Faculty and Staff
Chester R. Berry, of Portola Valley, November 19, at 82. He was director of Tresidder Student Union from 1959 until 1964, when he became the Stanford Faculty Club’s first manager. He left in 1967 to serve as the first executive director of the Association of College Unions-International. After his retirement in 1981, he served on the board of the Faculty Club. Survivors: his wife, Gertrude; his daughter, Susan; and his sister, Jean Wood.
Claude Albert Buss, of Palo Alto, November 17, at 94. A professor emeritus of history at Stanford and former U.S. Foreign Service officer and consultant on foreign affairs, he was fluent in Chinese, Japanese, French, German and Spanish and the author of more than a dozen books on Southeast Asia and the Far East. As the ranking U.S. State Department official when the Japanese invaded the Philippines, he negotiated the surrender of Manila in 1943 and was interned for two years. In 1968, he received a State Department citation for meritorious service in the cause of Philippine-American friendship and understanding. Survivors: his daughter, Lynne Curtiss; four grandchildren, Elizabeth, Mary Anne, Jay and James; and five great-grandchildren.
Janet Lewis, of Los Altos, November 30, at 99. A poet, writer of short stories and children’s books, and novelist, best known for her historical novel The Wife of Martin Guerre, she taught creative writing at Stanford in the 1960s. She was the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, the Shelley Memorial Award for Poetry and the Robert Kirsch Award from the Los Angeles Times for her lifetime contribution to the literature of the American West. She was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1992. Her husband, Stanford English professor Yvor Winters, predeceased her in 1968. Survivors: her daughter, Joanna Thomson; her son, Daniel Winters; and three grandchildren.
Ralph S. Phillips, of Cupertino, Calif., November 23, at 85, of a lymphoma-related illness. He was professor emeritus of mathematics at Stanford. During World War II, he led a research group at MIT’s Radiation Laboratory, where much of the work in radar technology was done. He was appointed professor at Stanford in 1960, served as chair of the mathematics department from 1970 to 1973 and was appointed to the Robert Grimmett Chair of Mathematics in 1977, retiring in 1978. A founding editor of the Journal of Functional Analysis, he was a Guggenheim fellow in 1954 and 1974 and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1971. In 1996, he was awarded the Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement by the American Mathematical Society. His wife, Jean, predeceased him in 1997. Survivors: his daughter, Xanthippe; his sister, Leah Duchowny; and one grandson.
Naomi Sparrow, of Palo Alto, December 16, at 77, of metastatic lung cancer. A senior lecturer emerita in the department of music, she began teaching piano students at Stanford in 1969 and became a full-time member of the faculty in 1970, retiring in 1993. In addition to many solo and chamber recitals, she performed on radio and television. In retirement, she taught young children and was active in the Music Teachers Association of California. The Music Guild at Stanford has endowed a perennial piano scholarship in her name. Survivors: her husband of 55 years, Sidney Simon; her son, Jeffrey Simon; her daughter, Laurie Miller; and three grandsons.
1920s
Willard John Classen, ’21, of Menlo Park, November 16, at 99. He was a retired consulting geologist and petroleum engineer. While at Stanford, he was a member of Theta Xi and the rugby, baseball and track teams. He volunteered as Stanford’s dollar-a-year rugby coach 1936-42 and 1946-48. During World War II, he served in the Air Force, retiring as a major. He was a member of the Shriners for more than 60 years, serving as assistant managing director of the East-West football game for many years, as well as a longtime member of the Bohemian Club and a director of the Stanford Rugby Foundation. Survivors: his wife of 72 years, Zelda; two sons, Willard Jr., MS ’59, and James; his daughter, Ann Treadwell; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Walter Samuel Wassum, ’22, of Sacramento, October 30, at 102, after a stroke. He was a retired civil engineer. At Stanford, he was a member of El Capitan and the boxing and rugby teams. An amateur golfer, he continued to play as a member of the Del Paseo Country Club to the end of his life. His wife, Margaret, ’22, predeceased him. Survivors: three daughters, Joan Teale, Margaret Driemeyer and Barbara Lagomarsino; 10 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.
