Faculty and Staff
Lee J. Cronbach, of Palo Alto, October 1, at 85, of congestive heart failure. He earned his undergraduate degree from Fresno State College and graduate degrees from UC-Berkeley and the U. of Chicago. A professor of education who made major contributions in the fields of educational psychology and psychological testing, he came to Stanford in 1964. He developed the most frequently used measure of the reliability of a psychological or educational test, known as “Cronbach’s alpha.” He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Education, the National Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society and past president of the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association and the Psychometric Society. He retired as the Vida Jacks Professor of Education in 1980. Survivors: his wife, Helen; two daughters, Janet, ’78, and Joyce; and his son, Bob.
Jon Eisenson, of Stanford, July 27, at 93. A speech expert and professor emeritus of hearing and speech science, he helped develop the diagnostic category of childhood aphasia—brain damage that leads to difficulty speaking or understanding language. He established the Institute for Childhood Aphasia at Stanford in 1962 and also taught soldiers with severe brain damage to talk again. He wrote poetry and children’s books as well as several books on aphasia.
Bert Alfred Gerow, of Palo Alto, August 9, at 85. During World War II, he served as a Navy interpreter in the Pacific Theater. He completed his doctorate in anthropology at UC-Berkeley in 1950 and joined Stanford’s faculty as an anthropology professor, retiring in 1979. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi and received the California Association for Archaeology lifetime achievement award. Survivors: his wife, Marjorie; two sons, Ward, ’66, and Mark; three daughters, Laura Dayharsh, Ann and Claudia; and seven grandchildren.
Richard P. Scowcroft, of Stanford, October 8, at 85. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the U. of Utah and his master’s and doctorate at Harvard. He joined Stanford as an assistant professor of English in 1947 and, in 1971, became director of the creative writing program. Chair of the English department from 1976 to 1978, he retired in 1979. He wrote six novels, including Back to Fire Mountain in 1973. His wife, Ann, died in 1992. Survivors: three sons, Mark, Roger and Philip; and two grandsons.
1920s
Leland Hermann Lowenson, ’24, of Portland, Ore., August 24, at 99. He majored in economics. After graduation, he worked in retail trade and became the third-generation owner of Lowenson’s, a downtown Portland men’s store founded by his grandfather in 1883. He retired in 1972. He was a member of numerous civic, fraternal and religious organizations and served as president of Portland’s Temple Beth Israel. Survivors: his daughter, Lynn Marks, ’57; his son, Lee; and two grandsons, Michael, ’85, and Leland.
Shirley Waldo “Lord” Ashby, ’29, of Carmel Valley, Calif., July 26, at 95. He majored in economics and was a member of Kappa Sigma, head yell leader and manager of the football team. Owner of Los Altos Supply, he lived in Los Altos Hills for more than 40 years. He was an avid golfer, well-known for his vast collection of hats. His wife of 65 years, Helen, predeceased him. Survivors: two daughters, Michele Bailey and Stephanie Chapple; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and his brother, Richard.
1930s
Theodore “Ted” Meriam, ’31, of Chico, Calif., August 5, at 91. He was an economics major. He began his career at the M. Oser and Co. Department Store in Chico, eventually becoming general manager and part-owner. A native of Chico, he served as mayor from 1949 to 1959 and chaired the local advisory board of what was then Chico State College from 1950 to 1960. In 1960, California’s governor appointed him to the newly formed board of trustees of the California State Colleges, a post he held for 11 years, including one as chair. He was an active member of numerous civic and community organizations. Survivors: his wife, Doris; his daughter, Betsy Leverenz; two sons, Thomas and Charles; his stepdaughter, Peggy Sherman-Cochran; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Charles Harvey “Chuck” Coiner, ’35, of Hansen, Idaho, August 16, at 88. An economics major, he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi and the Breakers eating club. He operated his family’s sheep ranch for many years, managing large herds for resale. He was chair of the Twin Falls County Labor Sponsoring Association and a charter member of Blue Lakes Country Club. His twin brother, Henry, ’35, predeceased him. Survivors: his wife, Viola; his daughter, Karen Lindemer; his son, Charles; and two grandsons.
