FAREWELLS

Obituaries - May/June 1997

May/June 1997

Reading time min

Obituaries - May/June 1997

1910s

Heloise Lysle Bacon, '19, of Montecito, Calif., January 3. While at Stanford, she studied Latin and later continued her studies at Columbia. Then she married John Bacon, foregoing her plans to teach. Her family emigrated from Mexico and was among the original settlers at the pueblo of Los Angeles. Survivors include two daughters and her granddaughter.


1920s

Frank C. Linn, '20, of Winter Park, Fla., December 6, at 99. He worked for 42 years as an engineer for the General Electric Co. in Schenectady, N. Y., Lynn, Mass., and Cincinnati doing mechanical development and design work. Author of several technical papers, he held 11 patents. After retiring in 1962, he worked for more than five years with a physician at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Their research resulted in contributions to the medical literature on arthritis. He joined the University Club of Winter Park in 1968 and served as president in 1974. He was active in many professional, civic and social organizations. Survivors: his son, Frederick; his daughter, Patricia L. Allen; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Virginia Graves Timmons, '25, of Laguna Beach, Calif., November 29, at 94. She was an early member of the boards of the Footlighters, the Flower Guild of America, the Needlecraft Guild, the Anoakia School and the Laguna Beach Art Museum. She was a founding member of the First Nighters of the Laguna Playhouse and was a member of the South Coast Hospital's Silver and Gold Auxiliary. She was a member of the D.A.R. and wrote and edited two illustrated and documented volumes of her family's history from 1551. Survivors: three daughters, Daryl Bryant, Janet McNell and Ginger Ludwick, '53; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandsons.

Joseph H. Boyes, '26, MD '30, of La Jolla, Calif., August 5, 1995, at 91, of colon cancer. He began his practice in hand surgery at California Lutheran Hospital in Los Angeles. During World War II, he served in the Army, primarily in China, Burma and India. After the war, he served as a consultant to the Army in the care of severely injured hands. In 1946, he was a founding member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. He served as president of the organization from 1954 to 1955 and established one of the first fellowships in hand surgery at the U. of Southern California. He edited two editions of the internationally recognized textbook Bunnell's Surgery of the Hand, served as the first editor of the Journal of Hand Surgery and published many articles in his specialty. He retired from private practice and from the volunteer faculty at USC in 1975. Survivors: his daughter, Marlowe Hamlin; his son, Joseph Jr.; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Felix H. Farwell, '26, of Los Angeles, October 22, at 92. While at Stanford, he was a member of Alpha Tau Omicron/Omega. During World War II, he served in the Navy as a lieutenant commander and was part of the initial invasion of Leyte in the Philippines and the landings at Okinawa. He was a businessman, sailor and world traveler. Survivors: his son, Bill; his daughter, Joan F. Wren, '60; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and his niece, Allan Trane, '53.

John Henry Richards, '26, of Winston-Salem, N.C., September 29. He worked for Standard Oil in California for 42 years. Survivors: his wife, Dorothy; four children; two brothers; and four grandchildren.

Maywood Laverne "Mel" Brockway, '27, of Redwood City, Calif., January 11, at 94, of Alzheimer's disease. He worked in accounting as an auditor for U.S. Steel until his retirement in 1967. He was a past master in the Palo Alto Masonic Lodge and was active in the Elks Club. Survivors: his wife; two sons, including, Richard, '58, MS '60; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Ruth Silliman Larsen, '29, of Walnut Creek, Calif.


1930s

William E. Eberwine, '31, of Sacramento, Calif., September 13, at 88. He was a member of the Immortal 21 who stole the Axe back from Cal. Survivors include his sister, Marijean Eberwine Wallace, '39.

Ben Aiken, '33, of Oakland, Calif., in November. While at Stanford, he was a member of Sigma Nu/Beta Chi.

Donald C. Cameron, '33, of Portola Valley, Calif., November 24, at 88, of cardiac arrest. He began working for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1935 as a writer and was assigned to London as story editor for Great Britain and Europe. At the outbreak of World War II, he returned to MGM in Hollywood and, beginning in 1942, served as lieutenant commander in Naval Air Photography, writing and producing films. After the war, he briefly remained with the Navy, then joined the State Department as a film producer and became chief of domestic and, later, foreign production for the motion picture service at the U.S. Information Agency. He became head of USIA's New York office in 1962 and head of the combined television and motion picture services when the two merged three years later. He received a Meritorious Service Award in 1964, a Meritorious Honor Award in 1975, an Equal Employment Opportunity Award and a Federal Women's Program Award of Appreciation. Survivors: his wife, Eleanor Cranston Cameron, '32; and two daughters, Carrington and Alice.

