Thursday, August 7, 2008
Richard J. Poppleton Sr.FBI Ballistics Expert
Richard Joseph Poppleton Sr., 84, a special agent with the FBI for 28 years who testified as a ballistics expert throughout the country, died of cardiac arrest on July 19 at his home in Reston.
Among his cases, Mr. Poppleton testified in the murder trials for slain Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers. The FBI agent took the witness stand in 1964 and linked the high-powered hunting rifle used in Evers's June 12, 1963, assassination to segregationist Byron De La Beckwith. All-white, all-male juries deadlocked twice in 1964 and failed to render a verdict.
Mr. Poppleton came out of retirement to testify at the 1994 retrial of Beckwith, who was found guilty and received a life sentence in the civil rights leader's death.
Mr. Poppleton was born in Elmira, N.Y., and served in the Marine Corps. He received a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, where he was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity.
He worked for Standard Oil of Ohio in Cleveland before joining the FBI in 1947. After being assigned to the bureau's Charlotte and Philadelphia offices, he came to Washington in 1951 and began his career in the Firearms Identification Unit at the FBI Laboratory.
In the early 1950s, he once escorted Basil Rathbone, the actor who portrayed Sherlock Holmes in movies and on radio, on a private tour of the firearms laboratory.
While employed by FBI in the early 1970s, he received a master's degree in forensic science from George Washington University. He was a supervisor of the firearms section when he retired in 1975.
He was a member of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI.
Mr. Poppleton lived in Washington, Hyattsville, Cheverly and Florida before moving to Sunrise of Reston senior living community in January.
He was active in St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Cheverly, serving as a lector and helping to raise money for a new church.
His first wife, Helen Holt Poppleton, whom he married in 1947, died in 1969.
In 1978, he retired with his second wife to St. Petersburg, Fla., and later relocated to Ormond Beach, Fla., and briefly to Holly Hill, Fla.
Survivors include his wife, Jean L. Poppleton of Reston; six children from his first marriage, Lucinda H. Frend of Greenbelt, Richard J. Poppleton Jr. of Alexandria, James J. Poppleton of Great Falls, Patricia A. Brewer of Broad Run, Joan C. Reyla of Anchorage and Scott T. Poppleton of Manlius, N.Y.; three stepchildren, Steve Lockard of Brunswick, Md., and Danny Lockard and Leslie Nisson, both of Fort Myers, Fla.; two sisters; a brother; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
-- Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb
Judy NicksLanham Lawyer
Judy Nicks, 48, a lawyer in private practice in Lanham, died July 18 of a cerebral hemorrhage at her home in Greenbelt.
Ms. Nicks was born in Siluria, Ala., and grew up in various cities across the country as part of an Air Force family.
She was a 1981 honors graduate of Howard University and a 1984 graduate of Washington and Lee University's law school.
After passing the bar, Ms. Nicks had to choose between practicing law or pursuing a singing career in New York and Los Angeles.
She became a claims adjuster with All State Insurance and then joined the law firm of James Taylor, a retired Prince George's County Circuit Court judge. In 1990, she opened a practice specializing in bankruptcy law, personal injury law, domestic relations and general civil forms.
Ms. Nicks was a member of professional organizations and a Prince George's chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Survivors include her parents, Earl and Evelyn Nicks of Glenn Dale; a brother, Earl Jerome "Jerry" Nicks of Upper Marlboro; and a grandmother, Dorthola Nicks of Montevallo, Ala.
-- Joe Holley
Richard C. LawrenceU-MD. Graduate
Richard Campbell Lawrence, 55, a business graduate of the University of Maryland who in recent years cared for his mother before her death, died July 11 at his home in Rockville after a heart attack.
Mr. Lawrence did a number of odd jobs, including computer work, before managing his mother's affairs.
He was born in Washington and spent much of his life in Rockville, where he was a graduate of the old Charles W. Woodward High School.
Survivors include a brother.
-- Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb
Spencer S. JonesStaff Inspector, Musician
Spencer Somers Jones, 87, a retired staff inspector with the Federal Protective Service who played the piano at area churches, died of cancer July 2 at his home in Chapel Oaks in Prince George's County.
Mr. Jones worked for 30 years with the Federal Protective Service, which polices and secures federal buildings against bomb threats, mass demonstrations and acts of violence. He retired in 1975.
He was born in Baileys Crossroads and went to a segregated school in Fairfax County before attending Davis Music Conservatory in the District.
After joining the Army in 1942, he participated in the second wave of the invasion of Normandy during World War II. While stationed in Paris, he played alto saxophone in the unit band to lift the morale of fellow soldiers.
After the war, Mr. Jones played in D.C. jazz clubs until he "had a religious experience," said his wife, Mary Jones. He then played only in churches and for other groups.
He was a pianist and organist for 41 years at Salem Baptist Church in Washington, where he was a member. He also played for Shiloh Baptist Church in the District and New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Chapel Oaks, where he most recently attended.
Active in fraternal organizations, he was a life member of Bethea-Welch Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7284 and a member for 59 years of the Doric Masonic Lodge, both in Washington. He was the lodge's pianist and was awarded the title musician emeritus in 1989.
In Chapel Oaks, he was the civic association's block captain for more than 40 years.
His first wife, Lenora Jones, died in 1988. A son from an earlier relationship, Spencer Champ, died in 2003. A son from his first marriage, Kenneth Jones, died in 2002.
Besides his second wife, of Chapel Oaks, survivors include a daughter from his first marriage, Monica J. Thompson of Forestville; nine stepchildren; a sister; four grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.
-- Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb
Robert T. HerresJoint Chiefs Vice Chairman
Robert T. Herres, 75, a retired Air Force four-star general who served as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Gen. Colin L. Powell, died July 24 at his home in San Antonio. He had brain cancer.
Gen. Herres was a pioneer in the space program and went on to become chief executive for seven years of USAA, a San Antonio-based insurance company, beginning in 1993.
He was credited with transforming USAA, which caters to military personnel, by expanding eligibility to include enlisted service members. The company now has about 6 million members.
Gen. Herres was a Denver native and a 1954 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. He received master's degree in electrical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and another in public administration from George Washington University.
After graduating from the Naval Academy, he transferred to the Air Force, a move that allowed him to fly right away, the San Antonio Express-News reported. He became an astronaut in the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program but never went into space. He was first commander of the unified Space Command from 1985 to '87.
Among his other military assignments, Gen. Herres was director of Strategic Air Command's 8th Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., and the North American Aerospace Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
His final active-duty assignment, in 1990, was as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In that role, he was the second-highest ranking military officer.
His military decorations included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal.
Gen. Herres was active in the San Antonio community. He served as chairman of the United Way of Bexar County and helped raise millions of dollars for children's health care.
-- From News Services
Mary M. 'Peggy' HallQuilters Group Member
Mary M. "Peggy" Hall, 87, a longtime Chevy Chase resident and member of the Wednesday Quilters group, died July 18 at Asbury Methodist Village's Wilson Health Care Center in Gaithersburg. She had complications from a fall last month.
Mary Mowry was born in Mitchell, S.D., and raised in El Reno, Okla. She attended what is now Park University in Missouri. She settled in the Washington area in 1953.
She played bridge in competitive leagues and enjoyed entertaining family and friends.
Her husband, R. Glenn Hall, whom she married in 1943, died in 2004. A daughter, Carol Hall, died in 1997.
Survivors include two sons, Robert G. Hall of Silver Spring and Thomas M. Hall of Carlisle, Pa.; and two grandsons.
-- Adam Bernstein