Faculty and Staff
Margot Loungway Drekmeier, of Palo Alto, February 26, at 75. She graduated from Oberlin College and earned her doctorate from Harvard in European History. She taught in the Western Civilization program at Stanford. Later, with her husband and other members of the faculty, she started an honors program called Social Thought and Institutions, which continued for 23 years. Survivors: her husband, Charles; two sons, Peter and Kai; one daughter, Nadja May; two grandchildren; and two brothers.
James Monroe Gere, PhD '54 (applied mechanics), of Portola Valley, January 30, at 82. He was professor emeritus of civil engineering at Stanford. He served in the Army Air Corps before studying at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After earning a master's degree, he was awarded one of the first National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships. Upon graduating from Stanford, he accepted a faculty position there. He was associate dean of engineering and served as department chair. He co-founded the Blume Earthquake Engineering Center. An expert in the field, he and a colleague were the first foreigners invited to study the earthquake-devastated city of Tangshan, China, in 1980. He was the author of nine books, a New York state champion archer and a runner, completing the Boston Marathon at age 48 and co-founding the Stanford running group Angell Field Ancients. Survivors: his wife of 61 years, Janice; one daughter, Susan; two sons, William and David, '81; three grandchildren; and two brothers.
Alexander Louis London, of San Rafael, Calif., March 18, at 94, after a stroke. He was a mechanical engineering professor known for his expertise on heat transfer in machinery. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from UC-Berkeley and worked for Standard Oil before coming to Stanford in 1938. During World War II, he worked for the Bureau of Ships. He became a leading authority on heat exchangers, devices that remove unwanted heat from engines and disperse it into the air or deliver it for re-use. He helped form Stanford's geothermal program in 1974. His research earned him the R. Tom Sawyer Award in 1977, the James Harry Potter Gold Medal in 1980, the Max Jakob Memorial Award in 1984 and induction into the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame in 1990. He became emeritus in 1978 but continued working with graduate students at Stanford. His wife of 61 years, Charlotte, died in 1999. Survivors: two sons, Charles, '61, and Allan; one daughter, Deborah Beukers Lee; nine grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; and a sister.
Joseph T. Sneed, of San Francisco, February 9, at 87. He was a professor at the law school from 1962 until 1971. After earning his bachelor's degree from Southwestern U. in 1941, he served in the Army during World War II. He graduated from the U. of Texas School of Law in 1947 and served 10 years on the faculty there. After his time at Stanford, he joined the Duke School of Law as dean from 1971 to 1973. He also taught at Cornell U. and briefly was deputy U.S. Attorney General, where he was involved in the Justice Department's handling of the Wounded Knee incident. In 1973, then-President Nixon appointed him to the bench of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where he served for nearly 35 years. His wife, Madelon, died in 1998. Survivors: two daughters, Carly Fiorina, '76, and Clara; one son, Joseph IV; and two grandsons.
1920s
James Eugene Frank, '29 (economics), of San Mateo, March 3, at 99, of natural causes. He served in the Army during World War II and continued as a reserve officer after active duty. He served as commanding officer, Sixth Army Mobilization Group at the Presidio in San Francisco, and as national president of the Reserve Officers Association of the United States. He attained the rank of major general and received a distinguished service medal upon retirement in 1968, among other awards and decorations. His civilian career included work as an investor and as board president of the San Luis Mining Co. He was active in numerous civic organizations and was a longtime board member of the San Francisco Hearing and Speech Center, which he helped found. His wife, Dorothy, died in 2004. Survivors: two daughters, Barbara Harrison, '56, MA '57, and Darol Nance; five grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and a brother, Richard, '35.
1930s
Frederick Seitz Jr., '32 (mathematics), of New York, March 2, at 96. He earned his doctorate from Princeton U. and completed foundational research in the study of condensed-matter physics, receiving the 1973 National Medal of Science for his contributions to the field. He was an important figure in national scientific organizations and served as the first president of the National Academy of Sciences. For 10 years, he was president of the Rockefeller U. in New York. He also advised several U.S. presidents and NATO on scientific issues; this government service earned him numerous honors, including the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Award and NASA's Distinguished Public Service Award. In his later years, he was known as a public skeptic of global warming. His wife of 57 years, Elizabeth, died in 1992. Survivors: one son, Joachim; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Stuart Farley Dufour, '34 (communication), MA '41 (education), of Salinas, Calif., December 29, at 94. He worked as a reporter for the San Jose Mercury Herald and was president of Hartnell Community College for several years in the 1950s. He participated in numerous social and civic organizations. His wife, Willna, died in 2001. Survivors: one daughter, Darien Walker, '60; one son, Stuart, '63, MS '67, PhD '72; five grandchildren, including Jonathan, '94; and six great-grandchildren.
