correction
The obituary of Pauline F. Jones, which appeared June 21, incorrectly listed the date of her death. She died June 18. (published 6/22/97)
Although Levi Stubbs was considered the lead singer, members often rotated lead singing roles. Mr. Payton was the quiet, laid-back member of the group, which also included Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Abdul "Duke" Fakir.
Stubbs said that although Mr. Payton wasn't formally trained in music, "he could pick notes out of the air. He had that gift. He was responsible for our harmonies." Stubbs said that the group will continue to perform as a trio, renamed the Tops, rather than replace Mr. Payton, and that it will give Mr. Payton's salary to his family.
The four high school classmates from Detroit's North End neighborhood first came together in 1954 as the Aims, producing jazzy vocal harmonies in the style of the Four Freshmen and other groups.
Two years later, they changed their name to the Four Tops to avoid confusion with the Ames Brothers. They recorded in various styles with several recording companies before Detroit's Motown Records, run by Berry Gordy, signed them in 1963. The group, which had sung backup for vocalist Billy Eckstine, did the same for other Motown artists in addition to recording their own hits.
Motown songwriters Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland helped the group produce a string of chart-topping, love-centered songs. Their success spread to England as they become one of Motown's most accessible "crossover" acts -- black performers whose appeal crossed racial lines of the largely segregated musical audiences of that era. Matching zoot suits and slick choreography completed the act.
Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, arranged a London concert for the group, and a warm airport greeting from young, white English fans shocked the "four guys from the ghetto," Fakir later said.
In the 1970s, the group's hit parade waned, and they left Motown to sign with ABC-Dunhill. There, they produced the hit songs "Ain't No Woman" and "Keeper of the Castle."
Stubbs reignited some interest in the group when he performed as the basso voice of Audrey II, the man-eating plant in the movie "Little Shop of Horrors." The group also appeared in car and promotional advertising spots.
The Four Tops were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and recorded their last album, "Christmas Here With You," in 1995. A star in their honor was installed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April. WALTER LARKE SORG Management Consultant
Walter Larke Sorg, 71, a management consultant who operated his own business in Adamstown, Md., died of emphysema June 19 at his home in Adamstown.
From 1977 until he retired in 1995, Mr. Sorg was president of Walter Larke Sorg Associates, which specialized in regulatory and legislative matters affecting small businesses.
From 1982 to 1990, he served on the President's Advisory Committee on Small and Minority Business Ownership. From 1969 to 1976, he worked at the Department of Commerce, where he was assistant director and director of the office of minority business enterprises. He had written articles for legal, business and professional journals and delivered lectures on a variety of issues related to minority businesses.
Mr. Sorg, who was born on Long Island, served in the Navy during World War II. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Since 1952, Mr. Sorg participated in Republican Party political campaigns at the national, local and state levels.
From 1947 to 1969, he was an executive with Sorg Printing Co. in Texas and McCormick & Henderson financial printing in Chicago.
Mr. Sorg was honorary president of Associates for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad and a charter member of the Associates Club of the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace Foundation.
His awards included the Silver Medal of the Department of Commerce for promoting minority business development. He also received the Small Business Administration's Award of Excellence.
Survivors include his wife, Bernice Sorg of Adamstown, whom he married in 1948; five children, Walter Sorg Jr. of Wilmington, Mich., Gregory Sorg of Franconia, N.H., Eric Sorg of Laramie, Wyo., Melanie Hudock and Cindy Swanson, both of Clarksburg, Md.; and nine grandchildren. HUGH McCULLOUGH Assistant Secretary of Defense
Hugh McCullough, 81, who retired from government service in 1973 as principal assistant secretary of defense for installations and logistics, died of cancer June 19 at home at Goodwin House West in Falls Church.
Mr. McCullough's career at the Defense Department included directing management of the Polaris missile program and oversight of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam.
After his federal retirement, he served four years as president of the Logistic Management Institute. He received a Secretary of Defense Medal of Outstanding Public Service for this work.
