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bench in Allegheny County Common Pleas
Court. He was then elected to the Court
of Common Pleas in 1980 as a Republi-
can endorsed by local unions. In 1987,
President Ronald Reagan appointed him
to the federal bench. He became a senior
judge in 2002 and retired in 2012, though
he would have continued on forever had
that been possible.
Over his 60-year career, Judge Standish
was known for his fairness and compas-
sion, especially during his 32 years as a
judge. Retired U.S. magistrate Francis
Caiazza said of him, “He had a balanced
temperament and he respected everyone.
He was a very humble guy. You don’t find
that too often in judges.”
Judge Standish married Marguerite
“Peggy” Oliver in 1963 and the couple
raised four children, Baird, N. Graham,
James, and Constance. Having a judge for
a father might have been intimidating,
but the Standish family encouraged open
and friendly debate at the dinner table.
Favorite topics included hockey, the Pitts-
burgh Steelers, and theology. He instilled
in his children a love of learning, stress-
ing the deductive reasoning of Sherlock
Holmes and the subtle reasoning of C.S.
Lewis. The family vacationed together
at Ahmic Lake in Ontario for many sum-
mers, boating and fishing in the day and
playing Trivial Pursuit in the evenings.
Eager to demonstrate his prowess, Judge
Standish would frequently call out answers
for the other team.
He was proud of his involvement with
many civic and community organiza-
tions, including the Sewickley Valley
YMCA, Association of Yale Alumni,
Western Pennsylvania School for the
Deaf, Sewickley Cemetery, Laughlin
Children’s Center, and the Leukemia
and Lymphoma Society of America. He
served as elder and clerk of session of
the Sewickley Presbyterian Church for
many years and on the board of trustees
of the Pittsburgh Seminary.
As a child, Mr. Houser spent summers
at his family homestead “Brotherhood
Farms” in Easton. After marrying Earline
Merrill in 1962, he became permanently
associated with and later co-owner of the
farm. Brotherhood Farms has long been
the supplier of milk to make cheese at the
nearby Cabot Creamery.
Mr. Houser devoted much of his life to
land use planning and conservation of
agricultural land and was instrumental in
the formation of the Easton Agricultural
Stewardship Association. In 2004, he was
presented with the first Farm Legacy
Award by the Agricultural Stewardship
Association and American Farmland
Trust. Mr. Houser was also an original
member of the Easton Planning Board,
on which he served for 20 years, 10 as
chairman.
Mr. Houser was a member of the Sons
of the American Revolution, Society of
Mayflower Descendants, and Ashlar Lodge
of Greenwich, N.Y.
He leaves his wife of 52 years, Earline;
his son and daughter-in-law, George and
Ruth Loree Houser, and their daughters,
Victoria and Julia; his daughter, Charlene,
and her sons, Addison and Austin; and
his devoted cat, Hannah.
1955
David Story Jenks Smith
of Radnor, Pa., died September 30, 2014.
He was 77.
Born on July 28, 1937, in Edgemont, Pa.,
he was the son of Frances Paul (Mills) and
Edward B. Smith Jr. of the Form of 1916.
Mr. Smith attended the Haverford School
in Haverford, Pa., before following a long
line of relatives to SPS.
The black ice of St. Paul’s awakened in
Judge Standish a love of hockey, which
continued throughout his life. With his
brother, Peter M. Standish ’50, he was
among the original investors who, in
1967, helped the Pittsburgh Penguins
become one of the initial six National
Hockey League expansion teams. He
loved to take his family and friends
to see the Penguins play and enjoyed
getting to know the players over the
years. Although he wasn’t a big hockey
player himself, he was an avid tennis
player and boater. He remained a loyal
supporter of St. Paul’s and was a mem-
ber of the John Hargate Society.
Judge Standish is survived by his wife
of 52 years, Peggy; his children, Baird M.
Standish, N. Graham Standish, James H.
Standish, and Constance S. Standish; his
sister-in-law, Mary-Gaines Standish;
and his grandchildren, Will, Audrey,
Wren, Linden, North, Shea, Erin, Daisy,
and Lydia. He was predeceased in 2007
by his brother, Peter M. Standish ’50.
1949
George Crouse Houser Jr.
a devoted family
man and avid
agriculturalist
of Easton, N.Y.,
died at Saratoga
Hospital on
October 22, 2014,
at the age of 83.
The son of Mary
Ruby Hillman and
George Houser of the Form of 1916, Mr.
Houser was born on May 25, 1931, in
Cambridge, Mass. He grew up in Chestnut
Hill, Mass., preparing for St. Paul’s at the
Dexter School in Brookline, before enter-
ing the School as a Third Former in 1945.
A member of the Dramatics Club, Mr.
Houser developed a great interest in
the theatre while at St. Paul’s and also
found a love of organ music while at the
School. After graduating
cum laude
from
Harvard College in 1953, he returned
to St. Paul’s as recording engineer for
a short time.
DECEASED