Benjamin M. Page, '33, MA '34, PhD '40, of Palo Alto, January 31, at 85. He joined the faculty at Stanford's School of Earth Sciences in 1943 and served as chair of geology from 1957 to 1969, retiring as professor emeritus in 1976. He was an expert on the formation of California's coastal ranges and, from 1985 to 1988, he edited the journal Tectonics. In recent years, he worked on a comprehensive geological map of the faults and formations beneath the Stanford campus. Survivors: his son, Benjamin I., '61, PhD '73; his daughter, Nancy Ogilvie, '65; and five grandchildren, including Benjamin R., '87.

Edna Bonn "Bonny" Russell, '33, of Atherton, Calif., on January 21, at 85. She was one of the first women in the United States to receive a PhD in gerontology and was the founding president of the Western Gerontology Society. She was also a founder of the Peninsula Volunteer's Little House in Menlo Park, one of the country's first senior centers. She served for 16 years on the California Commission on Aging and was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Aging by President Lyndon Johnson. President Reagan appointed her to the Federal Council on Aging. She was the recipient of many awards and was one of the first 10 women to be inducted into San Mateo County's Women's Hall of Fame. Survivors include her daughter, B.J. Mylne, '62; and two sons, Albert Jr., '64, and Scott.

Ken Wilson, '33, of Menlo Park, Calif., January 4, at 86. Survivors include his daughter, Monte Chisholm.

John F. Green, '36, of Palos Verdes, Calif., September 14, at 82. He served as a reserve officer in the Army and was honorably discharged in 1946. He worked for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. in six states and served as the manager of the Torrance plant. After retiring in 1977, he served two consecutive terms as president of the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce. He served on the Torrance Memorial Medical Center board of trustees from 1976 to 1987. From 1980 to 1982, he served as president of the South Bay Area Chamber of Commerce in Southern California. He and his wife, Mary, were honored as the chamber's Distinguished Citizens of the Year in 1991. He also was active in a number of other civic organizations. Survivors: his wife, Mary; and two sons, William and James.

Lorraine Peters Hinrichs, '36, of Beverly Hills, Calif., November 27, one day after the death of her husband of 50 years. She was a member of the Bookworms Auxiliary of the Assistance League of Southern California, the Holmby Park Lawn Bowling Club, the Beverly Hills Garden Club, the Beverly Hills Womens' Club and the Bel Air Guild of Children's Hospital.

Allan Metcalf Duncan, '37, MBA '39, of Santa Barbara, Calif., March 23, 1996, at 81. While at Stanford, he was a member of Alpha Delta Phi. During World War II, he served in the Pacific as a lieutenant in the supply corps of the Navy. From 1949 to 1970, he worked as administrator of Sansum Medical Clinic in Santa Barbara. Survivors: his former wife, Betty, '38; two daughters, Betsy Prater and Debbie Monte; his son, Bob; his brother, George; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

William T. Sumerlin, '37, Engr. '39, of Naperville, Ill., June 18, 1996, after a long illness. He had a career in the aerospace industry and was an active member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers until his retirement from McDonnell Douglas in 1976. During his retirement, he pursued his interest in computer science. Survivors: his wife, Joyce; his son William, '73, MS '73; four daughters, Victoria S. Barney, '80, Mary, Alexandra and Elizabeth; and nine grandchildren.

John H. Esterline, '38, of Claremont, Calif. He was professor emeritus of political science at Cal State Polytechnic Institute.


1940s

Harry Milton Stevenson, '40, of San Francisco, October 17, at 79. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa at Stanford and served as a naval officer during World War II. He was president of H.M. Stevenson Co. A member and past president of Merchant Exchange Club, he also was a member of several social and athletic organizations. Survivors: 11 nieces and nephews, including Richard Stevenson, '59, and Sue Stevenson Loeb, '58.

