58
DECEASED
As his children grew up, Mr. Whitman
was known by his family as more reticent
than the warm, funny man his coworkers
knew. He reserved his open enthusiasm
for furry, four-legged friends. He raised
a long succession of much-loved cats
and dogs, bearing names such as Maggie
Mugwump and Curmudgeon, who served
as devoted companions. The focus of this
enthusiasm was redirected when he met
his granddaughter, and he was a doting
grandfather for the last four and a half
years of his life.
Mr. Whitman became a craftsman and
was a talented carpenter, plumber, and
electrician, first repairing the houses in
which his family lived, then moving on
to fine woodworking when he retired. He
also bought a 54-foot wooden boat, the
Orcas Belle
, and spent happy weekends
tending to the vessel’s detailed wood-
working. He was also a voracious reader,
focusing on military history (a passion
he shared with his father), boats, and
technical math.
Mr. Whitman is survived by four sib-
lings, Stephen Whitman ’65, Schuyler,
Jennifer, and Sylvia Whitman ’79; his
children, Nell and Alexandra; his two
grandchildren, Macgregor and Whit;
his former spouse, Laura; and his orange
cat, Trunnion.
1966
James Francis Cavanagh II
who spent many
happy years
working in the
hospitality busi-
ness, died on
October 2, 2014,
in Savannah, Ga.,
surrounded by
family and friends.
He was 66 and
had been battling medical complications
over the last three months of his life.
Born on April 3, 1948, inWilmington, Del.,
Jim Cavanagh was the son Caroline Pratt
and James Burns Cavanagh of the Form
of 1938. Mr. Cavanagh prepared for SPS
at the Tower Hill School in Wilmington.
During his time in Millville, Mr. Cavanagh
was popular with his classmates and
teachers, who knew him by the nick-
name “Moose.” Mr. Cavanagh was a
strong athlete, known particularly for
his prowess in lacrosse and football. He
also served as a member of the Mission-
ary Society, the Rifle Club, the Scientific
Society, and the Maroon Key, the Fifth
Form hospitality organization.
Mr. Cavanagh attended Ohio Wesleyan
University, where he earned a degree
in economics. He began his hospitality
career with the opening of the Holiday
Inn on South Carolina’s Hilton Head
Island. He spent several years at the
Woodstock Inn in Woodstock, Vt., and
later served as the original innkeeper
then general manager of 1790 Inn and
Restaurant in Savannah, Ga. In addition,
Mr. Cavanagh and his first wife, Jean
Gulliver, owned and operated the Lon-
donderry Inn in South Londonderry, Vt.,
for 20 years.
Mr. Cavanagh was predeceased in 2005
by his wife, Jean. In 2007, he married Sara
Zimmerman.
Outside of his passions for his career
and his family, Mr. Cavanagh was an
enthusiastic sailor, with homes in Hilton
Head and Kidney Island, S.C. He enjoyed
cruising from Maine to the Abacos
Islands in the Northern Bahamas. He
shared his knowledge of sailing as a
teacher for Hilton Head Power Squad-
ron, instructing novice sailors in water
and boating safety.
Mr. Cavanagh is survived by his wife,
Sara; his sons, Charlie and Tom; his
grandchildren, Connor and McKenna;
his siblings, Katie Maslow, Sheila
Marshall, and Gary Santora; and
many nieces, cousins, and friends.
1969
Paul Joseph Vignos III
a lawyer and
expert in the
fruit industry,
died on July 11,
2014, at his
home in Decatur,
Ga., from heart
complications.
He was 62.
Born on Decem-
ber 7, 1951, Mr. Vignos was the son of
Paul J. Vignos Jr. and Edith Ingalls Vignos
of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He arrived at St.
Paul’s as a Third Former in the fall of
1965. Mr. Vignos wrote for the
Pelican
,
competed with the SPS wrestling team,
and was a member of the Art Associa-
tion and the Math Society. Many of his
relatives also attended St. Paul’s, in-
cluding his great-grandfather, Albert S.
Ingalls of the Form of 1896, and his
grandfather, David Sinton Ingalls of the
Form of 1916.
Mr. Vignos went on to graduate from
Yale University with the Class of 1973. He
initially embarked on an unconventional
career, becoming an expert in the fruit
industry by working for an apple juice
company and attending a training course
in England. He eventually opened an
orchard of his own, M.G.H. Quarrenden
Orchards in Molena, Ga., and became
the first grower to bring apple varieties
such as Fuji, Splendor, and Granny Smith
to the South.
He later went to law school, earning
his J.D. from the Georgia State University
College of Law, and worked for a time
on the Western Pacific island of Kosrae.
While there, he helped the Kosrae State
Legislature challenge what he described
as the overreaching habits of the regional
governor. At the time of his death, Mr.
Vignos was working as a public defender
in Georgia.
Mr. Vignos was married to Avril Yarrow,
whom he met while studying the fruit
industry in England, and together the
couple raised four children, Sinton,
Livingstone, Edward, and Render Vignos.
The marriage ended in divorce.
Survivors include his four children and
two grandchildren, Sam and Tobin Vignos.
