Deaths: 1960s - current

Owen C. Sladek, MBA'65, a retired engineer, died April 17 in Reno, NV, at age 75. Sladek, a WWII veteran, worked as an engineer for Western Electric Company until his 1976 retirement. He is survived by two brothers, including Ronald J. Sladek, PhB'42, SB'49, SM'50, PhD'54.

Clifford D. Bidwell, MD'66, a radiologist, died March 18 in Orlando, FL, at age 58. Bidwell, a radiologist at Florida Hospital, was a former president of the Orange County Medical Society. He is survived by his wife, Beverly; his mother; a daughter; a son; and a sister.

Allan S. Bridge, BFA'66, founder of the Apology Line, died August 11, 1995, in a diving accident off Long Island, NY. He was 50. Bridge was a painter before beginning the Apology Line, a free telephone confessional service, and publishing the accompanying Apology magazine. He is survived by his wife, Merissa Waichunas; his parents; and a brother.

John H. Lion, AB'66, founder of the Magic Theatre, died August 1 in Toronto of a heart attack. He was 55. Lion did experimental theater work with Magic before joining the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, for five years, where he produced the annual National College Theatre Festival. Shortly before his death, he was named chair of the theater arts department at California State University-Los Angeles. Survivors include his wife, Kitty; two daughters; two sons; and a sister, Joanna Lion, AB'60, AM'63, PhD'74.

Alvin S. Rosenthal, AB'69, a consultant, died December 15, 1998, in Silver Spring, MD, at age 50. An independent consultant on research design and data analysis, Rosenthal also wrote a book on bidding. He was co-president of the U of C Club of Greater Washington, DC. Survivors include his wife, Diane B. Arnkoff, AB'70; his mother; and a sister.

Mary Donohue Allen, JD'72, vice president and general counsel for Brunswick, died July 26 in Skokie, IL, of lung cancer. She was 53. Allen began her legal career with the firm of Kirkland and Ellis, becoming executive vice-president and general counsel for Hartmax Corporation in 1994. She joined Brunswick in 1997. Survivors include her husband, Richard Vitkus; a son; a stepdaughter; and a stepson.

Eugene H. Edson, MBA'74, CEO of Maxtec International Corp., died August 7 in Chicago at age 75. After serving as president and CEO of several Chicagoland companies, Edson, a WWII veteran, joined Maxtec in 1995. He is survived by his wife, Fern; two sons, including Gary R. Edson, JD'82, MBA'82; and two grandchildren.

Carl P. Dolan, AM'83, died July 25 in Salisbury, MD, of heat stroke. He was 43. Dolan taught at the Carolina Friends School and the Friends School of Baltimore before becoming program coordinator for the National Endowment of the Humanities in 1987. In 1994, he founded the Thornton Friends Middle School. Just before his death he became director of the Sandy Spring Fields Middle School. Survivors include his wife, Nina Koltnow Valenta, MST'81; a son; two stepsons; a brother; and a sister.

Harry C. Bull, JD'85, CEO of Bradner Central Company, died August 18 in a boating accident on Lake Michigan that killed his two daughters, Alexandra and Madeline. He was 39. Bull worked for the law firms of Jenner & Block and Winston & Strawn before taking over as CEO of his family's paper firm. Survivors include his wife, Pam; his parents; his son; a brother; three sisters; a stepbrother; and two stepsisters.

Matthew J. Valenta, AB'98, died July 11 in Seattle at age 22. Valenta was a peer minister with the Youth Ministry Program in Naperville, IL. Survivors include his parents, Joseph and Carol.