William C. Janss, '41, of Sun Valley, Idaho, December 4, at 72, after a long illness. He was a member of Alpha Delta Phi while at Stanford. In 1968, he acquired Sun Valley Ski Resort from Janss Corp. and formed Sun Valley Co. Inc. He transformed the rural farm area into one of the world's most popular ski resorts. In 1977, he sold the company to its present owner. A world-class skier, he was a member of the 1940 Olympic Ski Team that was sidetracked by the U.S. entrance into World War II. In 1978, he was elected to the National Ski Hall of Fame. His company, the Janss Corp., was instrumental in developing Snowmass, Colo., and Squaw Valley, Calif. Survivors include his wife, Glenn; his son, William, '72; his daughter, Susan Janss Ferguson, '67; and his stepdaughter, Christin Cooper.

Hetty Joy Elmore Jordan, '42, of Brawley, Calif., in December. While at Stanford, she was a member of Delta Gamma. Survivors include her husband, R.E. Gene, '40, MBA '42; and her son, Stephen, '70.

Victor E. Caglieri, '43, MA '49, MD '55, of San Francisco, December 12, at 74. While at Stanford, he was a member of Delta Upsilon. During World War II, he served in the Army. Survivors: his wife, Isabel; two daughters, Marianna May and Elisa Trees; and three granddaughters.

Gilbert Carr Tompson, '43, MS '47, of Midland, Texas, in February, at 75, of cancer. While at Stanford, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Survivors include his wife, Marge, '45; and his sister, Clare Riggs, '44.

Dianne Evelyn Dunlop Wilson, '44, of Wheat Ridge, Colo., June 22, of a brain tumor. Survivors include her husband, Glenn.

Robert S. Cox Jr., '46, MS '48, PhD '52, of Omaha, Neb., December 7, at 71, of cancer. After completing training as a pathologist, he was chief clinical pathologist at the Army's Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco. He served as Armed Forces area pathologist from 1959 to 1962 in Puerto Rico and continued to serve in the Army Reserves until 1985. In 1962, he became chief of clinical pathology at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. In 1980, he became chair of the department of pathology and medical laboratory director at Creighton U. School of Medicine. He was named professor emeritus in 1995. An expert in laboratory management and blood banking, he served on the editorial boards of several professional journals and was author or co-author of 10 books and more than 75 articles. He was a founding member and president of the California Institute of Medical Research and was chair of the College of American Pathologists in 1973. He was treasurer of the Stanford Alumni Club of Nebraska. Survivors: two sons, C. Thomas and Robert; three daughters, Leslee Stout, Nancy Jones and Kristina; two stepsons, Kevin and David Walker; and 11 grandchildren.

Robert F. McKeegan, '47, of Stockton, Calif., January 7, at 74. During World War II, he served in the Navy as a lieutenant and took part in the invasion of Iwo Jima. He was president of Bravo and McKeegan clothiers from 1962 to 1981. He headed the Stockton Redevelopment Agency in the 1970s and was instrumental in forming the Central Parking District to provide off-street parking in the downtown area. He also served as a director of the Stockton Credit Bureau, Better Business Bureau and Stockton Savings and Loan. He was past president of the Stockton Golf and Country Club and the Yosemite Club. Survivors: his wife, Alyce; two daughters, Susan Demotte and Alyson Lamprecht; his son, Robert; his sister, Carol; his brother, Tom; and four grandchildren.

Marjorie "Margie" Hanson Stone, '48, of Honolulu, September 21, at 68, after suffering a stroke a year ago. While at Stanford, she was managing editor of the Daily. She worked for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin from 1948 to 1950 covering politics. From 1952 to 1954, she wrote for the Army in Tokyo; from 1954 to 1956, she edited Valley Newspapers in Los Angeles and from 1956 to 1958 she returned to the Star Bulletin as reporter and columnist. She and her husband started the Hawaii Tourist News, one of Stone Publishing Corp.'s many publications, and she served as feature writer, editor and publisher. She was president of Stone Publishing until her death. She also managed Hanson Properties in Santa Maria, Calif. Survivors: her husband, F. Warren; her daughter, Tracy; and her son, Peter.


1950s

Paul C. Turner, '50, of Vancouver, Wash., December 3, at 72, of a brain tumor. During World War II, he served in the Army with the 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops in Colorado and Italy. He graduated from the U. of Oregon Medical School in 1955 and was a family practitioner in Vancouver for 31 years. He served as staff president of Memorial and St. Joseph's hospitals and, in 1974, as president of Clark County Medical Association. Survivors: his wife, Evelyn; two daughters, Laura Rylander and Sarah Corey; two sons, Jerry and Jay; his brother, Merle, MA '47; and seven grandchildren.