He was born in Hackensack, N.J., and moved to Washington in 1934. Mr. McCullough, who began his federal career as a messenger at the Department of Agriculture, attended George Washington University.
In 1941, he began working for the Department of the Navy. He held a variety of supply and procurement jobs there and several posts in the office of the comptroller.
He was deputy assistant secretary of defense for installations and logistics in 1962, when he left government service to become director of long-range planning for Grumman Corp. on Long Island. He returned to government service in 1969 as principal assistant secretary of defense for installations and logistics and served in that capacity until 1973.
Mr. McCullough had received a Superior Achievement Award and two Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Awards.
He had been president of the Washington chapter of the Society of Military Comptrollers and national vice president of the Armed Services Management Association.
He was a member of Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria.
Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Dorothy Walkley McCullough of Falls Church; a daughter, Pamela Zusi of New Market, Md.; and two grandchildren. DENNIS MICHAEL COOKE Navy Officer
Dennis Michael Cooke, 50, a Navy lieutenant who retired last year after 28 years of military service, died of lung cancer June 17 at his home in Woodbridge. He had lived in the Washington area off and on since 1966.
Lt. Cooke was a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., who attended the University of Maryland. He enlisted as a seaman, was commissioned as a chief warrant officer in 1986 and became a lieutenant in 1993.
Assigned largely to administrative work, he served in Korea and Panama and in the Atlantic on an aircraft carrier, the USS John F. Kennedy. He retired as the secretariat on the staff of the deputy chief of naval operations.
He was a member of Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church in Woodbridge.
Survivors include his wife of 11 years, Andrea George, and a daughter, Samantha Cooke, both of Woodbridge. HILA PETTRY GREIGER Accountant
Hila Pettry Greiger, 80, who was an accountant with the surgeon general's office of the Air Force Department for about 30 years before her retirement in 1977, died of congestive heart failure June 6 at Sibley Memorial Hospital.
Mrs. Greiger, who lived in Bethesda, was born in Beaver, W.Va., where she graduated valedictorian from her high school in 1934. She began her career as an accountant with the federal government in Raleigh, N.C., before moving to Washington in 1946 to join the Air Force Department.
Her husband, Elmer C. Greiger, whom she married in 1943, died in 1994. Survivors include two sons, William Greiger of Bethesda and Kent Greiger of Gaithersburg; five sisters; a brother; and a grandson. MARY ELIZABETH HINKEL DUNN Medical Technologist
Mary Elizabeth Hinkel Dunn, 56, a Washington native and former medical technologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, died of cancer June 18 at her home in Danielson, Conn.
She was a graduate of Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School and Quinebaug College in Danielson. She lived in Washington until 1974.
Survivors include her husband, Charles F. Dunn of Danielson; four stepchildren; her mother, Elizabeth Hinkel, and brother, John Christopher Hinkel, both of Washington. JOHN ROBERT HOWARD Businessman
John Robert Howard, 55, an auditor and accountant who founded his own mortgage banking services business in 1991, died of renal cancer June 19 at the Hospice of Northern Virginia.
Mr. Howard, who lived in Springfield, was born in Stillwater, Okla., and graduated from Oklahoma State University. He did postgraduate study in accounting at the University of Virginia.
From 1962 to 1968, Mr. Howard served in the Navy. He worked in Los Angeles for what was then the Veterans Administration before moving to the Washington area in 1975 as an auditor in the office of the Veterans Administration's inspector general.
In 1986, he left the Veterans Administration to join the mortgage banking consulting firm, Irving Burton Associates, then in 1991 formed John Howard and Associates. That business merged with a Dallas-based operation in 1995 and became known as Service Star Inc. Mr. Howard was its chief claims auditor.
His marriage to Nancy Howard ended in divorce.
Survivors include two children, Sherilyn and James Howard, both of Springfield; two brothers; and a sister. FRED A. HOWLIN Jr. Pub Owner
Fred A. Howlin Jr., 50, owner of the Corner Pub in Silver Spring for more than 20 years, died of a heart attack June 19 at his home in Silver Spring.
