Faculty and Staff
George Miller Lynn, of Poway, Calif., September 1, at 85. He was an assistant football coach from 1951 to 1958. He continued to help freshman teams for nine more years while establishing a successful career with Mutual of New York. At MONY, he was a member of the Million Dollar Club for many years and served as president of the California Life Underwriters. He graduated from Ohio State U. in 1943 and was a member of Phi Delta Theta. He was the quarterback and captain of the 1942 National Championship team. He served in the Navy during World War II, participating in the Normandy invasion. He received a master of arts degree from Kent State U. in administration and physical education in 1954. His wife of 58 years, Doris, died in 2002. Survivors: two daughters, Catherine Glover and Barbara Sexton; one son, Thomas, ’76, MA ’77; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Melvin Schwartz, of Ketchum, Idaho, August 28, at 73, of Parkinson’s disease. He was a Nobel Prize winner, member of the physics faculty from 1966 to 1983 and founder of a Silicon Valley company. In 1988, he shared the Nobel Prize in physics for developing the first high-energy neutrino beam, making it possible for the first time to study the so-called weak force, one of the four fundamental forces that control the universe. After earning bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in physics from Columbia, he joined the faculty there in 1958 and became a professor in 1963. In 1966, as a new linear accelerator was being completed, he joined the Stanford faculty. He left to found Digital Pathways, which provided systems for the secure management of data communications. He remained a consulting professor at Stanford until 1991, when he returned to Columbia as a physics professor and to Brookhaven National Laboratory as associate director for high energy and nuclear physics. In 1995, Columbia presented him with its highest honor, the Alexander Hamilton Medal. Survivors: his wife, Marilyn; one son, David; two daughters, Diane Bodell, ’79 and Betty Marcon, ’83; six grandchildren; and one brother.
1920s
Armin William Miller, ’28 (economics), of Laguna Beach, Calif., April 14, at 101, of a massive stroke. He was a member of the Band and performed at the 1927 Rose Bowl. He enjoyed a lifetime career in real estate, founding his own firm that specialized in the rehabilitation and modernization of prestigious buildings. For more than 30 years, he also operated a Travel Inn in Joplin, Mo. Survivors include his wife of 34 years, Linda.
1930s
Walter A. Radius, ’32 (economics), MBA ’34, PhD ’42 (business), of Portola Valley, September 24, at 96, of heart disease. A member of Alpha Kappa Lambda, he served in the State Department civil service and foreign service for 28 years. He retired in 1970 and continued as a consultant to NASA. His daughter Joan, ’65, MA ’67, died in 1997. Survivors: his wife of 30 years, Elizabeth; two daughters, Susan Bowen and Nancy; four sons, David, ’72, and Art, Bill and Michael McGarr; and eight grandchildren.
Richard Holliway Rodda, ’33 (economics), of Sacramento, August 30, at 95, of Alzheimer’s disease. A member of the Stanford Daily, he became a career newspaperman and reported on the California state capitol for more than four decades. He joined McClatchy Newspapers in 1934 and served as political editor from 1963 to 1977, when he retired. Survivors: his wife of 70 years, Laurena; two daughters, Kathryn King and Gayle Kurtz, ’62; one son, Scott; one brother, Albert, ’33, MA ’34, PhD ’51; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Frances Jane Pockman Hawkins, ’35 (education), of Boulder, Colo., August 21. She was trained as a preschool teacher at San Francisco State. She and her late husband founded the Mountain View Center for Environmental Education, which focused on hands-on science education for elementary schools. She was the author of The Logic of Action and Journey with Children. Her husband, David Hawkins, ’34, MA ’36, died in 2002. Survivors: one daughter, Julie Melton; two grandsons; and two great-grandsons.
Marion Ada Monsey Liss, ’35 (French), of San Francisco, September 4, at 92. She was predeceased by two husbands, Harold Monsey and Harry Liss. Survivors: her children, Lenie Perkins and Michael Monsey; and one granddaughter, Lily Monsey.