Sanford Eward Feldman, '34 (pre-clinical medicine), MD '38, of Santa Fe, N.M., February 4, at 93. He served as a physician in the U.S. military during World War II and practiced surgery in San Francisco for many years. He participated in numerous professional organizations and was a specialist in medical peer review, becoming founder and first director of the San Francisco Medical Peer Review Organization and director of the California Medical Review Organization. Survivors: his wife, Louise Taichert; two sons, David and John; two daughters, Wendy and Laurie; and two granddaughters.
Britton W. Greenough, '34 (economics), of Woodside, December 8, at 97. He served in the Merchant Marines during World War II, sailing between San Francisco and the South Pacific. Afterward, he worked for many years with Matson Navigation Company, eventually becoming senior claims adjustor in personal injury claims. His wife, Mary, died in 1986. Survivors: one son, James; one daughter, Ann Kerin; five grandchildren, including Elizabeth Kerin, MS '04; and two great-grandsons.
Wilson Franklin Harwood, '34 (political science), of Portola Valley, January 31, at 95. He was a naval officer in World War II. He worked for many years in various governmental agencies, including the Naval Research Laboratory, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Bureau of Standards. Upon the National Science Foundation's founding in 1951, he was selected to serve as its assistant director for administration. Survivors: his wife, Lee (Lewis, '38); one son, Lewis; two daughters, Margaret Milledge and Sara Arnold; five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a sister, Sally de Bivort, '38.
Charles Watson Burkett Jr., '36 (history), JD '39, of Atherton, March 8, at 94. He was a member of Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity. For 39 years, he worked as an attorney for the Southern Pacific Railroad, eventually attaining the position of assistant general counsel. He also taught at San Francisco College of Law for 30 years. Survivors: one son; Tim, '65; two daughters, Charlotte Harper and Yvette Cooper; seven grandchildren; one sister, Nancy, '42; and one brother, John, '44, MD '47.
Richard Boies Stark, '36 (social science/social thought), of Stuart, Fla., January 25, at 92. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and was head yell leader. He earned a medical degree from Cornell U. and was awarded a bronze star during World War II for his service at a surgery post for U.S. soldiers. He founded the plastic surgery training program at St. Luke's Hospital in New York in 1955, and chaired the program for 30 years. He was president of both the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. After retiring, he pursued a career as a full-time watercolorist. Survivors: his wife of 40 years, Judy.
George O. Wilson Jr., '36 (chemistry), of Palo Alto, March 15, at 92. He was a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity and a member of the Band. As a captain in the Army, he served in the military occupation government of France. In 1937, he began working for Standard Oil Company in San Francisco, retiring as senior economic analyst for Chevron Land and Development in 1977. He was active in many social and civic organizations. His wife, Gail (Wilson, '37), and daughter, Margery Wold, predeceased him. Survivors: one daughter, Gail Zetter; three sons, Larry, Cam and Rob; four grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
Paul Hoy Helms Jr., '38 (social science/social thought), of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., on February 28, at 91. He was a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity and a member of the men's soccer team. For many years he ran Helms Bakeries of Culver City, Calif., founded by his father in 1931. Survivors: his wife of 71 years, Caroline (Houseman, '37); one daughter, Suzanne Schaefer; one son, Paul, '61; eight grandchildren, including Lara Daetz, '89, MA '89; eight great-grandchildren; and one sister, Lois Hurtig, '43.
Adolph William Barkan, '39 (German studies), of San Mateo, February 23, at 90, of cancer. He was a member of Chi Psi fraternity. He worked for the Naval Intelligence Service, and during the run-up to World War II, he helped monitor the German Consulate in San Francisco and obtained a code book from one of the last Japanese vessels to leave San Francisco Bay before the Pearl Harbor attack. After his military service, he worked for Wells Fargo for 30 years, serving as senior vice president and executive vice president in charge of leading the company's expansion into Southern California. He participated in numerous civic and social organizations. His daughter, Constance. predeceased him. Survivors: his wife of 65 years, Joan (Robbins, '42); one son, John; four grandchildren; and a sister.
Gretchen Ahlswede Garnett, '39 (political science), of Virginia Beach, Va., December 25, at 90. During World War II, she served with the Red Cross in Africa and Italy. She went on to work for the U.S. Foreign Services in Chile and eventually moved to New York to work for the United Nations. After settling in Virginia, she was a Realtor for 30 years and was active in numerous civic and social organizations. Her husband, Randolph, predeceased her.
1940s
James Warren Abrahamson, '41 (economics), of San Francisco, March 5. He served in the Navy as lieutenant senior grade during World War II. He worked at the White House Department Store and Greenwoods Restaurant Equipment. He then owned and managed several restaurants in the Bay Area, including Smak's Drive Inn, the Pam Pam, Pam Pam East, Biff's Coffee Shop and Rosebud's English Pub. He later worked for Thonet Industries and Serta Mattress. He served on the board of directors of the Jewish Family & Children's Services and on the board of directors of the San Francisco Community Rehabilitation Workshop. Survivors: his wife, Lucille; two sons, Robert and Eric; one daughter, Joan, MA '73; and three grandchildren.
