The University of Chicago Magazine

Faculty and Staff

Richard Jeffery Jones, physician, medical researcher, and professor at the U of C Hospitals, died September 6 at home in Chicago. He was 87. During his 17-year University career, he focused on the connection between diet and heart disease. As director of scientific affairs for the American Medical Association from 1976 to 1983, he kept his license active and continued to see patients until his death. Survivors include two daughters, Ruth Backstrom, U-High’67, and Alexandrea Lyon, U-High’76; two sons, Christopher Jones, U-High’65, and Jeffrey Jones, U-High’70; and nine grandchildren.

Geoffrey B. Korn, medical director of occupational medicine at the U of C Hospitals, died of pancreatic cancer September 30 in Chicago. He was 57. Before joining the faculty, Korn was a U of C intern and emergency-medicine resident. He spent more than a decade working in and chairing Chicago-area emergency rooms, also earning a master’s degree in public health. In 2001 he returned to the U of C Hospitals, establishing its occupational-medicine department to focus primarily on treating hospital employees. Survivors include his wife, Lynda Lane; a son; his mother; and two brothers.

Erica Reiner, PhD’55, the John A. Wilson distinguished service professor emerita in the Oriental Institute and editor of the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary, died December 31. She was 81. After linguistic studies in Budapest and Paris, she joined the Oriental Institute in 1952 as a research assistant, working on the first manuscript for the Assyrian Dictionary—now the basic reference work for Akkadian, the predominant language of ancient Mesopotamia. In 1973 she became the dictionary’s editor in charge, holding the post until her 1996 retirement. Author of numerous articles and a 1985 essay collection, Your Thwarts in Pieces, Your Mooring Rope Cut: Poetry from Babylonia and Assyria, she also wrote a grammar on the ancient language of Elamite. An expert on Babylonian history of science, she coedited four volumes of Babylonian Planetary Omens and wrote Astral Magic in Babylonia (1995). A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she received several honorary degrees. Survivors include a sister.

Edward “Ned” Rosenheim, AB’39, AM’46, PhD’53, the David B. and Clara E. Stern professor emeritus in English language & literature, died November 28 in San Francisco. He was 87. Recipient of the Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 1953 and the Willett Faculty Fellowship to support undergraduate teaching in 1962, Rosenheim focused on 18th-century satire and Jonathan Swift. He also cowrote many musicals for the U of C Revels, a faculty comedy group. A past editor of Modern Philology, he led the National Humanities Institute and chaired the Illinois Humanities Council. Survivors include his wife, Margaret Rosenheim, JD’49, the Helen Ross professor emerita in the School of Social Service Administration; three sons, including Daniel Rosenheim, U-High’66, and James Rosenheim, U-High’68; two granddaughters; three grandsons; and a sister, Elizabeth Hepner, AB’44.

Violet J. Stark, AB’59, a research technician at the U of C Hospitals, died of cancer August 27 in Chicago. She was 67. Starting as a ward clerk, Stark became chief technologist in two departments; working in the nuclear-medicine section, she assisted in studies on the use of radioisotopes for biomedical research and clinical applications. She was active in the U of C Community and Grant Park choruses, as well as in the First Unitarian Church of Chicago and its choir. Survivors include two brothers.

1930s

Norman N. Gill, PhB’32, civic activist and government watchdog, died November 8. He was 94. Executive director of the Public Policy Forum for nearly 40 years and McBeath senior researcher at Marquette University’s Bradley Institute for Democracy and Values, Gill served on many boards and task forces. An award in his honor is presented annually by Milwaukee’s Public Policy Forum, recognizing an exemplary nonelected government official. Survivors include his wife, Ethel Nutis; three daughters; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Robert B. Shapiro, PhB’33, JD’35, died October 5 in Mill Valley, CA. He was 94. Active in the Human Potential Movement, Shapiro helped found the Gestalt Institute of Chicago and the Alan Watts Society for Comparative Philosophy. He was a light heavyweight wrestling champion and a U of C football player for the last team coached by Amos Alonzo Stagg. Survivors include his wife, Alison; three daughters; two stepsons; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and four step-grandchildren.