Ann Goodell Van Wagenen Robison, ’35 (history), of Portola Valley, August 18, at 92. After graduating from Stanford, she spent a year studying international relations at UC-Berkeley. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. She worked at the Hoover Institution Library from 1968 until 1979 and assisted patrons for several more years at the Menlo Park Library. Survivors: her former husband, Ed Robison, ’34, MBA ’36; one son, Thornton, ’64; two daughters, Ann Harrington and Margaret McCarty, ’76; and six grandchildren.
Clark Loudon Wilson Jr., ’35 (French), of Winchester, Va., August 12, at 92. A member of Phi Kappa Psi and the men’s soccer team, he joined the Navy during World War II and was awarded the Silver Star and the Gold Star. He earned a PhD in applied psychology from USC in 1948. An expert in psychological measurement and statistics, he was credited with introducing the concept of 360-degree feedback to the management training field. He worked as a psychologist in personnel and market research and was a professor of marketing and management at schools including Columbia U. and Harvard. He was a fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychologists. Survivors: his wife of 63 years, Ruth; five daughters, Margaret Matejka, Mary Bassis, Jane Hanson, Kathryn and Nancy, ’79, MBA ’84; 10 grandchildren, including Anne “Betsy” Bassis, ’94; one sister; and one brother.
William Everett Balser, ’36 (general engineering), of Taft, Calif., August 13, at 97. He reported for work in the Taft oil fields one month after graduation. He went on to work for the Honolulu and Berry oil companies until he turned 81. His wife of 63 years, Gladys, died in 2003. Survivors: one son, David; two daughters, Beverly and Linda; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Robert Noall Blewett, ’36 (undergraduate law), JD ’39, of Stockton, Calif., December 22, 2005, at 90. A member of Theta Xi, he went into practice with his father and retired from his firm, Blewett & Allen, 59 years later. He was an active member of Stockton Rotary for more than 50 years and was involved with the Leadership Council of the UC-Davis Medical Center. Survivors: his wife of 65 years, Virginia; one daughter, Carolyn Lawrence; two granddaughters; and one great-grandson.
Herbert Leslie Lyell, ’36 (general engineering), Engr. ’38 (civil engineering), of Trinidad, Calif., September 5, at 97. In 1940, he went to work for H.J. Brunnier in San Francisco as a structural engineer and retired as president of the firm almost 50 years later. Survivors: his wife, Jeanine Martin; three stepchildren, Christopher and Charles Robertson and Janet Robertson Casey, ’83; and five stepgrandchildren.
Wendell Stewart Thompson, ’36 (general engineering), Engr. ’39 (electrical engineering), of Pebble Beach, Calif., May 23, at 92. A member of Kappa Alpha and the Band, he worked for General Electric from 1939 to 1945 designing jet engines for World War II bombers. He then joined FMC Corp. in San Jose and became general manager of central engineering. He was awarded many patents for mechanical inventions for the food production industry. Survivors: his wife of 57 years, June; two daughters, Wendy and Nancy; one son, Jeff; and six grandchildren.
Louie Baldo, ’37 (general engineering), MBA ’39, of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., June 4, at 95. Survivors: three daughters, Rose, Angela, ’87, MS ’88, and Lydia; one son, John; and one brother, Columbus, ’36, MBA ’39.
James Root Dillon Jr., ’37 (medicine), MD ’41, of La Jolla, Calif., February 8, 2006, at 89, of prostate cancer. A member of Phi Delta Theta and the men’s basketball team, he served as a flight surgeon in the Navy during World War II and later rose to chief of urology at Mercy and Sharp Memorial hospitals in San Diego. He also served as an associate clinical professor at UCSD Medical Center. In retirement, he continued as a consultant at UCSD Hospital and San Diego Naval Medical Center. Survivors: his wife, Constance; one daughter, Donata Bocko, ’65; one son, James III; four stepchildren; and one grandchild.