Lloyd E. Cooper, ’24, of Kensington, Calif., in September, at 96. He was a retired utilities engineer.
Alfrida Poco Teague, ’26, of Santa Paula, Calif., August 25, at 93. She was a member of the Stanford board of trustees from 1959 to 1964 and was honored by a variety of organizations for her community activism, particularly her longtime volunteer work with Interface Children Family Services of Ventura County. Her husband, Milton, ’25, predeceased her. Survivors: three daughters, Maiya Penberthy, ’46, Lorea Cairns, ’51, and Andrea Gabbert; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Dean Brown McNealy, ’28, of San Rafael, Calif., in December, at 92. At Stanford, he was a member of Alpha Delta Tau. During World War II, he served in the Army as a liaison officer and received the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations Medal and a Bronze Star. An attorney and former Republican political consultant who rewrote the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act for the California State Board of Equalization, he opened a public relations and advertising business in San Francisco after the war. Survivors: his wife of 56 years, Ann, ’30; two daughters, Gail Greene and Jane McNealy; and two grandchildren.
Roy Barnett Cohn, ’29, MD ’33, of Atherton, January 11, at 89. He was the Walter Clifford Chidester and Elsa Rooney Chidester Professor of Surgery emeritus at Stanford. He joined the Medical School faculty in 1938, retiring in 1989. As a Rockefeller Foundation fellow from 1939 to 1941, he established a hospital in Bombay. During World War II, he served in the Army and provided medical treatment at the Dachau Nazi death camp after the Allied liberation. In 1960, he performed the first successful kidney transplant on the West Coast and developed Stanford Medical Center’s transplantation program. He also developed innovative surgical techniques, including the original experimental method of closing defective holes in the heart. Survivors: his wife, Ruth Wood Cohn, ’46; four sons, Marcus Wood, ’77, and Jeffrey, Stephen and Warren Wood; and his daughter, Annalisa Wood, ’80.
1930s
Elizabeth “Betty” Alden Carter, ’31, of Kirkland, Wash., September 6. At Stanford, she was a member of Cap and Gown and president of the Stanford Women’s Association. Her husband of 53 years, Frederick Butler Carter III, ’31, predeceased her in 1986. Survivors: her son, Frederick; two daughters, Barbara Kelly, ’56, and Susan Ayrault, ’59; three brothers, Donald, ’27, Roland, ’36, and Raymond, ’44; 12 grandchildren, including Kathryn Kelly, ’79, Lisa Barker, ’81, Paul Kelly, ’87, John Kelly, ’88, and Caroline Carter, ’99; and five great-grandchildren.
Lester Stafford McElwain, ’31, JD ’34, of Fremont, Calif., in October, at 88. He was an attorney with a private practice in Oakland that he opened in 1945. At Stanford, he was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma and one of the 12 undergrads who colored Cal’s “Big C” cardinal red two nights before the 1928 Big Game. Survivors: three sons, Roderick, Malcolm, ’69, MBA ’74, and Douglas, ’72, MBA ’77; his stepdaughter, Shirley Ahmad; and seven grandchildren.
Ruth Clark Norman, ’32, of Palo Alto, October 8, at 87. While at Stanford, she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta. She was active in Family Service Mid-Peninsula and Stanford’s Bechtel International Center. She was predeceased by her husband of 58 years, Lewis, in 1990. Survivors: her son, James; her daughter, Barbara Blackwell; her sister, Grace Newman; two granddaughters; and a great-grandson.
Arnold Byron Steiner, ’32, Engr. ’34, PhD ’37, of Lake Almanor, Calif., November 8, at 87. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi honorary societies. He joined San Diego-based Kelco in 1939 as a research chemist, retiring as executive vice president for research in 1975, and held numerous patents for processing sea kelp into emulsifying agents. Survivors: his wife of 59 years, Jean; three sons, Alan, ’63, Warren and Glenn; and five grandchildren.