Dorset White, '51, of Ocean Ridge, Fla., and New York. He was chairman of Tork Inc., a manufacturer of electrical and electronic products and controls, with plants in Westchester County, New York and Mexico City. He was a board member of the World President's Organization involved in education and conference planning and head of the travel committee. Survivors: his wife, Victoria; two sons; and two grandchildren.

Robert Lee King, '54, of Gainesville, Fla., after a long illness. He earned a PhD from Johns Hopkins U. in 1957 and taught neurosciences in the School of Medicine at the U. of Florida. Survivors: his wife, Freida Sessions; his son, Frederick; his stepmother, Joyce; and his former wife, Martha, '54.

Mark L. Dees, '55, LLB '58, of Santa Paula, Calif., in December, at 64, in a car accident. Survivors include his mother, Eleanor; and his sister, Evelyn, '58.

John C. Horning, '55, LLB '62, of Mountain View, October 19, at 62. While at Stanford, he was a member of the El Capitan eating club. He served as a public defender for Santa Clara County and was an avid sailor. Survivors include his wife, Barbara.

Mary Lou Seage Beekman, '56, of Hillsborough, Calif., December 16, at 62. She was a member of Childrens Home Society, Hillsborough Parent and Teachers Association and Stanford 9-Hole Golf Group. Survivors: her husband, Keith, '52, MBA '54; her daughter, Kathleen Wright; her son, Blair; two sisters, Jan Carpenter and Eleanor Baker; and her grandson.

Bruce Feton McElroy, '56, of Sacramento, Calif., October 26, of heart disease. He was professor of marketing at CSU-Sacramento. Survivors include his wife, Jo.


1960s

Douglas Hazlett Perry, '68, PhD '82, of Palo Alto, January 24, at 50, of a heart attack. After earning his bachelor's degree, he served for three years in the Peace Corps, working on agricultural projects in Malaysia. From there he went to Reading University in England to study agricultural economics. After earning his doctorate at the Food Research Institute at Stanford, he worked as an agricultural economist for the International Agricultural Development Service in Indonesia. In 1987 he joined PG&E, where he worked in rate analysis and economic forecasting. Survivors: his wife, Linda, '75; his son, Ben; his daughter, Tristan; his sister, Betsy Ford; his stepmother, Jeanne; and his granddaughter, Tara Ingvarsdottir.


1970s

Sande Ra Schmidt, '74, of Bend, Ore., December 20, at 44, of breast cancer. While at Stanford, she was a member of the women's field hockey team. She practiced Indian law in Oregon from 1978 until her death. She was a legal-aid attorney for the Native American Program of Oregon Legal Services Corp. in Portland and Bend, starting in 1983. She assisted in restoring tribal status to the Klamath and Grand Ronde tribes in Oregon. She also focused on the Indian Child Welfare Act and on water law. She taught Indian Law at the U. of Oregon Law School and was admitted to practice before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. She was a volunteer for several women's and educational organizations. She also supported many civic, peace and environmental organizations. Survivors: her husband, Kelly Smith, '73, MS '74; her mother, Martha; her sister, Jenny Horai; her brother, Dan, '76; and 11 nieces and nephews.


1980s

Gary Rhys Johnson, '81, of Salt Lake City, November 9, at 37, in a car accident. He was an editor of the Utah Law Review and practiced law in Salt Lake City. Survivors: his wife, Valerie Vlasic-Johnson; two daughters, Emily and Lauren; his mother, Columbine Tullis; and three sisters, Vicky Larson, Sheva Edwards and Vanessa McCarrel.


Business

George Edward Somps, MBA '50, of Vida, Ore., December 18, at 73. Survivors include his wife, Gunhilde.


Education

Ernest John Ostrom, MA '50, of Palo Alto, on January 28, at 77, of cancer. He served as a naval aviator in World War II. An educator and school administrator, he was a principal and classroom teacher. After retirement, he served as a community college counselor and special education instructor. He was active in the First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto and helped establish the First School for preschool children. Survivors: his wife, Mary, MA '53; and two sons, Tod and Brook.

