job at the Urban Institute in Washington and oversaw work on the Experimental Housing Allowance Program, one of the largest, most expensive and challenging experimental research projects launched by the government in the 1970s.
In 1978, Mr. Heinberg joined the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and later worked at the General Accounting Office until he joined the Department of Labor.
Mr. Heinberg in 2001 received the Secretary of Labor's Career Service Award. He then spent a semester at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
He was a member of the American Economic Association and the American Evaluation Association and served on the editorial board of the journal Evaluation Practice. After retirement, he was a consultant to Capital Research Corp.
He enjoyed studying the Civil War. He was a member of the Civil War Roundtable and took graduate courses at George Mason University in preparation for writing a book about the Civil War era in Missouri. He also enjoyed college basketball, Barry Levinson movies and television shows, and coffee. He swam or walked every day and was a past member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Arlington and the Church of the Good Shepherd in Burke.
He was one of 11 former government officials who signed Daniel Ellsberg's "Truth Telling Project: A Call to Patriotic Whistleblowing" in 2004, which urged government employees to bring forward wrongly concealed federal documents.
Survivors include his wife of 41 years, Beverly Susan Brockus of McLean; two children, Jason Bruce Heinberg of Arlington and Susan Walker Heinberg Oleinik of Princeton, N.J.; and a grandson.
Grace Hermia LawsYouth Worker, TeacherGrace Hermia Laws, 80, a retired teacher and former member of the D.C. Mayor's Youth Council, died Jan. 27 of congestive heart failure at her home in Bedford Court in Silver Spring.
Miss Laws was born in Rocky Mount, N.C. One of 10 girls in her family -- seven of them college graduates -- she received a bachelor's degree from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte in 1946. After operating a Rocky Mount preschool for a few years, she moved to the District to take a job as a recreation director with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. She became a member of the Mayor's Youth Council during then-Mayor Walter Washington's tenure.
In 1966, The Washington Post reported on a speech about community action that she made to the 18th annual Youth Conference, sponsored by the local chapter of Zeta Phi Beta sorority. "You have to start where you are -- in your home, your school, your church," she told the audience of young people. "You don't have a lot of money to revamp your neighborhood, but you can pick up the broken glass and talk to your neighbor's children, kindly, letting them know they shouldn't run roughshod over other people's property."
During the riots after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, she walked the streets of Washington with then-Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.). She also held several positions with the federal government.
After her retirement, she taught English as a second language in the Montgomery County school system. She retired a second time after suffering a massive stroke in 1990.
Survivors include a sister, Nellie Laws Grant of Silver Spring.