Page 61 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 93, No. 1 Fall 2012

61
1942
George Burgwin Holmes
died at his home
in Washington,
D.C., on Febru-
ary 1, at age 88.
A native of
Pittsburgh, Pa.,
Mr. Holmes en-
tered the Third
Form at St. Paul’s
in 1938. He was a
member of the Cadmean Literary Society
and the Halcyon Boat Club. He played first
football, first hockey, and squash for Old
Hundred. Known as “a devoted servant of
the School,” he was very active in clubs
and societies, including Der Deutsche
Verein, the Glee Club, Choir, the Acolyte
Guild, and the Missionary Society, which
he served as vice president.
After graduating with the Form of
1942, he simultaneously entered Yale
University and the U.S. Navy’s officer
training program. He served in the Navy
throughout World War II, earning the rank
of Lieutenant junior grade. Mr. Holmes
returned to Yale and graduated in 1947.
He then did a postgraduate year studying
French at the Université de Lausanne.
In 1949, he joined the newly formed
Central Intelligence Agency. During his
32-year career, he served in Brussels,
Stockholm, Yaoundé , London, and Malta.
He was awarded the Career Intelligence
Medal, given in honor of a service record
that reflects exceptional achievements
that substantially contributed to the
mission of the Agency.
Married in 1950 to Nancy Trowbridge,
the couple raised three children.
Mr. Holmes’s passions included sailing
and a cappella singing. In 1950, he co-
founded The Augmented 8, a men’s a
cappella group that remains active in the
Washington, D.C., area.
A loyal St. Paul’s alumnus, Mr. Holmes
served as Form Director from 1977 to 1982
and again from 1992 to 1997. In retirement,
he became an active volunteer for a variety
of causes, including chairman of Friends
of Music at the Smithsonian; first chair-
man of the Washington Revels; board
member of Hospice Care of D.C.; and
president of the Yale Club of Washington.
He also was a longtime docent at the Wash-
ington National Cathedral and vice chairman
of the National Cathedral Association.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years,
Nancy Trowbridge Holmes; his children
H. Brock Holmes ’70, Katharine Holmes
Caldwell, and Sarah Holmes Morris; and
four grandchildren. Among other relatives
who attended St. Paul’s are his brother,
Joseph H. Holmes ’32; nieces Nina Boh-
len ’77 and Julie Perry ’82; and nephews
Curtis Bohlen ’78 and Joseph H. Holmes
III ’57; and great-niece Sarah Devens ’92.
1942
Devereux Haigh Lippitt III
a pathologist, artist, musician, and sailor,
of New Bern, N.C., passed away on
October 5, 2011. Born in the Netherlands
while his father was working abroad, he
was the second of four children to
Maxwell Walthour Lippitt and Mary Anita
Cowan of Savannah, Ga.
In 1937, at age 13, he traveled from
Savannah to St. Paul’s School to enter the
Second Form. Respected for his integrity
during his five years at the School, he
showed “exemplary conduct” and was
“always on the side of the angels.” He was
a great admirer of longtime faculty
member Francis Beach White (1896-
1942), who was in his last year when Dr.
Lippitt was a Sixth Former. Years later, Dr.
Lippitt would share his memories of Mr.
White in an article for Alumni Horae.
capable academically. Even his father,
while admitting that his son was not a
great student, noted, “along other lines
of activity, especially mechanical, he
appears to be very bright and possesses
considerable activity.” This incredible
interest in how things worked would
prove useful throughout his lifetime.
After graduating in 1942, Mr. Derrick
enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps,
earning his wings in January 1944 and
serving as a flight instructor for B-24s,
B-25s, and B-26s. In 1946, he entered
Yale University to study engineering,
graduating in 1949 with honors. He began
his career as an engineer at General
Motors near Chicago, where he helped
build diesel locomotives, something he
said his St. Paul’s classmates may remem-
ber as his first love.
He married Lois E. Wilson in 1954, and
they had two children.
In 1960, Mr. Derrick joined the Central
Intelligence Agency, where, among other
things, he worked to develop two recon-
naissance aircraft and a marine intelligence
collection system. He recalls his most
enjoyable time with the CIA was after he
ran into formmate George Holmes (see
obituary on this page) and they spent 21
challenging and fascinating years to-
gether at the Agency. Both Mr. Derrick
and his wife loved Virginia, where they
raised their children and enjoyed many
good friends. After Mr. Derrick’s retire-
ment from the U.S. government, he and
his wife moved to Gloucester, Mass.,
where they made their summer home
into a permanent residence. From 1981
to 1995, he worked as a consultant for
the MITRE Corporation in Bedford, Mass.
His passions included Dixieland Jazz
and the Big Band sound, steam locomo-
tives, and his model railroad. He also
enjoyed reading Aviation Week magazine
and spending time with his family.
Mr. Derrick is survived by his wife of
58 years; his daughter, Jeanie D. West; his
son, Robert O. Derrick III; and his three
grandchildren, Ian D. West ASP ’01, Robert
B. West ASP ’03, and Edwards S. Dill.