Kathleen Grace “Kay” Jacobson Dorr, '41 (social science/social thought), of Carmel, Calif., at 88. She was a housewife and active member of All Saints' Episcopal Church. Her son, Peter, died in 2005, and her husband, Colgate, '41, died in 2006. She is survived by her daughter, Kathy Maser.
Darrel W Pilgrim, '42 (general engineering), of Sequim, Wash., February 7, at 86, of Alzheimer's Disease. He worked for General Electric for 33 years in eight locations and in multiple roles, including head of the Apollo Space Support Program in Huntsville, Ala. He retired from General Electric when the program ended, but soon joined Vitro Laboratories, where he worked for another 10 years. Survivors: his wife, Evelyn; three sons, including David, '74; one daughter; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Alfred Fuller Smith Jr., '42 (general engineering), of Davis, Calif., January 4, at 88, of a heart attack. He was president of Kappa Alpha fraternity. He was also a letterman on the boxing team, winning the Golden Gloves university championship. He served as a Navy lieutenant on board the USS Steinaker during World War II. He was a designer, developer and general contractor for more than 55 years. In 1964, he built a housing community for UC-Davis students and staff. Survivors: his wife, Shirley; two sons, Jeffrey and Alfred III; and two grandchildren.
John Ramer Brooke, '44 (economics), of Portland, Ore., December 19, at 85, of cancer. He was a member of the basketball and baseball teams at Stanford. He earned his law degree at the U. of Oregon in 1949. He served as a bomber pilot in the Air Force during World War II. He first worked in Portland as Assistant U.S. Attorney. He later joined the law firm of Wood, Matthiessen & Wood, eventually becoming a partner. He left after 42 years to consult and handle individual cases. He was president of the Racquet Club in Portland, the Gin Ridge Tennis Club in Gearhart, Ore., and the Japanese Garden Society. Survivors: his wife, Elizabeth “Ibby” (Malarkey, '52); four sons, John Banner, John Lee Bosley, '88, MA '89, Michael, and Thomas; three daughters, Anne Schrenk, Catherine Scott, and Lisa Holtz, '93, MA '94; and 13 grandchildren.
Janice Eileen Swan Talbot, '46 (speech and drama), of Fair Oaks, Calif., December 23, at 82. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford and received her master's degree in education from the U. of San Francisco. She was a teacher for more than 30 years, working with sixth-grade gifted classes. After retiring from teaching, she conducted workshops throughout the state and worked for the Sacramento County Office of Education. Her husband, Paul Talbot Jr., died in 1998. Survivors: one son, Paul III, '73; one daughter, Christine Wood, '71, PhD '74; four grandchildren; one brother; and one sister.
Patricia Marie Kingston Taplett, '46 (economics), of Arlington, Va., April 5, 2007, at 82, of cancer. She participated in Stanford in Government. She later took classes at the U. of British Columbia and was in a George Washington U. program for homemakers re-entering the job market. She worked in the finance department of the City of San Francisco and at United Airlines. After marrying in 1946, she raised her six children. Later, she worked at Garfinckel's and Lord & Taylor. She was president of the Stanford Club of Washington. Her husband, Robert D. “Tap” Taplett, died in 2004. Survivors: two sons, Robert and Martin; four daughters, Claire, Christine, Marty and Margot; nine grandchildren; and one brother.
June Marilyn Baxter Hill, '47 (humanities), of Sacramento, on January 7. She was an enthusiastic golfer and bridge player. She was also an active member of several golf clubs, including Del Paso Country Club, Ancil Hoffman and Haggin Oaks. Survivors: two sons, John and Steven; four grandchildren; and one brother.
Carolyn Antonia Siefert, '47 (biological sciences), of Oakland, February 19, at 82. She was a medical lab technician, and a pianist and piano instructor.
Jane Folger Allen, '48 (social science/social thought), of Vienna, Va., March 4, at 82. She received her graduate degree in psychology from Catholic U. in Washington, D.C., and later obtained her doctorate. While traveling worldwide with her husband in service to the State Department, she established a nursery school for Ethiopian children. After returning to the U.S. and obtaining her degrees in psychology, she entered private practice. She and her husband formed and financed In-The-Swim, a program that transported inner-city children to private and community swimming pools over the summer. She was also chair of the Washington, D.C., Board of Psychology Examiners and the president of the Folger Foundation, a philanthropic organization. Survivors: her husband, Thomas Allen; one son, Andrew Carrigan; one stepson, Christopher; one stepdaughter, Lindsay Michel; and two grandchildren.
Nancy Bannick, '48 (communication), of Honolulu, February 19, at 81, of complications of an infection. She was managing editor of the Stanford Daily. She was a writer and editor at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin before working for 20 years as the Hawaii editor of Sunset magazine. After the magazine's Hawaii office closed, she continued to work as the magazine's Hawaii consultant and as a freelance writer. She was a well-known philanthropist and preservationist in Honolulu, fighting to preserve Chinatown and the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium. She also served on the Honolulu Symphony board and was vice president of Chamber Music Hawai'i. She was also a charter member of the governor's Diamond Head Advisory Council.
