1920s
Marguerite Roberts Ames, '20, of La Jolla, Calif., October 1995, at 97. Survivors include her daughter, Nancy Ames Peterson, '47, and her son, Robert, MBA '57, LLB '60.
Ralph Duque Lacoe Jr., '21, of San Diego, Calif., September 13, 1995, at 95. Survivors include Ralph Lacoe III.
Carol Reid Wulff, '21, of Sacramento, Calif., January 1996, at 96. Survivors include her son, Horace Jr., '47, MS '48.
William S. Comstock, '22, of Bakersfield, Calif., January 22, 1995. While at Stanford, he was a member of Zeta Psi.
Kenneth A. Gagos, '22, MA '23, of Boulder, Colo., May 29, 1995, at 99. He served in the Army Signal Corps during World War I. He taught chemistry and classes in glass blowing at the U. of Colorado from 1923 to 1964. He co-authored a two-volume laboratory manual, Experimental Physical Chemistry. Survivors: three daughters, Harriet L. Gittings, Laura A. Schryver-Emett and Mildred B. Martindale; 15 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
Paul Stewart, '22, of Garberville, Calif., in May, at 96. While at Stanford, he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. He was president of Blue Star Gas for 40 years. He also was senior partner of his own investment brokerage firm, Stewart, Eubanks & Myerson, in San Francisco from 1924 until his retirement in 1968. He was a pioneer pilot, entering aviation only 15 years after the Wright brothers' initial flight. Survivors: two sons, William '51, MS '52, and Paul, '52, MD '56; and a grandson, Jeffrey.
Barbara Bledsoe Pollard, '25, of Oaxaca, Mexico, September 3. Survivors: her daughter, Nancy Pollard Persell, Gr '60; six grandchildren, including Jeffrey Helsing, '78; and three great-grandchildren.
David Alvra Wood, '26, MD '30, of San Francisco, November 6, at 91. A professor of pathology, he taught at Stanford for 20 years before becoming director of the Cancer Research Institute at UCSF. In 1983, the David A. Wood Chair of Tumor Biology and Cancer Research was established at UCSF. He served as president of the American Cancer Society from 1956 to 1957 and, in 1972, he received the society's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. From 1968 to 1970, he served on a key National Cancer Institute advisory committee. He also served as president, chair or consultant to various other pathology and cancer organizations. Survivors: his wife, Orabelle, '37; his daughter, Kate Lord; and four sons, David, John, '64, William, '66, and Charles.
Orville Haven Hart, '27, of Sacramento, Calif., July 23, at 88. He was employed by the Army Corps of Engineers in California for 44 years and for many years was chief of construction operations. He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineering. Survivors: his wife, Margaret; two sons, Neil and Stephen; his sister, Jean Borghi; five granddaughters; six great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.
Gregory H. Davis Sr., '28, of Atherton, Calif., November 7, at 91, in his sleep. While at Stanford, he was president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Survivors: his wife, Adele '30; two sons, Gregory Jr., '55, MA '60, Gr '64, and Stuart; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
John Turner "Jack" Higgins, '28, of Pacific Grove, Calif., September 30, at 90. He was a retired vice president and director of the Standard Oil Co. of California where he worked for 42 years. Survivors: his wife, Eloise; his daughter, Brenda Webster, '66; and a grandson.
Theron L. McCuen, '28, MA '29, of Bakersfield, Calif., October 21, at 90. He was a teacher at Kern County Union High School from 1929 to 1936 and then became business manager of the Kern County Union High School and Junior College District. In 1945, he became superintendent of the district, a position he held until his retirement in 1968. In 1993, on the 100th anniversary of the Bakersfield High School District, he was named "Most Notable Staff Member of the Century." After retiring, he served as a private consultant to more than 70 school districts and served on 17 boards charged with selecting new school superintendents. In his retirement, he was an active nature and wildlife photographer and was honored as a fellow of the Photographic Society of America. Survivors: his wife, Hazel, MA '29; two sons, John and Peter, '56, MS '57, PhD '62; his daughter, Martha Miller; seven grandchildren, including, Patrick, '85; and five great-grandchildren.
Charles H. Woolf, '28, of Sun City, Ariz., October 5, at 91. Survivors include his wife, Louise, '29.
