Faculty and Staff
Thomas W. Harrell, of Portola Valley, April 17, at 90, of colon cancer. He was professor emeritus of applied psychology and an expert on the personality of successful businesspeople. For much of his career, he studied a group of Stanford MBA graduates who earned their degrees between 1961 and 1965, disproving the stereotype that businesspeople have to step on others to succeed. His research in the 1990s focused on career disparities between male and female graduates of the Graduate School of Business. His wife, Margaret, ’33, a statistician who co-authored many of his studies, died last year. Survivors: his daughter, Susan Abrahamson; and his son, Tom.
John Robinson Pierce, of Sunnyvale, April 2, at 92, of complications from pneumonia. He joined the Stanford faculty as a visiting emeritus professor of music in 1983, where his contributions to science, technology and the arts won him the nickname “Renaissance man” from his peers. He earned his electrical engineering degrees from Caltech, and took a job in 1936 with Bell Laboratories, where he designed the first unmanned communications satellite for NASA, coined the word “transistor,” invented the Pierce Gun (a vacuum tube that transmits electrons) and oversaw work on math, statistics, speech, hearing, behavioral science and electronics. After leaving Bell in 1971, he took an engineering professorship at Caltech and went on to serve as chief technologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory until he joined Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Accoustics. He won several prestigious prizes, authored 20 books and held approximately 90 patents. He was also a prolific author of science fiction, sometimes under the pen name J.J. Coupling. Survivors: his wife of 15 years, Brenda Woodard-Pierce; his son, John; his daughter, Elizabeth; two stepsons; and two stepdaughters.
1920s
Richard Philip Gross, ’24, of San Francisco, February 4, at 98. He majored in economics. A longtime financial executive, he became president of the San Francisco Curb Exchange, which developed into the San Francisco Stock Exchange and—after merging with the Los Angeles Oil Exchange—the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange. He served as governor of the Pacific Stock Exchange and became a partner in Stone and Youngberg, a San Francisco municipal bond company, from which he retired in 1990. Survivors: his wife, Ruth; and three grandchildren.
David S. Adams, ’28, of Woodland, Calif., December 31, at 95. An economics major, he was a member of Kappa Sigma. After graduation, he joined Adams Grain Co., the grain brokerage business started by his father. Under his guidance, it became the largest independent grain brokerage in California, serving 3,000 farmers in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. In 1967, he served on then-Gov. Ronald Reagan’s Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board and its successor, the Air Resources Board. His wife of 57 years, Marietta, died in 1998. Survivors: his son, William; his daughter, Elizabeth Peabody, ’58; eight grandchildren, including Eric Bloom, ’79, Keith Bloom, ’81, Robert Peabody, ’83, Cynthia Howell, ’85, and Sally Sylva, ’87; and 18 great-grandchildren.
1930s
Dale A. Morrison, ’30, MBA ’32, of Santa Clara, Calif., April 17, at 93. He majored in economics. He was a sales manager with the California Almond Growers Exchange. Survivors: his son, Richard, ’60, MA ’62; his daughter, Katherine Magoon; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Wilson Willets Phelps, ’31, of Fullerton, Calif., April 16, at 93. An economics major, he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega and the gymnastics team. After Harvard Law School and a year in a Los Angeles law firm, he began working in the Southern Counties Bank, started by his father. In the early 1960s, he came out of retirement to chair the board of the Independent Bank. He established the Wilson W. Phelps Foundation in 1997 to assist local civic organizations. Survivors: his wife of 10 years, Elizabeth; two sons, John, ’59, MBA ’62, and Jim; two daughters, Louise Shamblen and Carol; seven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and his brother.
Ila Lee Shook Palmer, ’32, of Atherton, at 91. She majored in mathematics. She was a teacher and member of the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, PEO Sisterhood, Delta Delta Delta and Order of the Eastern Star. Her husband of 57 years, Kenneth, MA ’41, predeceased her. Survivors: her daughter, Sharon Geis; and four grandchildren.