Milton Hiebert Van Riesen, ’38 (biological sciences), MD ’42, of Glendale, Calif., September 6, at 90, of Alzheimer’s disease. A member of Theta Xi, he served with the Army Medical Corps during World War II and then joined his father’s ophthalmology practice. He was on staff at three Glendale hospitals, primarily Glendale Memorial Hospital, where he was chief of staff in 1975. He retired after 37 years in the medical profession. He was a member of Glendale Rotary for 46 years and served as president in 1959. His wife, Carol, died in 1992. Survivors: one daughter, Jean Cassidy; one son, Alex, ’84; three grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; and one sister.
George Calder Chalmers, ’39 (general engineering), MBA ’41, of Pacific Palisades, Calif., May 28, at 88, of Alzheimer’s disease. A member of Beta Theta Pi and the men’s soccer team, he briefly served as an ensign in the Navy and worked for the Stanford Research Institute. He then joined Northrop Corp., retiring as vice president of finance in the electronics division after more than 40 years. Survivors: his wife of 61 years, Virginia Martin; two sons, Scott and Doug; one daughter, Janet Painter; six granddaughters; and one sister, Alice Schmidt, ’43.
1940s
Dean Richard Lane Braun, ’41 (psychology), of Scottsdale, Ariz., August 13, at 88. A member of Theta Delta Chi and men’s track and field, he served in the Marines as a second lieutenant during World War II. He remained in the Marines for 20 years and also served in the Korean War. After earning a law degree and LLM from Georgetown, he served in the Marine Corps JAG and as the commandant’s personal pilot in the late 1950s. After retiring from active military service, he worked as a law professor at various schools from 1961 to 1989 and served for three years as deputy assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice, criminal division. Survivors include his wife, Anne.
John Dean “Jeff” Cooper, ’41 (political science), of Paulden, Ariz., September 25, at 86. A member of Zeta Psi, he served in the Marine Corps during World War II. He became a world-renowned firearms expert who formulated the widely used modern technique of the pistol, which employs both hands and the gun sight. In 1976, he founded the American Pistol Institute, or Gunsite, to teach his pistol techniques and later added a full curriculum on pistols, rifles and shotguns. The author of several books on firearms and one of the original writers for Guns & Ammo magazine, he served on the National Rifle Association board of directors and received the Outstanding American Handgunner Award in 1995. Survivors: his wife of 64 years, Janelle (Marks, ’42); three daughters, Christy Hastings, Parry Heath and Lindy Wisdom; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Thomas Love Hendrix, ’41 (biological sciences), of Sacramento, August 25, at 87, of congestive heart failure. After earning his medical degree from St. Louis U. in 1945, he began a 20-year career in the Army Medical Corps, retiring in 1965 after serving as commander of the U.S. Army hospital at Fort McArthur in San Pedro, Calif. A physician for 40 years, he was one of the first doctors hired by what became the Kaiser Permanente health care system and helped launch its first substance-abuse treatment program. His first wife, Jean, died in 1997. Survivors: his wife, Moyca Manoil; three sons, Thomas, MA ’82, Ralph and James; two daughters, Jean and Vera; and three grandchildren.
Clyde H. Jeffrey, ’41 (education), of Riverside, Calif., September 18, at 88, of cancer. A member of Delta Tau Delta, he was a world-class sprinter who was inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame in 1955. He won the NCAA championship in 1939, the same year he had the world’s best time in the 200 meters and tied Jesse Owens’s world record in the 100 meters at the AAU championships. He was a member of the U.S. Olympic track team but was unable to compete due to injury and World War II. He also played on the Stanford football team. After a stint in the Navy, he worked for the Riverside County Probation Department for 35 years before retiring in 1982. Survivors: his wife, Doe; one daughter, Julie; two sons, David and Don; two brothers, Doug and Jene; and one sister, Ruth.