Dale Pershing Wren, MA '50, EdD '52, of Menlo Park, Calif., December 20, at 77, of cancer. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Force as lieutenant and flight instructor. He served as executive dean at Sacramento State College before directing the construction of two college campuses in California: California State U.-Hayward, where he was executive dean in the late 1950s, and Feather River College, where he served as the first president in the late 1960s. In later years, he served on several national commissions as a specialist in rural community colleges. Survivors: his wife, Mondharma Coss-Wren; his son, Scott; his daughter, Nancy Wren-Kasky; and four grandchildren.

Bradley Bateman Ridge, MA '55, of San Francisco, November 19, at 70, after a short illness. During the Korean War, he served as a lieutenant commander in the Pacific theater. He taught at Temple U. and, after receiving his PhD in 1964, was a professor of psychology at Ursinus College, Pennsylvania, and then at Elmira College, New York. He later was director of the San Francisco Genealogical Society and wrote several books on genealogy, including The Bateman Connection and Descendants of Yarnold Penrose of Pennsylvania. He also composed and published concertos and musical pieces for the piano. He was a member of many patriotic organizations, including the Sons of the American Revolution of California.

Elizabeth Heaney, MA '66, of Palo Alto, December 29, at 78. She was a longtime teacher in the Palo Alto Unified School District, specializing in elementary education, remedial reading and the problems of perceptually handicapped children. Survivors: her daughter, Elizabeth; two sons, Carl and John; three brothers, Frank, Ralph and John Rotolante; two sisters, Lucile Haas and Mary Nielson; three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.


Engineering

Robert L. "Bob" Heyborne, PhD '67, of Stockton, Calif., October 13, at 73, of a heart attack. He served in the Navy for 4 1/2 years during World War II. From 1957 to 1969, he was professor of electrical engineering at Utah State U. He was a National Science Foundation faculty fellow at Stanford from 1966 to 1967. In 1969, he became dean of the School of Engineering at the U. of the Pacific, retiring in 1990. He was the recipient of numerous engineering awards from the San Joaquin Joint Council of Professional Engineering Societies, the College of Engineering at Utah State U. and the American Society of Engineering Education. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and of various professional, social and civic organizations. Survivors: his wife, Denese; his son, Linford; his daughter, Brenda K. Lowry; three sisters, Yvonne Church, Madge Church and Nola Mork; 12 grandchildren; and one great-grandson.


Humanities and Sciences

Lloyd A. Walker, MA '41, Gr '52 (mathematics), of Burlingame, Calif., July 28.

Louise Schaubel Spindler, MA '52, PhD '56 (anthropology), of Calistoga, Calif., January 23, at 79. A longtime Stanford lecturer, she was the first person to earn a doctorate in anthropology at Stanford. She was past editor of the journal The American Anthropologist. In addition to authoring the books Menominee Women and Cultural Change and Cultural Change and Urbanization, she collaborated on numerous projects and books with her husband, Stanford Professor Emeritus George D. Spindler, in the fields of anthropology and education. Survivors: her husband, George; her daughter, Sue Coleman; and three granddaughters, Vicki, Rebecca and Sarah Walker.

Harold Rieth Collard, MS '58, PhD '66 (physics), of Mountain View, Calif., September 9, at 64. He was a retired research physicist from NASA Ames Research Center, where he was involved in both the Pioneer and Voyager space missions. He was active in the community and served on the boards of directors of the local YMCA and a community music school for a number of years. Survivors: his wife, Betsy, MA '62; and his son, Hal.

Calvin W. "Cal" Gillard, Gr '58 (physics), of Palo Alto, December 19, at 70, of a heart attack. He served in Japan in 1945 as a weatherman in the occupation force. A laser optics physicist, he worked at Lockheed for 30 years. On retirement, he formed his own research company, InCel. He was an avid opera buff. Survivors: his wife, Helen; his son, Stuart; three daughters, Jana, Colleen, MA '83, and Cydne; and five grandchildren.

Trending Stories

  1. Palm Pilots

    The university

  2. 8 Tips for Forgiving Someone Who Hurt You

    Advice & Insights

  3. The Huberman Effect

    Health/Wellness

  4. Should We Abolish the Electoral College?

    Law/Public Policy/Politics

  5. How to Find Your People

    Advice & Insights

You May Also Like

© Stanford University. Stanford, California 94305.