King Harris, ’35, of Middleburg, Va., July 20, at 88. He majored in history and was a member of Chi Psi. During World War II, he served as a lieutenant commander in the Navy. A fourth-generation San Franciscan, he was a partner in several San Francisco advertising agencies and later executive vice president of Campbell Ewald in Detroit. After retiring in 1970, he co-founded Public Interest Communications in San Francisco, a nonprofit agency that brought attention to humanitarian causes. Survivors: his wife, Elizabeth; two daughters, Ann Richardson and Judith; two sons, King Jr. and James; five grandchildren; and two brothers, Lawrence, ’32, and Robert, ’37.
John Lucien Kuhn, ’35, MA ’39, of Falls Village, Conn., September 22, at 88, of a heart attack. A history major, he was a member of Alpha Delta Tau and captain of the swim team. During World War II, he was a lieutenant commander in the Navy. In 1947, he joined the State Department as a foreign service officer with postings in South Africa, France and Italy. After retiring to Connecticut in 1973, he served as executive director of the Institute of World Affairs, president of the Housatonic Valley Association and chair of the Rotary Club’s Youth Exchange Program. Survivors: his wife, Anita; three daughters, Marian Browning, Eleanore Boyse and Jacqueline; and five grandchildren.
Maud Millicent Greenwell Clapp, ’36, of Weston, Mass., July 21, at 86. She majored in graphic arts. An accomplished artist, she painted scenes from her favorite places—Hawaii, Southern California and Nantucket. In 1980, she became a trustee of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She helped refurbish the Stanford art gallery, and a Stanford studio-art lecture series was established in her name. Her husband, Eugene, died in 1998. Survivors: her son, Eugene III; her daughter, Candace Sargent; and six grandchildren.
Virginia “Ginny” Hawkes Roller, ’37, of Los Gatos, Calif., September 6, at 85. She majored in history, worked at the Daily and was a member of Delta Gamma. Active in several community organizations, she was a leader in women’s amateur golf in Northern California. Both of her husbands, Reginald Rumwell and Willis Roller, predeceased her. Survivors: three sons, Melville Rumwell, Peter Rumwell and Charles Rumwell; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Martin Edwin Synerholm, ’37, MA ’39, PhD ’41, of Los Altos, August 10, at 86. He majored in chemistry and earned his doctorate in organic chemistry. He worked for many years as a research and teaching chemist and was a talented gardener. His wife, Carolyn Stelck, MA ’40, predeceased him. Survivors: three daughters, Martha McSherry, Chris Wiersig and Mary Watson; and eight grandchildren.
Jonathan Charles Rice, ’38, of San Francisco, July 22, at 85. He was a communication major and a Daily staffer. During World War II, he served as a Marine correspondent and an intelligence officer in the Pacific. After working for Look magazine in New York and KTLA in Los Angeles, he co-founded KQED Public Broadcasting in 1954 in San Francisco. Under his leadership, KQED became the most honored noncommercial television station in the nation. He won many awards, including the 1973 Governor’s Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. His wife, Kathleen, died in 1964. Survivors include his son, Jefferson, and his daughter, May.
Frank Hudson Trowbridge, ’38, of Santa Cruz, Calif., September 25, at 85. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. In 1941, he joined the Army Air Corps, serving as a navigator and navigation instructor. He later worked at the Pentagon on radar guidance missile systems used in Vietnam. He retired with the rank of colonel after 22 years of service. He purchased a stationery store in Santa Cruz as a “retirement project” and was active in the business from 1963 to 1979. His wife of 39 years, Emma Martin, died in 1985. Survivors: his wife of 13 years, Arlene Dorn; three sons, Frank III, ’70, Roy and Gary; his daughter, Fawn Winsted; 18 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and his brother, Roy, ’40.
Harry F. Cameron Jr., ’39, of Dallas, January 25, at 88. He majored in civil engineering. A career officer in the Army Corps of Engineers, he served in World War II and the Korean War, attaining the rank of colonel. He was buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Washngton, D.C. Survivors: his daughter, Scot Cameron-Bell; and his grandson.
1940s
Gerald H. Mayer, ’41, of Los Angeles, September 21, of pneumonia. He majored in communication, worked at the Daily and was a member of the El Toro eating club.