Peter Creighton Gillham, ’33, of Santa Rosa, Calif., April 5, at 91, of complications from diabetes. A political science major, he was a member of Zeta Psi and the polo team. During World War II, he was a lieutenant with the Naval Air Transport Command. After the war, he sold real estate in Arizona and later became a partner in the 5,000-steer 3C Ranch near Ely, Nev. In 1968, he founded the Cattlemens Restaurant chain, which now numbers nine restaurants in California and one in Nevada. Survivors: his wife of 30 years, Ione, ’39; his son, Pete Jr.; his daughter, Lynn Tucker; three stepdaughters, including Suzanne Lyons, MA ’93; and three step-grandchildren.
Lucille Emma Orsolini Carley, ’34, of Palo Alto, April 9, at 93. A Nursing School alumna, she worked as a registered nurse until her marriage to Leon Carley, ’29, JD ’33, who predeceased her. She co-founded the Sequoia Seminar, an organization promoting nonviolent conflict resolution. The organization was a forerunner of the Foundation for Global Community. Survivors: her daughter, Sandra Varco; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Lyle Wyman Smith, ’34, Engr. ’36, of Ventura, Calif., January 24, at 90. A general engineering major, he was a member of Breakers eating club and the football team. He worked for Shell Oil Co. for 32 years as petroleum engineer, geologist and exploration manager for California, Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. He was a member of the Masons and the Scottish Rite. Survivors: his wife of 65 years, Marian; his daughter, Dana, ’63; his son, Mark, MBA ’84; four grandchildren, including Kent, ’88; and seven great-grandchildren.
Margaret Emily Johnson Elfving, ’36, of Portola Valley, April 22, at 87, of a heart attack. She majored in history and was a member of Delta Gamma. She volunteered at Stanford Convalescent Hospital, at her church and as a docent at the DeYoung Museum’s renowned Asian art collection, where she was considered an expert. Her husband, Robert, ’36, died in 1991. Survivors: two sons, William, ’62, and John, ’66; four grandchildren; and two sisters.
Philip Levy Fox, ’36, of San Francisco, at 88. He majored in education.
George James Laird, ’36, MD ’40, of Portola Valley, in April, at 87. A preclinical medicine major, he was a member of Kappa Alpha. During World War II, he served in the Air Force and earned the rank of major. From 1947 until 1976, he was a senior partner in a surgical practice in Millbrae and Burlingame. He served as the first chief of surgery at Peninsula Hospital in 1954-56 and was hospital chief of staff in 1956-58 and in 1972-74. He taught surgery at Stanford Medical School from 1948 to 1958, served as the school’s alumni association president in 1972 and 1973 and was a medical consultant for a number of corporations. A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, he published in several journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association. His wife of 53 years, Jane, died in 1993. Survivors: his son, James; two daughters, Carolyn Hennion, ’65, and Janet Cantor; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Shelley Smith Mydans, ’36, of New Rochelle, N.Y., March 7, at 86. She was a speech and drama major. She and her husband, photographer Carl Mydans, were Life magazine’s first photographer-reporter team to cover World War II. They spent 21 months in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp, and her first novel, The Open City, was based on the experiences of captured Americans. After the war, she wrote two more novels, as well as a report on war and terrorism since World War II. She also wrote for Time and Life and was a commentator for a Time Inc. radio news program. Survivors: her husband of 64 years; her son, Seth; her daughter, Shelley, ’71; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Hubert Carlyle “Hugh” Troth, ’36, of Northridge, Calif., April 3, at 93. A general engineering major, he was a member of the Band. During World War II, he was a captain in Army Ordnance. He worked in the air conditioning and heating industry. Survivors: his wife, Betsy; his daughter, Diane Lawrence; and two grandchildren.
Daniel Morris Feeley, ’37, JD ’40, of Palo Alto, March 14, at 87. A political science major, he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi. During World War II, he was a highly decorated navigator with the Army Air Force’s 69th Bomber Squadron and attained the rank of major. After the war, he took a position as deputy district attorney in Santa Clara County and won a landmark case against environmental polluters. Two years later, he co-founded Machado, Feeley & Machado in San Jose, where he practiced personal injury and contract law for five decades, taking many pro-bono cases in later years. Survivors: his wife of 58 years, Suzanne; his son, Daniel; two daughters, Jane Lilly-Hersley and Laura Marchette; eight grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and his brother, Jerome, ’42.