Wilbur R. Wilkinson, ’32, of Pacific Palisades, Calif., November 5, 1997, at 87. He was a member of Delta Upsilon at Stanford. Survivors: his wife, Jean, ’34; his son Gregor, ’56, MD ’60; his daughter, Judith Paton, ’61, MA ’63; and his granddaughter, Miranda Paton, ’91, MA ’92.
Louis Ferguson Springer, ’33, of San Francisco, November 6, at 86, of metastatic liver cancer. After serving during World War II, he was recalled to active duty in 1948 and had a 30-year career as an Army officer, retiring in 1967 with the rank of colonel. His wife of 64 years, Virginia, predeceased him on October 31. Survivors: his son, Anthony, ’59; and his daughter, Suzanne Tubman.
Donald Elwin Stanford, ’33, PhD ’53, of Baton Rouge, La., August 25, at 85. He was professor emeritus of English at Louisiana State U. and editor emeritus of the literary quarterly Southern Review. His publications included three collections of his poetry as well as critical studies of the works of British and American poets. The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities honored him with its Humanist of the Year award in 1993. His wife of nearly 40 years, Maryanna, MA ’41, predeceased him in 1992. Survivors: his son, Don; his brother, David, ’48, MD ’52; and his sister, Mary.
Charles O. Bechtol, ’34, MD ’40, of Los Angeles, in August, at 86. Former head of orthopedic surgery at UCLA Medical Center and former chair of Yale Medical School’s department of surgery, he was internationally known for his research into biomechanics and the major improvements he made in the design of artificial limbs.
William F. “Bill” Colm, ’36, Gr. ’38, of Pebble Beach, Calif., September 19, at 83. At Stanford, he was a member of Sigma Chi. During World War II, he served with the Army Air Corps and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, he managed the family oil business in Kern County, Calif. He won numerous national and international senior amateur golf titles and was a member of the California Golf Hall of Fame. Survivors: his wife of 59 years, Bette; his son, William; three daughters, Ann Cohen, Teri Jamieson and Mimi Wirth; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Sydney Julian Rosenberg, ’36, of Beverly Hills, Calif., November 1, at 84, in an automobile accident. At Stanford, he was a member of the Vow Boys football team. He was chairman emeritus of American Building Maintenance Industries Inc., a company founded by his father. He also was a partner in the San Francisco Giants baseball team. An arts patron and philanthropist known for his support of children’s organizations, he endowed the Sydney and Theodore Rosenberg Stanford University Athletic Hall of Fame. Survivors: his wife of 30 years, Jaclyn; five children, Jill Hughes, ’67, Glenn, Gregg, Brad and Todd; his brother, Theodore; his sister, June Howard; and seven grandchildren.
Robert Bruce Colwell, ’38, of Rancho Mirage, Calif., October 25, at 82, of a stroke. At Stanford, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. He served in the Navy during World War II. In 1951, he formed Crest Properties, a Seattle property-management firm. A member of the Seattle Tennis Club, he refereed matches and won many trophies in tennis and squash tournaments. Survivors: his wife of 56 years, Margaret; his son, Robert Jr., ’69; two daughters, Nancy Senseney and Carolyn Temple; and three grandchildren.
Kermit Van Every, ’38, Engr. ’39, of Stanford, November 20, at 83. While a student, he was elected to the honorary science fraternity Sigma Xi. He won the Wright Brothers’ medal for advancements in aeronautics in 1946 and 1958. A fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, he spent 25 years with Douglas Aircraft Co. and then was responsible for aircraft design at Northrop and General Dynamics before heading his own consulting firm. Survivors: his wife, Virginia; his daughter, Susan Sweeney, MA ’68; his sister, Barbara Charling; and three grandchildren.