William Kelley Bickenbach, ’42, Gr. ’57, of Los Altos, August 26, at 85, of a heart attack. He majored in health education. During World War II and the Korean War, he served in the Navy’s Pacific fleet. In 1955, he settled in the Bay Area with his family. His wife, Irene, died in 1996. Survivors: two sons, William Jr. and Jerome; and three grandchildren.
Bernice Evelyn Brown Learned, ’42, of Chico, Calif., September 12, at 83, of a stroke. She majored in social science and social thought. She earned an associate of arts degree from Sacramento Junior College before attending Stanford. Survivors: her husband of 63 years, Vincent, PhD ’43; five sons, Daryl, Dean, Craig, Kent and Bruce; 10 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Helene Harlin Wong, ’42, MA ’47, of Honolulu, March 12, at 79. She majored and earned her master’s degree in speech and drama. She received her doctorate from Louisiana State U. and taught speech and linguistics at the U. of Hawaii-Manoa until 1978. In 1979, she launched a 22-year “second career” at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Survivors include her sister, Phyllis Wong Jing.
Nancy Mae Gammon Huff, ’44, of Fort Collins, Colo. She majored in humanities and was a member of Gamma Phi Beta. Her husband, Donald, predeceased her. Survivors include two daughters, Barbara and Linda, ’68.
Anne Elizabeth Armstrong Long, ’46, of Orinda, Calif., May 16, at 76, of lymphoma. An international relations major, she worked for Western Airlines after graduation. She married a civil engineer whose projects took the family to Oregon, California, Texas, England, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia. She was an active member of Stanford Women of the East Bay and the Orinda Garden Club. Survivors: her husband of 53 years, Neville; two sons, Donald and Dennis, ’73; her daughter, Margaret, ’74; nine grandchildren; and two sisters.
Robert Chapman Phelps, ’49, MS ’52, of Reno, Nev., September 23, at 72. A civil engineering major, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, the crew team and the football team. He served as a captain with the Marine Corps in Korea and worked for the Department of Defense during the Vietnam War. He worked in management for Goodyear Atomic and later was a vice president of General Dynamics. After moving from New York to Nevada, he pursued ranching and oil interests. Survivors: his wife, Nancy Cord, ’53; three sons, R. Cord, ’76, Kirk, ’81, and Charles; two daughters, Mary Hampton, ’75, and Susan, ’78; and nine grandchildren, including N. Kirk, ’03.
Raymond A. Power, ’49, MS ’50, of Los Gatos, Calif., August 6, at 76, of cancer. An electrical engineering major, he was a member of Theta Delta Chi and the track and field team. During World War II, he served in the Army. He worked for IBM as an electrical engineer for 25 years. Survivors: his wife, Jean, ’47; two daughters, Carol Lowe, ’77, and Nancy; two sons, Brad, ’76, and Fred; and six grandchildren.
1950s
William G. Rose, ’50, of Mountain View, August 14, at 75. A social science and social thought major, he was a member of Phi Delta Theta and the basketball team. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps. He worked for the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. for more than 30 years. Survivors: his wife, Virginia, ’51; his daughter, Ellen; his son, William Jr.; two grandchildren; and two sisters, Lila Arnold and Phyllis.
Sat Pal Bhatnagar, ’51, of Mumbai (Bombay), India, August 15, of a heart attack. He majored in civil engineering. Survivors include his son, Ajay, MS ’95, PhD ’98.
Stanley L. Knapp, ’51, of Las Cruces, N.M., April 21, at 70, of a heart attack. He majored in electrical engineering and worked for various companies in the field of missile defense. Survivors: his wife, Nancy Scranton, ’55, MA ’56; his son, Steven; and his daughter, Marta.
Florence Diana Rodke West, ’51, of Las Cruces, N.M., October 6. She majored in philosophy. She was a special education teacher in a Las Cruces high school, working with students whose reading abilities were far below grade level. Survivors include her daughter.