Ava Jane Wilson Cox, ’38, of Del Mar, Calif., February 13. A social science and social thought major, she was a member of Pi Beta Phi. She entertained friends and relatives with her piano playing and spent every Sunday playing at a retirement home. Survivors: her husband of 60 years, John, ’38; two children, including Janet, ’68; and two grandchildren.
Donald C. McMillan, ’38, of Long Beach, Calif., April 21, at 86, of a heart attack and stroke. He majored in preclinical medicine and was a member of Kappa Sigma and the football team. He was an executive with North American Aviation for more than 20 years. During World War II, he managed the production of airplanes for the military. After the war, he held various positions at North American, including vice president of autonetics, and later was president of Pacific Airmotive Corp. in Burbank, Calif. An advocate for the citrus industry, he was board chair of the Chino, Calif.-based Red Star Plant Foods. His wife of 51 years, Marie, died in 1992. Survivors: his daughters, Jean Hughes and Patricia Anderson; eight grandchildren, including James Hughes, MA ’96, and Amy Leveque, MA ’99; three great-grandchildren; and his sister.
Kenneth Marlar Eymann, ’39, JD ’48, of Santa Rosa, Calif., January 11, at 83. A social science and social thought major, he was a member of Theta Xi. During World War II, he was in the Navy aboard the USS West Virginia during the attack on Pearl Harbor and later flew Navy patrol bombers off Korea. He opened his private legal practice in Santa Rosa in 1949 and, in 1966, helped with Ronald Reagan’s successful bid for governor of California. In 1967, Reagan appointed him to the Sonoma County Superior Court, where he served as judge for 18 years. Survivors: his wife of 55 years, Eleanor; his daughter, Ann O’Sullivan; three sons, John Jewett, Byron Hilbish and Kenneth; 12 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
1940s
Absalom Francis “Frank” Bray Jr., ’40, of Martinez, Calif., March 30, at 83, of cancer. He majored in political science and was a member of the fencing team. During World War II, he served as a Naval Reserve officer in the Pacific. He completed law school at USC in 1949 and practiced as the senior partner of his law firm in Martinez for 52 years. He served on the boards of numerous community groups and had a 49-year record of service and perfect attendance with the Rotary Club. Survivors: his wife of 52 years, Lorraine; two sons, Oliver and Brian; his daughter, Margot; and two grandchildren.
Robert B. Livingston, ’40, MD ’44, of San Diego, April 26, at 83. A preclinical medicine major, he was a member of El Campo and the water polo team and was active in the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU). During World War II, he served as a physician in a Navy hospital on Okinawa. He taught at Stanford, Yale, Harvard and the UCLA Medical School before founding the world’s first department of neurosciences at UC-San Diego. In the 1970s, he developed some of the first 3-D images of the brain; in the 1980s, his lab was awarded a grant to develop a computer system to map the brain in 3-D microscopic detail. He served as scientific director for the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness, and was on the staff of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council.
Lloyd L. McDonald, ’40, of Newport Beach, Calif., April 30, at 84. He majored in social science and social thought. He served in the Navy before beginning his career in general construction, real estate development and restaurant ownership. He developed and owned numerous industrial parks in Southern California, and he founded and operated The Catch and The Summit House restaurants. Survivors: his wife, Florence, ’47; three sons, Steven, Christopher and Bruce, ’77; his brother, Bernard, ’42; his sister, Mildred, ’39; and six grandchildren.
Albert George Rockwell, ’40, MD ’44, of Waikoloa, Hawaii, at 83. A biological sciences major, he was a member of the track and field team and Delta Tau Delta. During World War II, he served as a Navy doctor in the Pacific. He practiced at the Palo Alto Medical Clinic for six years before moving to Seattle and becoming a partner in the Seattle Head and Neck Group, pioneering stapes ear surgery in the late 1950s. He retired in 1987 and moved to Hawaii, where he was president and director for Big Island Duplicate Bridge groups. Survivors: his wife, Frances; four sons, Gregory, ’66, James, George and Robert; two daughters, Mary Abbott and Lynn; 13 grandchildren; his sister; and his former wife, Kathleen.