Clinton L. Olson, ’39, Gr. ’41, of New Florence, Pa., August 25, at 82. He was a member of Theta Xi at Stanford. During World War II, he served in the Army as a lieutenant colonel. He entered the Foreign Service in 1948 and served as a counselor in Austria, Britain and Nigeria, executive director of Inter-American Affairs in Washington, consul in Martinique, and ambassador to Sierra Leone, retiring in 1975. Survivors: his wife, Ethel, ’42; his daughter, Merilee, ’68; three sons, Peter, ’71, David, ’72, and Steven, ’76; his brother, Robert; two sisters, Hazel German and Shirley Smith; and seven grandchildren.
1940s
Marion A. “Jackie” Jackson Terrass, ’40, of Richland, Wash., December 5, at 75. She earned a commercial pilot’s license and worked as a flight instructor. During World War II, she served with the American Red Cross Military Warfare Service, flying supplies between India and China. After the war, she earned a master’s degree in counseling. Survivors: her husband of 49 years, “Terry,” MBA ’70; three children, Cheryl Naslund, Adrienne and Leigh; and seven grandchildren.
Robert R. “Bob” Cook, ’42, of Poway, Calif., September 7, at 78, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. At Stanford, he was a member of Delta Chi. During World War II, he was a Naval aviator. His career as a transportation engineer for the California State Highway System spanned 35 years. Survivors: his wife of 55 years, Rae; his daughter, Susan Wilson; his sister, Mary Elliott; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Shirley Virginia Wendt Hanbery, ’42, of Atherton, December 16, at 78, from complications following a heart attack. She was a docent at the Stanford Art Museum for several decades, a major supporter of the Committee for Art at Stanford and a volunteer with the Stanford Mothers Club. She was predeceased in 1996 by her husband of 53 years, John, ’42, MD ’45. Survivors: her son, John, ’74; three daughters, Carol MacKay, ’66, Janet MacKenzie and Lynn Fuller; and five grandchildren.
Eleanor M. Henkel Laney Smith, ’42, of Scottsdale, Ariz., October 14. She retired in 1983 as vice president of Lamson Business College in Phoenix. She was a member of the Phoenix Junior League, St. Luke’s Board of Visitors, Desert Botanical Garden and Arizona Zoo. She was predeceased by her first husband, Jack Laney, ’39, JD ’42, in 1966 and by her second husband, Curtis Smith, in 1988. Survivors: her daughter, Jacquelyn Williams, ’65; three sons, James, ’67, Douglas and Steven Laney; and three stepsons, Timothy, Steven and Daniel Smith; 16 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Dorothy Adele LeBaker Hatch, ’43, of Garden City, N.Y., November 13, at 78. She was a retired film actress, published poet and collector of rare books and manuscripts. Her husband, William, predeceased her. Survivors: her daughter, Tia, ’65; her son, William Jr.; and her brother, Edwin LeBaker, ’39.
Barbara Jane Gordon Marelius, ’45, of Pebble Beach, Calif., September 9, 1996, at 72. She was a retired travel agent. Survivors: her husband, Robert; two sons, John and Richard; her daughter, Donna Daunt; and three grandchildren.
Richard D. Harrison, ’47, of Salt Lake City, August 19, at 75. At Stanford, he was a member of Sigma Chi. During World War II, he was a B-29 pilot. An attorney, he joined the wholesale food distributing company Fleming Inc. in 1953 and served as its chief executive for 22 years until he retired in 1988. He served on the boards of Quaker Oats, Kerr-McGee and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Active in Oklahoma City community affairs as well as professional associations, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1988. Survivors: his wife, Marian; his son, Richard; five daughters, Leslie, Amy Wellington, Julie Cox, Susan Hart and Alyse Marlatt; and nine grandchildren, including Amy Elizabeth Wellington, ’02.
Georgean Ruth Lightner Heller, ’47, of Oakland, July 20, at 72. Active in many civic and community organizations, she was executive director of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, Northern California Region, in San Francisco. Survivors: her son, Robert; her daughter, Paula; her brother, Gilbert Lightner; and three grandchildren.