Stuart Allen Handmaker, ’52, JD ’53, of Louisville, Ky., February 12, 2001, at 70. An undergraduate law major, he was an editor of the Law Review and a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Coif. He practiced law in Louisville for more than 40 years and was a partner, since 1990, and chair of the business section at Seiller & Handmaker LLP. He was a past president of the Jewish Community Federation, which oversees the Jewish community’s social services and charitable activities, and president of the Louisville School of Art. Survivors: his wife, Muriel Beton Handmaker, ’55; three sons, David, William and Robert; his daughter, Ellen Grosovsky; and seven grandchildren.
John Richard Mollenkopf, ’52, MD ’56, of Fremont, Calif., June 3, at 72, of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He majored in biological sciences. Survivors: his wife, Barbara; and his daughter, Laura, ’83.
Beverly Jo Barnes Doyle, ’53, of Sedona, Ariz., August 12, at 68, of cancer. She majored in geography and later studied education and counseling at San Jose State. She was a teacher and counselor in the San Jose, Sacramento and Richmond school districts. An award-winning reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, she also wrote a column for the Sedona Spectrum.
Richard Heim Pauley, ’54, of Irvine, Calif., July 13, at 68. A political science major, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi. He was a senior consultant with Coldwell Banker in Newport Beach, Calif., for 14 years. He started his own investment realty company, Richard H. Pauley Co., in 1977, and later worked for Seeley Co. as a senior marketing executive. Survivors: his wife, Jan; his son, Tyler; his daughter, Elysa Del Guercio; three grandchildren; and his sister, Danat House.
Allen Lowell Goody, ’55, of Newport Beach, Calif., June 14, at 68, of pulmonary fibrosis. He was a member of the Daily staff and finished his undergraduate work at the U. of Colorado. After working for the Naval Research Labs, he joined Chevrolet in Detroit, where he helped design the Corvette. In the early 1960s, he returned to California to work for Ford Motor Co.’s aerospace division, retiring in 1990 as a vice president. He served as executive director of Vital Link Orange County, a nonprofit organization helping high school students gain job skills. Survivors: his wife, Pat; two daughters, Karen and Joanne; and four grandchildren.
Nan Elder McHenry Rafferty, ’55, of Palm Springs, Calif., July 2, at 67, in a swimming pool accident. She majored in psychology. Her husband, Tom, predeceased her. Survivors: three daughters, Julianne, Jennifer and Bridget; and her son, Tom.
Lawrence E. Wright, ’56, of Reno, Nev., August 14, at 67. He majored in mining and was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. After graduation, he served in the Army for two years. He worked for many years in civil engineering and water resources. Survivors: his wife of 41 years, Norma; three daughters, Leah Cagle, Lori Sanchez and Jill Koch; four granddaughters; and two brothers, William and Foster, ’54.
Barbara J. Bonesteele Miller, ’57, MS ’58, of Menlo Park, September 3, at 66, of cancer. She majored in mathematics. An education researcher and analyst, she specialized in the complexities of public school financing. She was a former trustee of the Menlo Park City School District and served two terms on the district governing board. The four district libraries were renamed the Barbara Miller Library and Technology Center in 1996. In 1978, she joined EdSource, a Palo Alto-based nonpartisan educational resource center, and served as director of research until her death. Her husband, Rupert, PhD ’58, a Stanford professor of statistics, died in 1986. Survivors: her son, Eric, ’85; her daughter, Jennifer, ’86; four grandchildren; and her brother, Ray Bonesteele.
Frank Luther Wright Jr., ’57, of Banning, Calif., August 29, at 65, of multiple sclerosis. A civil engineering major, he was a member of Delta Upsilon and the freshman basketball team. After graduation, he served in the Air Force until 1961, when he contracted multiple sclerosis, which he battled for 40 years. Survivors: his daughter, Karen; four grandchildren; his mother, Helen; and two brothers, Rollin and Dick.
1960s
Michael L. Katzev, ’61, of Southport, Maine, September 8, at 62, of a stroke. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in economics and then pursued graduate study in classical archaeology at UC-Berkeley, Columbia, U. of Pennsylvania and the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece. While teaching at Oberlin College, he led a team of more than 50 excavators in raising and preserving the oldest seagoing vessel till then to emerge from the sea—the Kyrenia Ship, scuttled off the coast of Cyprus in about 300 B.C. He was a co-founder of the Texas A&M-based Institute of Nautical Archaeology. Survivors: his wife, Susan; and his brother, Richard, ’58.