James Warren Beebe, ’42 (economics), of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., July 25, at 86, of cancer. A member of Phi Gamma Delta and the Stanford Daily, he served in the Navy during World War II and was awarded the Bronze Star. He then earned a JD from USC Law School and went to work for O’Melveny & Myers, where he stayed for 20 years as a prominent municipal bond lawyer. An expert in writing and fashioning bonds, he was instrumental in financing projects that brought water, housing, industry and culture to the greater Los Angeles area. After leaving O’Melveny & Myers in the early ’70s, he started his own firm, retiring in 1997. Survivors: his wife, Jeanne; one stepson; and one brother.
Mary “Dede” DeFriest Clary, ’44 (history), of La Jolla, Calif., February 6, 2006, at 83. A member of Cap & Gown and Pi Beta Phi, she received a master’s degree in special education from California State U.-Los Angeles. Her husband of 58 years, Bud, ’43, JD ’49, died in 2002. Survivors: one daughter, Ann Judy; one son, Carter; five grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.
John Alvin High Jr., ’45 (math), of New York City, August 18, at 85. He served in the Army during World War II. Having discovered a passion for acting at Stanford, he pursued a stage career and appeared in more than 300 productions over 50 years. He made his Broadway debut in 1946 and was a longstanding member of the Actors’ Equity Association. He collected silk postcards; his collection, touted as the largest in the world, is housed at the Lake County Discovery Museum outside Chicago.
Daryl Howard Pearson, ’47 (undergraduate law), JD ’49, of Stanford, September 2, at 87. A campus resident since 1959, he was the University’s former general secretary and staff legal counsel who led the $300 million Campaign for Stanford in the 1970s. During his 31-year career at the University, he helped lead fund-raising efforts and supervised the gift procurement program. Prior to working for Stanford, he was a private lawyer in Palo Alto. After retiring in 1986, he consulted for various charities on development issues and was a court-appointed special master for the Buck Trust in Marin County. He was board president of the Family Service Association of the Mid-Peninsula and chairman of the board of advisers of the Santa Clara County Community Foundation. His wife of 52 years, Ivy, died in 1992. Survivors: one son, B. Howard, ’74; one daughter, Joan Petty, ’70; eight grandchildren, including Carter Petty, ’98, Laura, ’04, Bradley, ’06, and Maren, ’09; and six great-grandchildren.
Preston Coleman Burchard, ’48, MA ’50 (history), of Palo Alto, September 14, at 83. A member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, he pursued a career in electronics, beginning at Lytton Industries and retiring from Watkins & Johnson. Survivors: his wife of 23 years, Norma; two sons, Tom and Roland, ’77; one daughter, Anna, ’85; three stepdaughters; five grandchildren; one sister; and his former wife, Jo (Matter, ’50).
Lorna Pearl Richardson Carroll, ’48 (communication), of Seattle, July 1, at 79. Her husband of 42 years, Joseph, died in 1991. Survivors: her two daughters, Christine and Kathleen; two sons, Joseph and Robert; and two grandchildren.
Robert Rue Marichal, ’48 (mechanical engineering), of Georgetown, Texas, March 8, 2005, at 79. He served in the Navy during World War II and worked for Shell Oil Co. for 46 years. Survivors: his wife of 52 years, Neil; two daughters, Meredith Rogers and Marianne; three grandchildren; and one sister.
Clifton Bowman Forster, ’49 (international relations), of Tiburon, Calif., September 19, at 82, after suffering a fall. He was imprisoned as a foreigner during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941 and enlisted in the Navy after being repatriated in 1943. At Stanford, he was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi and joined the foreign service after graduating. He lived in Japan from 1953 to 1981 and was instrumental in developing various “sister city” programs, including those of San Francisco and Osaka, and San Jose and Okayama. He retired in 1983 as director for East Asia and the Pacific for the U.S. Information Agency. Survivors: his wife of 57 years, Nancy (Keeney, ’50); two sons, Thomas and Douglas; one daughter, Cindy; and four grandchildren.