Joseph Ainslie Bell, '48, of Boerne, Texas, at 85. He was the quarterback on Stanford's football team and a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He also attended UCLA and USC, playing basketball for both schools and playing in the 1944 Rose Bowl game with the USC football team. He served as a captain in the Marine Corps during World War II and also served during the Korean conflict. He spent most of his life in the oil business as an independent oil and gas operator. He was also one of the first to bring the planting of grape vines to California's Santa Ynez Valley in the late 1960s. Survivors: his wife, Melinda; five sons, Ainslie, Martin, Scott, Gary and Michael; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Charlotte Orlena Horton, '48 (psychology), MA '54 (education), January 28, at 80. She was a teacher in Antioch, Calif. She traveled internationally, visiting game reserves. She is survived by her husband, Fred, '48.
Marilyn Dey Prince, '48 (history), of Grass Valley, Calif., February 12, at 81, of congestive heart failure. She was an elementary school teacher at Bowman and Colfax Elementary Schools from 1966 to 1983. She was predeceased by her husband, Charles, '39. Survivors: three sons, Benjamin, George and Charles; one daughter, Susan, '71, MA '72; and six grandchildren, including Emily, '03.
Charles L. Moore, '49 (undergraduate law), JD '51, of Pacific Grove, Calif., December 9, at 80. He held degrees in philosophy and theology from Catholic U. In 1954, he was elected District Attorney of Santa Cruz County. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1964. He traveled worldwide studying the roots of religious and spiritual practice. After retiring from the priesthood, he released his book, Synthesis Remembered—Awakening Original Innocence.
1950s
Thomas C. Donaca, '50 (political science), of Portland, Ore., November 13, at 79, of lung cancer. He was a member of Chi Psi fraternity and worked on the yearbook staff. He received his law degree from Northwestern School of Law. He worked for Associated Oregon Industries, later becoming general counsel, specializing in clean water and air-quality legislation. His wife, Beverly (Newman, '50), died in 2005. Survivors: two daughters, Susan Mace and Leslie Petroff, '77; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Donald L. Hillback, '50 (economics), of Palo Alto, February 13, at 82. He was a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. During World War II, he served in the Navy as electronics technician's mate. He served in the South Pacific on the aircraft carrier USS Tulagi, which received four Battle Stars for World War II service. Later, he was the vice president, Northern California manager for the E.T. Horn Company. After retiring, he continued as a part-time senior account manager for E.T. Horn. His wife, Madelyn, died in 1968 and his son, Robert, died in 1978. He is survived by his daughter, Kathy.
Donn Jordan Wells, '50 (economics), of Edmonds, Wash., March 14, at 82, of complications from leukemia. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. He also attended College of Marin in Marin County, Calif. He served in the Navy aboard the USS Kenneth Whiting. He worked for Allstate Insurance Company in operations and personnel in Menlo Park and Seattle. In 1968, he began work as director of staff personnel at the U. of Washington. He served two terms as president of the North Seattle Rotary. Survivors: his wife, Peggy; two daughters, Kathleen Thordarson and Nancy; two sons, Stephen and Douglas; two grandchildren; and a brother, Edwin, '49, MS '50.
Albert G. “Bo” Raisch, '52 (political science), MBA '54, of Los Gatos, Calif., March 3, at 77. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and of the football and crew teams at Stanford. After graduating, he served as an officer in the Navy. He returned to California in 1957 to assume control of his family's construction business. He was a senior warden on the vestry of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Saratoga and president the board of Good Samaritan Hospital. Survivors: his wife, Jean (Tice, '52); two sons, Douglas and Bryan, '77; one daughter, Dana Raisch Klamecki; and nine grandchildren.
C. Stan Chapman Jr., '54 (history), of Pacific Grove, Calif., February 14, at 75, of progressive supranuclear palsy. He was a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity and of the Band, and was junior class president. He served in the Army as an interpreter in Frankfurt, Germany. He was the chief executive in his family's citrus, land development and golf course business. He wrote two novels, Sansculotte and Rancho Lorraine. He served on the Board of Trustees of Chapman U. and the Board of Directors of the Monterey (Calif.) Symphony. Survivors: his wife, Joan; two sons, Gregory, '84, and Scott; one daughter, Trish; two grandchildren; and two sisters, Mary Ann Chapman Blaine, '52, and Elizabeth E. Bowman, '48.
Jean Chapman Johnson Evans, '55 (political science), of Pasadena, Calif., February 13, at 73. She worked for the Stanford Daily. She was a volunteer and raised three children. She was a member of the Junior League and volunteered as an archivist at the Oregon Historical Society while living in Portland, Ore. She later moved to Pasadena and continued her volunteer work at the Pasadena Historical Society. Survivors: her husband, Leonard, '54, MS '58; one daughter, Susanna Soper; one son, William; and five grandchildren.