Harold E. Walters, ’40, of Creve Coeur, Ill., November 20, at 82, of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He majored in chemistry. He completed his medical degree at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 1943. During World War II, he served in the Army as a surgeon in the Philippines. In 1948, he returned to St. Louis as chief resident in general surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital and then opened his own practice. He retired in 1992. He was a Master Mason, a member of the Scottish Rite, and the 90th Potentate of the Moolah Shrine Temple. Survivors: his wife of 29 years, Mary; two daughters, Nancy Hermann and Susan Mueller; a stepson; and two grandchildren.
Richard W. “Dick” Muchmore, ’41, of Atherton, April 14, at 82. He majored in general engineering. In 1957, he co-founded Raychem Corp., an enterprise based on the belief that high-energy radiation could transform inexpensive plastics into high-performance electrical insulation products. His company was an early Silicon Valley success, introducing dozens of products each year. He left Raychem in 1973 to start his venture capital firm, Muchmore Enterprises, but stayed on the Raychem board of directors. He helped finance several businesses, including Activision Video Games, and was an avid golfer. Survivors: his wife of 16 years, Bobbie; his stepdaughter; his stepson; and his brother, Robert, Engr. ’42.
Barry George Wagner, ’41, of San Francisco, May 19, at 84, of cancer. During World War II and the Korean War, he served as an aviator in the Navy, earning the rank of lieutenant commander. He ran an insurance brokerage until his retirement at age 70. He was the first president of the MG Car Club, later part of the Sports Car Club of America, and helped organize the first Pebble Beach Road Races and Moffett Field Races. Survivors: his wife, Rosemarie, ’51; his son, Barry; his daughter, Coco Newton; three stepsons; a stepdaughter; four grandchildren; and nine step-grandchildren.
Robert Strong Worthington, ’41, of Santa Rosa, Calif., April 7, at 83, of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. A chemistry major, he was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi. He earned a master’s degree from Caltech. After 20 years with Chevron, he worked for Aramco in Saudi Arabia for 15 years. A nationally ranked badminton player, he was a volunteer income tax preparer with the AARP for 15 years after retirement. Survivors: his wife of 60 years, Denny, ’41; two sons, David and Bruce; three daughters, Patricia, ’75, MS ’76, Margaret and Kate;12 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Virginia Volkmann Bosche, ’42, of Oakland, March 11, at 81, of lymphoma. She majored in French and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. With her late husband, John, she established the Bosche Vineyards of Rutherford in Napa County, which supplies grapes for the award-winning Freemark Abbey Cabernet Bosche. She was past president of the Edgewood Children’s Center Auxiliary, member of the Garden Club of Piedmont since 1953 and tutor for the Oakland Public Library’s Second Start Adult Literacy program. Survivors: two daughters, Beatrice Hedlund and Joanne Ehrlich, ’71; two sons, John, MS ’77, and Lawrence; six grandchildren; and her brother.
David Macaulay, ’42, of Sacramento, November 7, at 81, of heart failure. A social science and social thought major, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi. During World War II, he served as a Naval officer in the Pacific. He became owner of Lawrence Mayflower Moving & Storage and retired in 1994. Active in local and state politics, he also served as president of the California Moving and Storage Association and the Sacramento chapter of the Navy League of the United States. Survivors: his wife, Barbara; his daughter, Laura; his son, David; and his granddaughter.
Bettylee McCaskill Sample, ’42, of Arcadia, Calif., in February, at 80. She majored in Spanish. Her husband, Earle, predeceased her.
Dudley Allen Smith, ’42, of Corona del Mar, Calif., April 3, at 80, of a stroke. A general engineering major, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi. During World War II, he served as a lieutenant in the Navy. As the owner of DASCO Corp., he built many homes in Las Vegas and Southern California. Survivors: his wife of 53 years, Sherrill; his daughter, Sally Ann Williams; three granddaughters; and two sisters, Caroline Fisher and Pat Milburn, ’41.
Alfred A. Hampson, ’43, of San Francisco, February 18, at 81, of a heart attack. An English major, he was a member of Chi Psi and editor of the Daily. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1946 and practiced in San Francisco and Portland. Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth, ’43.
George Alexis Hopiak, ’43, MBA ’47, of Palo Alto, April 8, at 80. An economics major, he was a member of Kappa Alpha and the soccer team. During World War II, he served as an intelligence officer with the Office of Strategic Services. After earning his MBA, he began his career as an investment analyst with Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco. He was senior vice president of the trust division for 13 years until his retirement in 1983. Active in various professional financial organizations, he also served as secretary-treasurer of the S.H. Cowell Foundation. His wife of 58 years, Mariam, ’42, died in November. Survivors: three daughters, Diane Knourek, MA ’75, Audrey Gambrel and Christine Kutzscher; and three grandchildren.