1930s
Florence K. Colberg Imlach, '31, of Stockton, Calif., at 86. While at Stanford, she was a member of Tri Delta. She taught at schools in the Stockton Unified School District for five years. She later was employed by the state of California for a few years before becoming a homemaker. She was a member of St. John's Episcopal Church. Survivors: six nieces and four nephews.
Katherine Keho Pike, '31, of San Marino, Calif., October 18, at 87. Former chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Commission on Alcoholism, she and her husband raised money for anti-alcohol groups. They donated funds to endow a Pike chair on alcohol studies at UCLA and also made donations to the Alcohol Clinic at Stanford Medical School. A nationally recognized consultant on alcoholism, she was a founding board member of both Casa de las Amigas, a recovery house for women, and Haven House, a shelter for wives and children of violent alcoholics, in Pasadena. She and her husband received the brotherhood award for community service from the National Conference of Christians and Jews in 1970 and the gold key award from the National Council on Alcoholism in 1977. Survivors: three children, Jack, Mary Coquillard, '61, and Micki Barnes; 14 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
Anne Burnett, '32, of Cupertino, Calif. While at Stanford, she was a member of Cap and Gown.
Isabel Mountain, '32, of McLean, Va., August 18, at 84. A biologist and a consultant in biostatistics, she was the author and co-author of 53 papers. Her research on poliomyelitis at Johns Hopkins U. from 1944 to 1949 resulted in the development of a vaccine that was a forerunner of the Salk vaccine. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame established by the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis at Warm Springs, Ga. After the death of their son, she and her husband established the Mountain Memorial Fund to provide educational scholarships. She was affiliated with numerous professional organizations and medical institutions and was a fellow of the New York Academy of Science. Survivors: two sisters, Edith Whitaker, Gr '44, and Lilian Scherp; and five nieces.
Edward Ramsey Bunting, '33, of Sonoma, Calif., August 12, at 84, of Lou Gehrig's disease. After holding positions with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Blythe and Co. and Dodge and Cox, he founded Proflame Inc., a retail propane distribution company, in 1947. He served as president until his death. He also was instrumental in establishing Cline Cellars Winery in Sonoma. He was president of Financial Analysts of San Francisco and a member of both the Commonwealth Club and Meadow Club. Survivors: his daughter, Nancy Cline; six sons, Bill, George, Jim, Greg, Geoff and Chris; 16 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Lawrence Bernard McGuire, '33, of Santa Rosa, Calif., November 20, at 86. While at Stanford, he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. During World War II, he was an Army captain serving as transport commander in the Pacific theater. He was the West Coast field buyer for the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. He was a lifetime member of the Merchants Exchange Club, a charter member of Star of the Valley Catholic Church, and a member of Star of the Valley Men's Club. Survivors: his wife, Ann; four daughters, Ann, Kathleen, Mary and Maureen; and three sons, Thomas, Michael and Timothy; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
John Gustavus Alden, '34, of Grass Valley, Calif., October 26, at 85. While at Stanford, he was a member of Zeta Psi. He worked for Standard Oil Co. for 10 years in its San Joaquin Valley and San Francisco offices. He worked as a life insurance agent in San Mateo with Equitable Life Assurance Society and was a member of the Chartered Life Underwriters. He moved to Grass Valley in 1993. Survivors: his wife, Jane; his son, John, '69; his daughter Priscilla Alden Roach, '61; three brothers, Donald, '27, MA '28, Roland, '36, and Raymond, '44; his sister, Barbara Alden Carter; and six grandchildren.
Charles Fraser Irons, '34, of Fairhope, Ala., September 9, at 83. While at Stanford, he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi, the track and field team and the soccer team. Survivors: his wife, Mary, '35; three daughters; and seven grandchildren.
Frank E. Moore, '34, of Redlands, Calif., October 5, at 84. While at Stanford, he was on the Daily staff. He was editor and, with his publisher brother, William G. Moore, '31, co-owner of the Redlands Daily Facts for 39 years. He was author of four books about Redlands and, in 1981, he was named Redlands Man of the Year. Survivors: his wife, Sidney; two sons, Roger, '61, and Jeffrey, '66; his daughter, Frances; and two grandchildren.
Jane Galgiani Moraghan, '34, of San Francisco, November 5, of cancer. She is survived by two daughters, Louise Howell, '61, and Amy Macklin, '66.