Russell Bruce Steele, '58 (history), MD '64, of Lodi, Calif., January 26, at 71, of lung cancer. He was a member of the football team and of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He served as student body president at the medical school and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Honor Medical Society. He did his internship and residency in general surgery at the U. of Oregon before becoming the base surgeon at Whidbey Island (Wash.) Naval Air Station. In 1968 he opened a practice in Lodi. He also worked for Lodi Memorial Hospital for more than 10 years and volunteered at the Salvation Army Clinic in Lodi. In 2005, he was named Lodi's Physician of the Year. A granddaughter predeceased him. Survivors: his wife of 14 years, Ulla; three daughters, Kristi Oborn, Kori Young and Pam; two sons, Russell and Troy; three stepchildren, Kristen Meisenheimer, and Ken and Mark Gilliland; 21 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and his former wife, Jo Ann Steele.
Michael C. Thometz, '58 (general engineering), of Campo, Calif., February 13, at 69, of a heart attack. He was a member of Stanford ROTC. He received his master's degree in business administration from Harvard in 1964. He worked as a banker in London and Chicago before running trucking and recycling companies in Southern California. He settled in Campo, Calif., after his retirement and was known as an outspoken advocate for rural preservation. He is survived by his partner of many years, Theodora Davis.
Gale C. Guthrie, '59 (political science), of Cameron Park, Calif., December 20, at 70, of pulmonary fibrosis. He served in the Army Intelligence Corps. In 1965 he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. After resigning as a captain and earning his law degree at Hastings College of the Law, he worked for Musick, Peeler & Garrett in Los Angeles. He soon relocated to Cameron Park, Calif. He was the attorney for Dorado Estates, the developer for Cameron Park. Later, he joined his wife, Karen, in a law partnership for 28 years. He was the president of the Cameron Park Rotary. Survivors: his wife, Karen; one son, Christopher; one daughter, Jennifer; four grandchildren; and one sister.
1960s
Joelle Bunting Mazer, '60 (biological sciences), of Airmont, N.Y., June 2, 2007. She earned her medical degree from UC-San Francisco in 1964 and completed her residency and analytic training in psychiatry in New York. She practiced in Bergen County, N.J., from 1968 until her retirement in 2004. During her career, she taught in several residency programs, including at the New York Medical College and the U. of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. A daughter predeceased her. Survivors: her husband of 30 years, Leo Mazer; one son, Ross; two granddaughters; and a sister.
Eliza Tucker “Tucky” Ferguson Skemp, '60 (psychology), of La Crosse, Wis., October 31, at 68, of ovarian cancer. She lived in Munich, Germany, before completing her Stanford degree and joining the San Jose Unified School District, where she taught mentally disabled children. In 1978, she completed her master's degree in education at Santa Clara U. Later, she worked at Viroqua High School in Viroqua, Wis., as a learning disabilities teacher/designated vocational instructor. In 1984, she was named Wisconsin Teacher of the Year in her field of instruction. In 1990, she became assistant principal at Lincoln Middle School in La Crosse. She became principal of the school in 1998 and remained in that position until her 2004 retirement. Survivors: her husband of 47 years, Dan; two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary “Marty”; two sons, George and Dan Jr.; five grandchildren; her father, Thomas Ferguson; a sister; and a brother, Thomas “Randy” Ferguson, '67.
Elinor I. “Nonie” Davenport Travers, '60 (history), of Napa, Calif., June 1, 2007, at 69. She was a member of the women's tennis team at Stanford. She worked in banking in New York and then California. With her husband, she bought Mayacamas Vineyards in Napa in 1968. She was a board member of Queen of the Valley Hospital Foundation for many years and served as the board's secretary for several of those years. She was active in numerous social organizations. Survivors: her husband, Bob, '59; three sons, Matt, '91, MS '94, Chris and Dave, '99; and a brother.
Lesley Jane Ott Petrequin, '65 (history), of Portland, Ore., January 29, at 63. At Stanford she was a member of the Axe and rally commissions, a member of the frosh class committee, and a member of the sophomore and senior executive committees. She worked as executive assistant to the president of EAI Information Systems and was active in the Assistance League of Portland as well as the Portland Art Museum and Japanese Garden Society. Survivors: her husband, Dennis; one son, Peter Heckler; two grandchildren; her mother, Patricia Jane Ott; one brother; and one sister, Mila Ott Tewell, '72.
Wayne Stephen LaRue, '69 (political science), of Simi Valley, Calif., at 59, of a heart attack after surgery. He was a member of the Band. After earning his MBA from UC-Berkeley, he worked as an advertising executive in Santa Barbara, Calif. Later, he worked as a wine steward at the Ranch House Restaurant before becoming a real estate broker and owner of LaRue & Associates. Survivors include his former wife, Ronda.