1950s
Gilbert Maurice Jonas, ’51 (communication), of New York City, September 21, at 76. He was a member of the Stanford Daily. After graduating, he earned a certificate in Chinese studies and a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia. From 1953 to 1955, he served in the Army’s public information office. From 1962 until the mid-1990s, he ran the Gilbert Jonas Co., a public relations and fund-raising concern. He was the NAACP’s chief fundraiser from 1965 to 1995, helping to raise $110 million for the organization. He was a public relations adviser to the African independence movement in the 1950s and served as acting director of the Far East section of the Peace Corps in the early 1960s. He was the author of Freedom’s Sword: The NAACP and the Struggle Against Racism in America, 1909-1969. Survivors: his wife of 42 years, Joyce; three daughters, Stephanie Stone, Jillian and Susan; one grandchild; and one sister.
Robert George “Bob” Temple, ’51 (chemistry), of Palo Alto, May 9, at 79. After graduation, he was hired at the Dow Chemical Co. as a chemist. He later transferred to the company’s sales department and retired in 1974 as a regional sales manager. In retirement, he pursued a part-time career in home remodeling and cabinetry and was a supporter of TheatreWorks and Community School for Music and Arts in Mountain View. Survivors: his wife of 58 years, Janet; three daughters, Margaret Peterson, Sally Coverdell and Jane Mauss; and one brother.
Susan Leet Reichert Gortner, ’53 (social science/social thought), of Serene Lakes, Calif., September 13, at 73. She earned a master’s degree in nursing from Case Western Reserve U. in 1957 and a doctorate from UC-Berkeley in 1964. A professor and associate dean at UCSF, she brought pioneering contributions to nursing and public health. In the 1960s, she worked as a consultant to the U.S. Public Health Services’ division of nursing. Subsequently, she worked as a health science administrator and branch chief. Her husband, Willis, died in 1993. Survivors: her daughter, Catherine; one son, Frederick; and three grandchildren.
F. Stanley Rodkey, ’53 (political science), of Eugene, Ore., June 13, 2005, at 74, of metastatic melanoma. He was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi and ran track and field. He attended Boalt Hall School of Law in 1954 and received his JD at Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1956. He worked for 37 years as an attorney in Illinois, including 23 years as an assistant public defender in Stephenson County. Survivors: his wife of 42 years, Suzanne; one daughter, Gretchen Clark, ’89; one son, Geoffrey; four grandsons; two half-brothers; and one half-sister.
Theodore David Isaac “Ted” Toews, ’53, MA ’62 (music), of Redding, Calif., August 24, at 77. A member of the choir at Stanford, he enjoyed a teaching career in the United States, Canada and Germany. He also wrote musical versions of two Shakespeare plays and larger choral compositions with instruments. He co-founded the Cabrillo Music Festival in Aptos, Calif., and was music director of a festival presented by the David Toews Memorial Festival of Sacred Music and the U. of Saskatchewan in 1976. Survivors include his wife, Mary.
Mary Sarah DeWitt Bradley, ’54 (political science), of Palo Alto, September 9, at 74. She raised six children. In recent years, she visited the top of Half Dome and the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Her husband, Loren, died in 1984. Survivors: her three sons, Albert, Doug and Franklin; three daughters, Belinda Cron, Cathy Heryford and Eileen; seven grandchildren; and one brother.
James Edwin Westenberger, ’58 (anthropology), of Palo Alto, August 10, at 69, of cardiac arrest. He joined the Army in 1960 and retired as a major in 1980. He founded the High Energy Battery Corp. of Santa Clara. Survivors: his wife, Gretta; two daughters, Yvonne Feather and Jeanine Young; one son, James; seven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; one brother; and one sister.
Vivian Irene Wik Nicolet, ’59 (economics), of Redwood City, September 2, at 68, of cancer. She worked for the Kern County Land Co., Stanford and Woodside High School and managed income properties in Burlingame. Survivors: her husband, Bill; one son, Brad; two daughters, Lori and Jill; and two granddaughters.