Laurence Louis Sloss, '34, of Northbrook, Ill., November 2, at 83, following surgery. He joined the faculty of Northwestern U. in 1947 and was named the William Deering Professor of Geological Sciences in 1971. He was the recipient of the Penrose Medal of the Geological Society of America, the William H. Twenhofel Medal for Excellence in Sedimentary Geology of the Society of Economic Paleontologist and Mineralogists and the President's Award of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. He served as president of the American Geological Institute, the Geological Society of America and the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists. Survivors: two sons, Laurence, MD '66, and Peter, '64.
Gordon F. Hampton, '35, of San Marino, Calif., November 23, at 84. He was a partner in the law firm Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, joining the firm in 1938 when it was known as Mathes & Sheppard. He was integral to the antitrust cases of the mid-1950s in California and the development of antitrust law. He was the donor of the Gordon F. Hampton Fellowship for Studio Art and a donor and fund-raiser for the Rodin Sculpture Garden at Stanford. He was a member of the Stanford major gifts committee during the centennial campaign and the Stanford Associates. He also was past president of the Stanford Alumni Association. He sat on numerous museum and financial institution boards. In the early 1980s, he served as a member and volunteer for Region V of the United Way. Survivors: two sons, Roger, '69, and Wesley, '73; his daughter, Katharine "Kit" Hampton Shenk, '70; and 11 grandchildren.
Mary C. Mills, '35, Gr '39, of Palo Alto, in February 1996, at 82.
Gordon R. Williams, '36, Gr '39, of Napa, Calif., September 15, at 82, of cancer. While at Stanford, he was a member of Theta Delta Chi.
Dorothy Brookman Dey, '39, of San Rafael, Calif., October 24. While at Stanford, she was a member of Pi Beta Phi. Survivors: her son, Murray Brookman Dey; and her daughter, Ann Dey Cosby.
1940s
Kathleen Norris Miner, '40, Gr '41, of Camarillo, Calif., October 5, at 78. She was a writer living in Brentwood, Calif., since 1955. She moved to Camarillo in September. She was a member of the National Charity League. Survivors: her husband, Milton, '38, Engr. '40; her daughter, Carolyn; and her granddaughter, Lilia.
H. Robert "Bob" Wood, '40, of Tulsa, Okla., November 7, at 78. While at Stanford, he was president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and was a member of the debate team. During World War II, he served in the Air Force Intelligence Command in the Pacific and Philippines. In 1945, he joined the occupation forces in Japan and attained the rank of captain. He also served in the Korean War in the Air Force Intelligence Command from 1951 to 1952 and was elevated to the rank of major. He later became an insurance broker in Tulsa. He served as president of the downtown Kiwanis Club and held officer positions in the First Presbyterian Church, Tulsa Boys' Home, Metropolitan YMCA and Better Business Bureau. Survivors: his wife, Bobbie Jean; four daughters, Barbara, Paula Wood Neal, Judi Fancher and Janet Soulsby; his brother, Harold; and seven grandchildren.
Barbara Barris King, '41, of Colusa, Calif., October 15, at 76. Survivors: two sons, Dean and Benjamin; her daughter, Luta K. Swearingen; and her brother, Alan Barris, '44.
Alanson Hinman, '42, of Winston-Salem, N.C., July 18, at 74. During World War II, he served as a medical officer in the Navy. He joined the Bowman Gray School of Medicine faculty in 1952 and became associate professor of pediatrics emeritus upon his retirement. He was medical director of the Amos Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital and the Developmental Evaluation Clinic from 1960 to 1986. He was a pioneer in the establishment of programs and facilities for mentally and physically handicapped children. He earned national recognition as a John and Mary R. Markle Scholar. He was a member of the Centenary United Methodist Church and a longtime elder in the Presbyterian Church where he was a Sunday school teacher. Survivors: his wife, Alice; four sons, Alanson Jr., William, Robert and Frank II; two brothers, Frank, '37, and John, '46; and seven grandchildren.
