Deaths

Faculty & Staff

Daniel J. Boorstin, a historian and the Preston and Sterling Morton distinguished service professor emeritus, died February 28 in Washington, DC. He was 89. A Rhodes scholar, in 1944 Boorstin joined the University’s faculty, teaching until his 1969 appointment as director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of History and Technology. In 1975 he was named Librarian of Congress, retiring in 1987 to write and serve as an editor-at-large for Doubleday. The author of 23 books, Boorstin won the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for The Americans: The Democratic Experience. Survivors include his wife, Ruth Frankel Boorstin, AM’64, and three sons.

Albert M. Hayes, an English professor, died July 14 in Chicago. He was 94. Joining the faculty in 1943, Hayes won the 1948 Quantrell Award for undergraduate teaching and in 1969 became University Registrar. After his 1978 retirement Hayes worked with the Hyde Park–Kenwood Community Conference, helping to create Harper Court. Survivors include his wife, Alice Judson Hayes, AB’49; daughter Judith Hayes Weir, AM’61; a son; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Fahir Iz, professor emeritus in Near Eastern languages & civilizations, died July 5 in Istanbul. He was 93. Iz joined the University in 1971, retiring to Turkey in 1976. Survivors include a son.

Marguerite Herschel, an associate pediatrics professor, died of breast cancer July 9 in Chicago. She was 64. Specializing in neonatal and perinatal medicine, Herschel joined the University in 1993, becoming director of the Hospitals’ nursery in 1997. Survivors include her husband, Robert Mittendorf; a daughter; a son; a stepson; her father; her mother, Gladys Maerkle Herschel, X’47; her stepfather, A. J. Herschel, X’39; three half sisters, including Janet Herschel O’Brien, AB’77, AM’79; and a half brother.

1920s

Walter E. Puschel, PhB’29, died August 13 in Vergennes, VT. He was 97. In 1933 Puschel joined F. Schumacher & Co., a textile firm. After WW II Navy service, he returned to Schumacher, serving as president and later chair until 1971. Survivors include a daughter, two sons, five grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.

1930s

Herman H. Goldstine, SB’33, SM’34, PhD’36, a mathematician, died June 16 in Bryn Mawr, PA. He was 90. An Army computer developer during WW II, Goldstine worked with the Institute for Advanced Study before his 1958 move to IBM, where he remained for 26 years. In 1985 he was awarded the National Medal of Science. Survivors include his wife, Ellen; a daughter; a son; and four grandchildren.

Marie Ehrenwerth Muench, PhB’33, MAT’41, a high-school music teacher, died April 23 in Chicago. She was 102. Survivors include her sister Birdie J. Ehrenwerth, PhB’33.

James W. Porter, PhB’33, X’35, a lawyer, died July 15 in Topeka, KS. He was 93. A WW II Navy veteran, Porter practiced law in Topeka for more than 65 years. He also served in Kansas’s House of Representatives (1941–43) and the Kansas State Senate (1949–61). Survivors include two daughters, a son, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Paul M. Cliver, SB’34, a railroad administrator, died June 28 in Daytona Beach, FL. He was 92. A passenger traffic manager for Illinois Central Gulf Railroad during WW II, Cliver worked for Illinois Central throughout his 37-year career. Survivors include his wife, Mary Ellison Cliver, PhB’34, AM’75; two daughters; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Pearl Seligman Weisdorf, PhB’35, AM’37, whose death was noted in the August/04 issue, worked as a training supervisor at the School of Social Service Administration before entering private practice in the 1960s. In 1987 she was named a diplomat in clinical social work by the National Association of Social Workers. She was preceded by her husband, William Weisdorf.

Jeanette Rifas Miller, AB’36, JD’37, died July 21 in La Jolla, CA. She was 89. Miller had a private law practice in Chicago before joining the Office of Price Administration during WW II. After the war Miller worked in local civic affairs in Glencoe, IL. She and her late husband, Byron S. Miller, AB’35, JD’37, endowed scholarships at the Law School. She is survived by three daughters, including Theresa Miller, AB’63; two grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

George W. Whitehead, SB’37, SM’38, PhD’41, a mathematician, died April 12 in Winchester, MA. He was 85. An expert in algebraic topology, Whitehead joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty in 1949, retiring in 1985 a professor emeritus. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and was an American Academy of Arts and Sciences fellow. Survivors include his wife, Kay.

Gregory Bard, SM’39, a physical medicine specialist, died June 23 in Sonoma, CA. He was 92. A Korean War captain, Bard joined the University of California, San Francisco, in 1955. Four years later he became head of physical medicine and rehabilitation in UCSF’s orthopedic surgery department, stepping down in 1975 and retiring in 1982.