Hal Bruce Painter, ’47, Gr. ’52, of Claremont, Calif., June 5, at 77. He served in the Navy for five years during World War II. He joined the faculty of Claremont McKenna College in 1950, where he taught English, humanities and detective literature, retiring in 1985. Survivors: his wife of 50 years, Nancy, ’47, MA ’52; two daughters, Molly Gentile and Susan Slentz; and eight grandchildren.
George F. Robertson, ’47, MA ’49, of Santa Cruz, Calif., November 5, at 74, of cancer. He was a former director of the Santa Cruz Health Agency and a retired Army major who served during World War II. Survivors: his wife of 27 years, Bernice; two sons, James and William; his stepdaughter, Denise Franklin; his stepson, Thomas Siebenthal; and four grandchildren.
Jean Richmond Bonjour, ’48, of Basserdorf, Switzerland, December 13, at 82, of cancer. Survivors include her husband, A.E. Bonjour.
John A. Holman, ’48, of San Salvador, El Salvador, October 23, at 74. He was the retired president of Union Mercantil in San Salvador. Survivors include his wife, Graciela.
Joseph Richard “Dick” Turner III, ’48, MA ’52, of Monterey, Calif., September 28, at 74. He was a seascape artist and illustrator. At Stanford, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He served in the Army during World War II. Survivors include his wife of 19 years, Alice Ann Glenn.
Phyllis M. Brown Kelly, ’49, of Eugene, Ore., August 15, at 70, from complications of multiple sclerosis. She volunteered as one of the first hotline operators at a crisis center while living in Los Angeles. Her husband of 35 years, Raymond, predeceased her in 1984. Survivors: her son, Scott; two daughters, Karen Roth and Debby; and one grandchild.
1950s
Julia Ann “Judy” Minton Allen, ’50, of Federal Way, Wash., July 28, of cancer. She was a member of the Tacoma Junior League and the Tacoma Garden Club. She was divorced from Arthur Allen, ’49. Survivors: her five children, Alby, Marion, Henry, Martha and George.
Noel Ira Behn, ’50, of New York, July 27, at 70, of a heart attack. He was a novelist, screenwriter and creative consultant for the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street, and appeared in Woody Allen films. He was an early supporter of the off-Broadway theater movement, working as producing director of the Cherry Lane Theater in the 1950s and ’60s.
William Francis Baxter, ’51, JD ’56, of Los Altos, November 27, at 69, of emphysema. He was the William Benjamin Scott and Luna M. Scott Professor of Law emeritus at Stanford. As assistant attorney general in charge of antitrust policy in the Reagan administration, he was the architect of the breakup of AT&T, which resulted in the reorganization of the telephone industry, and he dismissed the long-running antitrust case against IBM and restructured the federal merger guidelines for corporations. He also made contributions to the regulation of telecommunications technology and the evaluation of the economics of environmental regulation, and he served as a consultant to the Federal Aviation Administration and Citibank. Survivors: his wife, Carol, ’62; two sons, William, ’78, and Stuart, ’82; his daughter, Marcia Bearman; his stepson, Bernard Treanor; his brother, Donald; his sister, Janice Adams; and three grandchildren.
Clare Dean Conley, ’51, of Hawley, Pa., August 12, at 69. His career in publishing included serving as editor-in-chief of Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazines. As an advocate for conservation of natural resources, he testified before Congress on numerous environmental issues. Survivors: his wife of 47 years, Mike; and his three children, Brent, Kim and Ted.
Alice Jean Johnson Ward, ’52, of Sedro Woolley, Wash., October 3, at 67, of cancer. She taught in Seattle schools during 1952-54. After obtaining her certification from Western Washington U., she served as a school librarian from 1975 to 1993 in three Sedro Woolley schools. Her son Eric, ’86, predeceased her. Survivors: her husband of 46 years, John, ’51; two daughters, Nancy Kenney, ’76, and Jeanne Earnest; her son Jeff; her sister, Lavon Duncan; her brother, Richard Johnson; and four grandchildren.