James Phillip "Jim" Thurmond, '42, of Long Beach, Calif., September 20, at 75. While at Stanford, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta. During World War II, he served in the Army. In 1946, he bought an interest in Best Cleaners, a Long Beach dry cleaning plant, and became sole owner in 1947. In 1956, he bought Washington Cleaners and expanded to become Best Washington Uniform, a company supplying rental uniforms to major businesses. He served on the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency and Salvation Army board of directors. Survivors: his wife, Marylyn; two daughters, Carolyn Jenson and Kathleen; two sons, William and James; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Harriet Mason Wertsch, '43, of San Francisco, October 21, at 74. As a San Francisco resident for nearly 50 years, she devoted her time and expertise in early American decorative arts to the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Century Club of California and the American Decorative Arts Forum. She also served as museum house director for Octagon House in San Francisco and sat on the boards of directors of numerous arts and civic groups. Survivors: her husband, Robert; her son, R. Wallace; her daughter, Janet Thor; and three grandchildren.
John R. "Jack" Hauser, '45, MA '63, MA '68, of Palo Alto, November 8, at 73. While at Stanford, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta. During World War II, he served as an officer in the Navy. After working at Ampex Corp., he earned master's degrees in fine arts and education and taught art in the Mountain View School District. He was a member of the Palo Alto Masonic Lodge and worked as an administrator at the Masonic Home in Union City. One of the founders of the Urban Ministry of Palo Alto and an active member since 1984, he also was a volunteer for 13 years at the Palo Alto Service Extension Unit of the Salvation Army providing services for the homeless. Survivors: his son, Caleb; his daughter, Martha; his sister, Jeane Bell; and three grandchildren.
Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Durnford Schaeffler, '47, of Carmel, Calif., June 16, at 76. During World War II, she served as a translator and censor. After the war, she wrote for SKI and other outdoor magazines. She moved to Carmel in 1960 and later co-founded the Carmel Group, a media research business. Survivors: her son, Jimmy; and three grandchildren.
Betty Graham Farrar, '49, of Seattle, October 19, at 68, of a brain tumor. Her interests included weaving, flying planes, sailing, writing and traveling. She was active in Ryther Children's Charity and the Children's Medical Center Guild. Survivors: two daughters, Kim Bjork and Maille Kessenich; three sons, Bill, Steve and Scott; and 10 grandchildren.
1950s
William Rule Adams Jr., '50, of Bethesda, Md., October 10, at 69, of congestive heart failure. While at Stanford, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. He served in the Army from 1945 to 1947. In 1950, he began working for the Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs at the State Department in Washington, D.C. He worked at Merrill Lynch as a stockbroker from 1959 to 1977, when he became manager of the Washington office of White Weld & Co. He rejoined Merrill Lynch in 1978 and later became vice president. He continued working there until his death. He was former chair of the board of governors and the executive committee of Kenwood Country Club. Survivors: his wife, Millicent; his son, William; two daughters, Caroline Adams Miller and Elizabeth Adams Lasser; and four grandchildren.
Dwight Wilbur III, '51, MD '55, of Carmichael, Calif., October 22, at 66, of complications due to Parkinson's disease. From 1960 to 1962, he served in the Navy as lieutenant commander. He was a volunteer at Stanford for annual giving and the medical school from 1973 to 1991. His grandfather, Ray Lyman Wilbur, '96, MA '97, MD '99, was Stanford's third president. Survivors include: his wife, Mary; two daughters, Susan and Elizabeth; his parents, Ruth, '27, and Dwight, '23, Gr '27; two brothers, Jordan, '53, MD '61, and Gregory, '56, MBA '60; and one granddaughter.
Kenneth T. Norris Jr., '52, of Huntington Beach, Calif., September 21, at 66, in a boating accident. He served as a fighter-interceptor controller with the Air Force in Germany from 1954 to 1956. After his father's death in 1972, he took over the Long Beach-based Norris Industries, serving as chair and CEO from 1975 to 1980. Among his many contributions to Southern California charities and institutions, he is best known for being the primary benefactor of the USC/Kenneth T. Norris Jr. Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital. He was a volunteer reserve sheriff's deputy and also acted in several film and television productions, most recently Frasier. He received the Asa V. Call Achievement Award, the highest honor awarded by USC alumni; the American Cancer Society's Man of the Year award; and the National Conference of Christians and Jews' humanitarian award. Survivors: his wife, Harlyne; five children, Bradley, Kimberley Presley, Dale, Jim Martin and Lisa Hansen; and eight grandchildren.
