Page 61 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 94, No. 2 Winter 2014

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Mr. Tait continued his involvement
with the SPS community, serving as a
form agent from 1991 to 1995. At the
Form of 1968’s 45th Reunion last June,
Mr. Tait was an inspirational speaker
and leader at a memorial service in the
Chapel of St. Paul that was a highlight of
the weekend for many. He wrote about
the experience for the Summer 2013
issue of Alumni Horae.
After graduating with honors in modern
languages from SPS, Mr. Tait took a year
to study at Atlantic College in Wales
before moving on to Boston University.
He earned his degree in public relations
magna cum laude. Mr. Tait also met his
future wife, Laura Hubbs Tait, while she
was a graduate student at BU. The couple
was married in Boston on June 26, 1976,
and shared 37 wonderful years together.
Mr. Tait was ordained an Episcopal
priest in June 1983 in Lawrence, Kan.,
and served in various communities in
Kansas and Oklahoma until 2004. Since
1996, he was a beloved faculty member
in history and political science at Rogers
State University in Claremore, Okla. He
served as a mentor to countless students
and as a dear friend to the dozens of
colleagues who loved him and valued
his intellect, his unfailing sense of humor,
and his infectious spirit. He was a tire-
less advocate for students, faculty, and
staff, and a gifted and passionate teacher.
In 1999, he earned a Ph.D. in U.S. social
and intellectual history from Oklahoma
State University.
Mr. Tait spent his adult life bringing
Christ’s love to others, especially those
who needed him most. In 2005, he was
ordained as a subdeacon at St. Elijah
Antiochian Orthodox Church. He served
in that capacity there and at St. James in
Stillwater, Okla. Since January 2011, he
led a weekly Bible study for a small com-
munity of Christians near Chandler as
part of the St. Elijah Orthodox Christian
Prison Ministry. He deeply loved the
members of this community he served
and cherished every moment with them.
Along with his wife, he is survived by
his two children, Aaron and Aidan ’04
(and her fianc é, Felipe Vasconcellos);
his parents, Charles and Katharine; his
siblings, Anne Tait and husband Bob
Bonner, John Tait ’72 and wife Katherine,
Andrew Tait, and Ben Tait and wife Laura;
seven nieces and nephews; and a host of
godchildren.
1979
Elizabeth Jane “Betsy”
Fairman Weyerhaeuser
a devoted wife and mother of three, who
left her career as a successful business-
woman to focus on her family, died on
December 31, 2013, after a battle with
cancer. She was 52 and a resident of
Wayzata, Minn.
Born Elizabeth Jane Fairman in New
York City on July 3, 1961, she attended the
Spence School before moving with her
family to Locust Valley, Long Island. She
graduated from the Green Vale School,
where she was one of the top students
in her class.
Ms. Weyerhaeuser entered St. Paul’s
School as a Fourth Former in the fall of
1976 and became known as “a very earn-
est, conscientious student.” Beyond the
classroom, her contributions included
playing on the undefeated girls varsity
tennis team and competing in junior
varsity field hockey. She played recre-
ational squash for Old Hundred in her
first year and was named the number-
one female player in the end-of-term
tournament. She rowed for Halcyon and
also enjoyed recreational skiing. She was
a member of the Student Tutoring Bureau,
the business staff of The Pelican, the Art
Association, the John Winant Society,
and the Missionary Society. Her interest
in languages led her to participate in Le
Cercle Franç ais and to spend a summer
with the Experiment for International
Living in France. She earned Second
Testimonials in 1978 and graduated cum
laude the following year.
Ms. Weyerhaeuser went on to Harvard
University, graduating magna cum laude.
She earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Busi-
ness School. While working as a partner
at McKinsey & Company in Chicago, she
met David Weyerhaeuser. The couple
married in 1999.
Prior to her 13 years at McKinsey, Ms.
Weyerhaeuser’s career included five
years with Procter & Gamble as a brand
manager and two years as a buyer with
Bloomingdale’s. She served on the boards
of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the
Minnesota Zoo Foundation, and Rock
Island Company. She also served as a
regional representative for St. Paul’s,
beginning in 2005.
Ms. Weyerhaeuser was an avid tennis
player, golfer, reader, chef, and traveler,
but her greatest creativity and commit-
ment were devoted to raising her three
children, for whom she retired from her
business career. Her strength, determi-
nation, quick wit, positive spirit, and
commitment to family made a lasting
impact on the many people she touched
throughout her life.
She is survived by her husband, David;
her children, Blake, Jackie, and Charlie;
her father, Joel Fairman; her brother,
David Fairman and his wife, Juliette
Zener; and her sister, Helen Fairman ’86.
She was predeceased by her mother,
Claire Martin Fairman.