Dolores Mae Klassen, ’53, of Bothell, Wash., August 29, at 67, of cancer. A medical records librarian at Samuel Merritt Hospital in Oakland and Kings View Hospital in Reedley, Calif., she later served in Seattle as assistant director of medical records at Providence Hospital and as medical record administrator for the U.S. Public Health Service. Suvivors: her aunts, Elizabeth Underwood and Ruth Anderson.
Jane Aimee Bishop Steele, ’54, of Honolulu, September 15, at 66, from complications of multiple sclerosis. Survivors: her husband, David, ’52; two sons, Robert and Mark; her daughter, Jacqueline Lombard; and six grandchildren.
John Peele Booth III, ’56, of Port Angeles, Wash., August 30. While at Stanford, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. A retired lieutenant colonel, he served two tours in Vietnam, receiving a Silver Star, three Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. He was personnel director and risk manager for the city of Gilroy, Calif., before retiring to Port Angeles. Survivors include his three half brothers.
Richard P. Figone, ’56, Gr. ’58, of San Francisco, August 12, at 63, of stomach cancer. He was a probate attorney in San Francisco from 1961 to 1974, when he was appointed to the municipal court bench. In 1980, he won an open Superior Court seat, from which he retired in 1996. He was named Trial Judge of the Year in 1993 by the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. He was a past president of the Italian Federation of California. Survivors: his wife of 17 years, Anna; his son, Nicolas; and his daughter, Cristina.
James Walter Boyle, ’57, JD ’59, of Honolulu, October 24, at 69. At Stanford, he was a member of Theta Xi and the Law Review. He served as a paratrooper during the Korean War. A senior partner in the Honolulu law firm of Carlsmith Ball, he was an attorney for many of Hawaii’s major companies. Survivors: his wife of 39 years, Nancy, ’58; his daughter, Susan Slawson; two sons, Thomas and David; and his brother, Francis.
Jean Pierre Sicard, ’57, of Fresno, Calif., in September, at 62. He co-founded Dantel Inc., which manufactures alarm equipment, in 1971 and remained on its board of directors until his death. He also helped start the Central Valley Business Incubator. Survivors: his wife, Kathy; and his children, Renee Smrkvorsky, J.P., Charles, Joseph, Michael and Jessica Sicard, and Richard and Brittany Feldmann.
Keith C. Monroe, ’59, JD ’62, of Santa Ana, Calif., October 15, at 69, of cancer. He was a criminal-defense and appellate attorney. The precedent-setting Chimel case, which he argued before the Supreme Court in 1969, triggered new restrictions on police searches during arrests. Survivors: his wife, Waynne; two daughters, Leslie Bengston and Theresa; his brother, Gene; and three grandsons.
1960s
Richard Allan Royds, ’60, of Houston, September 22, at 60, after heart surgery. At Stanford, he was president of Phi Kappa Psi and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he specialized in national and international corporate law with the Houston firm of Bracewell and Patterson, where he was a senior partner at the time of his death. He was a leader in many civic and charitable organizations, including the American Heart Association and United Way. He also belonged to many social organizations and served as president of the Houston Club. Survivors: his wife of 37 years, Ellin, ’60; and three sons, Richard Jr., Charles and Carleton.
Charles M. “Chick” Alexander, ’61, MS ’66, of Roseville, Calif., in November, at 59, from complications of esophageal cancer. He retired as CEO of A. Teichert & Son Inc. in Sacramento 10 years ago to devote his time to the worldwide humanitarian efforts of the Rotary Foundation. Survivors: his wife of nearly 20 years, Chris; and three daughters, Pamela, MBA ’91, Stephani and Wendy, MBA ’96.