1960s
Gary D. Allinson, ’64 (Chinese), MA ’66, PhD ’71 (history), of Charlottesville, Va., September 14, at 64, after a brief illness. He taught Japanese history at the U. of Pittsburgh from 1971 to 1983. He assumed the Ellen Bayard Weedon chair of East Asian studies at the U. of Virginia in 1983 and was a member of the Corcoran department of history until his death. He wrote five books and numerous articles about the history of modern Japan. Survivors include his wife, Pat (Bush, ’65), and son, Robin.
Jill Siegfried DeCou, ’64 (Latin American studies), of Plymouth, Calif., September 26, at 64. She received a master’s degree in social services from the U. of Washington. She worked in many areas of social services throughout the state of California, including Amador County. She was the director of social services in Placerville at the time of her death. Survivors: her husband, Lorenzo; one son, Adam Schaefer; one daughter, Erika Schaefer; and one brother.
Earl K. Littrell III, ’64 (biological sciences), of Salem, Ore., April 22, at 63. He earned a PhD in accounting from the U. of Oregon. His first teaching assignments were at the U. of Pittsburgh and the U. of Wyoming. He retired after 28 years from Willamette U.’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management in 2004 as professor emeritus of accounting and information sciences. He was a longtime researcher of fraudulent financial reporting. He chaired the Mid-Willamette Valley Regional Strategies Board, which disbursed more than $4 million in economic development grants from 1994 to 1999. Survivors: his wife of 42 years, Ann; one son, Don; two daughters, Mary Schermerhorn and Helen; and two granddaughters.
Preston King Covey Jr., ’65 (psychology), PhD ’78 (philosophy/humanities), of Squirrel Hill, Pa., September 18, at 64, of complications from post-polio syndrome. A member of Beta Chi, he joined the Carnegie Mellon U. faculty in 1973. As director of the CMU Center for the Design of Educational Computing, he developed interactive, multimedia software to help students weigh complex moral and ethical dilemmas. He chaired the American Philosophical Association’s committee on computing in philosophy from 1986 to 1991 and was the longtime director of the CMU Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics. He was also a deputy sheriff with the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Reserve. Survivors: his wife, Denise; one son, Adam; three stepchildren; one grandson; and four siblings.
1970s
Karen Louise Swisher Grey, ’74 (economics), MBA ’76, of Kentfield, Calif., July 25, at 53, of breast cancer. Following her graduation from the Business School, she worked for Bank of America for three years. She was an active volunteer, holding many different positions with parent groups at Piedmont and Marin County schools. Survivors: her husband of 30 years, Richard, ’71; one daughter, Kathleen, ’01; and two sons, David and Thomas, ’10.
Robert Richi Nakamura, ’76 (biological sciences), of Los Angeles, September 18, at 52. He attended graduate school at Yale, where he earned an MPhil in 1979 and a PhD in biology in 1983. A leader in developing integrated curricula in environmental science and a California State U.-L.A. faculty member since 1991, he taught courses in plant biology and ecology, as well as “Writing for Biologists.” Prior to coming to Cal State-L.A., he was a visiting scholar at the U. of Washington, a contract scientist at Weyerhaeuser Co. and a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA and UC-Davis.
1980s
Howard Brett “Butch” Kerzner, ’86 (economics), MBA ’91, of New York City, October 11, at 42, in a helicopter crash. A resort tycoon who ran a worldwide casino empire, he was surveying potential development sites on the Dominican Republic’s north coast when the crash occurred. His company, Kerzner International, operates casinos in countries including Dubai, the Maldives, Mexico and Mauritius, as well as the Bahamas’ Atlantis resort. Survivors: his wife, Vanessa Kong, ’86, MA ’87; two children, Tai and Kailin; and his father.
Education
Myrtle Elizabeth Whitsett Harris, MA ’58, of Menlo Park, September 14, at 72, of cancer. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Occidental College. She served as a board member of the Mid-Peninsula YWCA for 10 years, as an alumni trustee of Occidental College and president of the Myrtle L. Atkinson Foundation. She established the W.P. Whitsett chair and lecture series in California history at California State U.-Northridge and was a member of the chaplaincy advisory committee at Stanford Medical Center. Survivors: her husband of 48 years, William; three sons, Robert, John, ’84, and Bill; seven grandchildren; and one brother.
