Final Cadence

Louis Allegro ’46 of Watertown, MA, died at his home November 28, 2007. He was 86. A lifelong Watertown resident, he played piano for some of the big-band era’s top names, including Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, and Frank Petty. During the 1960s, he taught music theory at Berklee and performed at society functions and concerts throughout the Boston area. Allegro also served as the president of the Historical Society of Watertown and was the president of the Belmont-based Professional Musicians Club. Allegro leaves two sons, Roger and James, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Harold A. Packer ’46 of Franklin, NH, died at his home on February 17, 2008, with his family by his side. He was 87. Packer served as a corporal in the U.S. Army during World War II and studied jazz piano at Berklee. He was an avid Red Sox and Celtics fan.

William Caughey Clemmer ’50 of Northborough, MA, died February 14 after a battle with cancer. He was 80. Clemmer studied piano and later taught at Berklee. He also served in the USO after World War II and performed for troops in more than 40 countries. Later he wrote and directed plays for local schools, opened his own recording studio and served as a member of the Worchester and Boston Musicians Unions. He leaves his wife, Pat, five sons, two daughters, and 18 grandchildren.

Dennis LaVita ’69 of Somerville, MA, died unexpectedly January 3. He was 59. He was born in Boston and resided in Somerville for most of his life. LaVita studied guitar at Berklee and computer-aided design at Roxbury Community College. He also played guitar with the Jurie Christie and 7th Heaven Band and taught guitar and piano. He leaves his wife, Thomasina, son Dennis Jr., daughter Michelle, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Robert Miller Greene III ’71 of Madison, CT, passed away peacefully on January 2. He was 59. After studying at Berklee and engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, he traveled extensively through Europe, India, and Nepal and worked as a mortgage specialist at MSI in North Haven and National City Mortgage. Miller was a gourmet chef and had an avid interest in a diverse variety of music. He leaves his wife of 30 years, Pamela, three children, and two grandchildren.

Dana Robinson Calkin ’75 of Brookline, NH, passed away December 13, after battling a debilitating illness, surrounded by members of his family at the Community Hospice House in Merrimack. He was 56. After Calkin attended Berkee, he worked for Epic Enterprises in Ayer, owned a convenience store in Fitzwilliam, and worked for Ox-Bow Construction of Greenville. He leaves two sons, Tyler and Max.

Robert-Beau Gooliak ’76 of Malibu, CA, passed away on March 7. He was 55. Gooliak was a bassist at Berklee and later became an communications and product development specialist. He held two patents for themal insulation products he developed for use in the automotive industry. He leaves three siblings, a niece, and a nephew.

James M. Winters ’82 of Chelsea, VT, passed away February 11. He was 55. He studied guitar at Berklee and was a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam. He enjoyed fishing and was an avid collector of guitars. Winters worked at the U.S. Post Office in White River Junction and, later, at a Veterans Affairs Hospital, retiring in 1993 after 20 years of federal service. He leaves his son David.

Victoria Johnson ’86 of Teaneck, NJ, passed away unexpectedly in January 2008. She was a vocal major at Berklee as well as a visual artist and was deeply involved with her church and other civic organizations. She leaves her husband, Chan Johnson ’91, whom she met at Berklee, and their daughter Ayanna.

Word has reached us that John G. Bowers ’78 of Sylvania, OH, has also passed away.