Maurice Rosenfield, AB’36, JD’38, an attorney and stage and film producer, died October 30. He was 91. As an attorney, Rosenfield worked for Playboy in its early years and represented Lenny Bruce in a 1964 landmark case. Coauthor of a 1941 article “The Contemporary Function of the Class Suit,” he and his colleagues are credited with spurring the use of the class-action suit as a legal tool. He and late wife Lois Fried founded Rosenfield Productions and produced films such as Bang the Drum Slowly and Broadway hits such as Tony-award winner Barnum. Among his survivors are two sons, including Andrew Rosenfield, JD’78, U of C trustee and senior lecturer in the Law School; and four grandchildren.

Ralph B. Matthews, AM’36, died October 9 in Olympia, WA. He was 90. Manager of Evergreen Bus Lines, he served as transportation supervisor for the Medford, OR, school district. He enjoyed biking and toured Western Europe and New Zealand with his wife. Survivors include two daughters, a son, and two granddaughters.

John Conrad, AB’37, chair emeritus of S&C Electric, died August 30. He was 89. Honored with the Washington Award by the Western Society of Engineers in 1998, Conrad served as president of S&C from 1952 until he became chair and CEO in 1988. Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Arlys; three daughters; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Theodore T. Puck, SB’37, PhD’40, a pioneering genetics researcher, died November 6 in Denver. He was 89. Founder of the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute at the University of Denver, Puck devised the incubator technique for growing individual human cells in cultures. A 1958 winner of the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, he was a leader in developing the Denver classification system and confirmed the number of chromosomes in the human genome. Identifying the precise amount of radiation necessary for killing human cells, he helped transform cancer treatment. Survivors include his wife, Mary Puck, AM’45; three daughters; and seven grandchildren.

Willis H. Shapley, AB’38, a science administrator, died October 24 in Washington. He was 88. As a budget examiner for the Office of Management and Budget, Shapley reviewed funding for the Manhattan Project and recommended pursuing space-exploration programs under President Kennedy. Joining NASA as associate deputy administrator in 1965, he retired in 1975 to serve as a consultant for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Survivors include two daughters, a sister, three brothers, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

J. Howard Cook, U-High’34, AB’38, a retired naval commander, died October 10 in Chicago. He was 88. Enlisting in the Navy after Pearl Harbor, he served until 1976, earning 13 battle stars, three Silver Stars, and two Bronze Stars. He later worked as a sales representative for Glidden and Sherwin-Williams. He sailed in the annual Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac for more than three decades and was a past Naval Sailing Association officer. Survivors include his wife, Ethel; a sister; a niece; and two nephews.

1940s

Sol Appelbaum, AB’40, JD’44, a business executive and legal adviser, died September 14 in Evanston, IL. He was 86. A WWII veteran and president of the Chicago industrial clothing company started by his father in 1917, Appelbaum was active in many voluntary organizations, including Parents of North American Israelis, the American Zionist Movement, and the Jewish Chautauqua Society. Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Ethel; a brother; a son; a daughter; and six grandchildren.

Hymen B. Krieberg, MBA’42, died March 1, 2005, in Tallahassee, FL. He was 85. A WWII veteran and a retired CPA, he is survived by his wife, Shirley; a son, a daughter; and five grandchildren.

Marvin Ratner, SB’42, a chemist and businessman, died September 29 in Los Angeles. He was 84. A U.S. Army Air Corps veteran, Ratner worked in the food and pharmaceutical industry for more than 50 years. Later in life, he volunteered at UCLA Extension and taught Junior Achievement to eighth graders. He loved all things chocolate and never stopped his quest for learning. Survivors include his wife, Mildred; two sons; eight grandchildren, including Joshua Ratner, JD’02; and one great-granddaughter.