Hyland Julian “Bud” Hebert, ’44, of Santa Rosa, Calif., March 30, at 80. A biological sciences major, he was a member of Delta Upsilon. He graduated from the Northwestern University Medical School in 1948 and practiced pediatrics in Manila, Philippines, from 1951 to 1959. For four of those years, he also worked for the CIA. He moved his private practice in pediatrics to Santa Rosa in 1961 after serving as county health officer of Imperial County, Calif. In 1969, he joined the staff at the Charles Drew Health Center in East Palo Alto and later served as president of the board for the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Santa Clara/San Mateo counties. He retired from the Stanford Medical Center as an emeritus assistant clinical professor of pediatrics. Survivors: his wife, Alma; three daughters, Trinina Hebert-Barreto, Tammie Glowacki and Andrea Felsovanyi; two sons, Steven and Thomas; and five grandchildren.
Donald E. King, ’44, of Newport Beach, Calif., at 78, of complications from a hip fracture. He majored in biological sciences. After completing his residency at Stanford Hospital in 1951, he served three years as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. As an ob/gyn in private practice in Long Beach, Calif., he delivered more than 10,000 babies in his 44-year career. He was a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American College of Surgeons; and he served as president of the OB/GYN Society of Long Beach and as medical fleet surgeon of the Long Beach Yacht Club. Survivors: his wife, Jo; his son, Earl; three daughters, Shannon Kaloper, Meghan Lee and Kathy; and 10 grandchildren.
Nancy Ellen Brown Brett, ’45, of Calgary, Alberta, May 14, at 78. An English major, she was a member of Chi Omega. She taught first and fifth grades for 26 years. Her husband, Don, ’45, died in 1996. Survivors: her daughter, Robin Kadz; and two grandchildren.
Catherine Mary Grim Gebhardt, ’46, of Boise, Idaho, April 4, at 77, of lung cancer. She majored in education and was a member of Delta Delta Delta. A published author of children’s stories, she lived in San Mateo before moving to Boise in 1987. Survivors: her husband of 56 years, Thomas; four daughters, Catherine Elkins, Chris Gebhardt-Minow, Mary Bulkin and Trish Orlando; and 10 grandchildren.
William A. Ingram, ’47, of Palo Alto, May 26, at 77. During World War II, he served as a Marine. He graduated from the University of Louisville Law School and, in 1976, was appointed by Gerald Ford to the federal court, where he served until his retirement earlier this year. In 1983, he became the first full-time judge assigned to San Jose, to rule on intellectual property law and securities fraud cases. From 1988 to 1990, he was chief judge of the San Francisco-based Northern District of California. Survivors: his wife, Barbara, ’48; and three daughters, Mandy MacCalla, Elizabeth Friebel and Claudia, ’75; and four grandchildren.
David R. Porter, ’48, of Palm Desert, Calif., May 20. An economics major, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi. During World War II, he served in the Army. He worked as a quotations administrator for the aerospace company Garret-AiResearch Corp. for more than 20 years and was a golf and creative woodworking enthusiast. Survivors: his wife, Maralyn, ’45; three daughters, Kimberly Martin, ’71, Debra and Laura; his son, John Vokes; and seven grandchildren.
Joan M. Cochran, ’49, of Glen Ellen, Calif., March 18, at 74. She majored in psychology. She worked as manager of the Stanford Emporium department store until 1968. After moving to her family’s historic, 230-acre Glen Oaks Ranch in Glen Ellen, she opened the Plaza 25 and Heidi’s clothing stores, retiring in 1991. She was a member of the League of Historical Preservation and a volunteer with Meals on Wheels and Pets Lifeline.
Herman R. “Doc” Klauser III, ’49, of Sacramento, March 25, at 78, of cancer. A communication major, he was a member of Breakers eating club and the crew team and worked at the Daily. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps. After working for the Los Angeles Times, he became publisher of the Pacific Palisades Post. As general manager of his interior-decorating firm, he designed, manufactured and imported art-inspired furniture, light fixtures and hardware from India. He later lived in many parts of the world after a career in management consulting and real estate. Survivors: his wife, Gerlinde; three daughters, Heidi, ’92, Alison and Christine; his son, Peter; and three grandchildren.