Willa Lou “Billie” Jones Loeffelman, ’66, of Bremerton, Wash., December 26, 2000, of cancer. She was a biological sciences major. She retired from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as a control officer. Survivors include her husband, Kenneth.
1970s
Mark David Roberson, ’77, of Irving, Texas, July 6, at 46, of an aneurysm. An industrial engineering major, he was a vice president of Central & Southwest Corp. Survivors include his mother, Mary.
Jeffrey Arthur Nelson, ’78, MS ’80, of Littleton, Colo., August 14, at 45, of brain cancer. His 20-year career included consulting, mergers and acquisitions, management, and executive positions in finance, human resources and information technology in California and Colorado. Survivors: his wife, Margot Palmer, ’78; two daughters, Laura and Lisa; his parents, Jorgen and Betty; and two brothers, James and Jorgen.
1980s
Jon Murray Mayo, ’84, of Orlando, Fla., July 2, at 39. A biological sciences and German studies major, he worked in Cubberley Library as an undergraduate and appeared in student drama productions. He was an emergency room physician at Sand Lake Hospital in Orlando, Fla. His family and friends are establishing a Stanford memorial fund in his name. Survivors: his parents, Joseph and Lynda; and his brothers, Joe and Jim.
Business
John Manfred Bransten, MBA ’53, of San Francisco, September 8, at 72, of cancer. He received his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College. After earning his MBA, he served as an Army officer in Japan until 1955. He began work in marketing at the MJB coffee company and became chair in 1980. His interests in Chinese art and Irish poetry led to his serving as president of the Berkeley Art Museum, trustee of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and director of the American Ireland Fund. Survivors: his former wife, Rena; two sons, Peter and David; his daughter, Patricia; two grandchildren; and his brother, Robert, MBA ’50.
Engineering
Robert Wilson Warner, Gr. ’59, of Palo Alto, September 14, at 76. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aeronautical engineering from MIT. He worked at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View and was an award-winning member of Toastmasters. Survivors: his wife, Genevieve; his daughter, Kathryn Clarke, ’74; his son, James; and three grandchildren.
Glen Rowan Cass, MS ’70, July 30, at 54, of cancer. He earned his bachelor’s degree at USC and a master’s at Stanford, both in mechanical engineering. After receiving his doctorate from Caltech, he taught there for 24 years before joining the faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology. An expert on pollution, he specialized in the control of airborne particles, photochemical oxidants and improved visibility, and initiated a 1999 study of airborne particles at 500 sites around the world.
Humanities and Sciences
Stanley Joseph Davenport, Gr. ’65 (statistics), of Menlo Park, July 27, at 71. He graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and New York U. He worked as a private shipping consultant for SRI International, American President Lines and Seawinds Shipping Co. Survivors: his wife, Janie; two daughters, Catherine Barry and Nancy; his son, Michael; two grandsons; and his sister, Irene Fairclough.
Law
William P. Smith Jr., JD ’54, of Napa, Calif., July 13, at 78, of cardiac arrest. During World War II, he served in the Navy flying patrol missions in the Aleutians. After the war, he graduated from Sacramento State College and worked as a staff photographer at the Sacramento Bee. At his legal practice in Sacramento, he specialized in labor, administrative and education law. He was a civic leader, lobbyist, general counsel for the Central California Newspaper Guild and an administrative law judge for the state Public Employment Relations Board. Survivors: three former wives, Beverly Lawson, Flo Barton Smith and Patricia Ann Taylor.
Medicine
Gordon P. Callaway, MD ’64, of Medford, Ore., July 24, at 64. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in 1959 and did his residency at Harborview Medical Center at the U. of Washington. A member of the American College of Surgeons, he was a partner in the Medford Clinic from 1975 until his retirement in 1999 and chaired the departments of surgery at Rogue Valley Medical Center and Providence Medford Medical Center. Survivors: his wife of 37 years, Barbara (Woth), MA ’63; his daughter, Catherine Dauterman; his son, Adam; two grandchildren; and two brothers, Leigh and Peter.
