Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Michael Charles StatesSenior Project Manager
Michael Charles States, 67, a project manager who worked for 25 years with the CIA until 1990, died of complications of throat cancer June 7 at Flagler Hospital in Palm Coast, Fla., where he had lived since 2005. He was a former resident of Fairfax City.
After retiring from the CIA, Mr. States was a senior project engineer for Mitre Corp., QuestTech and CACI International. He remained with CACI until 2004.
Mr. States was born in Reno, Nev. He graduated in 1963 from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona with bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics.
During his CIA career, Mr. States was awarded the Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Intelligence Commendation Medal, an exceptional performance award, a certificate of merit and a Silver Retirement Medallion.
He lived in Northern Virginia from 1965 to 2005.
His wife, Carolyn States, died in 1995.
Survivors include his companion, Leslie Seifers of Palm Coast; a son, Charles States of Gotha, Fla.; and a stepbrother.
Faye Richardson HowellWriter, EditorFaye Richardson Howell, 81, a former writer and editor with the U.S. Health Services Administration, died of a hemorrhagic stroke on June 26 at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. She lived in Silver Spring.
Mrs. Howell, who was born in Forestville, was a lifelong Maryland resident. She was valedictorian of Maryland Park High School in Upper Marlboro, graduating at 15 in 1941. She graduated from American University in 1948 after interrupting her studies to work at Andrews Air Force Base during World War II.
In 1963, she became a writer and editor with the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. About two years later, she joined the Health Services Administration, a former agency that was part of the old Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The agency was reorganized in 1982 as the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Mrs. Howell developed health education literature for community health programs, including family planning, sickle cell anemia and sudden infant death syndrome. She retired in 1989 as editor of the monthly Child Support Report.
Mrs. Howell was a member of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Silver Spring and held many positions in the church. She was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority.
Her first marriage, to William Bicknell Richardson, ended in divorce.
Her second husband, retired Navy Capt. Jay Stanley Howell, died in 2001.
Survivors include two daughters from her first marriage, Elizabeth Faye Richardson of Rockville and Alice Richardson Hwang of Albuquerque; and eight grandchildren.
-- Matt Schudel
FR RuskinEditor
FR Ruskin, 86, a former editor with the New Republic and other publications, died July 4 of a heart ailment at her home in Washington.
Miss Ruskin moved to Washington from her native New York in the late 1930s. Her given name was Florence Rose, and she was also known as Rusty.
After attending the University of Wisconsin and George Washington University, Miss Ruskin graduated from the University of Maryland in 1947. She had worked earlier in the classified advertising department of The Washington Post and as an assistant to muckraking journalist I.F. Stone.
Miss Ruskin joined the New Republic in 1947 as an assistant to the publisher and later became a copy editor, working at the then-weekly magazine until 1968.
She later worked at the National Journal and then spent many years editing research reports for the National Academy of Sciences. She retired in 1991.
Miss Ruskin was a stickler for proper grammar and would sometimes correct strangers when they used words incorrectly. She had 30 dictionaries at her home.
Her husband of 55 years, Alan Winthrop, died in 1997.
A daughter, Alexandra Winthrop, died in 1998.
Survivors include two children, Diana Winthrop and Tony Winthrop, both of Washington; and two grandchildren.
-- Matt Schudel
Thomas Harlan FinchOffice Manager
Thomas Harlan Finch, 83, an office manager for several large computer hardware and software companies, died of congestive heart failure July 4 at his Richmond home.
Mr. Finch worked for Univac for about 30 years and retired in 1980.
Born in Dallas, he served in the Navy during World War II as flight crew on B-24 Liberator bombers over Europe and was decorated twice with the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, he first resided in New Orleans. In the mid-1950s, Mr. Finch and his family moved to Northern Virginia, where he lived until 1980. He moved to Ruston, La., and later Charlotte and Richmond.
Mr. Finch enjoyed all sports, particularly golf, fishing and boating on the Chesapeake Bay. He coached youth teams in baseball. In later years, he traveled often throughout the country and Western Europe.
His wife of 43 years, Nancy Stewart Finch, died in 1995.
Survivors include four children, Thomas Finch Jr. of Annapolis, Tracey Cain of Richmond, Timothy Finch of Stevensville, Va., and Frank Finch of Bealeton; a sister; and five grandchildren.
-- Patricia Sullivan