James Edward Plank, ’66, of Berkeley, November 21, at 54, of a brain tumor. At Stanford, he was a member of the Band. He worked as a CPA for many years with accounting firms in San Francisco and his own practice in Berkeley. He retired from Charles Evans & Associates as chief financial officer. Survivors: his wife of 31 years, Diane, ’66; his daughter, Carolyn; and his father, Jay.
Naaz G. Rovshen, ’68, of Bangalore, India, February 25, at 53, of cardiac arrest. He was a management consultant. At Stanford, he was a member of Kappa Sigma. Survivors include his wife, Nilima.
Nion Robert “Bob” Thieriot, ’69, of Monterey, Mass., December 31, at 52, of brain cancer. He was a director of the Berkshire Natural Resources Council in Pittsfield, Mass., and a member of the Monterey, Mass., Preservation Land Trust. He also helped create the Sonoma Land Trust in Sonoma County, Calif. In October, he received the Massachusetts Governor’s Award for Open Space Protection. He was divorced from Peggy Wilson, ’70. Survivors: three sons, William, James and Michael; his daughter, Amanda; and three brothers, Peter, MBA ’69, John and George.
1980s
Joanne Laura “Jody” Cremin, ’81, of New York, January 21, at 38. She was a fund-raiser on the staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Survivors: her brother, David, ’82; and her mother, Charlotte.
Douglas William Fine, ’84, MS ’84, of Fremont, Calif., September 2, at 36, in the crash of Swissair Flight 111. He was vice president of digital imaging and retail sales at SanDisk Corp., a data storage products company in Sunnyvale. Survivors: his wife, Tammy; his son, Nicholas; and his parents, Morris and Beverly.
Business
A. Victor Rosenfeld, MBA ’39, of Portland, Ore., August 26, at 81. He served in the Army during World War II. He was chairman of Calbag Metals Co., a metal-recycling operation founded by his father, he owned the A.V. Rosenfeld Investment Co. and served as secretary of Fought & Co., a steel fabricator. He was a leader in numerous business, religious, community and service organizations. Survivors: his wife of 52 years, Betty; his son, Warren; his daughter, Cathy Siegel, ’72; two granddaughters; and a grandson.
James Robert Byerly, MBA ’49, of Tuscon, Ariz., October 2. He was former chair of Byerly & Co. in Englewood, Colo. Survivors include his wife, Lora.
Education
James Dierke, MA ’36, of Sebastopol, Calif., August 29, at 87. Educator, farmer and environmentalist, he worked as a teacher, coach, department head and administrator with the San Francisco Unified School District before joining the San Francisco Community College District in 1965. As assistant chancellor, he created adult-education centers in Chinatown and other city neighborhoods as well as the on-site aeronautics training program at San Francisco International Airport. Survivors: his wife of 63 years, Dorothy, Gr. ’39; three sons, John, David and James; his daughter, Dorothy Ayres; and five grandchildren.
Mildred R. Howard Stickney, Gr. ’42, of San Mateo, October 3.
Arthur Pearl Currier, MA ’53, of Palo Alto, November 14, at 76. He was a decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict. He taught junior high and high school social studies in the Palo Alto Unified School District for 33 years. Survivors: his wife, Emma; three sons, Gordon, Paul and Andrew; two daughters, Virginia and Mila; two sisters, Marion Batchelder and Gertrude Wirling; five grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
Marie Francis Green, Gr. ’54, of Palo Alto, December 26, at 100. Teacher, botanist and community volunteer, she began her teaching career at a missionary school in South America, then taught in the Palo Alto Unified School District for three decades. Her husband, George, predeceased her in 1979. Survivor: her granddaughter, Shelly Green.
Richard Alvin Jensen, Gr. ’57, of Palo Alto, November 27, at 70. He began his teaching career in Menlo Park in 1956 and was appointed superintendent of the Las Lomitas School District in 1965. Retiring in 1986, he became a community volunteer and served as California delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. He was predeceased by his first wife, Edith. Survivors: his wife of 16 years, Magen; his son, Rodney, two daughters, Susan Kreutzer and Kristin; three stepchildren, Diana Chan, Sing Bubba Gong, ’79, MA ’92, and Sherrie Taguchi, MBA ’89; and eight grandchildren.