1940s

Leon A. Golub, AB’42, an artist, died August 8 in New York. He was 82. A WW II Army veteran, Golub studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and lived in Paris before moving to New York in 1964. Golub, whose paintings were often antiwar, taught at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and Rutgers University. Survivors include his wife, Nancy; three sons; and six grandchildren. (See “On exhibit”)

Mary Cassidy Neal, X’43, died July 3 in Pacific Grove, CA. She was 82. During the 1960s and ’70s Neal worked in the placement office at the Graduate School of Business. After moving to California, she volunteered at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for more than 25 years. Survivors include four sons and 13 grandchildren.

Albert H. Friedlander, PhB’46, a rabbi, died July 8 in London. He was 77. After working as Columbia University’s assistant chaplain, in 1966 Friedlander moved to London’s Wembley Liberal Synagogue and later Westminster Synagogue. In 1969 he joined Leo Baeck College, serving as dean from 1982 until his death. Survivors include his wife, Evelyn, and three daughters.

Robert S. Browne, MBA’47, an economist, died August 5 in West Haverstraw, NY. He was 79. After working with the U.S. Agency for International Development in Cambodia and Vietnam, Brown founded three national self-help groups for blacks. From 1964 to 1972 he taught at Fairleigh Dickinson and Rutgers universities, and in 1980 Browne was appointed the first executive director of the African Development Bank. Staff director of a House Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs subcommittee (1986–91), he retired to do economic consulting. Survivors include his wife, Huoi; four children; a sister; and a grandson.

Edward G. Stoddard, PhB’47, died December 23, 2003. He was 80. Stoddard served as president of Doubleday Book Shops until his retirement in the 1980s. Survivors include his wife, Carole; a daughter; a son; and six grandchildren.

William Kornhauser, AB’48, AM’50, PhD’53, a sociologist, died July 3 in Berkeley, CA. He was 79. Following WW II Army service, Kornhauser taught briefly at Columbia University. In 1953 he joined the University of California, Berkeley, retiring a professor emeritus after 40 years. Survivors include a daughter and a sister.

Charles A. Lippitz, PhB’48, JD’51, died July 1 in Evanston, IL. He was 77. Practicing tax, estate-planning, and trust law, Lippitz was a partner in Levenfeld, Kanter, Baskes, and Lippitz. In 1986 he began a career as a playwright and film producer, winning a 1995 Emmy for the PBS documentary Frank Yankovic: America’s Polka King. Survivors include his wife, Rhita; two daughters; a son; and a sister.

Theron R. Alexander, PhD’49, a psychologist and behavioral scientist, died August 11 in Stanford, CA. He was 90. A WW II Navy veteran, Alexander had a private practice and taught at Florida State University, the University of Iowa, Temple University, and later Stanford. Survivors include his wife, Marie; a daughter; a son; a granddaughter; and two great grandchildren.

S. Wallace Gilbert, MBA’49, died June 7 in Michigan. He was 81. A WW II Army veteran, Gilbert, married to the late Jean McDonnell Gilbert, SB’45, joined the Ford Motor Company and moved to Bloomfield Hills, MI, in 1964, retiring from his position in marketing research in 1989. Survivors include four children, ten grandchildren, and two brothers.

Vivian Alicia Rogers, AM’49, died June 14 in West Hartford, CT. She was 84. A Marine Corps officer during WW II, in 1966 Rogers joined Kansas University, where she founded the Adult Life Resource Center and became assistant dean of continuing education before moving to the University of Michigan in 1985. Survivors include a daughter, two sons, and three grandchildren.

1950s

Franklin Bacon Jr., AM’50, died July 8 in Virginia. He was 88. A WW II Army Air Corps officer, Bacon, married to the late Evelyn Crary Bacon, SM’46, joined the University of Virginia in 1946. He later became dean of students at the Medical College of Virginia, a position he held for 20 years.

Josephine Neal Peregrine, AM’50, died February 2 in Frankfort, MI. She was 77. For 32 years Peregrine taught special education in Chicago, moving in 1991 to Michigan, where she was the at-risk coordinator for a number of local schools. Survivors include her husband, Moore; a daughter; four sons; two brothers, Richard H. Neal, MD’51, and Law School professor emeritus Phil C. Neal; and eight grandchildren.

Daniel S. Kowalczyk, AB’51, JD’54, an estate-planning consultant, died July 8 in Enfield, CT. He was 74. Survivors include a daughter and a son.

Joseph B. Lattyak, MBA’52, died July 15 in Palm Beach, FL. He was 80. A WW II veteran, Lattyak joined Gypsum Transportation, working in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and finally Bermuda, where he also taught accounting. Survivors include his wife, Denise; a daughter; two sons, including Bruce V. Lattyak, SB’90; a stepchild; and four grandchildren.

Chesna C. Weisberg, AM’54, died June 13 in San Francisco. She was 90. A guidance counselor and physical-education teacher, Weisberg later became principal of a Chicago-area elementary school, where she served into the 1970s. Retiring to Missouri, she wrote a column for the local paper. Survivors include a daughter, a son, and a granddaughter.