Robert Montgomery Newcomb, ’49, of Glendale, Calif., April 29, of cancer. A geography major, he was a member of Kappa Alpha and the gymnastics team. After World War II, he served as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve Air Intelligence. He taught at UCLA, CSU-Los Angeles and CSU-Northridge. He spent 12 years in Denmark on an extended sabbatical beginning in the mid-1960s. His wife, Karen, predeceased him.
1950s
Anton Elmer “Andy” Arnosti, ’50, of Milwaukee, Wis., April 30, at 74, of complications from multiple sclerosis. A civil engineering major, he was a member of Theta Chi and the crew team. During World War II, he served in the Navy. After earning his MBA at Harvard, he worked as a civil engineer on freeway development in Los Angeles and San Diego. He returned to his native Milwaukee in 1955 and worked for Rex-Chainbelt Co. and Dynex before operating his own business, the Northwestern Brewers Supply Co. Survivors: his wife, Connie; two sons, Don and David; two daughters, Nancy and Carol; and eight grandchildren.
Robert Louis Davis, ’50, of Cupertino, April 14, at 74. The son of a former Stanford police chief, he grew up on campus and majored in communication. During World War II and the Korean War, he served in the Navy. He later served as an assistant to California state senators and spent 14 years working for the California Grocers Association. During the 1960s, ’80s and ’90s, he was a member of the Republican Central Committee in Santa Clara County. Survivors: his wife, Mary; two sons, Jeffrey and Gregory; and six grandchildren.
Samuel H. Kauffmann, ’51, of Palm Springs, Calif., April 5, at 78, of cancer. He majored in English. During World War II, he served in the Army. In partnership with Wayne Brown, ’48, MBA ’50, he co-founded Brown & Kauffmann Inc., building more than 6,000 homes in Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, San Jose, Oakland, Merced and Modesto between 1952 and the mid-1970s, when the company was acquired by Potlach Corp. Survivors: his wife of 15 years, Marilyn; six children, Coco Meltzer, Eric, Ingrid, Dana, Lee and Wayne; seven grandchildren; and his former wives, Corina Rogers, Gayle Sommers, Chantelle LeFloch, Linda Moroco and Cheryl Borgmann.
Joanne Shirley Welch Wheeler, ’52, of San Rafael, Calif., May 22, at 73. She majored in political science. In 1963, with three children to raise as a single mother, she returned to school and received her teaching credentials at Dominican College. For the next 28 years, she taught elementary school in the Novato Unified School District, retiring in 1994 as director of educational services. She was active as a children’s advocate with the Marin Court Appointed Special Advocates program. Survivors: her daughter, Tish Mora; two sons, Larry and Bill; and six grandchildren.
Ann Crandall Bingham, ’53, of Palo Alto, April 21, at 70, of pancreatic cancer. She was a history major. She worked as a real estate agent and a certified financial planner, was a longtime member of the Foothills Club and served with Peninsula Volunteers. Her husband of 33 years, George, ’52, died in 1985. Survivors: her son, George Jr.; two daughters, Elizabeth Mease and Sara Mallory; four grandchildren; and two brothers, Bradford, ’56, and Richard.
George X. Kwong, ’53, of Palo Alto, March 30, at 70. He majored in Pacific-Asiatic and Russian studies. He served in the Air Force. After many years with Children’s Hospital Medical Center Foundation in Oakland, Calif., he retired as president emeritus. Survivors: his wife of 47 years, Gladys; two brothers; and his sister, Alice Bolocan, ’54.
Geraldine Ellen Lepori Montgomery, ’53, of Los Angeles, April 4. She majored in economics and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She worked in San Francisco before moving to Los Angeles in 1956. She was a life master of the American Contract Bridge League and a member of the Society of California Pioneers. Survivors: her husband of almost 46 years, Francis; two sons, Peter and George, ’78; and three grandchildren.