He was a native of Washington and a graduate of Blair High School who attended Montgomery College. He worked at the Corner Pub and Fred and Harry's restaurant, both owned by his family, as a young man.
Mr. Howlin was president of the Montgomery County Restaurant Association and the Maryland State Licensed Beverage Association.
Survivors include his wife of 20 years, Patricia Howlin, and two daughters, Bridget Howlin and Emily Howlin, all of Silver Spring; and a sister, Linda Deffinbaugh of Rockville. ELLSWORTH W. COLBERT Firefighter and Clerk
Ellsworth W. Colbert, 65, a retired D.C. firefighter who worked as a clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for 12 years until 1987, died of an aneurysm June 5 at D.C. General Hospital.
Mr. Colbert, a native Washingtonian, graduated from Phelps Vocational High School and served in the Army during the Korean War before joining the D.C. fire department. He became one of the first African Americans to be assigned to the rescue squad. He retired in 1969.
He then worked as a community aide in the D.C. public school system, spending most of his time at Sousa Junior High School. In 1975, he became a clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Mr. Colbert was a member of Ebenezer United Methodist Church in Washington. He served on its Restoration Task Force and worked in the bus ministry. He also played the saxophone in the church choir. He was a trustee, past treasurer and former chairman of the finance committee of the United Methodist Men.
Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Mildred G. Colbert of Washington; three children, Jennifer Y. Etheridge of Mitchellville, Ellsworth W. Colbert III of Landover and Derek L. Colbert of Washington; three sisters, Lorna Morgan, Shirley Fletcher and Franceen Anderson, all of Washington; five brothers, Rudolph Colbert of Boston, and Frank Colbert, Eugene Colbert, Rajah Colbert and Demetrius Colbert, all of Seat Pleasant; and three grandchildren. JURGEN H. RAHE NASA Scientist
Jurgen H. Rahe, 57, who was killed June 18 when a tree fell on his car in Potomac during a thunderstorm, was a scientist with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and director of the agency's solar system exploration programs.
A native of Melle, Germany, Dr. Rahe came to the United States in 1985 to work for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and teach planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology. In 1989, he joined NASAs headquarters in Washington, where he oversaw the general management, budget and strategic planning of the agency's missions to Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
During his career with NASA, he received several awards, including the NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership, and had an asteroid named in his honor.
He was editor of the journal Astrophysics and Space Science and a member of the editorial board of the scientific publications Il Nuovo Cimento and Earth, Moon and Planets.
Dr. Rahe graduated from the University of Hamburg, where he also received a doctorate in astronomy. He received a degree to become a university professor from the Technical University of Berlin and taught at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany for about 12 years, beginning in 1971.
He was vice president of the Rotary Club in Potomac, past president of the American Goethe Society and past member of the Board of Directors of the German School in Potomac. He was involved in the Beethoven Society, Stone Ridge School and Operation SMILE.
Survivors include his wife of 25 years, Hazel Maureen Burcher, and their daughter Isabell, both of Potomac; and two brothers. JOYCE C. WHITCOMB Artist
Joyce C. Whitcomb, 66, a McLean resident and artist who sold her oil paintings of cityscapes and animals at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, died of breast cancer June 19 at Powhatan Nursing Home in Falls Church.
Mrs. Whitcomb, a native of St. Louis, attended Washington University. She lived in San Antonio and Austin before settling in the Washington area in 1959.
She was a member of the Art League in Alexandria and the Vienna Art Society. She sold her artwork at the Torpedo Factory for the last 10 years. She also spent her time as a volunteer with the U.S. Park Service, caring for wild animals captured on federal park lands.
Survivors include her husband, Dr. Milton Whitcomb of McLean; their three sons, John Whitcomb of Rockville, Mark Whitcomb of Woodbridge and Ken Whitcomb of Alexandria; her mother, Kathryn Thane of St. Louis; a twin sister, Jeanne Uelner of Crestwood, Mo.; and four grandsons. PAULINE F. JONES Secretary
Pauline F. Jones, 75, a former secretary in the office of the surgeon general of the Army, died of pneumonia June 17 at Carroll Manor Nursing Home in Washington.