John A. Butler, '53, of Santa Ana, Calif., October 12, at 64, of Lou Gerhig's disease. He had been an active volunteer for Stanford for more than 30 years, starting with the Pace Campaign in 1961. He was national chair of the Annual Fund during the centennial campaign. In 1992, he was awarded the Golden Spike from the Stanford Associates. He was president of the Blind Children's Learning Center in Orange County. Survivors: his wife, Carol; two sons, John and James; and three daughters, Catherine, Nancy, and Elizabeth Butler Steyer, '86, JD '91.
1960s
Frank G. Ker, '64, LLB '67, of Los Angeles, Calif., June 25, at 53, after surgery for AIDS. While at Stanford, he was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi. He was senior counsel for Bank of America. A leader in the gay community, he served as a founding board member of MECLA, a facilitator in the Advocate Experience and a group leader for Shanti. Survivors: his brother, David; his sister, Susan; his sister-in-law, Carol; and six nieces.
1970s
Constance Collier Gould, '70, of Woodside, Calif., August 21, at 47, of cancer. She was a program officer at the Research Libraries Group, an international consortium of research universities, when it was headquartered at Stanford in 1988. She was appointed trustee of Bryn Mawr College in 1990 and did fundraising for Sacred Heart Schools in Atherton. As a volunteer with the Junior League of Palo Alto, she advocated childcare programs and contributed to the establishment of the High Tech Museum in San Jose. Survivors: her husband, Robert; her daughter, Elisabeth; her son, Russell; her parents, Russ, '44, MBA '48, and Carol Collier, '47; two sisters, Kathleen Lee and Suzanne Sclafani.
Lee Karlin Bershader, '78, of Stanford, September 30, 1995, at 39, of heart failure while traveling in Pakistan. Survivors: his mother, Phyllis; and his brother, Brian, '77.
Education
Friedrich Eisner, MA '64, of Palo Alto, October 16, at 81. He served in the Air Force for 25 years, retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1963. He taught government and social studies at Ravenswood and Menlo-Atherton High Schools in California for 15 years. Survivors: two daughters, Susan Schiff and Vivien Fiedler.
Hattie Odell Kirchner, MA '65, of Reno, Nev., October 20, at 77, of breast cancer. She taught business courses in public high schools in California for 22 years and was an active member of professional and social organizations. Survivors: her husband, A.G, MA '65; her sister, Ethel Joyce Stubblefield; and her brother, O.C. Robinson Jr.
Engineering
DeWitt G. Ong, MS '69, of Chandler, Ariz., October 18, at 49. He held various positions in electronic engineering at Bell Telephone Laboratories, Motorola, Intel and Medtronics, and was the director of technology at Burr-Brown Corp. He was also an adjunct professor at Arizona State U. Author of two books on computer technology, he lectured in Scotland, Tawain, Philippines and mainland China. He was president of the Chinese-American Professional Association of Arizona and vice president of the Young Republicans. He was a member of the First Chinese Baptist Church and the Greater Phoenix Chinese Christian Church. Survivors: his wife, Josephine Shangkuan; three daughters, Natalie, '93, Melanie, '99, and Desiree, '99; two sons, Justin and Jordan; his parents Tiong and Gan Giok; and four sisters, Lusan Yao, Linda Ngo, Shirley Wong and Maria Hsu.
Humanities and Sciences
William R. Goodwin, PhD '55 (psychology), of Mercer Island, Wash., at 72. During World War II, he served in the Army from 1942 to 1946. He worked for the RAND Corp. and Systems Development Corp. from 1955 to 1965 managing operations design and developing a large computer-based command and control system for the Strategic Air Command. From 1965 to 1969, he operated his own consulting firm. He joined Johns-Manville Corp. in 1968 as vice president of corporate planning and became its president and CEO in 1969. During 1967 and 1968, he was an adjunct professor in the school of business at NYU. He served as director for several corporations and was a trustee for the RAND Corp., the Institute For Civil Justice and Reed College. Survivors: his son, Douglas; his daughter, Barbara; and his sister, Barbara Wood.
Hannah Green, MA '57 (English), of New York, N.Y., October 16, at 69, of lung cancer. She authored The Dead of the House, a coming-of-age novel. She taught at Stanford before moving to New York where she taught creative writing part time, first at Columbia and later at New York University. Her next work, Golden Spark, Little Saint: My Book of the Hours of Saint Foy, will be published by Random House this year. Survivors include her husband, John Wesley.