John Wellington Steacy, '69 (English), of Pacific Grove, Calif., February 16, at 61. He pursued graduate work at Columbia U. He was a teacher and soccer coach at Robert Louis Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, Calif., for 20 years. Afterward, he earned a law degree and practiced in Monterey, Calif. Survivors: his wife, Lenora; one son, Bill; three stepchildren, Jennifer Sanders, Susan Belli and Michael Weller; one granddaughter; two sisters; and his former wife, Marcia Hintz.
1970s
Gary Joseph Greenberg, '72, MA '73 (music), of Evanston, Ill., January 22, at 57. He earned a doctorate in composition from Harvard. He taught in the music department at Yale U. and in the creative art education program at Rutgers U., where he directed the Computer Learning Resource Center. In 1985, he went to Northwestern U., where he taught computer music, composition, music theory and a creative-arts approach to computer programming. He later became manager of the ACNS Advanced Technology Group, which worked with faculty to develop ways of using emerging technologies in instruction and research and, more recently, he was executive director for teaching and research initiatives for information technology at Northwestern. Survivors: his wife, Michelle; one daughter, Julia; one son, Jared; his parents, Max and Gloria; and two brothers.
Edmund Richard Cordtz, '73 (English), of New York, March 2, at 55, after a stroke. He attended the London Academy of Dramatic Arts. He was a singer, producer, director and set and lighting designer, known to some as the “king of lights.” He was associate designer on productions ranging from Tom O'Horgan's Senator Joe” to drummer Max Roach's concerts at Avery Fisher Hall, as well as several national and international tours of Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair, and Fred Rogers's last opera, Josephine, the Short-necked Giraffe. He was a designer for Charles Ludlum's Ridiculous Theatre Company. He was active in his church choir. Survivors include his sisters.
Catherine Anne Person Paeth, '78 (music), MA '79 (education), of Winfield, British Columbia, March 29, at 52, of breast cancer. She was a member of the women's swim team and a member of the symphony at Stanford. She played with the Kelowna (British Columbia) Symphony Orchestra and taught canoeing at Columbia Bible Camp. She taught music for four years at St. Joseph's in Cupertino. Survivors: her husband, Alan; two sons, Scott and Douglas; two daughters, Natalie and Abigail; her mother, Mary Person Moe; three sisters, including Carolyn Person Taylor, '81; and one brother.
1980s
Paul Robert Bazley, '83 (economics), of Issaquah, Wash., March 2, at 46. He was Phi Beta Kappa. He worked as a systems engineer at IBM in Anchorage, Alaska, before joining Microsoft as head of the Microsoft Solution Provider program in 1994. He later became vice president of U.S. enterprise and partner sales at Microsoft. Most recently he was managing director, U.S. client group at Russell Investments in Tacoma, Wash. A sister predeceased him. Survivors: his wife, Elizabeth; two daughters, Claire and Lauren; his father, Jack; his mother, Karen; one sister; and his stepmother, Catherine.
1990s
Peter Francis O'Brien, '90 (political science), of Redwood City, March 25, at 46, of natural causes. Survivors: his parents, Frank and Gwyn; two brothers; and two sisters.
Sameer Kumar Bhatia, '97 (human biology), of Mercer Island, Wash., March 27, at 32, of leukemia. He was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and founder of Project DOSTI. He began his career in management consulting. He founded MonkeyBin, a provider of barter technologies, and was co-founder of an electronic design automation company providing electronics manufacturers with a software suite to cut down on design time. At the time of his death, he was founder and CEO of Octane Technologies, a mobile application and game developer. He helped to launch the American India Foundation, founded by former President Clinton, and during his illness joined with friends to register South Asians with the National Bone Marrow Registry, resulting in 25,000 new registered donors. Survivors: his wife, Reena; his parents, Kumar and Sunita; and one brother.
Business
Arthur M. Robinson, MBA '50, of Riverside, Calif., February 11, at 83, of cancer. He served in the Army during World War II, earning a Purple Heart. He graduated from Pomona College in 1948. For 36 years, he was owner and president of West Coast Wire and Steel, a steel distribution center that also manufactured roofing, siding and asphalt refinishing tools. He was involved in civic and social organizations, including serving as chair of the Riverside Salvation Army Advisory Board. In the 1970s, he was appointed to the California State Parks and Recreation Commission. Survivors: his companion of 15 years, Cathy Chi; three sons, Ed, Jim and Bobby; one daughter, Patty Smith; 10 grandchildren; his former wife, Lorraine; and one sister.
Education
Thomas A. Shellhammer, MA '47, EdD '55, of Sacramento, March 2, at 95. He was an administrator for the California Department of Education and served as deputy to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Sacramento. He earned his bachelor's degree from UC-Berkeley and was a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He taught in San Luis Obispo before joining the California state Education Department in 1950. He rose as an administrator in several areas, including research and compensatory education. He became state deputy superintendent in 1971 under Wilson Riles, the first African American elected to statewide office in California. He retired in the early 1980s. His wife, Lois, died in 1997. For two years in the 1950s, they were educational advisers at the U.S. embassy in Thailand. Survivors: one nephew; and one niece.
