56
was a member of the John Jones Surgical
Society Steering Committee from its incep-
tion in 1997 until 2006. He was a trustee
of Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in
Cooperstown, N.Y., Jackson Laboratories
in Maine, and the American Near East
Institute in Washington. He served on the
board of advisers of the Hariri Foundations
USA and was a member of the Council on
Foreign Relations. He also shared a trustee-
ship with his wife, Solange, at the Cathe-
dral of St. John the Divine in New York City.
Dr. Herter was the author of an auto-
biography,
May I Cut In
?, and co-author
with colleague and friend Dr. Alfred Jaretzki
of
A Proud Heritage
:
An Informal History
of Surgery at Columbia
.
Dr. Herter embodied the best qualities
of leadership, including inquisitiveness,
determination, sensitivity, sense of purpose,
and compassion. His legacy is a resolute
belief in the ability of individuals and
societies to work together for the benefit
of humankind. His honorable nature was
always at the core of everything he did.
Dr. Herter is survived by his beloved
wife of 40 years, Solange Batsell Herter;
his sister, Adele Seronde; his son, Eric
Herter ’61; his daughters, Caroline Herter
and Brooke James; his son-in-law, David
James; four stepchildren; four grand-
children; and 11 step-grandchildren.
1939
George Clark Willetts
a Navy veteran
who spent more
than three decades
as a mechanical
engineer with The
Boeing Company,
died of heart fail-
ure on October 27,
2015. He was 94
years old and a
resident of Haverford, Pa.
Mr. Willetts was born on January 31,
1921, to William P. Willetts of the Form of
1910 and Christine Clark Willetts. He was
named after his maternal uncle, George
Clark, who died during his junior year at
Harvard. Mr. Willetts grew up in New York
City and on Long Island, attending the
Green Vale School in Old Brookville, N.Y.,
before entering St. Paul’s School as a Sec-
ond Former in the fall of 1934. The elder
Mr. Willetts wrote to Rector Samuel Drury
in January 1930 to “enter my two sons for
St. Paul’s School.” George Willetts followed
his brother, Joseph “Prentice” Willetts ’37,
to the School.
At SPS, Mr. Willetts was known as an
honest boy, who contributed to many
areas of School life. He played football
and hockey for Isthmian, captaining the
second Isthmian hockey team. He was
also a member of the Dramatic Club and
the Scientific Society. He excelled in math-
ematics and science.
From SPS, Mr. Willetts served three years
of active duty in the U.S. Navy. Around
the same time, his brother, Prentice, died
on August 18, 1943, in a Naval aircraft
accident while on a Long Island training
assignment. After his discharge from serv-
ice, George Willetts entered the Stevens
Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.,
where he studied mechanical engineer-
ing, graduating with the Class of 1947. He
spent three years as a test engineer with
the Navy Aeronautical Test Labs, before
embarking on a 32-year career at Boeing
in Philadelphia, where he retired as a senior
operations research analyst.
On May 10, 1963, Mr. Willetts wed
Audrey Messick. The couple was married
for 51 years and together raised daugh-
ters Dorothy and Marion and son Gary.
The Willetts family lived for three decades
in Wallingford, Pa., before Mr. and Mrs.
Willetts moved to Haverford in 1999.
Mr. Willetts was known as a family man,
devoted to his wife and children. He was
described by his family as a “world-class
gentleman.” He played the piano and loved
the Philadelphia Orchestra and classical
music, which could often be heard play-
ing in the background of the family’s home.
He shared that love with his children,
patiently supplementing their years of
piano lessons with his own instruction.
Mr. Willetts was an active parent, who
played in the yard with his children and
served as their unofficial home tutor in
math, science, and French. He was instantly
likable, making a positive impression on
all he met. Said his daughter, Marion, “He
was just overflowing with intelligence and
character – and not a hint of unkindness
in him.”
In addition, Mr. Willetts was an avid
reader, with particular interests in astron-
omy and aeronautics. For many years, he
enjoyed flying his small plane and glider.
He was a sports fan who supported the
Philadelphia Eagles and liked to watch
golf and tennis.
Mr. Willetts was predeceased on April
2, 2014, by his wife, Audrey. His brother,
Joseph “Prentice” Willetts ’37, and his
sister, Jean Coleman, also predeceased
him. He is survived by his daughters,
Dorothy and Marion; his son, Gary; and
a granddaughter.
1941
Derek Choate Parmenter, Jr.
an outdoorsman
and devoted fam-
ily man, known
for his intellectual
curiosity and gen-
erous spirit, died
at his home in Mill
Valley, Calif., after
several years of
declining health.
He was 92 years old.
Born in Boston, Mass., on December 1,
1922, Mr. Parmenter was the son of Car-
oline Weed Parmenter and Dr. Derric C.
Parmenter. His parents divorced when
Mr. Parmenter was a boy and he and his
two sisters were raised by their mother,
who, for a time, ran the Echo Lake Inn in
Tyson, Vt. Mr. Parmenter attended ele-
mentary school at the Bridgewater Public
School in Woodstock, Vt., before entering
St. Paul’s School as a Second Former in
the Fall of 1935. He was a partial scholar-
ship student and his mother struggled
valiantly to pay for his education as a
single parent. Mrs. Parmenter’s father,
George S. Weed, was a member of the
Form of 1881, and she held a long and
positive association with the School.
At SPS, Mr. Parmenter competed in
hockey, squash, basketball, golf, and tennis
with Delphian. He was a member of the
Halcyon Boat Club and sang in the Choir.
As a Second Former, Mr. Parmenter earned
a Dickey Prize in ancient history. He was
named chairman of the Sixth Form Com-
mittee on Sunday Bounds. Mr. Parmenter
completed his undergraduate studies at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill, graduating with the Class of 1945.
Mr. Parmenter served in the U.S. Navy
during World War II. He moved to the
West Coast and embarked on a successful
career in finance in San Francisco, then
DECEASED