Robert Royce “Bobby” Blackburn Jr., ’54, of Albuquerque, N.M., November 15, at 68, of a thoracic aneurysm. An English major, he participated in Naval ROTC and student drama productions. After active duty in the Navy, he earned an MBA at the Wharton School and joined the Foreign Service in 1958. His postings included Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Cambodia, Rome and Washington, D.C. He retired in 1986 and, after earning a degree at Cal Poly, embarked on a second career in ornamental horticulture.
Kenneth Lloyd Melmon, ’56, of Woodside, April 8, at 67, of a heart attack. A biological sciences major, he was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma. He earned his medical degree at UC-San Francisco and, after stints in Bethesda, Md., and Seattle, returned to UCSF to become a leading clinical pharmacologist. He joined Stanford’s School of Medicine in 1978 as professor and chair of the department of medicine. He also chaired the medical faculty senate and served as associate dean for postgraduate medical education. In recent years, he helped form a partnership between the departments of medicine and computer science to make medical data available to doctors online and served as chief medical officer and director of research for e-SKOLAR, the information access startup launched in 2000. Widely published, he was a member of the Royal College of Physicians, consulted with the Food and Drug Administration and received many awards. Survivors: his wife of 44 years, Elyce; his son, Bradley, ’83; his daughter, Debra Malzbender; three grandchildren; and his sister.
Jerome C. “Jerry” Beatie, ’57, MD ’61, of Petaluma, Calif., February 22. A history major, he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta and the football team. Survivors: his wife, Linda; seven children, Mike, Paul, Jim, Breck, George, Thea and David; and 11 grandchildren.
Virginia B. Neilsen Gradiska, ’58, of Portola Valley, March 31, at 65, while vacationing in Africa. She attended Stanford and Northwestern U. After moving to Portola Valley in 1970, she worked as a volunteer at Woodside High School. Survivors: her husband of 22 years, Millord; two daughters, Karen Hust and Audrey Gow; two stepchildren; seven grandchildren; her brother, Philip, ’51; and her former husband, Henry Upton, ’58.
1960s
David Earl Butler, ’60, of Los Altos, at 64, of cancer. A general engineering major, he was a member of Chi Psi. After graduation, he worked as an officer on a Navy submarine. He moved to Los Altos in 1967 and worked as a project manager for GE Nuclear for 34 years, retiring in 2001. Survivors: his wife, Joy; his son, Kent; three daughters, Karen Mehringer, Kris Bidwell and Kara; three grandchildren; and his mother, Lois.
Erik Harris Brandin, ’68, of Chowchilla, Calif., May 29, at 55. A history major, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta. He was general manager at Triangle Ranch in Chowchilla and also at Meadow Gold Dairies in Hawaii and Bakersfield, Calif. Survivors: his wife, Bette; three sons, Josh Leuty, Scott Leuty and Gregory; nine grandchildren; and three brothers, Alf, ’59, Jon, ’62, MS ’65, and Mark, ’72.
Joel Robert Mills Jr., ’68, of El Cerrito, Calif., March 2, at 55. He majored in speech and drama and wrote and directed Ram’s Head theater productions. After earning his PhD at UC-Berkeley, he taught at Napa College. In 1973, he founded Sunseed Repertory Collective in Napa, Calif., a touring theater group that remained active into the early 1980s. He also stage-directed plays and musicals at Napa College and helped found the Part-time Teachers Association. Survivors: his mother, Nancy; and his brother.
1990s
Cecily Ann Bostock, ’99, of Atherton, January 15, at 25, of complications from mental illness. She majored in engineering, minored in urban studies and was a member of the crew team. Survivors include her parents, Sara and Peter.
2000s
Karin Ann Brett, ’01, of San Francisco, April 13, at 22, in an apartment fire. An economics major, she was a member of the soccer team. She worked for Salomon Smith Barney in San Francisco after a summer internship turned into a full-time job. Survivors: her parents, Joan and Gerard; two brothers; and her sister.
Business
Robert Y. Wing, MBA ’48, of Inverness, Calif., March 17, of heart failure. He earned his bachelor’s in engineering from UC-Berkeley. During World War II, he served in the Army. After graduating from Stanford, he worked for Pacific Bell for nearly a decade, and then served as an administrator at Stanford Research Institute for 22 years. In 1978, he joined a start-up company in Salem, Ore., where he worked for three years before retiring. He served as president of the Inverness Public Utility District and founded the North Bay chapter of the Electrical Automobile Association. Survivors: his wife, Margo; two sons, Sandy and David; and his daughter, Margaret Wing-Tassano.