George Edward Boisson, MA '51, of San Bruno, Calif., February 26, at 87. He served in the Navy during World War II. He earned a bachelor's degree at San Francisco State U. and a doctorate in education from the U. of San Francisco in 1984. He worked as a teacher, counselor, supervisor, administrator, consultant and marriage and family therapist at all levels of education. He was co-founder and associate director for the Center for Child and Family Development at USF. Survivors: his wife, Caroldyne; three sons; four daughters; and eight grandchildren.
Rosemary Dolin Brandes Dubois, MA '60, of Palo Alto, January 28, at 81. At 17, she lied about her age and enlisted in the WAVES. She earned her bachelor's degree from UC-Berkeley and was a counselor in the Santa Clara School District while attending graduate school. After spending many years in South America, she taught elementary school in Palo Alto. Later, she was a volunteer in Oakland city schools. Survivors: her husband, Andy; one daughter, Julie; and three stepdaughters, Jennifer Rogers, Barbara and Amanda.
Lester Ray “Les” Davis, MA '65, December 19, at 70. He served as an Army paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division. He graduated from San Jose State U. He coached football for nine years, the last year on the staff at UC-Berkeley. During his coaching career he was head coach at Cal State-Hayward and led the team to two Far Western Conference Championships, qualifying them for the first annual Bay Area Classic. He later worked in real estate. He was the Far Western Conference football writers coach of the year, the City of Champions Coach of the Year, and the Northern California Coach of the Year, university and college division, and won numerous other awards. In 1990, he was inducted into the Cal State-Hayward Athletic Hall of Fame. Survivors: his wife, Jane; and two sisters.
John Frederick Warren, MA '67, of Palo Alto, March 3, at 71. He graduated from the U. of Michigan. He taught English and led student government at Palo Alto High School. In 1978, he retired from teaching and founded the J.F. Warren Construction Company. He served on the board of the Adolescent Counseling Services and on the Canopy Advisory Board. With his son, he crossed the Atlantic by sailboat. Survivors: his wife of 37 years, Meredith, MA '64; one daughter, Louise; one son, David; and one grandchild.
Engineering
Arnold Loraine Eldredge, MS '49, Engr. '50 (electrical engineering), of Woodside, February 6, at 83. He earned his bachelor's degree from Utah State U. At Stanford, he participated in the development of a machine for developing higher energy X-rays for cancer treatment. He had a large role in building the Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC), and worked for Varian Associates, Zenith Radio Corp. and General Electric. Most of his career focused on the harnessing of electrons to be used for particle physics research and for cancer treatment. Later, he owned Eldredge Leasing Co. He was president of the Woodside Mutual Water Co. for more than 40 years, and served on the Portola Valley School District Board. He served as financial clerk for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Survivors: his wife of 59 years, Noreen (Tingey, PhD '51); one daughter, Candyce Eldredge McOmber; two sons, Delmar and Deric; 12 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and a sister.
Clinton J. Ancker Jr., PhD '55 (applied mechanics), of Palo Alto, March 12, at 88. He graduated from Purdue U. and served five years in the Army, including during World War II, retiring as a captain. He taught engineering at UC-Berkeley for eight years while pursuing his doctorate. He worked in operations research at Johns Hopkins Applied Research Center in Washington, D.C., and later at Systems Development Corporation in Santa Monica, Calif. He spent a year as director of the National Highway Safety Institute. For 16 years, he taught at the U. of Southern California and served as chair of the department of industrial and systems engineering. He became professor emeritus in 1984. His son Scott predeceased him. Survivors: his wife of 61 years, Margaret; two sons, Clinton III and Evan; one daughter, Megan Ancker Bowles; and five grandchildren.
Richard Albert Helmuth, PhD '72 (civil engineering), of Northbrook, Ill., January 2. Survivors include his wife, Karen.
George David Low, MS '83 (aeronautics & astronautics), of Potomac Falls, Va., March 15, at 52, of colon cancer. He was a NASA astronaut who served on three space shuttle missions before becoming a space industry executive. He earned his bachelor's degree from Washington and Lee U. in 1978 and a bachelor's from Cornell U. in 1980. From 1980 to 1984, he worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., where he worked in planning for several planetary space probes and helped with the systems engineering design of the Galileo probe. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1984 and served in that capacity for 12 years, logging more than 714 hours in space. He worked as spacecraft communicator on three missions. In 1996, he joined Orbital Sciences Corp., serving as vice president of safety and mission assurance for the company's launch systems group. In 2006, he became senior vice president and program manager for its commercial orbital transportation service program. Survivors: his wife of 15 years, JoAnn; two daughters, Maggie and Abigail; one son, Christopher; his mother, Mary; two brothers; and two sisters.
