Earle Chandler '35

Earle Chandler '35 of Wilmot, N.H., died on March 12.

At UNH, Chandler was captain of the ski team and earned a B.S. degree in business. After graduation, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service, later returning to run the family farm in Bartlett, N.H., and to work in the forestry and lumber business on his own. He continued his recreational pursuits as a volunteer ski coach at Laconia High School, served as a selectman and was elected to the first of four House terms in 1955. Chandler moved to Wilmot in the early '60s when he was hired to design and oversee the construction of the Ragged Mountain Ski Area. He remained active as a selectman there for 27 years and continued to combine his interests in skiing, farming and politics.

He is survived by his wife, Alice; sons Earle Jr., Charles '68 and Gene Chandler; daughters Dorothy Prats and Mikell Perry '72; 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Herbert Leon Cilley '48, '65G

Herbert Leon Cilley '48, '65G of Strafford, N.H., died on May 16.

Cilley received a bachelor's degree in forestry from UNH in 1948 and a master's degree in botany in 1965. He worked in UNH's physical plant operations department for 16 years, retiring in 1981. Once retired and living on Bow Lake, he became a tireless ambassador for loons and loon preservation. The Bow Lake loons grew to trust Cilley, and over the years he took more than 1,700 people out in his boat to see loons and chicks up close, including journalists, filmmakers and others from 46 states, 28 countries and every continent. An expert on the notoriously shy birds, Cilley became known as the Loon Ranger and received many awards for his work.

He is survived by twin sons, David E. Cilley '72 and Dean E. Cilley '72; daughter Judith Kelsea; stepson Douglas Nickerson; and five grandchildren.

Gail A. Bigglestone '60

Gail A. Bigglestone '60 of York, Maine, and Bonita Springs, Fla., died June 4 after a courageous battle with cancer.

After graduation from UNH in 1960 with a degree in physical education, she taught at Colby Junior College and then received her master's degree from UMass. Bigglestone returned to UNH in 1970 as an assistant professor of physical education and ski coach. She was appointed the first director of women's athletics at UNH in 1975. Title IX had recently been enacted and she protected and fought for women on campus and to expand opportunities and improve quality in athletic experiences at the national level. She served on the U.S. Sports Council Ski Committee and built a substantial women's program at UNH, including 12 sports, many of which competed at the national level. Bigglestone retired in 1989 and was recognized for her accomplishments in 2003 when a plaza at UNH was named in her honor. The Gail A. Bigglestone Memorial Athletic Scholarship Fund has been established: Send contributions to the UNH Foundation, 9 Edgewood Road, Durham, N.H. 03824.

She is survived by a brother, Donald; sister Wendy Rogers; life partner Judith L. Ray and several nieces and nephews.

John A. Lockwood of Durham, N.H., a UNH professor emeritus of physics, died on April 24 of complications resulting from a December automobile accident.

Lockwood earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Dartmouth in 1941, a master's from Lafayette College and a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from Yale. In 1948, he joined the faculty at UNH, becoming a full professor in 1956. Lockwood also served as an administrator in the Graduate School and the Office of Research. He published more than 150 papers on cosmic radiation, gamma rays and solar flares. Lockwood retired in 1989.

He is survived by three daughters, Elizabeth "Heidi" Clow '77, Nancy White and Jane Lincoln; a brother, Theodore Lockwood; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Joseph Michael Jr., adjunct professor

Joseph E. Michael Jr. of Durham, N.H., an adjunct professor of business law at UNH from 1955 to 2004, died May 26.

Michael served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and then graduated from Dartmouth and the Boston University School of Law. He practiced law in Rochester, N.H., and was later appointed District Court judge of Durham. He taught undergraduate and graduate law courses at UNH for more than four decades. He served as the Durham town moderator for many years, and helped to guide the town during the period when Aristotle Onassis proposed an oil refinery for the Seacoast. He was a founding member of St. George's Episcopal Church in Durham and active in church affairs for more than 50 years.

Michael is survived by his wife, Shirley Whiting Michael '76G, daughter Christine; son Joseph; brother George; and five grandchildren.

(Editor's note: For additional obituaries, please visit http://alumni.unh.edu/obits.)