Helen P. Chalmers Hellmann, MA ’64, of San Mateo, September 6, at 76. She earned her bachelor’s degree from San Jose State U. in 1951. She taught elementary school in Sunnyvale for three years before teaching at the American school in Kyoto, Japan, during the reconstruction effort. On her return to the States, she taught in Redwood City until 1968 when she retired to raise her children. Survivors: one daughter, Lisa Hellmann-Rhodes, ’90; two sons, Marc and John, JD ’06; and four grandchildren.
Kathleen Gail Shovlin, MA ’73, of Issaquah, Wash., July 21, at 63. She was a graduate of Seattle Pacific before attending Stanford. Early in her career, she taught elementary education in Port Angeles and Bellevue school districts. She then completed studies to be a dietician, using these skills during the 14 years she worked at Group Health Hospital. Survivors include her mother and brother, Dan, MA ’49.
Engineering
Robert C. McCollough, MS ’57 (industrial engineering), of Cincinnati, August 4, at 72. He completed his undergraduate studies at Yale and then served in the Navy as an officer before attending Stanford. After graduating, he entered a training program with General Electric. He worked for GE for more than 30 years as a systems analyst, retiring at 59 due to heart failure. An immediate heart transplant extended his life by another 15 years. Survivors: his wife of 41 years, Nancy; two sons, David and John; two grandchildren; and one sister.
John James Stewart, MS ’68 (industrial engineering), of Cocoa Beach, Fla., June 25, at 72. He attended St. Louis U. and later graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1957. He completed a 26 year career in the U.S. Air Force and was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. His second career was with Lockheed Martin. Survivors: his wife, Judith Anne; two sons, Douglas and Jeffrey; one daughter, Jodie; two sisters; and one brother.
Joseph Thomas Kavanagh, MS ’03 (engineering), of Mountain View, July 25, at 34. He received his bachelor’s degree with honors from the U. of Illinois. He was a manager of research and development at Cardiomind in Sunnyvale. Survivors: his wife, Victoria Tran-Kavanagh; his parents; three grandparents; two brothers; and two sisters.
Humanities and Sciences
William Beverly Gubser, MA ’40 (physical education), of El Cerrito, Calif., August 16, at 93. From 1934 to 1938, he competed in the low and high hurdle events at Fresno State, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. A member of the Breakers eating club, he played right fielder for the Breakers softball championship in 1939. After Stanford, he served in the Navy from 1942 to 1945. For 30 years he taught at Cornell Elementary School in Albany, Calif. Survivors: his wife of 60 years, Helen; one daughter, Janice Greene; one son, David; and three grandchildren.
Maria Alicia Sarre, PhD ’45 (Spanish), of Atherton, August 1, at 89, of heart failure. She served on the faculty of several colleges and universities, including Duchesne College, Barat College, Lake Forest College, Lone Mountain College and the U. of San Diego. Survivors include one sister and her religious sisters at Oakwood Convent of the Sacred Heart.
Law
Henry “Hank” Wheeler, JD ’50, of Westwood, Mass., July 29, at 81. His college career was interrupted by World War II, when he became a Marine aviator. He graduated from Harvard in 1946. He practiced law for 36 years as a partner at Hutchins & Wheeler in Boston. In 1955, he began a long career in public service, serving first on the zoning board of appeals in Weston, Mass., and then on the planning board and finance committee. He was town meeting moderator from 1968 to 1980. He was also the editor of the Business Lawyer. He served on many charitable and corporate boards, including the Children’s Museum of Boston, Waltham Hospital, and Parents’ and Children’s Services. Survivors: his wife of 61 years, Joan; two sons, Nick, ’70, and Peter; two daughters, Markie Clowes and Sage; and nine grandchildren, including Sarah Clowes, ’01, MS ’02, and Alexander Clowes, ’05.