Mrs. Jones was born in Mobile, Ala. She attended Alabama State College and Howard University. Since 1941, she lived in Washington.
From 1941 to 1962, she worked in the office of the Army surgeon general.
From 1975 to 1985, Mrs. Jones served on the board of Social Systems Intervention Inc., a psychological research firm founded by her husband. She collaborated with him in writing and publishing reports and articles.
She was a member of the Sodality at Nativity Catholic Church.
Survivors include her husband of 51 years, Dr. Roy J. Jones of Washington; three children, Dr. Roderick Jones of Lanham, Arlyss Jones of Washington and Valerie Jones Giles of Hancock, N.Y.; and five grandsons. RICHARD RAYMOND DICK' DART Banking Executive
Richard Raymond "Dick" Dart, 40, who was active in the Washington area chapter of the ALS Association, died June 19 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, at his home in Fairfax.
Mr. Dart, who lived in Fairfax since 1994, presented the ALS Association's Lou Gehrig's Iron Man Award to Baltimore Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken in 1995 at Camden Yards on the night Ripken tied Gehrig's record for consecutive baseball games played.
Mr. Dart took part in events to highlight the need for ALS research and wrote articles that were printed in the ALS Association's national newsletter.
Born in Fort Polk, La., Mr. Dart was raised in Charlottesville, Va. He graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He began his career in the early 1980s as a research assistant at the Commerce Department in Washington and then worked for several banks.
In 1993, he retired on disability as vice president for marketing with First Union Bank.
Survivors include his wife of 13 years, Denise St. Ours, and their two children, Kevin Magner Dart and Lauren Nestler Dart, all of Fairfax; his parents, Robert and Jeanne Dart of Lake Monticello, Va.; two sisters, Carolyn Fifer of Morehead City, N.C., and Patricia Dart of Lake Monticello; and two brothers, Robert Dart Jr. of Baltimore and Thomas Dart of Chicago. HUNTER L. STONE Jr. Intelligence Official
Hunter L. Stone Jr., 60, a National Security Agency branch chief who retired in 1995 after 37 years with the Department of Defense, died of heart ailments June 19 at Bowie Health Clinic.
Mr. Stone, who lived in Bowie since 1967, was a native of Greensboro, N.C. He graduated from Wake Forest University, served in the Air Force from 1958 to 1962 and then became involved in intelligence communications for the Department of Defense.
He was an elder at Christian Community Presbyterian Church in Bowie and sang in the church choir for 30 years. Survivors include his wife of 38 years, Barbara L. Stone of Bowie; two daughters, Melanie Everett of Silver Spring and Renee Leslie of Millersville; his father, Hunter L. Stone Sr. of Greensboro; and a grandson. OLLIE L. KASOW Church Member
Ollie L. Kasow, 83, a member of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, died of renal failure June 19 at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. She lived in Gaithersburg.
Mrs. Kasow was born in Kentucky and moved to Washington as a child. She worked as a hairdresser at her mother's beauty shop on I Street NW in the 1930s and 1940s. Her husband, John C. Kasow, died in the late 1970s. Survivors include five children, a sister and six grandchildren. ROBERT E. McCALLY Lawyer
Robert E. McCally, 71, general counsel for the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Commission from 1983 to 1995, died June 19 at Suburban Hospital. He had suffered a stroke and heart attack.
Mr. McCally, who lived in Kensington, was born in Washington. He graduated from Wilson High School and George Washington University, where he also received a law degree. He served in the Navy during World War II and after the war was a legal officer in the Army Reserve.
From 1952 to 1979, Mr. McCally was a lawyer on the staff of the D.C. Corporation Counsel. He was a trial lawyer with the Department of Justice for four years before joining the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Commission, where he was instrumental in facilitating construction of the Navy Memorial and the new Canadian Embassy.
His wife, Constance McCally, died in 1995.
Survivors include two children, Susan Lyn McCally and Christine E. McCally, both of Kensington.