Humanities and Sciences
Mary Ellen Leary Sherry, MA '37 (English), of Piedmont, Calif., February 25, at 94, of pneumonia. She was the secretary for the city editor of the San Francisco News when a shooting at the Hotel Henry and a scarcity of reporters led to her first news assignment. She went on to write about social welfare, the school board and public housing before landing the political beat in 1943. She then went to Sacramento, where she was among the first women to cover the state Legislature. In 1945, she received a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard U. She later wrote editorials for what became the News-Call Bulletin and, in 1964, became West Coast correspondent for Scripps-Howard for three years. She also wrote for the Economist in London, the Nation, Pacific News Service and other publications until 1999. She was author of the book Phantom Politics. Her husband, Arthur, died in 1986. Survivors: one daughter, Virginia Belletini; one stepdaughter, Judith; seven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and two sisters.
Man-Chiang Niu, PhD '47 (biological sciences), of Elkins Park, Pa., and Beijing, China, November 7, at 95, of bone marrow cancer. He earned his bachelor's degree from Beijing U. After earning his doctorate, he worked at the University for 10 years as a research associate. Later, he worked for Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (now the Rockefeller U.). His work on the role of messenger ribonucleic acid in genetics and developmental biology led to two Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowships and the Lillie Award. In 1962 he became a professor at Temple U., and remained there for 21 years. In 1970, he became a member of the Taiwan Academy of Sciences. Acclaimed for his work centering on mRNA in cells, he was also known for his role in fostering scientific exchanges between China and the United States.. In 1980, he founded the Chinese Academy of Science's Institute of Developmental Biology (now the Niu Man Chian Research Center), which he directed until his death. He played a role in the granting of an honorary degree by Temple U. to the Chinese Premier Deng Xiao Ping, establishing a sister school relationship with Nan Kai U. and a sister city relationship between Philadelphia and Tianjin. He authored more than 80 scientific publications and books. Survivors: his wife of 64 years, Pao Ying, MA '48; two daughters, McYing and Mannette; two grandchildren; and two brothers.
Arthur S. Trace Jr., PhD '54 (English), of Fayetteville, Ark., July 28, 2005, at 83, of a stroke. Survivors: two daughters, Anne Marie Candido and Katherine Brueck.
Victor L. Ettredge, MS '59 (statistics), of Giddings, Texas, December 26, at 83, of prostate cancer. He served in the Army Air Force until he was captured by Germany in 1945. He earned a bachelor's degree from the U. of Texas in 1948 and rejoined the Air Force the following year. He retired in 1967, after more than 20 years as command pilot on active flying duty, and joined NASA, where he managed integration, testing, crew training and launch of communications satellites from the space shuttle. He retired from NASA in 1986. Survivors: his wife of 35 years, Marjorie; one son, Michael; three daughters, Allison Burgess, Gail and Leslie; and a stepdaughter, Faith Johnson.
Law
Ernest Leroy Newton, Gr. '50, of Greensboro, N.C., February 10, at 99. He earned his bachelor's degree at the U. of Wyoming. Afterward, he worked at the Wyoming State Journal, and subsequently bought the paper and became editor and publisher. In 1947 he sold the paper to attend Stanford. He completed his law degree at the U. of Wyoming in 1950. He practiced law in Lander, Wyo., before being named executive director of the Nevada Taxpayers Association in 1962. He held that post until he retired in 1983. He served on the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education and the Reagan Presidential Transition Team and was involved with many other professional, government, religious and service organizations. He wrote a weekly syndicated column on tax policy that was published in both Nevada and California. His wife of 67 years, Celia, predeceased him. Survivors: two sons, James, '58, and Robert; one daughter, Mariana; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Medicine
Viola Elizabeth Setter Dolman, MA '49 (bacteriology), of Honolulu, at 87. She was a researcher before going into real estate. In 1995, she merged her company with Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties. She was named Realtor of the Year by the Honolulu Board of Realtors and the Hawaii Association of Realtors. She was involved with the community, and served as one of the first female board members of Rotary Club. Survivors: her daughter, Laura Dolman Andrews; one son, David; five grandchildren; one brother; and one sister.
Bernard Witten “Bud” Simons Jr., MD '52, of Tucson, Ariz. He graduated from the U. of Arizona in 1947 and completed his medical residency at Fort Miley Veterans Administration Hospital and the French Hospital in San Francisco. His surgical training at Stanford was interrupted by the Korean War, where he served as first lieutenant in the Army Medical Corps. In 1958 he started a private surgical practice in Tucson. He was a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, president of the Arizona State Surgical Society, founder and president of the Tucson Surgical Society and chief of staff at St. Joseph's Hospital in the late 1970s, and was St. Joseph's physician of the year in 1980. He was active in numerous civic organizations. His daughter, Kim Condon, predeceased him. Survivors: his wife, Marjorie (Gavin, '51); three sons, George, Tad, '75, PhD '82, and Gordon; six grandchildren; one brother; and one sister.
