Page 61 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 93, No. 4 Summer 2013

1955
Grant Fairbanks Evans
of Lower Gwynedd,
Pa., and Melvin
Village, N.H., died
on February 13,
2013, at the age
of 75.
Born April 27,
1937, he was the
son of Willam R.
Evans Jr. and
Pauline Fairbanks of Haverhill, Mass.
He attended public school in Atkinson,
N.H., before arriving at St. Paul’s as a
Third Former in the fall of 1951. Outside
the classroom, Mr. Evans spent his time
working with the Missionary Society and
the Acolytes’ Guild, and enjoyed his time
on the field, playing football with Isthmian.
In the fall of 1955, Mr. Evans left SPS
for the University of Pennsylvania’s
Wharton School of Business. Following
his graduation in 1959, he spent six months
in the U.S. Army before a long career as
a banker in the Philadelphia area, first
at Central Penn National Bank of Phila-
delphia and later as vice president of
Suburban Bank in Norristown.
Mr. Evans is survived by his wife of 53
years, Kathie Kavanagh Evans; two sons,
Grant F. Jr. and William R. (Rob) III; and
six grandchildren.
1957
Steven Blanchard Buttner
a successful, sought-after management
consultant known for his sense of humor
and commitment to social justice, died
peacefully on August 1, 2012, at Hartford
Hospital, following a battle with cancer.
He was born in Plymouth, Mass., on
December 7, 1939, son of the late George
and Esther Buttner, and attended Plym-
outh schools before coming to St. Paul’s
as a Fifth Former.
At St. Paul’s, Mr. Buttner served on the
Yearbook Committee, wrote for The Pelican,
and joined the Missionary Society and the
Math Society. He played intramural foot-
ball and baseball and varsity basketball
and was well liked by his peers.
After graduating from St. Paul’s, Mr.
Buttner attended Wesleyan University,
where he received a Samuel B. Upham
Scholarship. He went on to earn a master’s
in Russian studies from the University of
Wisconsin. He taught at Queens College
while working on his Ph.D. in Eastern
European and medieval history from
Columbia University, then returned to
Wesleyan, where he taught in his field and
was dean of the Class of 1974 for four
years. “He was as proud of his association
with these students as almost anything
else he did in his life,” said his wife, Jeri.
After leaving Wesleyan to work in other
fields, Mr. Buttner remained involved
in university affairs. He was an active
member of his Wesleyan fraternity, EQV,
throughout his life.
Later in his career, Mr. Buttner estab-
lished himself as a highly respected
management consultant in West Hartford,
Conn., specializing in leadership assess-
ment and coaching. He loved nature, travel,
literature, classical music, dance, theater,
and opera. He served as president of
the board of the Gilead House Inc., a
halfway house for the mentally ill, and
was co-founder of TOUCH, a youth drug
crisis center.
“Perhaps the greatest joy of his life,
aside from family and friends,” his wife
said, “was hiking, which was a lifelong
passion. Steve was a man who lived his
ideals and touched many lives.”
Mr. Buttner is survived by his wife,
Jeri; his children, Jessica and Judson,
and their mother, Doreen Buttner; his
brother, Richard; and nieces, nephews,
numerous cousins, and close friends.
He was predeceased by his parents and
his sister, Nancy.
1958
C. Willing “Will” Browne III
died on June 14, 2013, in Littleton, Colo.
He was 73. Mr. Browne was born in Balti-
more on October 30, 1939, the son of the
late C. Willing Browne Jr. and Julia Williams
Browne. He attended McDonogh School
in Owings Mills, Md., before entering the
First Form at St. Paul’s in 1952.
While at SPS, Mr. Browne participated
in baseball and boxing and was the only
Fourth Former named to the SPS football
team. He also was a member of the Choir
and Glee Club. He withdrew from the
School in 1957, graduating from the Gilman
School in Baltimore in 1958.
Mr. Browne went on to the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduat-
ing in 1962.
On August 9, 1961, he married Mary
Lee Wetzel of St. Louis. They moved from
Baltimore in 1963, following his work
with the Martin-Marietta Corporation
to Colorado. Before leaving Baltimore,
he attended the University of Maryland
School of Law; he received his J.D. from
the University of Denver in 1966.
Prior to his retirement, Mr. Browne was
a member of the firm of Hall & Evans in
Denver and had an active practice relat-
ing to the railroad industry. He was past
president of the local chapter of the
American Board of Trial Advocates, a
member of the National Association of
Railroad Trial Counsel, and a past member
of the Episcopal Foundation Board and
the Vestry of St. Michael and All Angels
Church. He also sat on the board of
directors of Columbine Country Club.
Mr. Browne is survived by his wife; a
son, C. Willing Browne IV; a daughter,
Louise Browne Gonzalez; a grandson,
Jack Alberto Gonzalez; and his sister, Julia
B. Sause. He was predeceased by his
younger brother, George W. Browne.
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