R. S. Baker, AM’56, a humanities professor, died June 26 in Oregon. He was 77. After WW II Army service, Baker joined Western Oregon University, where he remained for 32 years. From 1964 to 1966 he taught in Italy as a Fulbright scholar. Survivors include his wife, Janet; three children; and two grandsons.

Janice Metros Johnston, AB’57, AM’61, an attorney, died May 31 in McHenry, IL. She was 67. In addition to practicing law, Johnston taught political science at Loyola University and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and she helped found the women’s studies program at the University of Hawaii. Survivors include her husband, Dean R. G. Johnston, JD’60; two sons; two grandchildren; and a brother.

Manuel Blanco-Gonzales, AM’59, died June 14 in Evanston, IL. He was 71. Born in Spain, Blanco-Gonzales lived in Argentina and Bolivia before moving to the United States in 1957. A writer, painter, and poet, he taught Spanish literature at the University of Illinois at Chicago for 38 years. Survivors include his wife, Elfriede Stuerzebecher Blanco-Gonzales, PhD’76; two sons; and a sister.

1960s

Glen E. Everett, SM’57, PhD’62, a physicist, died May 5 in Riverside, CA. He was 69. A specialist in magnetic materials and semiconductors, in 1961 Everett joined the University of California, Riverside, where he helped launch the Bourns College of Engineering. He retired in 1994 a professor emeritus. Survivors include his wife, Merial Hirschi Everett, AM’57.

John E. Thompson, MBA’62, died July 20 in Lafayette, CA. He was 69. Joining First National Bank of Chicago in 1956, Thompson held executive-level banking positions in Michigan and California before founding Management & Capital Group in 1980. That same year he began teaching at Saint Mary’s College of California, where he created the financial-services honors concentration program. Survivors include his wife, Virginia; a daughter; three sons; three stepdaughters; and three grandchildren.

George B. Javaras, JD’64, a tax lawyer, died of leukemia August 5 in Chicago. He was 65. After working for the U.S. Treasury Department, in 1967 Javaras joined Kirkland & Ellis LLP, helping to establish its tax department, and became a senior partner. Javaras also was an adjunct professor at Chicago–Kent College of Law. Survivors include his wife, Barbara; a brother; and his mother.

Robert R. Rodgers, AM’56, PhD’64, a professor, died July 29 in Montclair, NJ. He was 78. A WW II Army veteran, Rodgers was a research associate at Cornell University before joining Empire State College in 1973. He designed curricula and taught psychology, sociology, and anthropology until his 2000 retirement. Survivors include his wife, Dorothy; a daughter; three sons; and six grandchildren.

Thomas H. Stevenson, AM’45, PhD’64, died May 21 in Wakefield, NE. He was 84. Authoring and coauthoring seven books, Stevenson taught history at several colleges and universities, including Santa Clara University and Wayne State College. Survivors include his wife, Dorothy; a daughter; a son; and two grandchildren.

1970s

Jane Marshall Rosenthal, AM’71, a linguistics scholar, died March 4 in Chicago. She was 79. After a stint as an Indiana journalist, Rosenthal, married to the late Robert Rosenthal, AM’55, taught English as a second language for the Chicago Board of Education and at three Chicago-area colleges, retiring in 1990. Survivors include two daughters, two sons, and five grandchildren.

Richard O. Ivins, MBA’79, a scientist and businessman, died of leukemia June 11 in Knoxville, TN. He was 69. Joining Argonne National Laboratory, where he became director of technology transfer, in the late 1950s, Ivins went on to begin technology-marketing and consulting firms. In the 1990s he was vice president of engineering at Alcomet Inc. and Thin Metal Inc., later serving as economic development director for the city of Juneau, WI. Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth; a daughter; a son; a stepdaughter; three stepsons; a sister; and five grandchildren.

Barbara Lafoon Sizemore, PhD’79, died July 24 in Chicago. She was 76. Sizemore began teaching in Chicago Public Schools in 1947, becoming a principal in 1963. In the early '70s she was named superintendent of the Washington, DC, public schools and in 1977 joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty. In 1992 she became dean of DePaul University's school of education. Survivors include a daughter, a son, two stepdaughters, two stepsons, and seven grandchildren.

1980s

Sara L. Johnson, JD'81, died of cancer May 17 in St. Louis. She was 47. Joining Washington University in St. Louis, her undergraduate alma matter, in 1989 as special assistant to the chancellor, Johnson rose to associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. Survivors include her partner, Kathleen M. Wildman, AB'77; a sister; and her mother.

1990s

Steven J. Mihalik, MD'93, a pediatrician, died June 20 in Hanover, PA. He was 36. Survivors include his wife, Donna, and three sons.

2000s

Margaret L. Bradley, AB'01, died of heat exhaustion July 10 in Grand Canyon National Park, AZ. She was 24. A competitive runner, Bradley had completed her first year at the Pritzker School of Medicine. Survivors include a brother; her parents; and her grandmother.