Engineering
Robert Allen Craig, MS ’50, Engr., ’51, PhD ’55, of Palo Alto, November 20, at 73. During World War II, he served as a navigator in the Army Air Force. He founded the Physical Electronics Laboratories in Menlo Park in 1959 and later served as vice president of Western Microwave and president of the Western division of TRAK Microwave Corp. He was a member of Sigma Xi and Palo Alto Elks. Survivors: his wife, Henriette; two sons, Joseph and Jon; his daughter, Susan Moran; his mother, Ruby; and three brothers, Donald, Richard and James.
Robert Carl “Rob” Johanson, PhD ’71, of Stockton, Calif., August 21, at 57. He was a professor of civil engineering at University of the Pacific, where he had taught since 1980. In the 1970s, he helped develop FORTRAN software for a hydrology simulation program that is still in use worldwide. Survivors: his wife, Virginia, MA ’70; his son, Carl; two daughters, Astrid and Ingrid; and his mother.
Mary Tillinghast Nigro, Gr. ’68, of Menlo Park, November 25, at 84. During World War II, she served as a lieutenant in the Marine Corps. She had a career as a bookkeeper and was active at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Survivors: her husband, Louis; her daughter, Norma Robinett; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Balakrishna “Bala” Parasuraman, PhD ’72, of Palo Alto, August 25, at 53, from complications after a kidney transplant due to diabetes. He was a design engineer at National Semiconductor before becoming president of his San Jose telecommunications company, Syscom. Survivors: his wife of almost 20 years, Lynell, MA ’69, PhD ’76; his sister, Saroj; and two brothers, Chandra Ram and Raja.
Humanities and Sciences
Doris Stanley Hopler Jarmon, Gr. ’37 (physical education), of Simsbury, Conn., November 10, at 85. She was predeceased by her husband, William, MBA ’37. Survivors: her son, Laurence; her daughter, Barbara Davidson; and two grandchildren.
Marshall R. Warner, MS ’62 (statistics), of Omaha, Neb., on September 28, at 74. He retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel, having served during World War II, the Korean conflict and the Vietnam War.
Margaret Eddelman O’Donnell, MA ’63 (history), of San Francisco, November 29, at 59, of breast cancer. A former teacher who earned her law degree from the U. of San Francisco Law School in 1974, she founded one of California’s first education law firms, which was devoted to the statewide representation of public school districts and community colleges. Survivors: her husband, James, ’64; and her brother, William Eddelman.
Cynthia Gail Reader Wilstein, MA ’85 (communication), of Palo Alto, September 11, at 49, of breast cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. She began her career developing audio-visual programs for children and later wrote and produced children’s shows for Connecticut Public Television. She launched programs as a communications officer for UNICEF and worked for the World Health Organization, the Beyond War Foundation and the Hewlett-Packard Foundation. She also was active in the Disability Task Force. Survivors: her husband, Steve Wilstein; and her daughter, Tara.
Keith Denning, PhD ’89 (linguistics), of Ypsilanti, Mich., November 16, at 43, of liver cancer. He was an associate professor of linguistics at Eastern Michigan U. Survivors: his wife of three months, Mickey; his mother, Madeleine; and two brothers, Wade and Andrew.
Medicine
Norman William Van Donge, MD ’58, of Santa Barbara, Calif., October 25, at 73, of Parkinson’s disease. He was a veteran of World War II. A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, he started his ophthalmic practice in Santa Barbara in 1970. He was an active member of the Boy Scouts and a 32nd-degree Mason and served as president of Rotary. He also was a member of the Cosmopolitan Club of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Yacht Club. Survivors: his former wife, Marilyn; his daughter, Joan Breard; two sons, John and Todd; and three grandchildren.