1950s

Leo Bogart, AM’48, PhD’50, a sociologist, died October 15 in New York City. He was 84. Author of nearly a dozen books on media marketing and public opinion, Bogart was active in the advertising industry, studying how consumers process newspaper ads and how advertising affects youth and American culture. Survivors include his wife, Agnes (Cohen) Bogart, AB’36; two children, including Michele Bogart, AM’75, PhD’79; and one grandchild.

Hiroshi Sugiyama, PhD’50, a bacteriologist, died September 4 in Madison, WI. He was 88. After working for the California Department of Public Health and conducting research for the U.S. Army during WWII, he earned his PhD in bacteriology and parasitology under the G.I. Bill. Joining the Food Research Institute at the University, he moved with the Institute in 1966 to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he also served as professor of bacteriology. Survivors include his wife, Yuri, and two daughters.

John W. Lepp, MBA’56, an educator and union executive, died September 26 in Redlands, CA. He was 77. A Pomona industrial-arts teacher and past section president of the California Teachers Association, Lepp also coached badminton at the Claremont Colleges. In 1972 he began a second career as a union official. He was an expert fisherman and outdoor photographer. Survivors include his longtime companion, Mary Mason; his mother; a brother; and a sister.

1960s

Michael Roskin, AB’62, AM’65, a social worker, died August 27 in Jerusalem. He was 65. After heading the Greater Lakes Mental Health Center in Tacoma, WA, in the 1970s Roskin moved with his family to Israel, where he became head of Hadassah Hospital’s social-work department and taught at Hebrew University. He spearheaded nationwide movements for safer driving, direct election of Kinesset (Congress) members, and protection of Israel’s forests against commercial overexpansion. He is survived by his wife Lessa, a son, two daughters, and 11 grandchildren.

Roger Johnson, JD’68, an attorney in Seattle, died May 21. Survivors include his wife, Beth; three children; and a daughter-in-law.

Joel Schwartz, AB’62, AM’65, PhD’72, an urban historian, died of leukemia August 10. He was 62. After teaching at Roosevelt University, the University of Illinois, and Brooklyn College, he taught for more than 30 years at Montclair State University, twice chairing the history department (1988–94 and 2001–02). He was a lifelong member of the Columbia University Seminar on the City and taught at Columbia’s architecture school. A devoted Chicago alumnus, he enjoyed interviewing applicants to the College. Survivors include his wife, Bonnie Fox Schwartz; daughter Marjorie Schwartz Poulos, AB’97; and son David J. Schwartz, AB’03. This notice corrects information in the December/05 issue.—Ed.

1970s

Wendell D. Davenport, MBA’71, a civil engineer, died October 11 in Wheaton, IL. He was 81. Davenport served as a radio lineman in the Army during WWII and later designed bridges, including several on the Eisenhower and Dan Ryan expressways. During his career he bought and reinvigorated several floundering businesses and served as a consultant for many more. Survivors include a daughter, two sons, two sisters, a brother, and seven grandchildren.

Ronald Lee Emmons, AM’78, an author, died November 10. His fiction, commentaries, and other pieces appeared in magazines and newspapers including the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and Essence magazine. Emmons’s screenplay, Rendezvous, was produced and shown on BET. Survivors include his wife, Felicia Howard-Emmons; his mother; a sister; two nephews; and a niece.

Lawrence C. Katz, AB’79, a neurobiologist at Duke University Medical Center, died of melanoma November 26. He was 48. A Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator since 1996, Katz received the Charles Judson Herrick Award from the American Association of Anatomists and the Young Investigator Award from the Society of Neuroscience for his research on the development and function of the mammalian cortex. Survivors include his wife, Doris, two children, his father, a sister, a niece, and two nephews.

1980s

Karen E. Flo, AB’81, died of cancer October 2 in Lake Forest, IL. She was 46. After working in Commonwealth Edison’s IT department, she taught Bible study, volunteered at her children’s school, and belonged to the United Protestant Church in Grayslake, IL. She loved traveling and playing the piano. Survivors include her husband, John Carroll; two children; one brother; two sisters; and many nieces and nephews.