Two images immediately arise when thinking of Chip during our Carleton years: basketball and bridge.
I was a barely adequate bench warmer on my high school basketball team, so it was natural to join other guys in pick-up games in Sayles-Hill evenings after attending to study assignments. I quickly learned that guys from Illinois really knew how to play hoops. These pick up games were as good and tough (or even more so) as my metro New Jersey high school experiences. Chip was one of those who impressed me with his skills, and, gee, this guy was so good and wasn’t even going out for the college team! Boy, did I feel like the country bumpkin in over his head. Chip played hard, but I recall he always had a smile on his face as he out muscled you for a rebound.
Senior year, four couples seemed to gather almost daily after lunch, as I recall it now, in Great Hall to play bridge. Interestingly, all four eventually got married. Chip was among those for whom bridge seemed to be another easy challenge. He impressed with a skill that seemed to come naturally and with his calm banter. Not everyone was as calm; on occasion, some got a bit excited if the play didn’t go their way. I’m sure Chip gave it his all and was as competitive as anyone, but he always kept perspective not to take diversions such as this too seriously.
The shock of his death was accentuated for Sharon and me as we were living in Seoul. At that moment, we felt like we were on Mars not being able to share our grief personally with Bonnie and their family.
Tom Merritt ’66
Ralph L. Wheaton III, 50, Executive And Civic Leader May 17, 1994|By Bob Goldsborough. Special to the Tribune.
Ralph L. Wheaton III, a community leader and great-great-grandson of a founder of the west suburban town that bears his surname, died Monday after a long bout with cancer. He was 50. Mr. Wheaton’s father, R. Lowrie Wheaton Jr., died April 22 at age 87. Ralph L. Wheaton III’s great-great grandfather was Jesse Wheaton, who traveled in 1837 from his native Connecticut to an area 25 miles west of Chicago. In addition to founding Wheaton, which was incorporated in 1859, Jesse Wheaton helped found the Illinois Institute, now Wheaton College; the Gary-Wheaton Bank; and the predecessor to the Gary Methodist Church. A lifelong Wheaton resident, Mr. Wheaton joined the family business, F.E. Wheaton Lumber Co., in 1971. The business had been founded by his great-grandfather, Franklin Emery Wheaton, in 1892. Mr. Wheaton succeeded his father in the late 1970s as president and owner of the company and served in those positions until his death. Mr. Wheaton received degrees from Carleton College, where he met his wife, DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Bonnie M. Wheaton, and the University of Michigan. He served as a first lieutenant in the Army during the Vietnam War, completing his duty in August 1971.
Mr. Wheaton joined the board of the Wheaton History Center in 1988 and served as president from 1990 until his death. He also served as president of the Wheaton Cemetery Association and was a director of both NBD Wheaton Bank and Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield. Previously, he had been president of the board of directors at B.R. Ryall YMCA and was a director of the Illinois Lumber Dealers Association and the Reserve Supply Corp. “Ralph was very proud of his heritage, but he didn’t flaunt it,” said Alberta Adamson, executive director of the Wheaton History Center. “He was instrumental in our relationship with the city. And he always made sure that Warren Wheaton (Jesse’s brother, another town founder along with brother-in-law Erastus Gary), who has no descendants in this area, was well-represented.”
“Ralph was absolutely committed to family solidarity,” said Bonnie Wheaton. “His mother died when he was 17, and he told his father, `You’re going to have a lot of problems, but I promise I’ll never be one of them.’ They stayed close because of that.” Besides his wife, Mr. Wheaton is survived by a son, Ralph IV; a daughter, Anne; and two sisters. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Williams-Kampp Funeral Home, 430 E. Roosevelt Rd., Wheaton. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday at Gary United Methodist Church, 224 N. Main St., Wheaton.
Bonnie Wheaton ’66
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Ralph L. Wheaton III, 50, Executive And Civic Leader May 17, 1994|By Bob Goldsborough. Special to the Tribune. Ralph L. Wheaton III, a community leader and great-great-grandson of a founder of the west suburban town that bears his surname, died Monday after a long bout with cancer. He was 50. Mr. Wheaton's father, R. Lowrie Wheaton Jr., died April 22 at age 87. Ralph L. Wheaton III's great-great grandfather was Jesse Wheaton, who traveled in 1837 from his native Connecticut to an area 25 miles west of Chicago. In addition to founding Wheaton, which was incorporated in 1859, Jesse Wheaton helped found the Illinois Institute, now Wheaton College ; the Gary-Wheaton Bank ; and the predecessor to the Gary Methodist Church. A lifelong Wheaton resident, Mr. Wheaton joined the family business , F.E. Wheaton Lumber Co., in 1971. The business had been founded by his great-grandfather, Franklin Emery Wheaton, in 1892. Mr. Wheaton succeeded his father in the late 1970s as president and owner of the company and served in those positions until his death. Mr. Wheaton received degrees from Carleton College, where he met his wife, DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Bonnie M. Wheaton, and the University of Michigan. He served as a first lieutenant in the Army during the Vietnam War, completing his duty in August 1971. Mr. Wheaton joined the board of the Wheaton History Center in 1988 and served as president from 1990 until his death. He also served as president of the Wheaton Cemetery Association and was a director of both NBD Wheaton Bank and Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield. Previously, he had been president of the board of directors at B.R. Ryall YMCA and was a director of the Illinois Lumber Dealers Association and the Reserve Supply Corp. "Ralph was very proud of his heritage, but he didn't flaunt it," said Alberta Adamson, executive director of the Wheaton History Center. "He was instrumental in our relationship with the city. And he always made sure that Warren Wheaton (Jesse's brother, another town founder along with brother-in-law Erastus Gary), who has no descendants in this area, was well-represented." "Ralph was absolutely committed to family solidarity," said Bonnie Wheaton. "His mother died when he was 17, and he told his father, `You're going to have a lot of problems, but I promise I'll never be one of them.' They stayed close because of that." Besides his wife, Mr. Wheaton is survived by a son, Ralph IV; a daughter, Anne; and two sisters. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Williams-Kampp Funeral Home, 430 E. Roosevelt Rd., Wheaton. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday at Gary United Methodist Church, 224 N. Main St., Wheaton.
Two images immediately arise when thinking of Chip during our Carleton years: basketball and bridge.
I was a barely adequate bench warmer on my high school basketball team, so it was natural to join other guys in pick-up games in Sayles-Hill evenings after attending to study assignments. I quickly learned that guys from Illinois really knew how to play hoops. These pick up games were as good and tough (or even more so) as my metro New Jersey high school experiences. Chip was one of those who impressed me with his skills, and, gee, this guy was so good and wasn't even going out for the college team! Boy, did I feel like the country bumpkin in over his head. Chip played hard, but I recall he always had a smile on his face as he out muscled you for a rebound.
Senior year, four couples seemed to gather almost daily after lunch, as I recall it now, in Great Hall to play bridge. Interestingly, all four eventually got married. Chip was among those for whom bridge seemed to be another easy challenge. He impressed with a skill that seemed to come naturally and with his calm banter. Not everyone was as calm; on occasion, some got a bit excited if the play didn't go their way. I'm sure Chip gave it his all and was as competitive as anyone, but he always kept perspective not to take diversions such as this too seriously.
The shock of his death was accentuated for Sharon and me as we were living in Seoul. At that moment, we felt like we were on Mars not being able to share our grief personally with Bonnie and their family.