Education
Ethel Dorothy Koontz Eckels, Gr. ’28, of Alhambra, Calif., March 15, at 99. She was active in many community organizations and was trustee emeritus of Whittier College. Survivors: her son, Gerald; her daughter, Alice Platon; four grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and her brother.
John Law Ferguson, MA ’49, of Loomis, Calif., February 20, at 86. During World War II, he served in the Army in North Africa and Europe. He was a teacher and counselor for more than 30 years, including 22 years at Sacramento High School. A longtime fruit grower and member of the Loomis Fruit Growers Association, he worked to preserve Loomis’s rural lifestyle. Survivors: his wife of 51 years, Marjorie; two sons, Robert and Gordon; his daughter, Anne; three grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren.
Engineering
Richard G. Markham, MS ’47 (mechanical engineering), of Prescott, Ariz., March 31, at 76. He earned his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Caltech. During World War II, he served as a Navy officer. He owned Aquarium Pump Supply and later became vice president of Oxycal Labs of Prescott. He also helped organize the Bank of Prescott, now part of the Bank of America, served in the Arizona department of economic planning and development, was treasurer of the Arizona State Republican Committee and publisher of The Paper, a Prescott-area weekly newspaper. Survivors: his wife of 51 years, Jonne; three sons, Fred, Richard and Charlie; two daughters, Marilyn Petrich and Janet; nine grandchildren; and his brother.
Humanities and Sciences
George Bowyer Rossbach, PhD ’41 (biological sciences), of Buckhannon, W. Va., January 24, at 91. He earned his bachelor’s from Harvard in 1933. After teaching at William & Mary College, he took a professorship in 1949 at West Virginia College, where he taught botany and zoology until 1977 and became head of the science department. A well-known taxonomist and field botanist, he retired as professor emeritus of biology at West Virginia Wesleyan College. His plant collections are housed at several university herbariums. Survivors: two sons, John and Kenneth; and four daughters, Anne Lepp, Hazel Pacheco, Susan and Catherine.
Hugh Davis Graham, MA ’61, PhD ’65 (history), of Santa Barbara, Calif., March 26, at 65, of cancer. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Yale in 1958. After a two-year stint in the Marines, he worked as a reporter for the Tennessean in Nashville, then taught history at Foothill College in Los Altos and at San Jose State. He worked in the Peace Corps in Washington, D.C., from 1964 to 1966, then taught history at Stanford, Johns Hopkins and the U. of Maryland before joining Vanderbilt U. in 1991. A scholar of civil rights policy and a Pulitzer Prize-nominated author, he recently spearheaded a lawsuit to block President George W. Bush’s executive order reinterpreting the 1978 Presidential Records Act on the release of White House files and papers to the public. Survivors: his wife, Janet; his son, Holter; and two brothers.
Gloria Jean Anne Guth, MA ’70 (history), MS ’79, PhD ’85 (statistics), of Palo Alto, March 24, at 54, of cancer. She earned her bachelor’s in history at Duke U. After working as an educational researcher at American Institutes of Research in Palo Alto and at Aguirre International in San Mateo, she served as project director at WestEd in San Francisco. Survivors: her husband, David Pasta, MS ’76; her son, Brian Guth-Pasta; her mother; her sister, Laura Kubisiak, MBA ’89; and two brothers.
Joseph Raymond “Joe” Camacho, MA ’75 (communication), of Fremont, Calif., September 5, 2001, at 52, of a heart attack. He attended UC-Berkeley and CSU-Hayward before earning his master’s at Stanford. He taught film studies at CSU-Sacramento and was involved in third-world cinema as CEO of Island Films. Survivors include his father and his brother.
Elly I-Chun Lin, MA ’94, PhD ’00 (sociology), of Redwood City, April 1, at 37, of suicide. She earned her bachelor’s in management science at MIT in 1987. A visiting scholar in the department of sociology, she was working with professor emeritus Sanford Dornbusch at the time of her death. She also tutored high school students and was an active member of InterVarsity Graduate Christian Fellowship. Survivors: her husband, Othar Hansson; her parents, Jemes and Doris; her sister; and her brother.
